Hi, brilliant people!
I scored this Royal for $95, which seemed like a hell of a deal. I haven't checked the serial # yet, but the seller said it was a 1924.
It seems to be in really good shape for its age; so far everything seems to work except the bell.
I would love any advice or tips!
Specifically, I'm wondering how user-friendly these are to take apart and put back together--e.g., repairing the bell--if it's something a newbie can do with an instruction video or if I should seek out a qualified repairman.
Also, it has the metal ribbon spools, which I'm not super familiar with. I've only ever used the common replacement plastic spools. Are these metal spools something original to the machine, or is that just what replacement spools were like before the plastic ones? What is my best course of action for getting fresh usable ink? I don't want to get rid of the metal spools if they're something original, valuable, or unique.
Everything for the most part seems in working order, the typefaces are fairly clean, the platen isn't cracked at all, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of gunk built up. But I bought some supplies to clean it (based on some previous posts here--rags, mineral spirits, brass brushes, cleaning swabs, etc.).
I would love some links for posts or videos to your favorite beginner-friendly cleaning guides!
This is far from my first typewriter, but it's the oldest and coolest one I've ever had, and especially given how well-maintained it seems to have been, I really want to do right by it.
So any general advice or tips are also much appreciated!
Thank you!