The Obsession Grows

If you aren't interested in vintage, antiques, or typewriters, go ahead and skip this post. I promise I'm still knitting and will write more about that soon. For everyone else:

Squee!!

So in the last two days I've spent the vast majority of my time at home scouring the internet for information on typewriters. I've actually complied a short wish list, and started myself (purely by accident, I swear) on another collection--ribbon tins. I bought one on ebay and have bids on two more, but I'm not going to press it if I get out bid. The last thing I need is more stuff! My room is already packed to the gills (I so need to move out...) One of the top items on the wish list is this 1956 Underwood Quiet Tab De Luxe, which I love because it looks like it's made out of the trunk of a '57 BelAir, one of my favorite cars. Another favorite is the portable and standard portable of 1929-31 (I love the pre-war machines best), which is why this makes me cry a little inside. The tech geek in me thinks this is awesome. The conservator/writer/history buff is twitching on the floor. Maybe if the machine was nonfunctioning for some reason, and the difference between it being a dustcatcher on the mantle and functioning as (semi)intended...

But back to the ribbon tins. The one I purchased is here, and any geeks out there probably know why I couldn't resist. I had a bit of geekgasm when I saw it. My first thought after "SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!" was, "But it's the wrong color. It should be blue!" (I don't know if that link will work since the sale is already closed, but I'll post a picture when it comes.)

I'm still working on Henry, but I need to get tools and a user manual first--have to figure out how to take him apart in such a way that I can still put him back together again. I've put out a request online for a hard copy or PDF of a manual, but thus far no bites.

Well, if I'm going to make good on that promise of knitting content, I should sign off now. But I'll probably end up playing with Henry a little more. I've got a ribbon coming in about two weeks, so I'll finally be able to write something on him.

Questions for the typecast world at large:
1. How do you remove rust from the letters without destroying the type?
2. Is it possible to remove the carriage? How?
3. What is the best way to access the mechaism that moves the keys? They've been sticking a lot, and I noticed that a couple of them are twisted.
4. Can some one point me in the direction of a general typewriter schematic so I'm not using such fabulous technical terms as "do-hickey" and "thingamabob" all the time when I'm trying to describe problems to people that might help?
5. If you have a KMM manual, could you scan it for me please? Even just part of it? Just enough to get me started and figure out all the parts.