How A Rusty 1930s Royal Typewriter Is Professionally Restored | Refurbished | Insider

Lucas Dul has been studying and repairing typewriters for nearly a decade. He has repaired typewriters dating from 1880 to 1980, making as few modifications to the original design as possible. Here, he repairs a late 1930s Royal brand portable typewriter made for export to India during the British imperial reign.
The restoration involves taking apart the entire machine for deep cleaning, removing rust with a wire brush, replacing discolored keys, reassembly, and a type test to ensure the machine works perfectly.
Timecodes:
00:34 Disassembling
01:05 Cleaning the mechanics
01:44 Cleaning the keyboard
02:37 Creating new glass keys
02:52 Replacing parts
03:11 Reassembling
04:57 Typing adjustments
05:34 Repairing the case
06:22 Reveal
For more, check out:
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How A Rusty 1930s Royal Typewriter Is Professionally Restored | Refurbished | Insider

[@scottmanTube]

I do love when people take something destined for the junkyard and make it shiney and new again. As he mentioned the hours to restore and cost per hour likely far exceed the value of something like this. I think people make more from creating content for KZbin then the actual payment to repair. Anyway. Thank you for all you do Lucas !

[@kimbrey65]

That reminds me of my typewriter, mine was in a blue plastic case though. I'll never forget that one, it was a gift from my uncle who saw me plunking on my grandparents old typewriter. He said he'd get me one for Christmas and when it came around he made sure it was the last present under my grandparents Christmas tree. I loved that little typewriter.

[@aminailyas4515]

But where is your typewriter now

[@kimbrey65]

@@aminailyas4515 I lost in a move.

[@marcelo90z]

I have ventured around a thrift shop last week, and one thing that drew my attention around the place were the typewriters, mostly damaged models, but two that were in pristine condition. It is amazing that, even after a long time and technically "obsolete", these machines can take a long while if properly maintained, and I get it well the fact you can still buy ribbons to refuel them to this day. Even if not necessary for most, I appreciate the machinery behind them

[@user-cv9ve8sp4n]

I have one I n good condition but don't have any knowledge about it any suggestoon

[@bunnyniyori5209]

In a world of digital and professional printing services, I still consider my days on a manual typewriter to have been more satisfying. I would pay good money to have the typewriter in this video.

[@jothishprabu8]

Good luck on correcting the errors

[@akeiai]

​@@jothishprabu8there are typewriters with an erase function, usually near the end of the typewriter era

[@fr0styy156]

@@jothishprabu8as the other comment said, some have an erase function. The ones that don’t, it’s not hard to type over a mistake and have it look good. For example, keys that are close together tend to cover up well. If I click “n” instead of “m”, just go over to “n” and click “m”. Same thing for if I hit “o” and want “p”, etc. Typewriters are also a machine where you’re meant to make more than one draft anyway. It’s better for the creative process than simply erasing and fixing errors. It makes someone better at typing long-term if they know mistakes can be crucial.

[@XimenaZhao415]

I loved this one so much. One of the ultimate "Zero Waste" inventions. Thankful for crafts and repairmen like this guy.

[@fergusof]

From one typewriter repairman to another ... fantastic job! Glad there are still people doing this. :)

[@HalleluJah337]

Quick question- I just got a typewriter off of eBay and the cover part (covers the ribbon and such) goes over the metal keys just enough that they can’t move (therefore can’t hit the ribbon) any suggestions?

[@Dante343]

​@@HalleluJah337You might have missing washers where the ribbon cover attaches to the typewriter body. They help elevate the cover up a bit and helps the spools move.

[@HalleluJah337]

@@Dante343 thank you!

[@ryanpmcguire]

I have a typewriter just like this one. A 1933 Smith Corona Typewriter. For those who have typewriters, put some felt pads or a cloth under the feet. It makes it much quieter. Sounds slick.

[@BradiKal61]

the obvious question is the total cost of this restoration . I love how intricate the design and construction of these old pre CAD CAM devices was. Imagine people designing and prototyping these in the 1800s

[@winfried3208]

No way! Chicago typewriter on Insider! Amasing, keep going mate!

[@TypewriterChicago]

:)

[@winfried3208]

@@TypewriterChicago wow, great to see you here! Lots of love and support!

[@TypewriterChicago]

​@@winfried3208thank you!

