1958 Willow Green Royal FP-E (Elite) Manual Desktop Typewriter | Cleaned, Tested, Adjusted, Works Great

Item Description

A willow green smooth and Royaltone gray Royal FP-E manual typewriter equipped with elite typeface, new ribbon and royal correct spools.  The originals are also included. 

Condition Assessment.

·         The machine was clean as received, especially the exterior, but presented with a frozen escapement wheel, which was repaired with no lingering issues.  Internally,,

·         Old hardened lubricants, dirt and grime were removed

·         Oil had not be splashed about recklessly on the internals by past owners.  Whatever was there was flushed degreasers & solvents and appropriate amounts of new lubricant was applied in key areas. 

·         Attention was given to all the articulations, the tab & Magic Margin racks, the carriage rails, and especially the typebars & segment. 

·         The tab brake was adjusted and works, but the carriage still moves too fast for my taste.  Brake effectiveness can easily be raised. 

·         The ribbon was replaced by respooling onto proper, but plastic, Royal spools.  The original clear plastic refillable cartridge will ship with the typewriter, but they caused additional drag on the typing mechanism, so they were replaced.   

·         It now passes the two finger speed typing test with no issue.  Under normal use, it is fantastic. I will say that this machine prefers proper touch typing for those who know. 

·         After the internals were free and functioning properly, the exterior was cleaned, polished, and waxed. 

·         The platen isn’t rock hard or cracked.  IT is removable, but can be tricky to get it back into place for reasons unknown. 

·         Magic Margin action is snappy and accurate. 

·         The feed rollers retain some of their original softness, and hold the paper tightly with no discernable flat spots. 

·         The carriage is sits snug within its rails with no slop and moves freely the entirety of its travel

·         Ribbon reversal is functional as it the color selector. 

·         The original sound deadening foam was gone, so new self-adhesive foam was applied to the basket cover, the margin & tab rack cover, the removable side cutouts, The beauty panel just behind the carriage, and the rear panel on the back. 

·         The feet are in good condition.

·         There is a scratch on the left side of the basket cover where the carriage return lever can contact if it is not moved out of the way prior to opening; it does not touch the cover during normal operation.  Note: you have to depress the red Royal logo to open AND close the cover. 

·         The carriage return lever can be lazy to return to its starting position if you gently remove pressure from it after pulling the paper up a line, but this situation doesn’t happen when your actually returning the carriage during normal use. 

·         There is a small scratch right in the middle of the basket cover near the rearward edge. 

·         There is minor wear along the metal chassis that extends below the keys where the hands tend to make contact.

·         Upper and lower case are decently aligned; the “d” key is a little wonky, shifted to the left, but I let it be and call it character.

·         The “a” key sits ever so slightly lower than the “s”.  No machine is perfect.  😊

I apologize for my sloppy typing in the video and typing sample image.  I am not the best typist.  You may note in the video that the carriage return lever sticks half way to its resting point after a carriage return.  It tends to do this, especially if you treat it like its fragile, which it is not.  It returns to its resting position 98% of the time.

Serial Number.  FPE-6300743

Weight.  30 lbs. 8 oz. 

It will ship with the escapement disengaged and heavily padded to avoid damage.  I have shipped many typewriters and heavy fragile items through the years and understand how to make sure they make it to the buyer undamaged.   

A note about typewriter refurbishment; I don’t conder it to be clean and ready for use until I can work those keys as fast as I can, on every key, without pause or hiccup.  Most of my time is spent removing the old hardened lubricants, cleaning the segment, typebars, mechanism, and carriage rails & bearings.  I don’t disassemble, in fact it actively avoid that sort of thing.  But, I won’t be happy until I can type on it as fast as the machine will allow with two fingers working two keys, eventually making it around to all keys in turn.  Each machine has a natural maximum speed.  I don’t beat on it, but I give each a good workout.  I see an issue, stop, fix if possible, and, then, report what I find, issues and highlights,  in the condition assessment.  I try to make sure the buyer knows exactly what will be shipped. 

I also use the typewriter as intended to ensure they function properly under “normal” use. 

I ALWAYS REFUND ANY OVERPAYMENT OF THE INITIAL SHIPPING CHARGE OVER $1.  

guaranteed to be as described or your money back!

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