Smith Corona Galaxie II Typewriter

[rp2813]

I picked up this machine some years ago and it now appears destined to become a gift in late December.

 

I'm having trouble figuring out how the ribbon spools reverse.  Currently the spool on the right is empty and the ribbon isn't advancing.  I don't see any sort of switch as can be found on older machines.  Does this one automatically reverse?  If so, what can I do to facilitate that?  It's possible that if there is an auto-reverse, it's not working.

 

Also, even though there's a correcting portion on the ribbon, it appears that this machine is designed for a single color ribbon per the setting options, of which there are only two.  Additionally, it seems to me that the black portion should be on the top, although I was able to type the verbiage on the paper without issues when I first got the machine. 

 

Pulling the spools and changing their positions looks difficult, as I don't see any way to extract the ribbon from the strike zone.

 

Any experts with advice, please don't shy away from your keyboards!

 

PS

 

I've opted to copy and paste these pictures.  If they don't display, please advise and I'll attach them.

 

 

 

 

 

[circlew]

I have a very similar typewriter that I received for Christmas in the early 70's. Not sure if I have the instruction book for it any longer, and it's been years since I used it, so can't remember how the ribbon worked. I'm sure someone on here will know.

 

[oliger]

next to each spool is a black thing that looks like a fork. The ribbon goes through it. That is your automatic switch. The end of the ribbon has a metal tack that tugs on the fork and makes it switch backwards.

 

[perc-o-prince]

It would appear that the ribbon is correct and in correctly. The "color selector" has black on bottom and white on top so the ribbon should be in the same way; the printing section would be on the bottom and the correcting section on the top.

As for the reversing mechanism, if this is a generic replacement ribbon it may not have the necessary "end of ribbon" doohickey to flip the switch. I've seen some auto-reversing ribbons that have a metal grommet at the end so it catches a lever that reverses the ribbon. If this replacement has the grommet/hole and your machine needs the other tack described above, that may be your problem.

Good luck,
Chuck

 

[rp2813]

Thanks for the great information!

 

There are tacks on the ribbon, so I'll test that out and see what happens.

 

I pulled up an owner's manual on line and it doesn't provide the necessary picture, but says something about the ribbon winding around the "back" of one spool and the "front" of the other.  I'm not sure what this means, but am thinking it's instructing to run one side from the fork across the top (or side nearest the rear of the machine) of one spool, and to route one from the fork towards the bottom (or side nearest the front of the machine) of the other spool.  I've rewound the spools to facilitate this, but don't know if that was a waste of time.

 

There's also mention of a manual ribbon reverse on the features page, but it doesn't point to its specific location.  Maybe this is an override for ribbons that don't have tacks?

 

The "white" ribbon setting is actually for stencils, and the ribbon carriage remains stationary on that setting.   This is why I think the correct ribbon would be a single color.   The white portion of the current ribbon is useless.  How the machine even manages to type in black I don't know, since the white portion is on the top.

 

All pictures I've found on line so far have ribbon settings for black, red, and stencil.  I don't know why mine only has black and stencil options.

 

[rp2813]

I configured the spools back to the way they appear in the picture above.  Things seem to be operating normally again.

 

I think the trouble is the ribbon itself.  The cellophane correction tape is getting hung up and has separated from the black fabric section in a couple of areas.   A new reusable black ribbon is worth looking into.

 

 

 

[oliger]

The specific location is the fork. All you have to do is push or pull on one side. Youll hear it click, that's it switching directions.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Kind of reminds me of my grandmother's old Smith Corona electric. I borrowed it a few times to type things on. It was black and white, really space age looking.

Don't remember much about the ribbon, seems like it fit between two notches and then you tightened the spools and they clicked until you got it tight enough.

My other grandma gave me a manual typewriter she had. I used to sit and type all kinds of sentences and things on it, kept me entertained for hours. lol

When I got older we had a couple of the Smith Coronas that used wheels that you could change out when you wanted a different font. Called daisy wheels since they looked like a flower. Recall that those would beep if you spelled a word wrong and had a button that would "erase" a word or line automatically. The older ones you had to switch the lever to correct and then backspace to type back over what you had misspelled. Those used a cartridge like ribbon and a separate correction ribbon, no red color for those.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks Jon.  I had noticed the forks could change posititons, but the spools' rotations weren't changing.  I don't think the carriage likes artificial ribbons.  It's a tight fit to slide the ribbon into it and white powder came off of it.

 

It seems to me that the ribbon carriage should only rise far enough to use the upper half of the ribbon, but on this machine the carriage rises twice as far and uses the lower half.  Is that normal and/or am I remembering wrong?

 

[launderess]

Does this help at all?

Have an interest in (and small collection of) typewriters, so knew where to look.

https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/Galaxie2Instructions.pdf

Supplies: https://www.aroundtheoffice.com/GALAXIE-II/products/3640/[this post was last edited: 10/26/2019-04:14]

 

[perc-o-prince]

Launderess...

Richard Polt's site is a great resource and he's a very nice guy to boot. I seem to remember you mentioning typewriters before. Are you part of the Early Typewriter Collectors' Association? We edited/produced their newsletter for 5 years.

Chuck

 

[rp2813]

I took a look and am thinking my Galaxie is far too pedestrian for Mr. Polt.

 

[launderess]

Early Typewriter Collectors' Association?

No, am not, but am aware of their existence.

Just have a few older typewriters, and began searching for information which lead me to various sites.

Didn't mean to have more than one really. Initially wanted something for doing envelopes, labels and small things faster and easier than messing about with computer and printer.

Since took two years of secretarial courses in high school, and was employed in many positions of same over years, banging out an envelope or whatever is often faster on a typewriter, and easier as well.

Have a sweet Hermes typewriter with a beautiful script font. Use it for invitations, addressing envelopes, etc....

1964 NOMDA Blue Book: Hermes Font Styles – To Type, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth…

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