Which platen belongs with which typewriter?
In the following type specimens, you can compare the difference before and after. Yes, I changed the ribbon in the meantime but part of the improvement is you can now run a ribbon through more than once without having to use 3 backing sheets!
Sent from my Underwood Standard Portable
Impressive results, Nick. I may have to give this a try sometime. My only fear is removing the platens to begin with.
ReplyDeleteI used to be very afraid to remove platens, and that's why this never got done until now. It turns out that for all 5 of those typewriters I have done it with so far, it's actually a very straightforward thing. I was able to take all of them out and put them back in without problems or much delay.
DeleteNice work. I have used the brake fluid treatment on hard platens ever since Richard P told me about it when I had platens that would not soften with rubber rejuvinator. If I have especially hard and slick ones I rough them up a bit spinning them on the lathe with some fine sandpaper. I have done the same with out the use of a lathe, but it is more difficult. For real stubborn platens I leave the brakefluid on overnight and wipe off the excess in the morning. One caution is that brake fluid can be over done. Sometimes the result is only extra sticky and others it is melted (for the lack of a better word) rubber.
ReplyDelete@teeritz Platens can be rejuvenated in place with the paper release open so the pressure rollers stay dry. It takes much more care and the platen cannot be wetted as much since it is not good to get brake fluid on anything but the platen. With the platen removed the pressure rollers can also be removed and they too can be treated. I do rubber rejuvenator with a platen in place more often than brake fluid, but I have used brake fluid with a platen on the machine especially if I treat one for people at work.
@Nick, The stamp link still time-out --Firefox and Chorme, Opera, Midori browsers.
The toothpaste is what I use to roughen up the platen a little. It isn't much abrasion, but so far it has helped quite a lot.
DeleteThat is strange. I've tested it out fine on my computer as well as on my phone, and I've gotten a successful order placed as well. Better just send me an email with your order, then.
Soft Scrub is great for roughing up the platen. Then I follow with brake fluid if needed, removing the platen only if it's easy to do. Brake fluid has always improved the grip on my platens, but it can't change the underlying hardness so it certainly isn't a substitute for a whole new platen.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the info but particularly for showing the "before" and "after" type samples. That makes it easy to see that it's worth the effort, if you're trying to clean up the type. The improvement seems about the same as when I cleaned my QDL's typebars with an electric toothbrush and isopropanol.
ReplyDeleteI made the before sample after I had cleaned the typeslugs (except a little bit had begun to fill in the e and a again after doing so) so the later sample shoes the improvement of the ribbon and the brake fluid only. :)
DeleteI've also noticed improvements in print quality with all 3 Torpedoes I have tried it on now. I previously thought it was just a Torpedo thing to have some slightly muddled print, but it was just the slick, hard platens!