The extending segment drum - Marchant XL

The drum of the XL is very different in mechanism as well as construction from that of a pinwheel calculator; instead of castings with lots of channels with sliding pins, the drum is built up entirely of stampings. Unfortunately these were blackened steel, so vulnerable to rust. After a lot of oil and working (forcing) some parts, it all started to move. (Fortunate because much is riveted together.)

The drum with all the segments visible in retracted state.

And the drum with the segments extended, teeth out:

This is the early version of the extending segment with sliding geared-sectors. I.e. the segments have a long stem that slides in- and out between studs/pillars. After about 1930 the design was modified with the segments hinged. The segments then rotate around one pillar - making them probably much lighter to actuate. (This lighter-actuation probably also enabled Marchant to do away with the main crank-handle pull-out lock later. The early XL's need to hard lock the setting-dials right when the drum starts rotating. A lighter, later-actuating mechanism could make do with only the hard-lock that kicks in around 5 or 10 degrees into the turn. Then only a detent to 'feel' the rest position is enough for the main crank - easier to use.)

An overall benefit of the extending segment mechanism is that the levers can remain stationary (and can thus have a large grip), and also that the teeth can be properly shaped as involute gear. I.e. driving the register should be much smoother/quieter than with pinwheel pins.

(Yet another benefit, probably the aspect that was the most important for the Marchant company, was that it unlocks the ability to do keyboard-setting of the drum. Actuation is light enough to make that possible - and in the early 1920s Marchant really needed an answer to Monroe's fast keyboard-setting for number entry.)

For now, this particular drum seems functional again and mounted back in the machine it correctly added 5 to the expected position on the carriage register.

There's no revolution counting yet, that whole timing challenge is to come. So best to take the machine apart again:

This XL is one wonderful puzzle! An ingeneous mechanism with history behind it too to discover :)

Replacement platen knob for Corona 3, late model, typewriter

To replace a missing platen knob on a late 1920s Corona folding typewriter, a simple 3D model to print a replacement. The early folding Corona's have a more 'chubby' platen knob, this is a model for the thinner, 30-rib pattern used from the late 1920's on, as e.g. on the Special models.

Printing it simply with the stem-down and using supports will get a one-piece print with the scarring from the supports on the rear-face of the knob. This face is not really visible when mounted on the typewriter.

Thread tapped in a plastic part is not really strong enough to take the force needed for a set-screw. As solution a slot is included in the stem to take a steel hex-nut. Press a regular M2 nut in the slot in the stem. A short M2 screw then as set-screw.

The forces now needed are minimal anyways - this screw only needs to prevent the knob from sliding off the platen rod. The flat of the hole already prevents any slipping of the knob on the rod.

With matte black hobby paint (water-based acrylic), several layers and some very light sanding and rubbing, the layer-stepping of the print is hidden. In below picture, a printed reproduction is next to a genuine original knob.

In the side-view it is of course easier to tell the reproduction from the original.

Fitted onto a ~1930 Corona typewriter, it is functional and looks the part.

The 3D model is available for download on Printables.

Replacement ribbon-spool clip from battery-strip

Many 1920-ies typewriters use a steel clip to clamp the ribbon to the stem of a spool. For example both the Remington Portable and the Corona folding typewriters use such a clip. This clip can however be missing - surpisingly often this was broken or lost.

Using nickel battery strip it is however fairly easy to make a functional replacement. For example here with 8 mm wide and 0.2 mm thick nickeled steel strip. This is widely available as battery connector strip. At 0.2 mm it can even be cut with (old!) scissors. Snip off a length and then file away any sharp edges.

With small pliers and e.g. the stem of a screwdriver as anvil to bend around, a new clip can be bent in shape. The 0.2 mm mild steel strip is still springy and strong enough to firmly clamp a ribbon to the spool.

With a 1 meter length of strip (at a very reasonable price), that's a lot of replacement clips :)

Riveted handle - Marchant XL

The Marchant XL was really clogged-up. Even the crank was hard to remove; not only because of the usual tapered-pin mounting on the rod, but also the pin wouldn't retract - blocked with internal rust.

It really varies per calculator make how the handle-grip assembly is fitted. Some have a clever c-clip that can be pushed off when the pin is fully pressed-in. Some have a screw or a (lock) nut. The Marchant has a collar that is riveted onto the pin-rod. More than riveted - they completely smashed the 'rivet' end of the rod. Only way to get this off was was to drill it out - now all the bits de-rusted and laid out.

After de-rusting the pin now slides freely enough again, and then cobbled together as one handle:

Notable is the flaking nickel plating - how do you get plating to peel from brass substrate?

Very small step in rebuilding the XL :)

CotM - Snapshots taken locally

Some views taken this weekend.