[@BennyBen-js9ub]

Working For Royal Typewriter ( Division Litton Industries ) at 150 New Park Ave Hartford Connecticut from 1970-1980 , you did a really Good job on this early 1930 model .Keep Going my friend .........I'm remember all those moment passed in this place . I was in training over there and leaving at 12 Merrill Street building rent for student from Royal . The sequence for Testing the typewriter at that time was ( The Quick brown fox jump over the lazy dog ) it was including all the letter and finally the number from 0 to 9 . Fixing dismantled and rebuilding after chemical Bath all type model from manual model KMG-HHE-FP-MC-440-470 Portable model Quiet De Luxe series , and the Imperial Model , then electric one as 550-570-970 and the Adler model made for Germany 21D - Then finally I return to the Copier Division in Montreal Quebec Canada fixing the model 12-30 then 1400 1700 working with liquid Toner and concentrate and Zinc Oxide coating paper , then finally the Royal Bond copier series - RBC-1 RBC2 - RBC 3 and 110 . The best expérience I had. Excuse my poor English writing im French Canadian .

[@PaperPremise]

Would love to know what this cost, what an incredibly detailed job!

[@robertpalmer3166]

Link in description.

[@aminailyas4515]

Wah!Very nice job done, interestingly I also have a typewriter in my school in the store room as an antique piece.I have been seeing it since 1977 when my school was established and I was in grade 6th, after watching this video I would check out whether it's working or not.Luckily I am principal of this school now.

[@GONZOFAM7]

Excellent work. I was going to buy a 1950 version. Dreams of repairing it myself. You've impressed me and convinced me that it is more than I want to get in to. I do small repairs to film cameras so appreciate your craftsmanship. I'm glad you have the passion. It was $24 USD at our local goodwill store.

[@madelinebrown5240]

Kids these days will never have to suffer the pain of changing the ribbon or starting over if you make a mistake.

[@emiliog.4432]

Kids of this era won’t fix things or use tools either.

[@m6tty]

nobody asked grandma

[@Noise_floorxx]

Yeah they said the same thing when the printing press was made and people had to stop writing every book. You're not special

[@Noise_floorxx]

@@emiliog.4432maybe your kids. DIY is pretty big. Ive dated plenty of men who love to work on cars and fix things in their 20s. Get over yourself

[@Smokie1523]

The young man in the video doesnt appear to be that old... it would appear that a kid these days is whos fixing the damn thing..

[@Chr.U.Cas2216]

👍👌👏 2) I would love to see a much longer, more detailed version of this restoration.

[@mitchvass4498]

Wow, very impressive, excellent work. Thanks for taking the time to document the procedure too.

[@pamady276]

I am always love of restoration video. I remember the last time i saw this machine was in my elementary school, my teacher always using it to type legal letter because the computer is not common in that era.

[@Noise_floorxx]

Have you seen the painting restoration videos? They are long and very calming.

[@pamady276]

@@Noise_floorxx I am more to restoration video about machine like motorcycle, abandoned car, car detailing, or laptop repair

[@ingridkaufmann3165]

beautiful work! do you need to have this specific tool for replacing glass keys? is there an alternative?

[@Stop4MotionMakr]

Kind of wish the letter papers hadn't been replaced - they are still very legible once the glass is cleand and they would have showed the age of the machine elegantly without impeding it's function,

[@TypewriterChicago]

Parts replacements were a very specific request from the client. Ordinarily I totally agree, nothing beats the crisp screen printing of the originals. It was a surprisingly common replacement back in the day though. Thankfully these types of swaps do nothing to impede function either!

[@19Bmiller]

You are amazing with your skill. I haven't used a typewriter like that in more years than I can count but I remember struggling to do some of the adjustments you did with knowledge and skill.

[@maybehuman4]

This process is very similar to restoring vintage mechanical clocks. Well done.

[@Woozlewuzzleable]

It's almost a new typewriter.

[@alfonsoa68]

That’s what I call : “ PASSION “. You are a “ MASTER “ of “ RESTORAGE “. Love your Labor and your channel. Thanks for show us..

[@LuizHenriqueMartino]

Amazing job! In the end it's the original keyrings or did you buy new ones?

[@qwill8254]

Only thing i could manage was changing the ribbon .... This is epic

[@clintcountryman4849]

I'd never get it back together lol! What are all these extra pieces?!

[@TheConnor712]

This young man was extremely well spoken. It’s great to hear someone discuss something they have extensive knowledge on

[@hammerandthewrench7924]

Nothing today is made to last this long 😔. I bought a 1950s Remington typewriter from the antique store and was stunned the only “problems” were purely cosmetic. Fully functional. It needed some adjustments but totally manageable. Even if you need to restore the machine, you can; all parts are pretty and solid metals.

[@chichilee2196]

After watching this video I've grown an obssesion over these. Asked my dad if he had one of these and he said yes :D. I may have been born in a more modern era, but I still love old things like this

[@mohykaanSK]

Such a shame that the audio quality is bad. Otherwise it's an amazing video!

[@andreacook7431]

The captions are "real" captions and not the terrible auto-generated ones. That helps with telling what's going on.

[@EIbereth]

I learned typewriting on one of those in 1982. It brings back good memories.

