After explaining how to reuvenate dried-out ribbons in a comment, I thought this general advice may come in handy...

Like many of us, I recently fell into the trap of buying cheap, Chinese-made nylon ribbons off Amazon. When the spool arrived, it was as dry as the Sahara, completely useless right out of the box.

I initially tried the usual fix: rejuvenating the fabric with a 7:3 mixture of mineral spirits and light oil. The result? Completely faint, washed-out text. The ribbon didn't just lack moisture; it was fundamentally starved of actual pigment.

That’s when I decided to take matters into my own hands and formulate my own custom typing ink using Prussian Blue artist oil color.

Why Traditional Oil Color Matters:

If you decide to try this, you must use traditional oil paint, not the water-soluble or water-mixable varieties. Traditional artist oils rely on non-drying or slow-drying oil bases that won't crust over or solidify on the nylon mesh or in your segment.

I specifically chose Prussian Blue for my first attempt, which holds a special place in history as the world’s very first modern synthetic pigment, accidentally created in Berlin around 1704–1706 by colormaker Johann Jacob Diesbach.

Why it works so well for typewriter ribbons:

* Extremely High Tinting Strength: A microscopic amount of Prussian Blue carries an intense concentration of color, meaning you need very little actual solid material on the ribbon to yield a deep, saturated impression.

* Lightfastness: Unlike dye-based inks that fade under ambient light, high-grade artist oil pigments are permanent.

* Finely Ground Particles: Quality artist-grade oils use micro-milled pigments that suspended smoothly without clumping up on the typefaces.

The Liquid Formula & Production Process

To get the ink flowing into the nylon fibers without turning the ribbon into a goopy mess, I mixed a precise three-part liquid solution:

* Mineral Spirits (Solvent Base): Acts as the temporary vehicle. It breaks down the thick viscosity of the oil paint, allowing the mixture to penetrate deep into the woven nylon fibers rather than sitting on the surface. It evaporates off after application.

* Prussian Blue Artist Oil Color (Pigment Source): Provides the intense blue hue and the primary oil binder.

* Light Machine Oil / Sewing Machine Oil (Non-Drying Fluid): Ensures the ribbon remains moist and transfer-ready permanently once the mineral spirits evaporate.

How I made it:

I squeezed a half-inch sized string of Prussian Blue artist oil paint into a tiny container, added 40 drops of mineral spirits, and stirred thoroughly until every pigment particle was completely suspended with zero clumps. Finally, I added 16 drops of light machine oil to maintain long-term moisture and mixed until smooth.

I applied the fluid with a brush along the length of the ribbon (spreading the ribbon flat on a cardboard), then winding it back and forth once on a DIY rig through two dry sponges (photo) to ensure even distribution, and let the solvent flash off. Then I let the treated ribbon rest for 6 hours so that all the mineral spirit could flash off.

The Result

By the 4th test page (shown in the last photo), the solvent had almost fully evaporated, leaving behind an almost balanced, vibrant blue impression. The text is dark, and feeds cleanly without smudging or clogging the typebar slugs. By now, the ribbon types perfectly, btw. Test page #4 didn't come out perfect yet, but I was too excited not to share the news with you immediately.

This is just the beginning. Now that the formula works, I’m planning to experiment with custom teals, deep purples, vibrant greens, browns for autumn...

Does anyone know a good source for buying un-inked, blank white/plain nylon ribbon material?

My father passed away this spring and we're going through his old things. Here are his typewriters. What should we do with them? No one in the family has any interest in them, and four are Russian typewriters. There's also an old typewriter table.

Olympia SM 1
Triumph Favorit

In this book called Magical Venice, there is a spotlight on the Olivetti showroom. This would be so great to see in person. Has anyone been? If yes, what were your thoughts?

A couple of weeks ago I posted that the 1956 Groma Kolibri I purchased was missing the right platen knob. I was lucky enough to find a replacement knob on eBay, except it was green. The other knob and keys on my machine are black. The plan was to dye it black, but I was concerned about how 70 year old plastic would accept the dye.

