How to Repair a Broken Typewriter Carriage String, Carriage Band, or Carriage Strap 

Slskene, this is so kind of you to say. Thank you! I’ve been busy lately with writing assignments, client calls, and family commitments … but should return to making more videos soon. Meantime, please know that your words buoy me. It’s great to have you watching!

What can I say, @f1remandg? There's nobody here but us chickens. I'd rather cut through the bull and show the process, warts and all. Glad you appreciate that. Thanks for watching and commenting, and good luck with whatever you're doing!

That's almost exactly what I did my first time around. My first fix was a 1934 Torpedo Model 16 and I used a chopstick to pull some ordinary fishing line through. Very rudimentary but it worked like a charm. I still recommend picking up an inexpensive spring hook set. You can often pick one up for about $10 and it's totally worth it. Welcome to the community, Winifried320. Pleased to meet you!

Glad I could help! Thanks for letting Know!

We're all newbies. Dive in. Wishing you luck and please let me know how it goes.

@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco Got it! I wanted to share a "working " video but I can't find a way to do that. I'm also working on the sticky keys today and they've come a long way. It's a vintage German Elite with German vowels on the keyboard. This could be a very addictive hobby..... thank you for the videos!

@@shaej7195 Again, my pleasure. Try sending a video to mail@damondimarco.com. Truth is it’s very difficult to diagnose any problem or assist through video. But I’ll be happy to take a look.

My pleasure @gsh319. Welcome aboard.

Much obliged for watching, @MrRockfisherman!

I appreciate the good words, @nalanimulcahy8451. Wishing you the best of luck with your project.

Fantastic! Glad to have helped!

Thanks for saying so @adamarcher7847. Much obliged!

I wish I could do it for you, @chrismiller9680, but that’s what the video’s for! Think of a draw band as a thicker version of a drawstring. The points of attachment may differ on the drum spring-you probably won’t have to push a knot through the release slot-but the mechanics will be identical. Actually, come to think of it, a Rand 5 will probably have a drawstring, too. Never seen one that didn’t. Bottom line is get yourself some fishing line, spin your machine around, study it’s works, then flip it over and follow the video’s instructions. You can do it.

Hi Sami,osi. I'm not sure I understand your question. Let me try explaining it this way to see if it helps. First, you have to determine whether the typewriter is a carriage shift or basket shift typewriter. I made a video on this, which may help. On carriage shift typewriters, the entire carriage rises when the shift key is depressed. This might account for the rising action you mentioned. When it rises, the carriage vibrates slightly because typewriters are mechanical and mechanical action however minute, will always produce vibrations. If this helps you or doesn't, please let me know. And thanks for watching.

Very pleased you like it, Indro!

Again, happy to be of service, Johnny. A carriage string problem is really not that big of a deal. Wishing you excellent luck on fixing your machine.

Glad I could be of service, Johnny!

Wish I could help you with this @DavidIngrassia, but the honest answer is that I’ve never disassembled or reassembled a Lettera Dora or 31. And of course I don’t want to steer you wrong. Have you tried calling one of the veteran typewriter repair shops? My interior me tells me they will have performed this operation before, many times, and might quickly describe the process over the phone. Please let me know how you fare if you do. And wishing you best of luck.

Hi @hannahsayers652. Thanks for watching, it’s good to meet you. Apologies in advance, it’s so difficult if not impossible to diagnose mechanical issues based on textual descriptions. But let’s give it a whirl. What make, model, and year is your typewriter, please?

It's a Brother Webster XL-500, and my best guess is 1960s for year.@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco

Either that or Inc. & Grow Rich, a book about tax shelters…

Hi @ktgaming8713. I don't handle electric typewriters. I only do manuals. However, I'd call Jay or Paul at Gramercy Typewriter here in NYC and ask them to share their expertise. If any vendor can help you, those two can. gramercytypewriter.com/ Hope this helps.

