Skyriter, Nearly Refurbed

Done (mostly) with the painting.  I thought it would be interesting to try some Rustoleum truck bed liner, in a spray can.  I thought this would give a nice textured finish, and also add some sound-proofing.  What I didn't count on is that it never feels really 'dry' and tends to rub off easily.  It was leaving some black smudges on my hands and on the desk.  So - rather than stripping it off and starting over - I just covered that with a matte clear-coat.  Not sure I like the results, but I'll leave it that way for now.

To keep the paint off the Smith-Corona decal on the ribbon cover, I carefully put a layer of Elmer's glue on it, and let that dry, before painting.  Then I just peeled that off when painting was done. It wasn't the cleanest job - some of the crevices in the letters ended up without paint.  I can live with that, I think.

I still need to finish the snap-on cover.  It has the same rubberized-then-clear-coated finish as the body of the typer.  What it still needs is the handle.  I'm planning to re-purpose a leather belt, but haven't got it affixed yet.

So, here's the Skyriter, hanging out in the woodpile where my typewriters like to go for their glamor shots.

And here's the 'before' shot:

One-Dollar Paper Bail Roller Repair

 Pencil Grips purchased at Dollar Tree - I know the color isn't the best match, but the kids claimed all the other colors.  Placed on the hollow plastic shaft of a discarded pen.  Voila!

Grommets and Screws

 Thanks to Bill M for the proper screws (and for even including the proper allen wrench!) to replace that damaged screw on my Skyriter's platen.  Much easier to get on and off now.  I'll likely replace the other, too, so that one tool will remove them both.

 Here's the new screw, in all its glory.  Yes, the machine is still a filthy mess.  I'm getting all the mechanical bugs worked out while it's still cold and rainy/snowy here in Ohio, so I'll be ready to strip-and-paint when spring finally, uh, springs.

I also found some grommets at Ace Hardware that fit the foot holes of this Skyriter's base.  It would be nice to have something solid and rubber there, but these are at least rubber, and will do.  They keep it balanced (much better than typing on just two feet) and prevent it from sliding.

Wallace on The Mind

After the Dunk, or: Skyriter Sees First Action

Skyriter Before Pics

 This little fella came home with me this week, as a late ITAM surprise. It's surprisingly functional, given its rough outer appearance. This guy is just dying for a refurb-and-makeover.
 I'm going to be using Typebarhead's awesome post in which he takes what sounds like a similarly beat-up old skyriter, and turned it into a thing of absolute striking beauty and typewriterly awesomeness, as a guide. Obviously I won't be making mine exactly like his, but he certainly gives me some ideas: my little guy is missing a few rubber feet too! And a case handle! And lots of paint!

First order of business will be to bend that 'K' key back into alignment. It's fully functional, just a bit droopy. I've had experience with this kind of issue with a Galaxie, so I'm pretty confident I won't ruin it.
Even before I've done anything at all with it, I feel this machine will end up being more to my liking than the Hermes Rocket that's similarly sized and way better preserved. I like the touch already, even though it's still gummed up with dust and bug carcasses and decades-old oil.

Full Cirle; DFW, Kenyon, Typewriters, Repeat

1)

1) The Article in Kenyon's Alumni Bulletin. 2) La Paloma Restaurant 3) Liberal Arts the film 4) Infinite Jest the book 5) As if you really need it, but here's a Smith Corona Galaxie 12 (hat tip to Alan Seaver for having a handy pic-and-link). 6) Every Love Story is a Ghost Story the book 7) you're on your own 8) ditto