My typewriter won't type

The diagnosis

Twelve typewriter faults, and what they mean

First of all, you need to name precisely what the machine is doing. Find the line that looks most like yours: it will tell you whether it is a simple adjustment, or whether the problem has to be dealt with on the bench.

• The typing is pale, grey, almost faded

  The ribbon is dry or has reached the end of its life. This is the only case where nothing is wrong with the mechanism: an ink ribbon is a consumable, and eventually it stops depositing anything, even on a machine in perfect condition.

  Try at home

• The typebars rise but nothing prints

  The ribbon no longer sits in front of the paper: it has come out of its guides, it has twisted between the spools, or the ribbon holder that lifts at each keystroke stays down. Start by looking at the colour selector: one of its positions is meant for typing without a ribbon.

  Try at home

• The keys stay stuck in the air

  Old oil, thickened and mixed with dust, has seized the segment — the fan-shaped part on which all the typebars pivot. The typebars go up and no longer come down. This is the state in which almost every machine that has sat for years in an attic arrives. The segment is taken apart and cleaned with solvent, typebar by typebar.

  Workshop job

• The keys are stiff, you have to force them to write

  Same origin, at a more discreet stage: the mechanism is held back over its whole travel, and the return springs are no longer enough to bring the typebars back. A well-degreased machine recovers a light touch, without a single part needing to be replaced.

  Workshop job

• The carriage doesn't move at all

  Most often it is simply locked: most portables have a transport lock that immobilises the carriage in the case. Look for the lever, on the front or under the carriage. If it is properly released and nothing moves, the escapement is seized, and then the machine has to be opened up.

  Try at home

• The carriage doesn't advance one step with each letter

  The escapement, the mechanism that releases exactly one step per keystroke, is clogged or out of adjustment. The drawstring that pulls the carriage may also have slackened, come off or broken: it is a wear part that can be replaced.

  Workshop job

• The carriage races all the way by itself

  The opposite of the previous one: the escapement no longer holds anything back and the carriage shoots to the end stop from the very first letter. Clogging first, wear of the part next. Above all, don't hold the carriage back by hand while typing: it's the best way to bend something.

  Workshop job

• The line return doesn't advance the paper

  The carriage does return to the left, but the line is typed over the previous one. The line-spacing pawl, which turns the platen by one notch, no longer engages. First check the small selector near the platen; after that, it is an adjustment.

  Workshop job

• Letters are crooked or overlap

  The typebars have developed play or been slightly bent, often after a knock or transport without padding. Capitals that strike too high or too low come from the same adjustment. Alignment is redone typebar by typebar, with dedicated tools: it is precision work.

  Workshop job

• The machine skips letters or doubles spaces

  The typebars don't return fast enough and collide, or the escapement lets two steps through. Typing and carriage advance are one and the same movement: when one slows down, the other goes out of adjustment. A full cleaning solves most of it, the rest is down to adjustment.

  Workshop job

• The paper slips, doesn't feed straight or no longer catches

  The platen has hardened over the years, the feed rollers have lost their grip, or the pressure levers no longer clamp. This is rubber wear, not a breakage: it is compensated for by adjustment, and replaced when necessary.

  Workshop job

• The machine comes from a cellar: rust, mould, everything seized

  Damp and old grease have worked together. It looks dramatic, but it is rarely a lost cause: the metal is treated, the mechanism degreased, the body cleaned. What really condemns a machine is rarer: a bent frame, or a machine that has already been taken apart and is incomplete.

  Workshop job

How I work

From your photos to the machine's return

Whether it's a simple service or a full restoration, the procedure is always the same. You know where you're going before the machine leaves your home, and nothing is committed without your approval.

1. You send me a few photos

   An overall view, a view of the mechanism, and the problem area. Add two or three lines on what the machine does, or no longer does. That is often enough to see clearly.

2. I give you an indicative price range

   Based on the photos and your description. It lets you decide with full knowledge, before packing anything.

3. The machine arrives at the workshop, and I draw up a precise quote

   Once the machine is in my hands, I can see exactly what work needs doing and which parts to replace or not. The quote is itemised, and it is firm.

4. Work begins once the quote is approved

   Nothing is committed without your approval. If the quote doesn't suit you, the machine comes back to you as it is.

5. Returned by post, in a secure parcel

   Once payment is received, the machine goes back carefully wedged and packed, like every machine that leaves the workshop.

The questions people ask me

Before writing to me