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I have no experience with this but probably multiple thousand bucks for a whole typewriter. Or you own your own cnc machine shop and can make them yourself.
Pretty difficult. Because each type head is double faced. On a rotator. You would have to be able to carve the metal after cutting the base head. You could use steel but most type blocks were made of lead/graphite until even the 70’s because it was softer. So unless you have the tools to work with a harder metal you may still be limited to the lead. CNC may help but carving such small type is still incredibly difficult even for experienced mill workers. Since it would be pretty much custom the above stated prices would probably be an average as you would want the highest quality to match the durability of a traditional typewriter so it would probably be more than that. That wouldn’t even include the installation depending on the model in question. If you wanted to do it for a Underwood 4 bank portable (the model Violet uses specifically), you would have to take it apart far enough to replace every holding arm as well because the arm is directly connected to the head. They are all also placed in a row. So you would have to look up what model you would want to convert. Choosing newer models would be notably easier along with being cheaper. I personally wouldn’t convert any of the ones shown specifically in the show as most are almost 100 years old and should be kept as is and/or restored. I know all this as my father was a printer and I thought of doing it to mine which is the aforementioned Underwood 4 bank. It’s a big deal I still encourage you to do it if your heart is set out to do it. But I say convert a electronic model from the mid 60’s to late 80’s.
Would be fairly simple on a CNC with predetermined tool pathing. Install may be frustrating, but 100% doable with a smaller CNC if aluminum or an industrial grade for steel etc.
A manual mill would be damn near impossible lol.
A numerically controlled machine will have no issues doing the small print if you have access to the proper tooling (I assume you would if you have access to a CNC)
When using modern metal you would probably want to pick a softer steel or aluminum composite because another reason they used lead and graphite for so long was to not damage the roller on the arm. So it would be dependent on the model in question. Though thanks for the input on using a CNC. Never used a CNC my high school just got one the year after I graduated. I use mill worker as that was/is the more traditional name for a carver who may have done it back when and that was what my mind was stuck on.
I work in a fabrication shop lol.
I didn’t even think of the softer metal for that reason. I know brass is expensive, but that could be beautiful. To be fair though, even aluminum is expensive af nowadays unless you’re recycling your own.
Honestly this project wouldn’t be monetarily feasible unless done on a project scale with a hobby CNC, soft metal that you can easily source and about 3 lifetimes to piece it together
The original type slugs in the 1920s era Underwood 4-bank typewriters were steel. Mild low-carbon steel, but still steel. Vowels, especially the E key, wore too fast to use softer materials. This was common with a lot of typewriters at that time, though there were exceptions.
They were die formed under high pressure into hardened steel molds. The forming process also produced the recess at the back of each type slug that slots onto the typebar. Once formed, the parts were hardened, typically in a 1600F cyanide bath, and then plated for longer wear. (This was all well before OSHA.)
The geometry of the slug face is fiddly. In addition to the shape of the characters, each character is also radiused to fit perfectly with the curved face of the platen, the rubber roller the paper feeds around. So looking at a type slug from the side, each of the characters appear to be scalloped.
If you look at the geometry of each letter on each slug, the molding process becomes apparent. The molds were cut with v-shaped cutters that left a significant draft angle. When the soft steel was pressed into the mold, that draft angle was preserved in the resulting typeface. Reproducing this geometry on a modern CNC mill is straightforward if you're doing it the way they originally did: cutting a die that you then press mild steel into. It's not entirely possible if you're cutting the type slugs directly. Nonetheless, it's possible to get very very close. Close enough that you wouldn't notice the difference unless you were in the habit of staring at type slugs under high magnification. (There are people who are in that habit. Don't judge.)
Provided you can model the geometry of the slugs, it is well within the cpacity of a modern shop with CNC tooling to manufacture a workable set of type. It may not be a perfect match for how the originals were made, but it'll type and look great.
Luckily the rest of the equation is fairly straightforward: The Underwood 4-Bank Violet's was modeled after has glass topped keys that are held in place with retaining rings. The tools necessary to safely remove and re-install those retaining rings exist and can be bought new at this point. Key legend replacement is pretty straightforward, and as long as you use the font Alan\_B74 linked to and are handy at making a key legend layout, you can print that onto acid free card stock, cut out the little circles, and use those to replace the originals the typewriter came with.