Hi @ledionh2626. The short, honest answer is that there's no way for me to know exactly what's going on with your machine without a physical inspection. However, repairing a broken carriage string, strap, or band is generally not a big fix. Follow the procedure I've documented. It should work for any vintage manual typewriter. If you get into trouble, you may have to take your machine to a professional typewriter repair person or watch/clock repair person. Wishing you good luck.

Hi, Marius. Without looking at the machine, I really can’t see what the issue is is the carriage lock on, for instance? Check the switch on the right hand side of the carriage. If the carriage lock is on the carriage will not advance. If the carriage lock is not on, and your hidden keys, including the , and the carriages and moving, but the carriage string is intact, this could be an issue with the machine’s master spring or the machine’s escapement. Again it’s almost impossible for me to diagnose this over email. I would recommend that you check in with a professional typewriter repair person. They may ask you to take videos of the machine and send them to them so they can diagnose the problem. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching.

Hi Mak. Short answer is I can't tell without looking at the machine. Things I would check for: is the spring wheel wound, putting tension on the line? Is the line connected to the right hand side of the carriage (if you're looking at the machine from the typing position)? If these two conditions are met and key action still isn't causing the carriage to move, it could be that the carriage rails are somehow blocked, that the typewriter's escapement is shot, or that the mechanisms translate key action to the escapement are disconnected. The rail action's easy to check. Hold down the carriage release lever and slide the carriage back and forth on the rails. If nothing impedes the motion, it isn't the rails. Check the escapement by getting under the machine and typing. If you see the escapement mechanism clicking along, then its likely the linkage from keys to the escapement though this rarely happens in my experience. Escapements being shot are more common. Again, this is all just troubleshooting from a distance and apologies for that. If you give these methods a try, write back and tell me what you find. Maybe we can troubleshoot from there. Wishing you my best.

@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco Thanks for your response! It seems like the escapement isn’t working correctly

@@makcats2842 Understood. And thanks for checking back in. That's not optimal news. In some cases, escapements can be fixed but generally speaking we run up against a cost-to-gain analysis. Often it's more cost efficient to buy another machine that's in good working order. Best bet is to bring your machine to a good typewriter mechanic and ask their opinion. Do you have one near you?

@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco There’s one on the other side of the country, but their rates are a bit above my budget. With some prying on the escapement latch I did manage to get the space bar working, though.

Hi @shadowgirl845. This happens a lot with old typewriters. I did a video about fixing the problem. I’ve included the link below and I hope it helps. How to Repair a Broken Typewriter Carriage String, Carriage Band, or Carriage Strap ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lUcPo4Ad8iU.html

HI @jhomarivillanueva7818. It's hard to accurately diagnose mechanical problems as described in prose. But it sounds to me like your variable line spacing mechanism has been engaged. Depending on what model typewriter you have, look for a switch or pull out knob on the right or left side of your platen that will disengage this. Hopefully, that will revert the platen (not the carriage) to tension.

Hi Rowena. Sorry to hear you're having trouble. I get this from time to time on my Smith-Corona Skyriter and my Olympia SM3, which of course are very different machines. Tough to say what it is without examining the machine. Have you tried depressing the carriage release lever and moving the carriage back and forth across its full range from left to right? This sometimes does the trick on my Skyriter. Have you checked the backspace button? Does that work? If you move the carriage manually back to the left margin, does the space bar work? How about the keys? When you hit them, do they advance the carriage? I ask because these three indicators often point to problems with the escapement. If all else fails, I recommend contacting Richard Polt, author of The Typewriter Revolution. He's sort of a specialist in Remingtons-a very knowledgable and generous man. Without speaking for his time, he might be able to offer some insight. You can read more about Richard and his great work with these and other machines here: site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/. I hope this helps. Please keep in touch and let me know how things go. Wishing you my best.

I can live with that, Cypher. If you do get a typewriter-and if the carriage string breaks-now you’ll know what to do. Wishing you well and thanks for watching.

