worn-out 1950s Royal HH typewriter, lubricating mechanism and replace ribbon

[@phoenixtypewriter2136]

We still Clean, Repair, Service and do Restorations on Typewriters - - - > Look us up !

[@johntapp3311]

Rinoa Super-Genius--Those IBM Selectrics are mighty fine typewriters. I've used quite a few. But I'll lay you book: That HH Royal will outlast that Selectric by decades. What you have there is one of the toughest typewriters ever built. My 1952 Royal, which has seen severe service an an elementary school, as of this year has outlived my own mother. You will be passing your machine down to your grandkids, and it will still be able to produce a neatly typewritten page as well as it did when it was new. It will be well over 100 years old before its done (I have a working 1916 Royal upright that bears that out). I've owned, serviced, sold, and rented these out for over 35 years, and I can tell you--you'll be going through more Selectric typewriters while still owning the 1 HH. I presently have 2 HH machines myself--the 1952 11" carriage pica type, and a 1955 13" carriage elite type. Both absolutely great machines.

[@RinoaL]

I'm curious if a Paillard would be better built given the quality of the Paillard Bolex cameras, plus those are QWERTZ instead of QWERTY typewriters :D but yeah this typewriter is nice. although i disagree about the selectric, it's lasted longer than this Royal for me.

[@johntapp3311]

Paillard typewriters, I've read, are actually Hermes typewriters--which had qwerty, quertz, and azerty keyboards, depending on the country the machine was to be exported and marketed to. They are Swiss-made typewriters. I once had a Hermes 3000 script-writer, which was a good typewriter, buttery smooth about the touch. However, it had a few reliability issues, plus the plastic parts gradually disintegrated. I tried an upright, but it was a little stiff. I am not stating facts--just my opinion, the Hermes, Swiss-made and all, was NOT the machine a Royal upright is. BTW, the $10 you paid for the Selectric was a very good deal.

[@ITSTIMETOSTOP]

I have a weird obsession with finding old pieces in the field. Please keep these videos alive. :p

[@RinoaL]

i shall make them as long as i have something to say about these types of items. :)

[@ITSTIMETOSTOP]

Rinoa Super-Genius :)

[@kwacz]

you should flush it out with laquor thinner and then blow dry with compressed air. do this a few times. If you choose to lubricate the segments just note that it will eventually gunk back up because oil attracts dust, so you may have to do this again eventually. The important part is to flush out the old gunk before you lubricate. The sewing machine oil is good or you could also use gun oil. but whatever you do oil use just a small amount. Just enough to wet the metal. Glad you are restoring this unit.

[@StingyOLanigan]

It speaks volumes that with this and that it works like a champ. That was a fun vid. I'd like to see some more of you going out and finding your stuff.

[@RinoaL]

I picked up this old typewriter the other day, and its pretty cool. although it has an issue of sometimes skipping a space after typing a letter, and other times it double types. i'm thinking it might be a bit worn out. its also difficult to get some letters to print correctly. it looks like i'll still be using my IBM Selectric for typing letters. but this ROYAL typewriter still is pretty cool. maybe i should connect it to a computer or something.

[@Titere05]

Judging by what you said in the video about being used to computer writing, and what I've heard about Royals demanding good technique from their users, I'd say the issues with double typing and skipping spaces are all due to incorrect technique. I would know, I work with computers so it's been interesting having to develop a parallel technique for typewriting. Curling fingers, elbows below keyboard level, wrist slightly bent upwards, and hitting the keys with staccato are the key. I'm sure you know this already though. Nice typewriter!

[@localbuzzkill1760]

I found one similar to this today in my grandmother’s basement(I think it was made around 1949)! I clean it up and it’s still functioning extremely well

[@user-mc5mu1xl4w]

Wow! 15 dollars for such a cool machine! definitely a good deal

[@chrisbaerart]

I have a vintage Selectric from the 60's and i'm picking up the Royal tomorrow. :) They are both awesome machines.

