Beautiful in her retro black finish isn't she? Don't you wish you had one? Well, too bad, this one just ain't for sale! But you can come back and visit her, virtually, anytime!
The Conservatory owns several examples of the classic Underwood No. 5 desk top type writer. Pictured here is Underwood #620426, manufactured in 1914, the first year of The Great War. This particular machine lacks a variable release which always appeared on the left platen knob. As you can see in this photo, the left platen knob is plain. The instruction manual that accompanied this machine also pictured the No. 5 without variable release. The paint and decals are in extremely good condition. The only "restoration" work the Conservatory undertook on this machine was a thorough cleaning with Cyclo Electric Motor Cleaner, followed by a generous lubrication with G-96 Gun Solvent. Both are also excellent type cleaners if you follow the application with scrubbing by an old tooth brush. In fact, many auto and gun products are ideal for working on type writers. All machines must be relubed after applications of Cyclo as this solvent thoroughly removes old grease and oil, and, fortunately, does not affect paint.
One interesting aspect of the No. 5 built circa The Great War, is that the right shift key also functions as a shift lock. A black lever above the right shift key releases the lock. Fast typing tends to be a little difficult as a reslut of the time spent releasing the shift lock when typing capitals from the left side of the keyboard. Some other views of our classic No. 5 are below. Just a click a picture for a larger, hopefully clearer, image. Clicking with your center mouse wheel will open the picture in its own window.
