Tuning a typewriter
reply to u/solestal801 at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1tp6xh5/tuning_a_typewriter/
Most will call it "adjusting" in the literature (eg. clean, oil, adjust). That's the sort of thing that's hiding deep within a lot of the repair manuals and found by closely watching lots of YouTube repair videos (and taking notes for when you need them). It's the art hiding within the practice and probably takes the longest to acquire.
This will give you a start for some resources: https://boffosocko.com/2024/10/24/learning-typewriter-maintenance-and-repair/
Some examples of the tidbits include:
- Which pairs of pliers (roller, nineprong, peening, etc.) you need to make adjustments in which directions for slugs to be properly aligned.
- How and where to make adjustments for the "touch" of a machine. Joe Van Cleave has an excellent video for this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYOXgqiHBmg, but most importantly, he shows you that to really know the area, you need to read the repair manual to see the panoply of options for doing this.
- How to do adjustments (and in which order) for things like ring and cylinder (or hammer and anvil), on feet, and motion. I've linked a playlist for the SM3 here https://boffosocko.com/2024/07/14/aggregated-resources-and-playlist-for-a-crash-course-on-the-olympia-sm3-portable-typewriter/, that gives some broad generalities which are also applicable to most other modern machines.
By the sound of where you're at, I might suggest buying a Royal KMM for $20 and methodically working your way through this:
- Scadden, David T. Approved Home Study Course in Typewriter Repair and Service. Little Falls, NJ: Typewriter Repair School, 1959.