[@LHA_1978]

I bought mine a couple of summers ago, and have finally gotten around to cleaning it tonight. lol It was an interesting find; it came with its original dust cover. Printed on there is the name of the business, address, and phone number that the machine was used for! (It was a local business.) I hope to get her into good enough shape to use; she's a fantastic machine! :D (My go-to is always my Royal Aristocrat from the 1960s, but this one is her big sister in a lot of ways!) I think some sewing machine oil will be just the thing for her; I went all over and cleaned her really well with alcohol and a tooth brush where I could. There was some strange white powder on her bottom, but that was fairly easy to wipe away. The biggest issue was on the inside of the lid; there was a HUGE squarish-shaped black goo that I can only assume was old glue from something that was stuck there once upon a time. It was a DEVIL of a thing to get to come off, and some of it is still there! (Sad to say I got a wee bit too desperate and scratched her paint when I tried using a metal scouring pad to get it off! Goo Gone and alcohol softened it up, but I had to basically dig in there with my nails to get it off.) If anyone knows what that could possibly be, please tell me! Because my imagination goes wild with the possibilities! lol

[@T3hJones]

Think the age of typewriters will come again when everything is fubar. But then nobody can make a new typewriter so the old ones will be worth gold!

[@RinoaL]

i hope we dont get to that.

[@buckrogers5331]

I used a 3M General Adhesive Cleaner to clean out dirt and grime on an old typewriter and it was fantastic. It left everything clean and dry and without any solvent smell. Also, I'm here because I just spotted the same Royal typewriter at a thrift shop today. It came in a brown carry case. But the machine smelt very old and the paint chippeda t several places. But there appears to be one big difference. The Royal I saw was the same externally but with a "touch" adjustment lever under the hood. 0-9. It adjusts the travel of the keys for better touch typing. Btw, you appear not to have put the ribbon properly into its travel slots (next to the reels).

[@thedwarfcastnoah4418]

the one you saw was from 1952 one which i have and the price she got the typewriter is a huge steal since its a 20 pound office/industrial typewriter. i would recommend to buy one if you find one for fairly cheap

[@wahoospa1]

The think the HH was one of the best Royal typewriters made. But my favorite Royal would be the model that came next named the FP.

[@buckrogers5331]

And thank you for the intro to the IBM Selectric. It looks svelt and sweet. Maybe I will try and get one. ;-)

[@berniepokorski2489]

From my recent research, I found out that he IBM SELECTRIC 1 uses a one-use carbon ribbon that cannot be reversed and used again. That ended my search for that particular IBM unit.

[@AlphaaxEnemy]

I got a royal typewriter for Christmas 2016 because my mom knows I wanna make books and put them around the world. My royal typewriter is smaller then yours and you really have to press down a lot on the keys.

[@billogle4776]

To stop your old HH from piling, overtyping and jumping, adjust the first escapement trip to activate when the typebar almost touches the ribbon, this may affect the ribbon lift try and find an old timer who knows, this adjustment . white is for stencil cutting

[@BajanAlan]

That ribbon makes good tail for kites

[@skycarl]

The white position is used for correction paper. You slip the piece of paper in and that position doesn't put ink on it. Helps keep fingers and such clean. Real nice Royal Rin.

[@RinoaL]

ah that makes a lot of sense now, thanks.

[@clydefishface3869]

The "white" position is for making mimeograph stencils.

[@skycarl]

Shit, and all those years I used it for correction strips. Thank goodness I never had to do mimeograph stencils. ;)

[@anthonymiller8979]

@@skycarl It can be used for both stencils and correction and there were actually correction ribbons with a white band above the black which was a built in correction tape. The white would tend to flake off and fall into the mechanism creating lots of issues.

[@hieronymus2644]

I have this exact same typewriter. And I want to now how to make my letters touch the paper? because I can't type.

[@akidwithguitarsandguns2835]

Me too! Just picked one up at a thrift store for $25, and there was virtually nothing wrong with it, other than chipped paint, and a tangled ribbon

[@that_girl_christa4678]

I have this exact one and I was wondering what the key on the bottom right it below the tab? Mine seems loose and like it doesn't do anything maybe you know?

[@russlejones5337]

Thank you. I think I’ll buy it.

[@Spaghettiboy359]

Wow i love the orange on that IBM machine

[@RinoaL]

along with the orange color it has a really nice texture, almost like sandpaper. its really wonderful to feel. the Royal typewriter has like a wrinkley paint that has tons of little squiggles on it. they definitly had cool paints for typewriters in the 50s and 60s.

[@Spaghettiboy359]

Yeah that's super awesome, i never saw any electric typewriters that caught my eye but i really like that one i am now on the hunt for one.

[@RinoaL]

be aware, my specialty is getting people excited over shit they normally wouldnt find interesting. although it really is a nice typewriter. lol

[@Spaghettiboy359]

Rinoa Super-Genius yeah I've noticed you do that quite frequently stop putting these ideas in my head XD

[@johntapp3311]

And then you have nuts like me who are interested in things like that anyway--and have been so for many years.

