Many Burroughs Portable adding machines don't have it anymore, but originally there would have been a rubber gasket between the top housing and the base-plate. It may have perished (as rubber can do), or maybe it simply wasn't put back after a servicing. This U-section rubber gasket is shown in the patent image - circled in red.
A length of suitable, rounded rubber U-channel of 6 x 6 mm with a nominally 2 mm slot could be sourced, found online.
With a hole-punch, half-circle cut-outs were made for the gasket to clear the threaded-bush of the front-mounting screws. Then pressed onto the sides, cut to length at the back and the ends glued together.
Before fitting the new gasket, a nut was soldered in as replacement for the missing front right threaded bush. No idea what thread it is, but fortunately two screws and a nut of the correct thread were in the tin-with-bits salvaged from a 1940s Underwood.
The top housing now fits very snuggly on top of the baseplate - the rubber will help against dirt and dust getting into the machine (and maybe against noise, but I doubt it).
The spool-cover tops are already re-painted and the spool-nuts spruced up. The rusty tops of the spool-covers were sanded completely back to bare metal and re-painted. To mimic the textured lacquer finish, some 'meandering' was added with a fine brush on top of the base layer of flat-black paint. Then the spool-cover was finished with a satin gloss. When viewed from a distance, this blends in well-enough with the original finish of the machine.
The carriage still needs to be cleaned-up, but this Burroughs Portable is starting to look very solid and dependable already (it would feel right at home in a bank ;-)
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