How do you spell ZAQ2???

I don't know that ZAQ2 means anything, but if you wanted to use any of these particular keys on this typewriter you were out of luck, because the Z, A, Q, and 2 keys didn't work.

We didn't have much in the way of nice things when I was growing up, but we did have a really nice typewriter. It was a Royal KMM, and my mother took care of it like it was the finest thing in the world. When it wasn't being used, it sat underneath a cover she had made for it. This typewriter had been manufactured in the 1940's, but even though it had been around a while, it always looked and functioned like new. The Royal KMM model was the same typewriter model used by Pear Buck, Tennessee Williams, Rod Serling, and several other famous writers.

I don't know what ever became of that old typewriter (I think my Dad must have sold it in a garage sale), but for a long time I've kept my eye out for one. A few weeks ago I ran across this one at a flea market, and just had to take it home.

My flea market find had a few problems: (1) the A, Q, 2, and Z keys were frozen -- wouldn't move at all; (2) a link between the Z key key lever and typebar was missing; (3) the platen clutch wouldn't engage (meaning the platen wouldn't index when the carriage was returned); (4) someone had put some sort of shiny, oily liquid on the platen (to make it look shiny & oily looking, I suppose); (5) the ribbon was shot; (6) the bell didn't "ding,"; (7) in some places the paint was chipped off; (8) the margin release didn't work; and (9) the whole unit was filthy.

Other than that it was fine......

Step 1: What you never want to do to a typewriter

Before I begin, there's a couple of things to note. First, I'm not a typewriter expert. Typewriters are very complicated devices, and in no way, shape, or form do I consider myself an expert on them. I'm pretty good with mechanical things, but I'm certainly not a trained typewriter repairman.

Secondly, I should issue a word of caution. The one thing you never want to do to an old typewriter is fully disassemble it. Old desktop typewriters have somewhere around 3,000 - 3,500 individual parts, many of which look almost the same, but have subtle differences between them. The photo shown is of a more modern typewriter, which doesn't have nearly as many parts as these old one's, but it still has an impressive number.

The best way to destroy an old typewriter is to take it apart, because there is a very slim chance you will ever get it back into working condition. You only want to disassemble the parts that you absolutely have to in order to fix it. Seriously......

Comments

[edhor]

I love this post! I purchased a KMM with an 18 inch carriage as a Christmas gift for my 22 yo. daughter. Serial number suggests 1941. Before purchase I inspected the machine quite thoroughtly and determined it needed a few tweaks and major cleaning to get it into full operating condition. The hints you had here helped a lot. With the single exception of the "Tabular" key to automatically move to the next tab, everything works. It took about 24 hours of work in the secret lab.

If anyone has any suggestions for getting the "Tabular" key to work, I'd appreciate hearing them. This is the largish rectangular key in the upper right of the keyboard, directly under the Tab Set key on the horizontal panel. The key presses down and springs back readily enough, but it doesn't seem to engage any release mechanism tht would allow the platen to slide to the next tab. The "Tab Set" key seems to work and the "Tab Clear" key also seems to work (the "Tab Clear" button seems to have increased resistance when "unsetting" a tab, so I'm sort of guessing it works).

If anyone has any suggestions for a fix, I'd be quite grateful.

Best regards, to all and happy holidays. Ed Horner

[knife141]

Ed, I'm glad you got something out of this instructable. I haven't run into that particular problem on a Royal KMM, so I don't have any suggestions for you other than just trace the linkage and hopefully you can see what's amiss. Tab key functions seem to be a problem area on a lot of old typewriters -- I have run across similar problems on a couple of LC Smiths, and the problem was a tab bar that needed adjusting. On some LC Smiths the tab bar can get out of alignment when someone tips the machine over on it's back and allows the full weight of the typewriter rest on the tab bar. Most tab mechanisms seem to be very finicky on how they're adjusted -- at least on LC Smith typewriters. You might try removing the rear panel on your Royal and see if you have a similar problem. Thanks again for your comment, and good luck!

[cmoser2]

Great writeup.
I have a really nice Royal KMM but the carriage belt came loose. I tried to remove the Platen and after soem disassembly gave up. Your writeup is so good its going to give me the courage to tackle this again. Thanks again.

Post anything about Typewriters - future generations will appreciate your work.

Carl

[knife141]

Thanks for the kind words, Carl. I've never had to replace a carriage belt, but I've read that you can replace these belts with a lot of things -- shoelaces, heavy fishing line, etc. Good luck with your project!

[JuCo]

i have that typewriter, too. the thing's a beast. these things were seriously meant to last. mine could use a bit of cleaning, but otherwise perfect.

[knife141]

I think with a minimal amount of reasonable care, these old typewriters can last several lifetimes. And yes, they are definitely a beast! Thanks for your comment.

[zazenergy]

what a great instructable! I don't have one of these old typewriters (but I wish I did!). If I do get my hands on one, this is my go to guide!

[knife141]

Thanks for the kind words! Old typewriters can be both fun and frustrating at the same time. There are a lot of old typewriters out there, but unfortunately most of them found their way to the dusty attic (or worse, the damp basement) decades ago. Thanks again!

[caitlinsdad]

Actually, there are a zillion hits for zaq2 in search. Growing up we had an Underwood clunker and I think after the keys started getting stuck did my brother get an early model electric typewriter. I might have been in one of the last typing classes in junior high. The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. We were all afraid of the consequences if we did not type fast enough to pass the class. We had to re-ink the ribbon a few times with stamp pad ink and taking the paper out to really erase mistakes and try to line up the paper again was an art. The invention of white-out and eraseable onion skin paper did help a lot when you were up late typing that book report for homework that you put off to the last moment.

[knife141]

Wow, I forgot all about eraseable typing paper. I never had to re-ink a ribbon with stamp pad ink, but I did use more than my share of typewriter erasers. Basically they were abrasive disks with a brush attached. I grew up with the old Royal KMM (which weighed 38 pounds), and then later a Sears portable got me through college. I think my old Sears portable is still up in the attic. I ought to get it out some day and blow the dust out of it. It's hard to believe it is now around 45 years old! Thanks for your comment.