[@KillerTacos54]

Absolutely incredible video! These professional restoration videos are so damn fulfilling to watch

[@f1remandg]

Brilliant, a unique skill that brings a piece of machinery back to its former glory, hopefully to continue its purpose of informing and inspiring people with the storeys and tales it can tell for many years to come.

[@jeepmega629]

My god I love typewriters I hope I can buy one one day

[@aaronscholl9560]

Start looking around in thrift stores and nearby or online auctions. I rarely pay more than $25 for one that just needs a good cleaning. Facebook marketplace is also a good place to find them.

[@_landro_1092]

Loving all of it. I wonder if there is a keycap removing tool which does not break the glass (wider top)? Also I wonder about the efficiency and labour cost of such a project. Is it worth it? ;-) Owning a lot and cleaning typewriters myself I'd alsways refused to take this step forward of full repair including key's glass. Did you ever made a calculation about your real time, tools and parts spent? Of course that doesn't matter for a true typewriter person. Anyway how much time is took, how much for tools & materials, just roughly?

[@zZiL341yRj736]

Now I can save my game, thanks.

[@TerminatedinYouTube]

Before there were computers or cell phones, the 1929 had a typewriter

[@akihikosakurai4013]

Amazing how such old technology lasts longer than modern technology

[@BriAllMe]

I wonder how much it cost to restore/refurbish something like this!

[@The13thPanther]

Wondering the same. I have an old Royal just like this one.

[@eleazarguzmanrn6945]

Beautiful work. Are u located in Chicago? I may have a vintage typewriter my mom owns reconditioned.

[@RealSalica]

Beautiful work . If I was the owner I would be so happy to get it back as when I bought it .

[@andrewclarkehomeimprovement]

I repair watches. Some are very small. As a mechanism, watches are simple, typewriters are scary complicated.

[@anag5278]

Wonderful!!

[@FinancialShinanigan]

How the owner can take notes in his university class

[@wwk68tig]

Fascinating! Thanks so much for posting.

[@habbyhouse]

I need to follow this guy.

[@CL-we8tn]

Brilliant job

[@sih1095]

Facinating to watch. Kudos. ✅

[@hassy200]

6:37 the 5 isn’t straight

[@chrisfitzchrisfitz5182]

Amazing transformation!

[@FennixGamingYT]

How did you manage to keep the logos so crisp when cleaning?

[@njm1962]

Hello Great Job ! Can you please send a link where to get the large spool of ribbon?😀

[@digitaltom4745]

What is the tool you use on the keys when you disassemble the glass and paper insert from the key?

[@2222alvaro]

Excellent!🇦🇷

[@kutanra]

If the age (and thus, toughness) of the rubber on the key removal tool is causing 50% of the glass to break, surely it it time to restore that tool and put new softer rubber on it?

[@TypewriterChicago]

You are absolutely right, however the tools weren't mine and I didn't want to modify them. I later on got permission to swap the rubber and it helped a ton. Though some keys still break here and there due to a variety of outside forces such as corrosion.

[@aaronscholl9560]

@@TypewriterChicago Thank you for that video as well, btw.

[@TypewriterChicago]

@@aaronscholl9560 ah yes! That hot mess...

[@HarmFlo]

@@TypewriterChicago Just out of curiosity; why did the keys (the paper bits) need to be replaced?

[@TypewriterChicago]

@@HarmFlo Client request, he wanted them to be legible

[@animeyahallo3887]

This reminded me of Violet Evergarden.

[@The13thPanther]

I inherited an old Royal typewriter that looks just like this one. It's dusty and needs this type of restoration but I don't know where to begin to find someone to do it. No case. The darn thing is heavy.

[@tylerd8609]

Look up typewriter repair men In your neighborhood

[@erwinb3412]

IN-CRE-DI-BLE . Good job . What an art . It is good that services like these exist . Typewriters have something special , especially for people who write .

[@bluejedi723]

this is a labor of love

[@madmanmapper]

I made the mistake of restoring a rustbucket typewriter once. Worse than this one. That was a nightmare. I suppose you're better equipped.

[@OttoH45]

What is your price fixing a typewriter?

[@rumplespliffskin]

People who do restoration videos could take a few lessons from this. He didn't put it in 17 different chemical baths and use electrolysis, he just went straight to the wire wheel and some WD40.

[@TypewriterChicago]

The simplest methods are often the best, thanks for the appreciation!

[@dobson.]

Don't ever use WD40 on Typewriters, most don't need oil only mineral spirits.

[@rumplespliffskin]

@Dobson this professional used it. Metal is metal mate. It doesn't matter if it's for unicorn shoes, it'll free it and clean rust off.

[@dobson.]

@@rumplespliffskin No. This professional did not use it. WD40 gums up and attracts dirt and dust in the typewriter. I am a typewriter enthusiast and have had many typewriters in my life as well as having talked to more people about them than you. WD40 will ruin it, not fix it.

