[GreenKeys] Resurrected 28-RO

[DR HOUSE]

Hi Tony,
One of the reasons that Model 28s and 35s, and 37s last pretty well is  
because of what Ben Stephens told me was the busiest place at Teletype  
Corporation... the nickel plating facility.  Good steel with nickel  
plating will last and will also clean up good over time.  We only wish  
Teletype had the foresight to put the same care into the rubber  
parts.  Only very few of their rubber parts were of good quality.

Good luck on running that beast at 100 wpm.  Keep in mind that the  
faster the machine prints the more critical all of the adjustments  
become.
Also requires more frequent cleaning and lubrication.  I take out my  
M35 typing unit out every four months and check it over.  Just a  
suggestion.

73,
Don


On 15 Sep 2011, at 3:00 PM, tony j. podrasky wrote:

GA OMs;

Well, I received a 28-RO base from Paul, the RTTY guy.

I went out to the garage and dug thru the pile of boxes until
I came upon the styrofoam shipping container that had a 28
typing unit in it.

The box was sealed and the seal was marked "April 1980".
That's about 31 years that the head has been sitting in there!

I opened it to find a typing unit that looked a little yellow-ish
from the grease job it received back then, but no rust or anything.

I oiled the heck out of everything that moved, then set it on the
base, screwed it down, and turned the motor BY HAND. The 28 was
pretty unhappy about it, and fought me, but I took my time and
pretty soon the motor turned with the normal amount of drag.

After a 1/2 hour of turning the motor by hand, I keyed the
selector magnet pawl (the little piece of metal that the magnets
pull in and drop out that keys the unit) by hand and was able to
get it to print.

I'm going to run it at 100 WPM, but I thought it wise to test it
on the base of my 28-KSR that is running 60 WPM to give it a
chance to wake up.

I fired-up some tests and after a few minutes it loosened up
and began working very well. The range is > 90. The oil soaked
thru the yellow-ish stuff and now it is shiny-clean.

I've had my 28-KSR for 40 years and it has never had a problem.
I oil it and that's all.

I am astounded that something as complex mechanically as a 28
can run for 40 years without breakdown or even making an
occasional error in the print.

I'd love to be able to talk to someone that was on Teletype's
design team and hear how they designed these things.

Like someone on here said about their little kid, I can sit and
watch the 28 for hours, almost daily, over 40 years, never once
take it for granted, or lose the admiration I have for it and
the men who designed it.

73,
tony

-- 
Tony J. Podrasky | MicroSoft error messages written in Haiku:
                  |
                  |         Windows NT crashed.
                  |    I am the Blue Screen of Death.
                  |      No one hears your screams.
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