Typewriter Service

Do you have an old typewriter that needs servicing? Are some of the keys sticking, or the carriage not advancing when you press the keys? Is the ink dried out?

We can help you bring your typewriter to excellent working condition. 

Want your typewriter serviced?

1. Send us a photo of the typewriter by email (amsterdamtypewriter@gmail.com) and ask for an appointment to drop it off

2. Drop off your typewriter (by appointment only)

3. Receive a free quote by us (please, note due to high volume of work it might take up to 2-3 weeks)

4. Accept/Reject quote

5. Pick up your typewriter or have it shipped to you (extra postage costs for your expense)

Pricing:

We charge € 47.50 per hour (incl. VAT). Most typewriters take 1-1.5 hours to service. This depends on the condition of your typewriter, it's age, design complexity, size, etc. We charge a one-time administrative processing fee of €  14.95 (in case you are a first time client). We will enter your customer data in our system, and for future orders, there will be no administrative fee. This price of 14.95  will also include shipping in the Netherlands, in case you want the typewriter to be shipped back to you and not picked up by you.

Free quote:

To get a price quote, please drop off your typewriter to our address in The Hague, The Netherlands. We will inspect your typewriter and return to you via email/WhatsApp with a price quote. If you accept, we will service your typewriter, if not - you can come by and pick up your typewriter for free.

Please, send us a photo of the typewriter before dropping it off. We do not deal with extreme rust, or older, bigger desktop typewriters (such as heavy typewriters of more than 9kg).

Please, note due company policy and space limitations/no shows/, we will only keep your typewriter for 8 weeks, if you do not show up and do not pick it up in this time frame, your typewriter will be kept by us and re-sold.

Leadtime:

Please, note we bear a very high workload and high demand. If you want to have your typewriter serviced, send a request and we will inform you of the lead time. It can be that we are fully booked in the next 4-6 weeks. Servicing itself, takes us 2-3 work days. We will inform you when we have an open time slot for servicing when you send us a request for servicing your typewriter.

 

All of our serviced typewriters have the following performed:

*Partially disassembled to it's separate parts
*Cleaned and dried to remove oil, dirt, grime build-up, dust, fiber, eraser dust, allergens, bugs, mites, pet hair (all causing allergies and malfunctions)
*Each mechanism is performance evaluated
*Rubber is treated with chemicals for better grip
*New felt pads (felt pads are used to dampen vibrations and lower noise, old ones are removed - old felt pads collect smell, dust and can cause allergies) please, note felt padding involves extra charges.
*Polished, cleaned and waxed exterior (incl. keys) for extra cost
*Test and align - all parts are evaluated (bells, belts, draw band)
*Assemble typewriter and perform 30-minute typing test, aligning test and ribbon vibrator test
*Install new ink ribbon (lasts 500+ pages)

 

How do we service or restore your typewriter?

Royal P typewriter model from 1929, disassembled for restoration.

At Amsterdam Typewriter we offer you the highest quality of hand work and after-sale customer service possible. We take pride in our work - it is our profession, call and passion to rescue typewriters and repair them. A lot of these rescue typewriters will end up in the landfill if not saved - and this is why we call them "rescued" typewriters.

     We offer 2 types of service - standard typewriter service and professional typewriter restoration. Typewriter servicing is a quick and basic maintenance (required every year for typewriters to operate at top level). Restoration takes many days and is expensive because every part is evaluated and replaced, all rubber is renewed, high-use springs are replaced, etc.

    Each of our typewriters is carefully evaluated and inspected before we start working on it. Depending on the condition - the typewriter is either meticulously serviced or restored. In our shop - each listing will mention (in the description) if the typewriter has been fully serviced or restored.

Our Guarantee 

     Each of our machines has been disassembled, cleaned, polished, waxed, tested, repaired, fine tuned and has been performance-evaluated. We spent on average between 8-12 hours on each unique restoration project. On top of this - we spent on average 30 minutes after the typewriter has been disassembled, cleaned and aligned in order to perform stress-tests and check each and every function of the typewriter.