[@TypewriterChicago]

@@rumplespliffskin I only use WD40 as a surface cleaner for certain paint finishes, and for typewriter cases. It should never be used as a lubricant or around any delicate mechanics. WD40 is not a lubricant and hardens into lacquer over time. Dobson is right, it also serves to attract dust and dirt into small crevices where you don't want it.

[@metacinema4466]

Don't talk, i just want relax watching the restore

[@jothishprabu8]

Think

[@sridharsrao]

Can someone guide which ink ribbon is compatible with a 1968 Litton Imperial Mercury typewriter. Please share any link to purchase it or its equivalent one.

[@dae27]

молодец, сразу видно любит свою работу

[@Reaper-3000]

There really is a job for everyone

[@iracema1]

AND I love that Rotring fountain pen!

[@user-ny6bn2wr2c]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@serenityenderson]

I used to have a 1932 Mercedes Prima, working and cased. I gave it to one of my kids, who threw it out... 😭

[@serenityenderson]

Yes, I'm an idiot... 😂

[@user-uy4tr1cb6u]

What a great job!

[@meursault7030]

Jesus, I didn't expect it to be such a violent process

[@SNRestoration]

Bardzo pięknie odnowiona maszyna 👍

[@benjireid798]

fascinating

[@clintcountryman4849]

There's no price on sentiment..

[@VetriNamatheAPJ]

மிக அருமையாக உள்ளது மச்சான்

[@coolguy-cl8rc]

I think you need to do a underwood typewriter, and I think I have a problem with mine.

[@ivanzubov6660]

Wait a second, how did you get the body panels so shiny? And how comes that logo became like brand new? Did you repaint it? Cuz it absolutely not covered in this video, they just appear new when you assemble it back.

[@luke8329]

And the dude responsible for the glass key covers just rolled in his grave, couldn't you buy glass discs or get a diamond tip hole cutter?

[@TypewriterChicago]

Tried a hole cutter, the glass is too thin and fragile for anything too high speed. I have a long background in glass arts, and taught stained glass for a few years. Buying class disks is not economical, the closest size I could find cost $11 apiece.

[@subhashjagushte6018]

where is the mechanic available

[@iracema1]

I love your work!

[@TypewriterChicago]

Thanks!

[@rmb1]

Great video but please loose the echo.

[@choppergirl]

Holy smokes, you can restore an old typewriter with the level of skill I can restore an old personal computer... I have a 1917 Royal Model 10 with glass windows, and I wouldn't of even fathomed this was possible. Even though I've seen videos of teletypes and mechanical calculators restored. You just get in there and.. do it. No guts, no glory. If I don't have the time to restore it, is there anything I can do to at least slow its deterioration for a future restorer, like spraying all the metals and mechanics with mineral oil, WD-40, or PB-Blaster? Or something not destructive to the rubber? What do you recommend someone do, that can't restore it, that would keep from getting worse indoors... for another 50 years.

[@EvanCasteel-th2qs]

Definitely consider an ultrasonic cleaner for those parts.

[@rachel.dryden]

Where's Tom Hanks?!?!?!

[@davidrosen3970]

So perfect that this incredible artist would use a fountain pen

[@mirfarina2667]

Que genio total!!

[@leopoldonicolau]

@ in 1930s?

[@uesugikaru]

I would have left the old key markers.

[@TypewriterChicago]

Client wanted them replaced, they were not legible

[@kasturipillay6626]

Children of today will never know what it is to sit at a typewriter and type 65 w. p. m. Keep the hands on homerow and eyes on school book or typing while the boss is talking. Ahh those were the days. ☺

[@barrishautomotive]

Loud. It was loud.

[@alimfuzzy]

Hello Tom Hanks... I know you're watching this video.

[@aaronscholl9560]

That typewriter has a 1!

[@TypewriterChicago]

Many do! usually in the 50s and later, often with machines that had special typefaces. They were more standardized on later Hermes and Olympics and other European machines.

[@The13thPanther]

The one I have doesn't have a 1.

[@germanlentini5184]

2:11 is that a @ in a 1930 machine?

[@TypewriterChicago]

Yep, the @ symbol appears on even the earliest keyboards from the 1870s

[@tangyorange6509]

Hey it’s Chicago Typewriter!!

[@richardluce775]

I love the smell of “white out” in the morning.

[@TypewriterChicago]

Keep it from dripping/falling into your machine though!

[@typewriterguy5790]

Where do you find the key legends.

[@TypewriterChicago]

They're custom made

[@sentinel_2551]

finally a good one

[@user-kuzbass7]

The master has golden hands !👋👋👍

[@shevanvfx]

amazing

[@carvermarks]

I am not worthy. Brilliant.

[@kakungcu]

Royal typewriter get restored