FAY-SHOLES TYPEWRITER RESTORATION PROVENANCE This typewriter is a Fay-Sholes rescued from a New Jersey garage sale in the mid-1970s. Over the course of several decades, it featured quietly in an office at home and seemed to draw other old and compatible stuff. Restoration commenced in June 2012 with the goal of getting it into working condition. Could this rusty antique ever type again?
WHAT ARE THE PARTICULARS? That's a very difficult question to answer. Similar vintage Fay-Sholes typewriters featured the model number cut into the paper tray. Though complete in all other respects, the typewriter is missing the paper tray. A bronze colored name plate is prominently affixed behind the keyboard.. No serial # was found stamped on the frame or on any mounted plate. As a result, no definitive information is available on the model # or year of manufacture. This Fay-Sholes is a 4 row, 38 key/76 character model with the highly decorative "Greek Temple" design, originally with the bronze plated frame. That would eliminate Model # 6 and later. However, the nickel plated carriage system, including a plain center index pointer and right angle carriage release lever are identical to those on the models #6 & #7. Photos and historical references do not reveal any models with the bronze frame and the nickel plated carriage system. Only the full bronzed model or black + nickel plated carriage system models were found in references. Perhaps the typewriter originally came from the factory as a bronze plated model and was later upgraded with a Model #6 or #7 nickel plated carriage system. The escapement assembly is a curious mix of bronze, nickel plated and painted black parts. This further supports the idea that the typewriter received an upgraded carriage system. On later models, Fay- Sholes touted a switchable "long carriage. Was this Fay-Sholes upgraded to accommodate wide paper? The belief that the typewriter is not a pure original "bronze model" made it easier to rationalize painting the frame black to improve the overall aesthetics. It was likely manufactured between 1901 to 1903, left the factory as a Model # 3 or #4 and was upgraded with a later model carriage system. So that s the story for now. THE RESTORATION With an estimated 375 parts not including screws, it was critical to keep things organized. The rebuild was done by sub-assemblies, first with the platen system, then the carriage and its base, followed by the escapement, the ribbon transport mechanism, the ratchet/carriage tensioner, the key system, the bell ringer, the type-basket and finally the frame. Detailed breakdown pictures were taken, parts were numbered in sequence, and digital photos edited with numbers + reassembly notes. For example
Individual parts were cleaned using various combinations of bead blasting, a brass brush, vinegar, and fine steel wool. Gradually, part by part, the rust was removed yielding to a nice patina of a well-used but nicely maintained typewriter. The type-heads were given special care so as to not to dull the characters. To protect the metal surfaces and prevent rust, most parts were treated with Eezox, a synthetic product designed to seep into metal pores yet be dry to the touch. Alternatively, some parts were clear coated,
nickel-teflon (NP3 by Coating Technologies, Inc.) plated or repainted as judged best for longevity and reinstating the original visual character of the Fay-Sholes. As work on sub-assembly parts was completed, they were reassembled before deconstruction of the next sub-assembly. There was one notable diversion from the original visual character - the frame. The bronze plating on this typewriter's frame was seriously delaminating. The frame was stripped of its plating and painted gloss black. Black matches off better than bronze with the nickel plated carriage and platen system and is true to many Fay-Sholes typewriters. Yes, it was a major change from the typewriter's factory character, but the upgraded carriage system had already created a non-factory hybrid model. {Historical note - For a period of time, Fay-Sholes produced a model described as having a bronze frame, and sporting many bronze-y parts and sub-assemblies. It was a unique product differentiation at the time. However, a clever individual with a magnet proved that it was only bronze plating hiding a steel frame. Historical records indicate that after the bronze ruse was exposed, Fay-Sholes returned to black painted frames.} The most challenging part was rebuilding the type key basket. It has many moving parts and was heavily rusted. Each of the 38 keys was removed from the steel ring, except for 2 - the screws securing them to the ring refused to budge despite use of all the tricks in the book to extract frozen and rusted screws. These were left in place and restored in-situ. Another compromise was not fully disassembling the frame. The 4 main parts of the frame are pinned as well was screwed together, making it inadvisable to attempt to further disassemble. REASSEMBLY Reassembling the typewriter was easy but not quick. Parts went back together easily, moved freely, and there were no orphan pieces left at the end of the project. A few select parts were replaced, such as the leather carriage tensioning strap, the 1-3/8 ribbon, and the leather and felt key rest strip. The original parts were retained for no particular purpose other than future reference. The most difficult part of reassembly was trimming up the adjustments on this fine typing machine. The project was finally completed in June 2014, two years after the project started. TYPING TEST..passed.
AND NOW This beautiful Fay-Sholes is the central piece in a small early 1900s office workstation setting. It is a fully operational and finely tuned machine rewarding the typist s strokes with a classic and fun clicketyclack. A BIT ABOUT ME I was in my 20s and just starting my career when I found the typewriter. My wife asked "What are you planning to do with that?. My quick and thoughtless reply was "I'll restore it when I retire". And so it happened. Though this was my first typewriter restoration, it wasn't my first workshop project. My dad was great at fixing stuff and keeping things working, with me serving as his apprentice and able assistant. Projects included lawnmowers, a garden tractor, anything electrical, and my first car that was up on blocks when purchased and had to be towed home for revival. After the initial kick-start from my dad, building, diagnosing and fixing things became an enjoyable and valuable lifetime avocation. But I digress... THE END