[@MamaB83]

My 13yo son just got this typewriter at a yard sale. He is really excited to use it but the paper doesn't move as you type. Any pointers? We will be oiling it!

[@PODEReTUDO]

the ending that you did with the typewriter looked pretty cool,you should use it for your endings in other videos. Great video see ya.

[@RinoaL]

i might, idk though.

[@zozo_wluv]

Could really bus some help! When it makes the ding sound, that’s when it won’t let me type anymore unless I move on to the next line. Why does it stop when it dings?

[@mollyreadsalot]

Hi so I actually have this HH Royal as well. I got it at a garage sale for like $10 when I was a teenager. I've only recently tried to restore it. It all seemed to work except the ribbon does not seem to turn when I type. If anyone has any suggestions, or there's something obvious that I am not aware of, please let me know!

[@parkerhowell646]

Molly Green same thing happened when I first got hh make sure the red is at the bottom and make sure it’s under and out and not over and out when it leaves the spool, look how this HH ribbon is feeded . The drive should pull the ribbon and the other one should freewheel.

[@Blendedasian]

dude, you have access to all this vintage stuff while i'm lucky to have a chunky fm receiver at home. if only my town had 80s computer chips on dumpsters...

[@RinoaL]

every town has stuff like this

[@Blendedasian]

Rinoa Super-Genius interesting... i should take a quick peek at the thrash next time i go downtown.

[@RinoaL]

Blendedasian its not always in the trash, sometimes you need to go upstream. like if you go to a yardsale where somebody has lots of sheds, tell them your interested in old junk that normally wouldnt sell. i got two truckloads of free shit from somebody for doing that.

[@Blendedasian]

Rinoa Super-Genius thanks for the tip. One step closer to a dusty grocery bag full of old computer boards.

[@speed2998]

Thank you. I have a 1930s Royal which I still use. May I add to your warning about lubricants. Also avoid "3-in-one" oil. It reacts with air to form a sticky gum that jams up any machine to which it is applied. The only use for this product is to commit sabotage. If you don't have sewing machine oil, you may get by with an SAE 5 non-detergent machine oil.

[@michaelfarrell8962]

Three and one is three-and-DONE it is garbage vegetable oil

[@cheemsguy7241]

Hello! I have the same typewriter but it has one problem, one of the ribbion spools will turn but the other one will just stay still. like if i type, only one spool turns, the feeding one, turns.

[@fryloc359]

It's quite likely that your ribbon is wound the wrong way.

[@matthewblalock4916]

the Royal typewriter needs the type bars cleaned. I usually use a old toothbrush and rubbing alcohol

[@RinoaL]

yeah i'll probably do that latter.

[@ycmdill]

You use the white (blank) for correction tape to erase characters.

[@RinoaL]

looks like it can also be used for typing on carbon paper.

[@jessicadennison7072]

please respond to me what happened to the Honda 3-wheeler it was so cool

[@RinoaL]

i mentioned it like 3 times since i got back, they are just in my dad's barn and i'm setting up a mechanical work area just for them. will probably start on them some time next year. like maybe in spring time.

[@samwelportelli611]

How do you refill the ink please ?

[@RinoaL]

i think you just drop a single drop of ink onto the spool of ribbon. i'm not sure what ink to use because i havent done that yet. google it

[@thingyee1118]

IBM one looks awesome. IBM are just brilliant designers and developers.

[@RinoaL]

especially 1960s IBM. although i do enjoy 1980s IBM. but now i'd have to say Dell is the king of design.

[@thingyee1118]

I like HP too.

[@RinoaL]

thingyee1118 i'm not a fan of their laptops. winner has to be the Thinkpad.

[@thingyee1118]

I think their business laptops are fine. Yes Thinkpads are great too.

[@Eicles]

Rinoa Super-Genius I never used to like the little red thing they had in the middle of the keyboard as well as the touch pad. Don't know what it's called but I just couldn't get used to using it :-)

[@johntapp3311]

I'm sorry, I just can't get over that title: Worn-out 1950s Royal HH typewriter? Your machine seems in pretty good shape--just needed a ribbon, some cleaning, and a bit of oiling. Couldn't tell you anything more without seeing a print sample. And as for the date on it, just look in the back on the right hand side (with the keyboard facing you), and you'll see the serial number. Write this down, and look up online the Typewriter Database. My guess, offhand, I would say that with the ROYAL inlay instead of a direct stamping on the front panel, and the aluminum keylever inserts instead of cast iron, I would say you had something made between 1954 and 1956, with the possibility of it going as far back as late 1953. They manufactured the HH, from what I have gathered, from about July, 1952, to about August, 1957.