Taken with a 'cellphone camera'. Images cropped and scaled down, but no editing or adjustments otherwise.

Clearly the lighting is a challenge, but that may be due more to in-expert use of the camera application while taking a quick snapshot, than to actual capability of the device.

Steep sides, not much left of the terp, only the bit with the church to illustrate how much was dug away.

Another spot, more to the south, with a more wooded landscape - a former estate now open to the public.

The estate park is open, with quite varied landscapes.

And with autumn, a wide variety of mushrooms - some quite large.

The cellphone "CotM" (well, CotY really) absolutely has its limitations on colour and light, but for all that still very creditable pictures. And these do have the benefit of being nearly always at hand - e.g. when out and about locally :)

It didn't look too bad - Marchant XL

After fixing-up a Marchant Pony B,  was very curious for one of the early Marchant extending-segment mechanisms. The keyboard models are rather large (and shelf space is limited), so an XL (or XLA) was the machine to look out for. Ideally a 1920s specimen.

Several months ago, the opportunity arose to get a 1920s XL machine, the lever-set version of the extending segment range! It looked a project - thus relatively affordable - but likely complete and not too bad.

Or so I thought.

The machine was completely blocked solid - handle rusted in place, carriage stuck and the levers wouldn't budge. The counter clearing lever did rotate, but that was about all that did.

Taking the covers off, it became clear why very little on the machine moved.

The machine must have spent some time in a damp, cold environment - all the originally blackened parts of the mechanism are red with rust. And most are stuck solid. The rust goes deep.

This machine does deliver on experiencing a new, different design. Taking off the carriage on a calculator generally means finding and removing the carriage stop. On e.g. the Marchant Pony B this is obvious and easy, also on an Odhner it is usually pretty easy. Not here - it is hidden.

The carriage is prevented from sliding out by a tab on the front-left holder/rail that is downwards inside the cut-out area on the carriage base. Neither tab nor cut-out are visible when it is all assembled. To add to the experience, the rail is also pinned in place too. It needs to be lifted off straight-up vertically off these locating pins (and there isn't really space to do this vertically). The machine does deliver!

With rust this deep there's only one thing to do - tear it down and start again at the base :-)

That tearing down actually took several weeks too - with lots of oil, time to soak plus the occasional hammer-tap.

When apart, a first bit tackled was the carriage movement mechanism; also rusted solid into a 'block'. It is much more robust than the Pony's mechanism, will withstand the hammer-blows just fine. The spring-loaded latches (arrows) however are a tight fit in the sides - as if designed to get stuck solid with rust - and these need judicious, careful hammering to dislodge.

Another little 'boobytrap' is the registers. When one dial failes to clear it is not because of a sheared-off clearing pin as is usual, but simply a dirty/rusty spring-loaded ball - as was also noted by CvdV on the Twinplex (a double XL mechanism). Quite clever actually, and no risk of broken pins - but makes pulling out of the shaft a bit unnerving and unexpectedly hard.

The real surprise trick with the registers is that the carry-levers do not have a little spring-loaded rod as usual, but a spring loaded ball! Re-mounting a rod is tricky enough, but tiny spring-loaded balls is simply awful. Balls are nearly impossible to push down on their pointy springs and kept there whilst also sliding in the rod - the whole thing is as if designed to be a pea-shooter. (No photo - too busy chasing little ball-bearings.) Do not take out the intermediate-gears rod of these XL registers, if at all avoidable.

Many more parts to clean and make movable again. And then the challenge of re-assembling the whole machine will be the timing. The XL has a fascinating gear-train including counter-rotating gears on axles, doubling-back routing and no timing-marks anywhere that I could find (unlike e.g. a 1920s Monroe, with helpful marks on the exact teeth that need to mesh).

This XL will be a very slow and intermittent restoration project. A 'deep dive' into the Marchant XL mechanism as it all gets de-rusted and trying to re-assemble it all from the baseplate up.

Possibly it may work in the end, just possibly.

Remington Portable with approximate character

A regular, common-as-mud Remington Portable typewriter. It's a century old and of course still works.

It's the #2 variant Portable (as it would be called, after the #3 was introduced). This one had modifications done to the keyboard; the '3'  and the '7' were composited.

The '7' looks like a plus, just like the '4' already has. That is the label-split making it hard to soo, however. The top of the '7' typeslug has been ground flat and a thin sliver of a +/- charatcer soldered on. I.e. it got an around, approximate, just-about type!

The '3' had an equals-sign added, that is a bother to create on a typewriter otherwise so makes perfect sense. The machine however does still have an underscore and a plus, so a +/- could be typed with these two super-imposed (shift-4-6 and then let go of shift). A separate type is of course much neater and sits properly on the baseline.

Now what special use would require basic arithmetic characters as well as an approximate? 

In any case; the only machine I've so far with an approximate character!