@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco indeed, it’s fascinating to see how mechanically complex these machines actually are.. ☝️😯⚙️

@@Cypher791 Couldn't agree more, C791. I really dig them.

Hi Trevor. This is the part where I levy my standard disclaimer: it's virtually impossible to diagnose a machine's issues without seeing it in person. That being said, if the platen isn't spacing down when you hit the carriage return, it could be an issue with the machine's line space mechanism, which is associated with the carriage return. Take a close look at what happens when you lever the carriage return. Is the line spacing mechanism engaging at all? Depending on what model you have, you can find make-specific repair manuals online that will help you diagnose and repair this issue. Barring that, check out the videos posted at Phoenix Typewriter. Or consider contacting a typewriter repairperson near you. Most line spacing issues are relatively simple fixes. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching.

​@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco I found a spring that had indeed popped off. I tried reconnecting it to its post with tweezers to no avail. Fortunately my neighbor came to the rescue with a pair of surgical clamps and we got it back on. The next order of business is to replace the return lever's screw as it is stripped and loosens after only typing a few words, also causing line advance issues, by the looks. I guess I will take the screw to my hardware store and try to find something similar.

@@user-ny1mz5kq1k Sounds like you're on the right track. If you're having trouble matching the screw (which sometimes happens because they're so bespoke and small) consider contacting typewriter shops and asking if they have one to spare. Many will be able to supply it from their parts graveyards. Another trick is to find a similar screw somewhere else on the machine that doesn't appear to be pulling much duty and cannibalizing it for the purposes you need it for. Wishing you luck and hope this helps.

I’ll try my best though it’s often very difficult to diagnose problems based on photos only. Go ahead and send pictures, please, Sereyleakhena.

@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco sorry for late reply. But I can't sent you the picture.

Hi Johnny. It's hard to say for certain based on your description. If, by "cart," you mean the carriage ... and if, by "press the button," you mean the carriage release lever ... and if, by "wheel", you mean the carriage spring (which I'll assume is installed correctly) ... well, impediment of the carriage motion is often influenced by friction against the carriage rails. Or the spring isn't wound to the proper tightness, which means it won't draw the carriage back to the left-hand margin position with the proper degree of mechanical force. Those would be the things I'd check first. I hope this helps. Wishing you look with your work.

@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco Damon, Thanks for answering me so quickly I'll try to explain better. As for the the carriage spring I had broken it from the inside, I had actually turned it not clockwise but counterclockwise three times and that Out of ignorance of not knowing how it moved. I managed to open it and see that I needed to re-drill the screw hole. I made the hole for the screw and put everything in the same place, after the repair it was put in the same place as in the original position. I tried to put the cord to pull the carriage but after that the carriage doesn't stay in the same place, the carriage should move backwards only when pressing any key. What I find strange is that nothing seems out of place. When I bought it second-hand, the cord was already broken, but after washing it with a brush, maybe something happened, but I can't say or guarantee that the positions of the elements are in place or not, but again, I don't see anything loose. Could it be that there is a lack of pressure in the rotation ???? I already know that it is clockwise remembering that the last times in at least two times that I tried it I will say 6 and 7 times and I put the cord in place even though with pressure the car is NOT locked in place. I hope you can understand everything I meant I'm new to fixing typewriters but I've been looking through videos here on RU-vid to learn more.

@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco Damon, the machine I'm talking about is a small german TRIUMPH (1928-1934). I tried to post a link right here in the comment where I found the same model on an internet site but RU-vid deleted all my previous comments because of that link so I don't know how to show you

@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco This is the same model as mine upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Schreibmaschine_Klein-Triumph_alias_Modell_1.jpg/1483px-Schreibmaschine_Klein-Triumph_alias_Modell_1.jpg

@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco here is the back drive.google.com/file/d/1pWIITM8_L2N8HvNaL3o6pwdwyQnL1C3H/view?usp=drive_link