I love this video. I was trying to decide which typewriter to purchase from ebay and found that exact same 1946 Smith Corona model and this video was really helpful and I saved it to show my husband when he gets his birthday present. :-) Great job to both of you.
I've had typewriters like both of these. They are very find portable typewriters that have the best touch, reliability, and print. They are a very well-balanced design and have been so since the days they were only called "Corona."
This is John, and I'm thankful for being able to using a hobby of mine in several ways to make the world better than I found it--including writing letters with my collection so that my girlfriend will have something nice to read. She has some three thousand of them so far in the fifteen-plus years I've been with her and written to her.
Awesome review! Thanks so much for sharing. I didn't realize until half way thru, that the typewriter that I just scored is a sterling and not a "silent". Made by the same company and same year. They're almost identical. I'm going to research the difference now. Your review helped me identify things that I had not even thought of! Again, thanks so much & keep up the excellent work! Ps..I gave you a thumbs up & subscribed :)
teresa Ballentine thanks for watching and subscribing. I don’t know the differences offhand but I know they made a few models with different features and price points. Congrats on your new machine. Happy typing!
Such a beautiful piece of equipment!! As old as time in the day of age, the modern day technology that we use some how I still some old ways of doing things. The wax seal to send letters in the mail, the fountain pen, the feather pen, a bottle of ink. I still use those things! Still prefer the old vintage objects
A friend gave one of these to me when he moved, knowing how much I enjoy writing. Last week, my children had it restored for me and it makes me smile every time I use it. It's in mint shape with the exception that's it's missing one extension ar, though the technician did find the screw while he was cleaning it up. I suppose I could fashion but my inner child would love to find a replacement or not use it at all. Where would I look for parts for this model? I've had no luck online so far. Many thanks for the fine video and your welcome advice!
Thanks for the message. Did you mean to type extension arm? If so, do you mean one of the retractable paper supports in the rear? Or the return lever for returning the carriage? Either way, you can search for cheap parts machines locally, or join the Antique Typewriter Maintenance group on Facebook and post there for the missing part. You may get lucky and find somebody with a parts machine.
That '40's "speedline" paper bail assembly looks nice--my '46 and '47 Clippers of same body-style only use paper fingers. That RH platen latch release was a Silent model thing; Silent had the ability to interchange from a softer to a harder platen quickly, as job at hand required. Here's a quote from a Silent O.E. manual "On Corona silent better stencils can be obtained if the regular "Silent" Platen is replaced with a harder platen roll."
Ken Kruschka very cool! Do you have a scanner by chance to scan and email that manual? Sorry for the late reply; I don’t get notified when I get comments.
No scanner needed, I just quoted from the 1930's " How to use Corona Floating shift Models" which is one of the many free, copyable manuals available through site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-manuals.html
I have the same blocks in my case. I think they were an after thought since it was probably moving around in the case while in transport too much. I have worked in a few factories and this does happen a lot due to unforeseen variables during design.
Frank Costa thanks for watching. A new platen usually helps keep the periods, slashes, and other characters from poking through the paper. In the absence of a new platen, one or even two backing sheets behind the original sheet of paper helps with that, and helps prevent damage to the type slugs from hitting a rock hard platen.
Well, my silly self couldn't figure out how to reply to your message so I guess that I'm starting a new conversation. Geezer! So sorry about that. Anyway, I did some research today, with good results. But it all started with your awesome video! The Sterling that I picked up is actually going to be a Christmas gift. Had I not watched this video, I would have never known that it's missing a few parts! So now I'm on a mission to locate these parts & have the typewriter ready for use by Christmas morning! Talk about stress! Perhaps you or some of your other followers could help? I need to know who sells these parts or how i can I find them? I plan to repair it & don't want to send it anywhere. My sterling is missing the little pins for the tab key set. The ones on the back of the machine. And I need the sliding fingers, both right & left. The paper bail is missing! Can't believe that I didn't notice that one! Lastly, the carriage release lever is missing the top screw, or maybe it's called a 'cap'? That's it. Thanks in advance for any info anyone can provide.
teresa Ballentine I would join the Antique Typewriter collector group and the antique typewriter maintenance group, both on Facebook. People post requests for parts there frequently.
teresa Ballentine follow up to my last reply. I don’t know but it’s possible that your model didn’t come with a paper bail but instead just has the little metal paper fingers that slide left and right on the front side off the roller. Mine has those and a paper bail but sometimes they had basic models with fewer features.
Sounds most likely you're going to need a parts typewriter that is most identical to your machine. Also sounds like the one you get was used for parts and Heaven alone knows how many parts have been cannibalized from it. Again, you're probably going to need another identical machine to make one out of the both of them. I have done this frequently in the thirty-seven years I've been repairing typewriters. I am not saying this is the only way you're going to get parts. I am saying that this is the most likely way you're going to get them, and at the cheapest price. Forty or so dollars for an old carcass junker is far cheaper than the one-hundred-plus you would spend piecemeal.
