Useful template for emailing about shipping typewriters
Dear TK:
Quite often typewriters are damaged beyond repair in shipping. This is particularly true of larger/heavier typewriters like this one.
Primary concerns are to prevent movement of the carriage and protecting the carriage knobs and the silver carriage return arm.
Please use an elastic band(s)/rubber band(s) to permanently hold the carriage release lever to the green carriage knob(s). The carriage release lever is the silver piece just above the green knobs on either side of the typewriter carriage (the part that would move back and forth while typing.) This should allow the carriage to move freely back and forth to the right or the left and prevent any damage to the delicate escapement mechanism inside the typewriter.
Next, to prevent damage to the carriage with respect to the heavy metal frame, use plastic wrap or bubble wrap to ensure that the carriage is roughly centered on the typewriter (or flush on the left side) and can’t move back or forth while being shipped.
Finally, ensure appropriate amounts of packing material around the carriage, the knobs, and the return lever to prevent them from being broken or damaged in shipping. In particular, make sure there isn’t any empty space (or dead space) inside the box or the machine is guaranteed to bounce around and break. The box being dropped accidentally from even a foot or two is enough to either bend or break the heavy frame or destroy the carriage. This sort of damage is often what makes what is otherwise a fully functional typewriter a useless boat anchor.
Thanks in advance for your kind assistance in helping this vintage machine reach me in its best condition!
Warmest regards,
name
Video example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNISoY_7g9s
Written example: https://johnlewismechanicalantiques.com/packing-instructions/