[@RinoaL]

because it has issues of double typing and skipping a lot of the time, i believe that is a symptom of it having a lot of use.

[@dr.typewriter-venneburgtyp121]

It needs a carriage adjustment. These machines don't wear out.

[@johntapp3311]

I think I've run into what could be causing her problem: A loose dog that isn't loose. I just got a 1954 Royal HH typewriter that was real sloooow. You had to be real slow with it, or it would pile letters one on top of the other. I wondered for a little while just what that could be, since that didn't seem normal to me. Now I had never looked into the escapement mechanism of one of these machines, mainly because I never had to before, but there was something wrong here. I tried every adjustment I saw, but it didn't do anything. Fortunately, I matchmarked where everything was so I had it back like it was adjustment-wise. I went online to the typewriter database repair manual, and found under the escapement mechanism of a Royal typewriter, the loose dog was completely on the other side from where I thought it was. I studied it, and opened up the typewriter and studied its movement when I pressed the space bar. There was no movement, which told me this thing was gummed up. I stuck a dentist pick down there to move it, and surely enough, it moved very sluggishly at first. I kept oiling it with transmission fluid and rocked it back and forth until it started to move on its own. When it started moving like it looked like it should, I put the machine back together (roller, plate, two screws, platen), and tried it out. It typed normally. The loose dog is loose again!! Rinoa Super-Genius, I hope this helps if you one day are curious and want to find out what's going on down there. Dr. Typewriter, I hope I also provided help for you as well. Of course you may have run into this type of problem before, but if not, I hope I took one for the team and gave you something you could use.

[@dr.typewriter-venneburgtyp121]

Probably that. It is a common issue with Royal standards. I have two KMMs that started of like that.

[@exoplanet11]

I just bought an identical typewriter at an estate sale...also for $15! The long key below & connected to "TAB" is distinctive. Thanks for the video. I found it useful. I need to buy a new ribbon. Does anyone know?... Will any standard Royal ribbon fit? And will I need to unwind my current ribbon & spool the new one onto the wheels like you did, or does my purchase of a ribbon come with new rollers? Thanks!

[@exoplanet11]

P.S. Nice Geiger counter!

[@RinoaL]

+Chris McCarthy i had to unwind and respool mine

[@RinoaL]

+Chris McCarthy oh sorry, didnt see the royal part. im not sure now.

[@3kingkool]

Yes

[@wahoospa1]

Press the margin release key on the keyboard and you can go right pass the margins.

[@wahoospa1]

Red + red, Black = Black, White = stencil position.

[@nineafly9157]

My carriage doesn’t lock, it goes all the way to the end margin. What should I do?

[@RinoaL]

i have no idea

[@michaelfarrell8962]

Buy a boat. Now you have an anchor

[@roserobertson4395]

Also you shouldn't use oil at all.!!! You should use rubbing alcohol only. This is because it evaporates quickly. Oil stays and then dry out leaving dirt.

[@themaritimegirl]

It kills me how people think that WD-40 is a lubricant! That's a great typewriter. The "white" color setting may have been for a ribbon which had white ink, used for erasing things. Some typewriters had them.

[@themaritimegirl]

It's always been my understanding that WD-40 can be used to free mechanical joints which have become stiff or immobile (due to rust, etc), but does not provide any sort of lubricating function. In fact, I've read that it actually breaks down oil, removing any existing lubricant already present, resulting in total dryness.

[@jusb1066]

correct, wd40 recommend you follow up with some 3in1 once the wd40 has evaporated off

[@johntapp3311]

I use it to rejuvenate some older typewriter ribbons. It works pretty good for that. It can be used as a cleaner, but get it out of there however you can. Otherwise, you'll end up with a tarbaby of a typewriter.

