Make Your Own Candy Pink Royal QDL

I have grown to like the pastel colored portables of the late 1950's.  I have my own blue and green Smith-Coronas and have given similar machines to my daughters.  I had yet to find my own pink 50's portable so I set out to make my own.

I decided to go with a Royal QDL and set out to find a reasonably priced machine with white keys and platen knobs that would be suitable for the transformation.  This tan crinkle paint 1957 model fit the bill perfectly. As you can see, it's finish was already damaged so I didn't have to worry about spoiling a pristine machine. 

I really enjoyed the process of taking the panels off of this QDL.  I took pictures all along the way in order to see where all those screws belonged.  I have owned post war QDLs from 1950 up to this 1957 and I have to say the features and build on this machine really hit the sweet spot.  I can really see how these machines have evolved. 

With the panels off, I sanded down their crinkle paint and applied a couple of coats of Rustoleum Candy Pink.  A big plus to the finished product, in my opinion, was the ability to take the "Royal" and "Quiet De Luxe" badges off while repainting the panels.  

I have to say I was really impressed with the build of this Royal.  It looked solid and majestic even with the panels off.

I have not actually had my eyes on an original pink Royal but I think this one comes pretty close!

This was a really enjoyable project that I would recommend to anyone with just a bit of patience.  As you can see, my appreciation of the Royal portable has increased!

P.S.

I was really pleased to see what Ted Munk has done to part of his Typewriter Database.  When looking up my Royal, I noticed that he has added photos to the serial number timeline for Royals.  What a neat way to look up your machine and see it's place in history!

Sample from The Typewriter Database