Reattaching the Drawband to the Mainspring on a Portable Typewriter: The Layman's Rudimentary Way

I have only just found a comment on a post from the distant past, from someone called Aidan, asking, “The carriage advance (? - not my question mark, but Aidan’s) string at the back of the typewriter is broken - do you know where I could find a photo as to how this attaches to the roller mechanism [presumably Aidan means the mainspring]?).

Aidan’s “broken carriage advance string” is, of course, the often troublesome old drawband. Sometimes metal, sometimes fabric, sometimes cat gut - but always a damned bother to fix!

With four hands and a locking device, it's easy to re-attach the drawband to the mainspring on an old Underwood. It screws on. But "getting at" the mainspring to re-set it is a real test of endurance.

From considerable experience, I would estimate that at least 97.5 per cent of the problems with so-called “broken typewriters” are no more than worn and snapped drawbands. In very, very few cases has the mainspring broken.

Anyway, to aid Aidan, I have quickly rushed downstairs and snapped off some photographs, to guide him in the process by which a drawband can be reattached on a portable typewriter. My reply to his comment was all too simplistic and I thought I'd better do the right thing by him and try to produce some images.

The result of me holding a camera in one hand and a drawband in the other will offer only a very basic outline, but it may well suffice for those like Aidan who want to tackle this tedious yet "do-able" task. The general idea is here, anyway. I must add that I would far prefer to have two pairs of hands when undertaking this operation.

In Aidan’s case, the portable typewriter is a Torpedo, but in order to demonstrate my layman’s rudimentary (yet usually highly efficient) method of doing this job, I grabbed a stripped down Olivetti Lettera 22. This might be a bit unfair, as what I am showing here is easy to see, to get at and to do – more often than not, the mainsprings on portables are almost impossibly positioned and most difficult to get at and re-wind. But, dear beginner, try hard to avoid the temptation to take the mainspring off the mainframe. Fixing and reattaching a mainspring is one hellva lot harder than simply replacing a drawband.

If a drawband has snapped in half, which is often the case, it may be necessary to replace it altogether. Given you can’t wander down to the nearest typewriter shop and buy a replacement drawband any longer (boo-hoo) I use fishing line, and I find it generally works for me.

Always allow some leeway for the mainspring. Reattaching a broken drawband, using what remains of the original drawband, can lead to problems if the length is not sufficient to ensure the mainspring can properly pull back a fully extended carriage.

OK, my method starts from right to left, which may not be technically the right way to go about it, but I find it easier, especially when working without assistance (as we most often must do).

I first find where the drawband attaches to the right end of the carriage. On almost all Western-language typewriters, the mainspring is on the left under the carriage or at the back of the mainframe, and the drawband attaches to the right end of the carriage. On many older typewriters, the drawband doesn’t simply hook on (as here), but the right end has a metal clip attached which is actually screwed on to the carriage.

Next, get the drawband through to the left under the carriage. This can be tricky. Typewriter technicians had a special tool, which looks like a very long, thin screwdriver with a conventional screwdriver handle, but which has a V-shaped end through which the left end of the drawband can be gripped while pushing the long, thin metal part through under the carriage. I use a wooden meat skewer, slicing the end with a blade and holding the end of the drawband in place that way. You need something of the length of a skewer.

It is super important to ensure that, when feeding the drawband through from the right under the carriage, the drawband is not impended by anything, or the drawband does not impede any of the mechanism under the carriage. When you get it through to the left, check it to make sure it moves about freely under the carriage.

Finally comes the really hard part. The mainspring must be re-set BEFORE reattaching the drawband. Some may well argue, with sound reason, that you should do it the other way around  - that is, re-set the mainspring first, then attach the drawband to the mainspring, then feed the drawband through under the carriage from the left, then attach the drawband to the carriage. Yep, makes sense. But try doing that on your own, maintaining full tension on the drawband all the way. Not so easy, eh? 
Nonetheless, the major issue that I find is getting the drawband attached to the mainspring, which is when you really do need four hands. It may indeed seem easier to do that before re-setting the mainspring, but then how do you re-wind the mainspring with the drawband attached? And then, as I say, get it under the carriage without releasing the mainspring?

Generally the mainspring winds in a clockwise direction, so that it can pull back the drawband (and with it the carriage) in an anti-clockwise direction. Turn the mainspring a couple of rotations, let it go, and ensure that it “zings” back, not just “limps” back. If it “limps” back, you’re winding it the wrong way. Go for “zing”. But be VERY careful not to get your fingertips caught if, for some reason, your grip on the mainspring slips and the thing “zings” back – it is BLOODY PAINFUL!!!

OK, so doing it my layman’s rudimentary two-handed way, one hand is employed firmly holding the re-set mainspring in place at full tension (and for goodness sake don’t overdo it and break the spring!), and the other hand is employed to re-attach the drawband to the mainspring. Can be tricky! Often you can be concentrating on the drawband, getting it into the hole on the mainspring, and the mainspring snaps back, ripping skin off your fingers.

But let’s assume you succeed to this point. Gently release your grip on the mainspring so that it slowly winds on the drawband to full tension. Now your typewriter is right to use!

* If I can find another set of hands, or two, I might video this process.