This 1950 Super Silent came to me accidentally when I had actually gone to acquire a different typer ( a SkyWriter, in case you are wondering) through a garage sale listing on Facebook. The seller was like “Oh. You like typewriters? I have another one if you are interested”, and me being me, well, I can’t seem to say no. Have to keep that typer addiction fed, don’tcha know. Plus, they only wanted ten bucks for it, so I figured if nothing else, I would end up with a parts machine.
Upon further investigation, however, I soon saw that the mechanical problems were easily sorted and the machine was worth saving as a whole. It was just going to take a little bit….
It had definitely seen better days. The body was pretty battered, in some places down to bare metal:
Also, since it didn’t have a case, it was also very, very dusty….
Eeesh….such a dirty girl. But, a little alcohol will clear her right up.
First things first, though. Time to get her stripped down and redressed.
Main body first as proof of concept. I cleaned the metal with Scrubbing Bubbles and then hot water, with gentle scrubs. Came out pretty clean. Then, first few coats of paint went on, with overlapping layers a few minutes apart as per the can directions.
I removed the molded plastic logo strip and used opposing sides of trimmed down masking tape to cover the art-deco highlights on the ribbon cover:
Carriage sides and back pieces were next.
Mechanically, it was missing a few springs, the type bars were mucked solid with gunk and she just felt a bit…sloppy. So I replaced most of the springs, reattached the tab bar that had popped loose from the frame in back and performed some intense, but mostly general, maintenance.
Then it was time for my favorite part, putting it all back together!
Cleaned, tuned, and just a lovely little typer now.
And it even has a quirk:
She is apparently a QTERTY keyboard. From the look of things, this was a factory error, which makes her somehow a bit more endearing than she already was. Also, note just how dirty and dusty she was before her bath.
Anyway, that’s the newest saved Sterling. It just goes to show what a little time, a little love, and some effort will get ya…
(50’s announcer voice) Another typer soldier saved in the war against the Information Regime!
Oh. And I have a kick ass idea for a custom case, so stayed tuned!