     This is why we have a 100% guaranteed success rate and offer reliable typewriters which will last you a lifetime. All our serviced typewriters do not need maintenance in the next 1 year. Every machine has new ink installed and is delivered right to your doorstep, ready to start typing.

     We are confident in the work we do - thus to offer your a peace of mind - we offer 1 year warranty for all of our typewriters.

Typewriter Service

All of our serviced typewriters have the following performed:

*Partially disassembled to it's separate parts
*Cleaned and dried to remove oil, dirt, grime build-up, dust, fiber, eraser dust, allergens, bugs, mites, pet hair (all causing allergies and malfunctions)
*Each mechanism is performance evaluated
*Rubber is treated with chemicals for better grip
*New felt pads (old ones are removed - old felt pads collect smell, dust and can cause allergies)
*Polished, cleaned and waxed exterior (incl. keys, case)
*Test and align - all parts are evaluated (bells, belts, draw band)
*Assemble typewriter and perform 30-minute typing test, aligning test and ribbon vibrator test
*Install new ink ribbon (lasts 500+ pages)

Typewriter Restoration Process

All of our restored typewriters have the following performed:

*Partially disassembled to it's separate parts
*Cleaned and dried to remove oil, dirt, grime build-up, dust, fiber, eraser dust, allergens, bugs, mites, pet hair (all causing malfunctions)
*Each mechanism is performance evaluated - worn out parts are replaced with new or from donor typewriters (drawband, springs, tension rods, levers, knobs)
*New felt pads (old ones are removed - old felt pads collect smell, dust and allergens and can cause allergies)
*Platen rubber is replaced with new one (91 Shore A)
*Feed rollers and paper bail rollers rubber is replaced with new if necessary
*Rubber feet replaced with new ones if necessary
*Polished, cleaned and waxed exterior (incl. keys, case)
*Test and align - all parts are evaluated (bells, belts, draw band)
*Assemble typewriter and perform 30-minute typing test, aligning test and ribbon vibrator test
*Install new ink ribbon (lasts 500+ pages)

 

*Underlined text shows the difference between our 2 services. Our restored typewriters is the closest to "factory-new" condition you can get. While out serviced typewriters are fully working machines, ready to withstand many years of service.

 

 

We always start with inspecting a typewriter. In order to inspect it and clean it - we must disassemble it partially to it's separate parts. 

We use a professional tool called Durometer to measure the hardness of platen roll rubber. Factory fresh platen rubber would be around 91 Shore A (unit for rubber hardness) in hardness. Old typewriters always have a hard platen - more than 100+ Shore A, which makes them unfit for using. Old rubber gets hard and crumbly with time and might cause paper roll failure or make punctures in the paper. This is why we always install a new platen on all our restored machines.

Part of our job during servicing a typewriter is to install new felt padding. Old felt pads collect dust, hair and allergens. We make sure to remove those, to clean the typewriter and add new, premium felt pad material for cleanliness, to dampen vibrations and reduce the noise of your typewriter.

 

We use special typewriter repair tools which are not being made anymore. These tools allow us to perform fine-tuning, alignment, bending and installation or repair of all typewriter mechanism parts.

Voila! After many hours of laborious work - the typewriter is now ready to go a lifetime of loyal service.

  

Photo below shows restoring golden crinkle paint on a Corona 4 typewriter.

 

Below is a gallery showing a Royal P typewriter restored in our workshop this year. This restoration took more than 6 hours - including disassembly, replacing all rubber with new (platen, rubber rollers, rubber feet), replacing all key legends and glass key inserts, replacing springs partially, new noise-reducing insulation. 

 

 

By 2022, we have serviced and restored 150+ typewriters which now enjoy a new home in more than 24 countries around the world.