I didn't really think I was in the movie Sixth Sense, but I did see some strange dead keys the other day. Someone from town had been given this nice L.C. Smith Super Speed as a gift. It had come straight from the antique store with its crispy ribbon and coating of dust. I cleaned it up and installed a new ribbon after replacing the incorrect ribbon spools with two from a donor machine. Things were going along well except the period and comma keys were sort of dead. They would come about 3/4 of the way toward the platen and then stop. I was thinking the mechanism for these keys was jammed or their strikers were bent. Looking at the underside of the machine again I saw that two brass stops were attached to the comb (or guide) underneath. This dampened the period and comma keys. They key action returned to normal once I removed these stops. What I wonder is why anyone would put stops on the period or comma keys in the first place. Come to think of it, why put stops on any of the keys?
I put a call out to the typosphere for any enlightenment on what I found on this Super Speed. Thanks!
