Revitalising a Reconditioned Underwood "S" Master Standard Typewriter

Because of my wife's renewed battle with cancer, I haven't had a lot of time to spend on typewriters these past two months. But I still manage to get in a bit of light work, and I've been enjoying revitalising this 1949 Underwood "S" Master standard (serial number 6425166). The machine has been handed down through three generations of a family of journalists, Canadian and Australian. It has a sticker on the back saying it has been reconditioned, but apart from the absence of nickel rims around the keytops, I can't find any evidence of changes from the original. It shows signs of having had plenty of use over the past 72 years - perhaps not much in the last 50 - but it has definitely been well cared for. Here is what it looked like when I received it for servicing:

The "S" Master was introduced to the market in the US in 1941, three years after the Willie Dobson-designed Master was first produced. The most obvious difference is the panel which stretches right across the front and which replaced a much more narrow flap. The panel slots into place and is very easy to remove. The Master was first sold in Australia in 1939, when it was described by distributors Stott & Underwood as a "thoroughbred" among typewriters. There's still a bit to do in the "revitalisation" process, but I'm quite happy with progress so far.