serving central pennsylvania
What I do
Introductory rate, first ten Central PA customers. Regular rate $150.The standard service is what most machines need most of the time: a thorough cleaning of the segment and underside, fresh ribbon (your choice of black, black/red, or blue), drawband and platen verified, lubrication of the points that need it and pointedly not the points that don’t, full keyboard test, and a typed sample page produced and included with the machine. Two-week turnaround in most cases.
What I Do
• Drawband replacement: $40
• Ribbon vibrator repair: $30
• Margin and tab mechanism cleaning / adjustment: $35
• Spool cup or ribbon feed alignment: $30
• Knob or key reattachment, existing parts only: $20These run alongside the standard service for an additional charge, or stand alone as a lower-cost spot fix.
What I Do
A glazed, hardened platen can’t be saved by cleaning. The standard solution is to send it to JJ Short Associates in Stockport, NY, who have been recovering platens since the typewriter was a current technology. I coordinate the shipping, scheduling, and reinstallation. Pass-through cost plus $40 handling. Total typically runs $200–280 depending on platen length.
What I Do
Drop-off only. I simply cannot transport heavy desktops. Bring it in, we’ll talk through what it needs.
What I Don't Service
Unfortunately, I don't accept electric typewriters of any kind — IBM Selectrics, Smith-Corona Coronamatics, Olivetti electronics. Daisy-wheel machines. Word processors. Old calculators. If you’re not sure what you’ve got, send a photo before bringing it in and I’ll tell you straight.
My Bench Philosophy
I’m a mechanic, not a restorer.There’s a real distinction worth understanding.A full restoration brings a typewriter to museum condition — repaint, rechrome, every screw polished, every cosmetic flaw addressed. That’s careful, expert work and it costs accordingly: $600–1,200 a machine, often with a six-month wait.The shops that do this well are mostly out of state and mostly booked. Adam Brooks at Brooksaw, Paul at Bremerton — those are the ceilings of the field.What I do is the next tier down, and it’s the tier most machines actually need. I take a tired or grimy manual portable, give it a careful cleaning, lubricate what should be lubricated, replace what should be replaced, verify what should be verified, and return it typing well. The cosmetics stay as they are unless you specifically ask. The goal is a working machine, honestly serviced, at a price that doesn’t outrun what the machine itself is worth.I tell you up front when something’s outside my scope. If the platen is glazed beyond cleaning, I’ll say so. If the escapement has a problem I’m not the right person to fix, I’ll say so. If the machine isn’t worth what it would cost to bring it back, I’ll say that too, and refund your deposit.You won’t get a “well, while we were in there” surprise on pickup.Every machine that leaves the bench gets typed on first. The sample page comes home with the machine. It’s the simplest proof there is that the work was actually done.
How It Works
1) Email first. Use the button below or write to [email protected]. Include the make and model if you know it, or a photo if you don’t. Describe what’s wrong, even loosely — “the keys stick,” “it won’t return at the end of the line,” “I don’t know, it’s been in a closet for forty years” all work fine.2) Drop off in Lebanon. Once we’ve talked through what the machine needs, you bring it by appointment. I do a quick assessment with you there. A $40 deposit holds the bench slot and is applied to the final cost.3) Two-week turnaround, typically. I’ll text or email when it’s ready. Pickup by appointment.4) Pay on pickup. Cash, Venmo, or PayPal. The case, cover, and any original paperwork should come with the machine — they help me verify completeness on intake and protect the machine in storage.
Contact Me
Lebanon, PA. Exact address shared once an appointment is set — this is a home bench, not a storefront, so I keep the address off the open web.Email: [email protected]I'm a one-person shop. Reply time is usually same-day, occasionally next-day. If you haven't heard from me within 48 hours, the message got lost in spam — please try again.
Buy A Typewriter
I also sell refurbished machines on eBay under the handle keatsandyeats. If you're looking to purchase a typewriter rather than service one you already have, I'd tell you that's the place to begin.
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