[@essaysbyken]

I used to fix sewing machines for a living. And if I had a nickel for every time a frustrated husband brought in their wife's sewing machine that had seized up after hubby had blasted the insides with WD-40...actually, I got quite a bit more than a nickel for those, come to think of it. 😆

[@Chernobypi67]

IBM selectric I Wonderful machine

[@terminashunator]

When you were typing on the Selectric, that's how i envision you responding to trolls on youtube comments, hammering away at the keyboard. :D

[@RinoaL]

i like the image that paints in my mind. but i type pretty lightly, with the speed and sloppiness forged in the heat of MMO instanced dungeon chat. :p

[@terminashunator]

I get most of my typing speed and accuracy from years of IRC and World of Warcrack trade chat. A troll is never successful if they misspell things. Unless they did so intentionally. Sometimes. I love your content, by the way, and I understand from your personal bits that you're tired of the zombie topics of your channel coming back to haunt you. As a patreon supporter, I want to see you make content you are passionate about. It's more fun that way for everyone. Now, i am someone that stumbled on your videos a year or two back due to the 18650s and eBike stuff, and you inspired my own eBike. But I can understand how you're burned out on some topics, like how Lead Acid batteries are a relatively dead tech. TL;DR, you do you. I'll watch your content regardless. :)

[@RinoaL]

James Pourroy well thanks, thats a really nice comment. :D

[@jlsmith2937]

When is your next random bits video comming? :)

[@RinoaL]

not sure. i'm working on the fence video and decided to make a tiny documentary about a brick company from the 1800s because i found one of their bricks in the woods. i think i'll be doing an RB latter about the area we rented out at a local antique store, and me going through some things ready to sell it. but i might also wait and see if anything sells because that would be a good story arc for the video. we threw some random junk in there and a lot of it is selling already.

[@boylesterminalshops6841]

If I'm lucky, one of my favorite KZbinr's will say hi back haha

[@RinoaL]

Vsauce? thats who i'd pick, lol

[@johntapp3311]

I may not be a favorite KZbinr, but Hello back.

[@williamhelms9942]

I have an Olivetti Underwood 21 Script Font.

[@DAVIDGREGORYKERR]

With this sort of thing you hands can get very dirty with permanent ink which won't come off so it might be a good idea to wear gloves in order to keep your hands clean.

[@RinoaL]

oh the ink will come off when the skin cells come off at the very least. :D

[@DeathbyDusk]

Yeah, purely mechanical typewriters can be annoying to get the hang of. The long keystrokes and the slow typing speed to prevent a jam is awkward. As for your typing, you still do it better then about ninety percent of people using computers. I remember them trying to teach me to type in elementary school, but the entire reason I ended up learning to type was from playing shit like Diablo, Everquest, and eventually WoW. And even now I get told frequently I don't type correctly regardless of my speed, or the fact that I managed to avoid the insanely poor spelling that video game chat generally involves. Mostly due to my Guildmaster in Everquest and WoW being an English teacher.

[@RinoaL]

wow we are very similar! my mom kept trying to teach me to type right but i really didnt care about it at all. but then when i started playing FFXIV i naturally started using more fingers until i do what i do now. i tend to type with just two fingers on each hand. but i find that works fine for me. i think my mind is a bit slow so my hands can keep up with my slow thoughts.

[@DeathbyDusk]

Stupid new google thing, didn't even know you replied. Yeah I tend to just use my middle and index fingers to type. It just works for me. Pinkies for shift, but like, the whole home row thing has never felt right to me. The pinky and ring finger are just too... well shitty at doing anything really. In fact the whole using eight fingers and home row bullshit is actually very recent. I mean, none of my teachers for instance typed that way. Its just not comfortable for me anyways. And slow as balls. Plus years of WoW hotkeys and mumble servers have turned my left pinky into a mangled claw that only pushes the Control key.

[@RinoaL]

Maliciously Delicious yeah the new notification system is pretty BS. its really terrible because if you click the link to a comment and go to it's page, the comment is highlited thus i cant reply. so then i have to go away from the page and search for it again to load it without a highlighted comment. its fucking stupid. its going to cut down on my social interaction for sure. dont expect more than one reply from now on i guess. :/

[@DeathbyDusk]

Well on the bright side, now that I've gotten two out of you, I beat the spread. Suck it shitty comment system!

[@johntapp3311]

Wow!! And to think I learned how to touch-type on a 1948 Royal KMM upright manual typewriter--back in 1980. I still have the machine--just gotta refurbish it.

[@TheUnlikeGuy]

3rd

[@trulygiftedbeatz2528]

I have one for sale if interested

[@billogle4776]

I don't think dropping a Ryal or any type writer fro any height would be a good idea

[@cournteyrod189]

Lubrication method is incorrect.

[@RinoaL]

any way that works is correct