Gramercy Typewriter Co.

Repair, service and supplies for manual and electric typewriters. 174 Fifth Avenue, fifth floor, New York, since 1932.

Service Manual No. 11Schedule of charges, revised September 2026. Weekdays, 9 to 5. Ring the bell on the fifth floor.

The bench machineAn Olympia SM3 from 1958, in for service. Click the paper and type. The bell rings at the sixtieth column and the carriage returns on its own.

Click the paper to begin.Line 5, column 1 of 60

  1. Covers off, ribbon out, carriage lifted off on machines that allow it (Olympia SM, Royal KMM, Underwood 5).
  2. Dry brush and compressed air through the segment, under the keylevers and along the carriage rails.
  3. Segment and typebars flushed with mineral spirits until the typebars fall under their own weight. Slugs scrubbed with a brass brush.
  4. Platen and feed rollers measured with a durometer. Anything over 95 Shore A is glass, and you will get a recovering estimate with the test sheet.
  5. Pivots oiled sparingly: carriage rails, escapement pinion, ribbon vibrator, line-space pawl. Never the segment.
  6. Ring-and-cylinder set so that capitals and lowercase strike with the same weight.
  7. Each slug checked on-feet against a straightedge; bent typebars trued so the letter sits on the line.
  8. Escapement timed. Skipping and piling corrected at the loose dog, not with the spacing dial.
  9. Margins, tabulator, line-space ratchet and bell checked and set. The bell should ring seven spaces before the stop.
  10. Draw band and mainspring tension checked; carriage return tested with a full sheet.
  11. New bichrome ribbon fitted. Keytops cleaned. Rubber feet replaced if perished.
  12. Two test sheets typed: one goes in the case with the machine, one stays on file with the tag.

Manual portables

  • Bench estimate, any machineno charge
  • Clean, oil and adjust$165.00
  • Full overhaul: strip, ultrasonic bath, all rubber, all adjustmentsOlympia SM series, Hermes 3000, Royal Quiet De Luxe, Smith-Corona Silent-Super, Olivetti Lettera 22 and 32$385.00
  • Platen recovered, sent out$135.00
  • Feed rollers recovered, set of four$90.00
  • Bichrome ribbon fitted while you wait$14.00
  • Escapement or draw band repair$95.00
  • Mainspring replaced$75.00
  • Type slug realignment, per character$6.00
  • Key return spring, each$8.50
  • Rubber feet, set of four$18.00
  • Case latch, hinge or handle replaced$45.00

Standards and desk machines

  • Clean, oil and adjustRoyal KMM, KMG and HH, Underwood 5 and SX, Remington 17, L.C. Smith 8, Olympia SG1 and SG3$215.00
  • Full overhaul$495.00
  • Platen recovered, sent out$165.00
  • Segment flush and de-gum, frozen typebars$110.00
  • Tabulator repair$85.00
  • Bell replaced or re-tuned$35.00
  • Carriage removed, cleaned and re-fitted, per side$60.00

Electrics

  • Selectric I, II or III service: clean, lubricate, cycle-time, re-set$295.00
  • Selectric element, each, from stock$45.00
  • Motor or drive belt$65.00
  • Correction tape and ribbon cartridge fitted$22.00
  • Cord and plug replaced$40.00
  • Smith-Corona Electra and Coronamatic service$185.00

Supplies

  • Universal half-inch ribbon, blue and red bichrome, on plastic spools$12.00
  • Olympia SM metal spools, pair, wound$16.00
  • Hermes 3000 spools, pair, wound$18.00
  • Remington Noiseless spools, pair, wound$19.00
  • Onionskin, 9 pound, 500 sheets$24.00
  • Carbon paper, 100 sheets, blue$15.00
  • Canvas dust cover, portable or standard$28.00
  • Typewriter eraser with brush$4.00
  • Ribbon fitted10 minutes
  • Clean, oil and adjust10 working days
  • Full overhaul4 to 5 weeks
  • Platen recoveringSent to the rubber shop in Macedon, N.Y., on Tuesdays3 weeks
  • Rush, any service3 working days, plus 40 percent
  • Guarantee on bench work90 days
  • OlympiaSM2, SM3, SM4, SM7, SM9, Splendid 33 and 66, SG1, SG3, SF
  • HermesBaby, Rocket, 2000, 3000, Ambassador
  • RoyalPortable, Quiet De Luxe, Arrow, KMM, KMG, HH, FP, Futura
  • Smith-CoronaSilent, Sterling, Clipper, Silent-Super, Skyriter, Galaxie, Classic 12
  • Underwood3, 4, 5, Champion, Universal, Leader, SX
  • RemingtonPortable 1 and 2, Noiseless 7, Quiet-Riter, Model 17
  • OlivettiLettera 22, 32, 35, Studio 44, Praxis 48
  • IBMModel B, Model C, Selectric I, II and III
  • OthersAdler J4, Facit TP1 and TP2, Erika 10, Torpedo 18, Voss ST24, Groma Kolibri
  • Estimate onlyBlickensderfer, Oliver, Hammond, Corona 3, anything with a downstrike

Bring it in its case if it has one. Set the carriage lock, or if there is none, move both margin stops to the middle so the carriage cannot slam. Take the ribbon spools out if the ribbon is fresh and you want to keep it.

For shipping, lock the carriage, wrap the machine in two layers of bubble wrap inside its case, put the case in a box with three inches of packing on every side, and put that box inside a second box. Insure it for what it would cost to replace. Ship to Gramercy Typewriter Co., 174 Fifth Avenue, fifth floor, New York, NY 10010, and enclose a note with your name, a telephone number, the complaint, and whether you want the estimate by telephone or by post.

A machine that has met WD-40 gets the full overhaul price. There is no other way to get it out of the segment.

We do not sell parts for you to fit yourself, apart from ribbons, spools and feet. We will show you how to change a ribbon at the counter and it will take about four minutes.