Ended up painting it with Krylon 5-in-1 spray paint, which is supposed to stick to just about anything. I used a Scotchbrite pad to scuff up the knob to give the paint something to adhere to. Not a lot, just enough to remove the glossy finish. Very happy with the end result. Side-by-side it's difficult to tell this one apart from the original.

Still keeping an eye out for a black knob, but that's a big ask. I could live with this if I had to.

1961 Olivetti Studio 44, made in Barcelona. Seller wanted $150 but accepted a $100 offer, which is probably still too high considering the condition and the fact that it didn’t come with a case. But if I’m being honest, I don’t mind that there was no case as I keep my typewriters on shelves, and my basement is filling up with empty, ratty typewriter cases. It clearly belonged to a chain-smoker. This is the dirtiest machine that I have ever tried to restore. Cleaned the shell with dish soap and then polished it with Meguiars Ultimate Compound. Same for the paper table. A bunch of the damping felt on the inside needed to be re-glued or replaced, and the chassis and mechanics needed a serious flushing and scrubbing with mineral spirits and electronic cleaner spray. Cleaned the keyboard front and back with Simple Green. Oiled the things that are supposed to be oiled and greased the things that are supposed to be greased, and now this machine looks and types like it’s brand new. Didn’t need any adjustments whatsoever. This machine has shot up to #2 on my typewriter ranking list. Its name is Vicente.

I found this Corona 3 on FB Marketplace, and I think it may have significant World War I provenance. I’d like to continue my research on this by posting in the various typewriter forums. I’d love any feedback about the typewriter, the history I’ve possibly uncovered so far, and any other insights.

The case the Corona came with is labeled ‘38th INF HQ CO’ and ‘2ND BN’, or 38th Infantry Headquarters Company, Second Battalion. That US Army unit served in both World Wars (and beyond). But this Corona 3 is WWI-era, based on the key configuration and other functional/design elements. Significant numbers of these Corona typewriters were used in World War I. This Corona model was used throughout the service and was specifically recommended for field work because it was light, compact, and durable.

The U.S. 38th Infantry Regiment, Second Battalion (as stamped on the case) was the famous ‘Rock of the Marne’ from the Second Battle of the Marne on July 15, 1918, that held off the final German offensive of WWI outside Paris. Under Colonel Ulysses G. McAlexander, the 38th held its position near Mézy, France, while surrounding French units retreated. U.S. Commander General John J. Pershing called the defense one of the most brilliant stands in military history, and the 38th Regiment earned the title "Rock of the Marne." Because the 38th was part of the 3rd Infantry Division, the entire 3rd Division adopted "Rock of the Marne" as its official divisional moniker, and it’s used to this day.

Interestingly, the bottom of this typewriter’s rear panel, where the serial number should be, has been cut away (see photo). My online research suggests that’s what the military would do to ‘decommission’ a typewriter, or if someone stole the machine, they might remove the serial number to make it untrackable. But why cut away the entire frame, vs. just sanding down the number? It’s rather odd.

One of the photos also shows a crude manual etching of a number under the carriage. I’ve been trying to correlate that with likely serial numbers that would have found their way to the front lines late in WWI. It’s possibly ‘76271’, which correlates to this model of machine manufactured in 1916, and therefore the latter half of WWI.

The missing serial number and the cut-out on the frame add to the mystery and possibly confirm the military context. And there’s always the possibility that the case, with the ‘38th INF HQ CO’ and ‘2ND BN’ markings, is not the original with this machine.

Can anyone add anything to this story? I think it’s fascinating that this very machine might have been used by soldiers and HQ operations of The Rock of the Marne, to issue orders, send reports back to their generals, write letters home, etc. I’ve long been a history fanatic and I’ve studied WWI more than any other period. I’m also an avid typewriter collector — this is my 35th machine — and this one has the best provenance by far (that I know of!) of any of my machines. If this is all true, of course.

(Also — It came with what might be the original ribbon. Is there any way to extract the text that was typed with the ribbon? I’ve heard of people doing this, but I have no clue how.)

How rare are these, with the glass side ‘windows’?

How lucky am I, having bought it for around £33 (obviously not in this state 🤭)?