Just bought a Smith Carona Silent at an estate sale and it looks really nice for the age! Seems to work okay, but the space bar isn't working and it will be able to type 2 letters and then the carriage doesn't move. Also, don't know how to get the machine out of the box! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Paula in Florida
My machine is at the office so I can’t confirm right now but I’m pretty sure there is a release latch to push that allows the machine to come out of the case. I’m afraid I’m not knowledgeable enough to diagnose the mechanical problem remotely. I would have to look underneath and inside the machine to trace the mechanical linkages and try to determine the problem. Which part of Florida are you in? By chance is there a typewriter repair shop close? Here is a list of repair shops. I’m not sure if it’s entirely current. site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html
TypewriterMinutes You are right! I found the release button in the right front. I think I figured out the problem - I am used to depressing the keys on a computer keyboard and was not allowing the key to return before I hit the next key and they were sticking. I googled Vintage Typewriter Repairs and found a shop within 15 min of my house! I think all it needs hopefully is a new ribbon (the repair man on the phone says vintage machines (manual) need a ribbon with more ink than for an electric typewriter) and a dusting snd oiling maybe. It’s a beautiful mid 1930s model! Thanks for your reply!
Great video! I have a question. I notice that when everyone does an alignment test they almost always do a few characters on the left, and then do the same thing all the way to the right. Why is that? Thanks!
Dan Miller it’s more important for machines that have separate carriage adjustments on the left and right sides of the machine. For Smith Corona floating shift machines and others where there is a single adjustment point (two screws at one location), there’s not much reason other than to show that the carriage rails are straight. For me it’s probably just habit. :) I would love for a professional to weigh in since I’m just a tinkerer.
@@TypewriterMinutes Hello, just another tinkerer, albeit a longtime tinkerer. I've talked to many professional repairmen. They test both sides to see that the track and platen alignments are within specs. There are several adjustments they use: Ring and Center means that the platen is inspected for how close it is to the type bar on either side, and how the type bar hits it; On Feet means how light and how dark the letters, numbers, and characters are on the tops and bottoms--it should all be equal. Motion describes the adjustment between the capital and lower case letters--meaning with you shift for, say, the letter H, the capital and lower case h should be aligned to one another. Some machines may take in alignment more closely than others. The trick is to get it as closely as you can--either with or without micrometers and feeler gauges. I've used both. Now, some machines--make that most machines by now, have bent type bars, and a little bit of delicate forming with fingers and small pliers might help a little, but be careful. Sometimes through use a typeface might be nicked or altogether destroyed, and another identical machine's type bar may need to be substituted. You may have a little bit higher or lower letter, number, or character. I apologize that this is somewhat long-winded, but trust me, there is more than alot of people realize in getting one of these adjusted. I may have even forgotten a few tricks.
Buenos días, tengo una smith corona Sterling, muy similar a la Silent , me preguntaba si había tenido algún problema a la restauración de la máquina, yo tengo un problema con el carro de la máquina de escribir , al pulsar la barra espaciadora la máquina de escribir va de uno en uno de espacio en espacio , pero llega a un punto en el que al pulsar la barra espaciadora o las teclas con las letras , que Salta, pasa 5 espacios o 7 en diferentes partes del recorrido del carro , sabría cómo arreglarlo , ? Gracias Felicidades por el video una joya la máquina , esta nueva !!!!! 😃😃😃😃😃, Tiene algún email , para enviarle algunas fotos? .
Hi there and I’m sorry for the late reply. My Spanish is not very good but perhaps I understand that your machine sometimes does irregular spacing while you type? Feel free to send me some pictures to my email to help explain the problem. I’m sorry that my Spanish is not better. typewriterminutes@gmail.com
TypewriterMinutes , Thanks , for access to answer me , my email is wintershistory101@gmail.com . I write to you an email with some photos , thanks . When I push the space bar o the letters , the typewriter, “ hop “ , I explain you better with a email , thanks for access to help me .
TypewriterMinutes , yes mi machine has irregular spacing while , but but not sometimes, always when I write in some parts of the typewriter car , I wrote to you an email .
It would be nice if you covered how the front latching mechanism works when removing the machine from the case. I can't figure out how to get mine to release.
I have the silent too but I’m having a problem with it, it writes very faintly and sometimes I have to manually move the ribbon across. It’s a new ribbon so I don’t think the ink is the reason it’s faint, but I don’t know what else it would be. Mine is a bit more banged up than yours but i can’t see anything broken in it. I’m not very experienced with typewriters so I’m not really sure how to help myself. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Sorry for the tardy reply. I’m not sure what you mean by manually moving the ribbon across. Are the ribbon spools turning as you type? One spool should be pulling the ribbon with each character you type.
I know this video is very old, but I was gifted this model from my mom, who had gotten it from my great grandmother, and I wanted to know how to get the typewriter completely out of its case, I got the top piece of the case off but I can't figure out the bottom half, if someone know's how please tell me, because I can't find any videos on it.
Sorry for the delayed reply. I have not been on youtube much lately. There should be a little lever in the bottom to release the machine. Have you had success yet?
@@jupiters_reform1848 that Silent model in the video has a quick-release platen. There is a chrome lever that you push back. We had a nearly identical Sterling (shown in a later video, with two stripes rather than 3) that did not have the quick-release feature. On that Sterling you have to unscrew a few things to get it out. Yours might not have the quick-release feature.
Anywhere from $30-$300 USD from my recent searches! Realize that's not much help, but think condition and buyer/seller eagerness or awareness of what they're buying play a bigger role than anything else.
