Painting the Royal

Posted on February 29, 2016 by fsdthreshold

So here’s the new paint job:

The Royal, newly painted

When I got it, the Royal was a dingy gray with decades of discoloration that wouldn’t scrub off:

Before

I decided to leave the side access panels and the front facing their original color.

Royal, newly repainted

This typewriter is a joy to type on. It’s an elite pitch with a very light touch control. I explored the possibility of taking it all apart for painting, which led to a good interior cleaning. After messing around with it for awhile, I decided I’d better not try to take it apart. I had the audacity to brush-paint this marvelous old device!

Maybe it’s easier to see the side panels here.

Since the keys are a deep forest green, at Julie’s suggestion I went with a Rustoleum paint called “Gloss Leather Brown.” I like it!

I resisted the temptation to touch up the old logo on the back, though I gave it an ornamental border.

Royal! Splendid typing machine!

 

3 Responses to Painting the Royal

1. Ruth says:

   You have a new obsession. How fun!

   Reply
2. i am mr brown snowflake says:

   I really like the color Mrs. Durbin chose — it is a perfect partner for the keys!

   One question: How easy (or difficult) will it be to replace ribbons when/if it becomes necessary?

   Reply
3. Linda M. Au says:

   I just noticed something: Does this one have a sort of shift-PEDAL instead of just a large shift key? That’s totally awesome.

   My Royal is a dingy charcoal gray but instead of painting it, I think I am going to try something like Armor-All (suggested to me by others who enjoy typewriters). It just needs to be less dull, not a different color entirely.

   Reply