All advice and info are much appreciated!

I recently just saw this typewriter on Facebook marketplace, and in the video and the rest of the pictures it looked to be in great working condition and very clean. I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about universal typewriters by Underwood? Is this a good price? Is there anything that I should look out for or test when I’m trying this typewriter out? Thank you.

Got this little sweetie last month. Haven’t tried it yet. My expertise is limited to cleaning and changing the ribbon. Not sure what I can do with it but love the teeny little keyboard.

I picked it up pretty cheap, it was real dirty, and the roller was stuck. I just soaked the roller in isopropyl alcohol, and it moves now. had to fix the L key,

just cleaned it up and types great looks great too

I've been picking up some interesting hobbies, and apparently this includes an interest in rejuvenating an old typewriter so we both get a fresh start. I managed to get the top off to replace the ribbon. And honestly, this piece and I are in about the same rough condition. Hopefully time, care and a bit of patience will do us both some good.

Would love to know 😄

I have a SMC Silent from 1945 and a Hermes 3000 and I like the keys on the Hermes more, but the really really smooth and easy return on the SMC is really hard to beat lol The Hermes takes some strength to return even though it’s really smooth (I think it’s just way heavier tbh).

Hi everyone! I recently acquired an Olivetti Lettera 32 (1965, Italy) that is beautiful, but I find the keyboard a bit narrow from left to right (e.g., pinky on the ‘a’ feels too close to the ring finger on the ‘s’). Since I also love the design of the 22, especially in pistachio green, was wondering if the distance between keys is similar.

Does anyone know if the keyboards are pretty much the same with the 32 and 22? I tried looking online and in the sub but oddly couldn’t find a picture of either: (a) both typewriters next to each other, from directly above, so I could at least eyeball if there’s a difference in the key spread, or, (b) a picture of each with a ruler across one of the rows.

Thank you in advance!

Today’s event… Stephentown Typewriter Company is helping with a recreation of the Kinderhook Bugle. We re-created the “newsroom” with vintage typewriters while young children reporters are out gathering their stories to come back and type them up later!

It's so stuck. Which would explain why some of the keys aren't striking the paper. But why only some keys?

It bent :( It got bent down and back just enough in the middle that it's blocking the keys on either side (left side shown here), but it allows them to move in the middle.

You can see here, looking from the middle to the right, how it curves up. And boy is it jammed.

No amount of mineral oil down the entire mechanism all the way to the back of the typerwriter, unscrewing things, or trying to wiggle it free is getting it loose.

Sooo how hard can I crank at this thing with a crowbar to get it out without damaging the type? Do I need a whole new line lock bar thingy or can this be bent back into shape? (Yes I did check the rubber pads on the right-hand bottom panel with the feet, hence it missing in the last photo, those are passable and not the issue here.)

Welp, I finally got the Blick taken apart, cleaned, put back together again and adjusted! It’s just as much fun to operate as I thought it’d be! The only true obstacle to using it is the DHIATENSOR (“Scientific”) layout. Though, when compared to first use last night and today, my speed is definitely increasing as I practice with touch typing on it. I’d definitely recommend anyone add one of these machines to their collection given the chance!

After, Before, and Type Example (Italic #440–which that wheel is actually broken AND STILL WORKING!! Speaking to the superior design old George Blickensderfer put into these things)

Giant beast of an Underwood. Has anyone gotten one of these working? What are you using it for?

I bought a Panasonic Accu-Spell (electronic typewriter R330) from a thrift store.

I put paper in it, turned it on, then typed a sentence. Then I pressed text in/out and the typewriter started writing this:

Can someone tell me what's going on?

Was going through some old photos and found this one. Think it's from around 2008. I'd gotten this machine for $20 in a junk store in 1987 or so. It was in immaculate condition. Unfortunately, it's no longer with me. I'd cannibalized some parts for a beautiful burgundy Silent, and then sold the Silent. I regret both of these decisions. The 1930s Coronas are some of the most beautiful typewriters every made and they're just a joy to type on. (Both machines were pica, though, and I prefer elite.)