As far as finding a donor machine, KingJollyRancher is right in that the original machines are close to a hundred years old at this point and should be loved, cherished, and hugged often. But you do occasionally find one in rough enough shape that it lends itself to judicious hacking. The trick is to find a machine that's rough enough that an as-made restoration would be difficult to impossible, but that is mechanically complete enough to be worth the trouble. Be patient, keep your eyes out, and get ready to learn the graceful art of typewriter repair because I can 100% guarantee you that whatever you find will need a great deal of tender loving care.
Agreed. Though in response to your above. That’s why I kinda gave up on it personally. I’m just happy to have the real model that Violet uses. It’s even in excellent condition. It will hopefully be going into/onto its home this weekend after trying to remove the musty/moldy smell after a little over a month. It will be going alongside all of my other collectibles for the show. Though don’t worry I do still intend to use it and not have it just for show. It’s what it deserves. I will most likely take a picture with everything around it. May even post it on here for everyone’s enjoyment.
OH HECK YES! Please do! I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures.
That musty smell sucks. Congrats on all the hard work over the last month trying to clear it up. I hope your efforts were well-rewarded! I've had a couple come in that way and it's truly hard to get rid of.
Personally, I'm not actively pursuing a VE-converted Underwood, though I did get into the dubious habit of servicing the originals. I've got five on my shelves at the moment. Three have been serviced and only have minor issues and the other two will eventually get there. They're beautiful machines. My hope with each of these is to help them find their way to their permanent homes, where they will be well cared for and *used* as typewriters. The goal with my own work is to make sure they're in as good a shape as I can get them so that they can be of good service for another hundred years. Like you said, it's what they deserve.
I do know of someone who's converting an Underwood 4-bank to have Nunkish keys and type slugs. They're also probably the most knowledgeable person I've ever met when it comes to the history of the Underwood corporation and details about the inner workings of these things, so I honestly think they've got a good shot of pulling it off. I can't wait to see it in action.
Don't know if this helps but someone on this sub posted 4 years ago, they made the font and you can download it here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a2FY8_Yyyk3ULGhpq7sPQ2N5KurLKyIk/view
As 3D designer, is not impossible to be real. You can make a 3D template and make every type character 3D with an svg file. There is Oné person who made violet evergarden font here on this sub. Maybe By printing both parts and using a real typewriter replacing the parts with a custom ones, Is possible. The real problem comes with the 3D printer. Metal ones are 25.000 Usd. And cut services gonna be expensive.
You’ll have to get custom keys made. But you probably want be able to change the print unless you’re rich and willing to part with a crap ton of money and risk the typewriter not working right ever again
Hi /u/Panzer_Lord1944, thank you for posting on r/VioletEvergarden! Please check the stickied [FAQ post](https://www.reddit.com/r/VioletEvergarden/comments/vq2qiv/welcome_to_rvioletevergarden_rules_and_faq_read/) if you haven't been here before. There is a good chance that you can find the answer to your question there. Also, please read the rules and regulations of the subreddit to see whether your post is violating any rules. Make sure there are no spoilers in the title of your post. Be sure to tag spoiler posts with the appropriate flair, and remember to maintain proper Redditquete. All spoilers in comments or the bodies of posts not tagged as spoilers must be appropriately tagged using either of the following formats: [Violet Evergarden: the Movie spoilers] >!Insert spoiler here.!< This would appear as [Violet Evergarden: the Movie spoilers] >!Insert spoiler here.!< [Violet Evergarden: the Movie spoilers](/s "Insert spoiler here.") This would appear as [Violet Evergarden: the Movie spoilers](/s "Insert spoiler here.") Spoilers include key plot points from the Violet Evergarden series, movies, or light novels. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/VioletEvergarden) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You could probably make custum keys but it would still type normal letters. Making custom type bars would require some advanced metalworking skills.
How hard is it to make or hire someone to make custom type bar?
I have no experience with this but probably multiple thousand bucks for a whole typewriter. Or you own your own cnc machine shop and can make them yourself.
Pretty difficult. Because each type head is double faced. On a rotator. You would have to be able to carve the metal after cutting the base head. You could use steel but most type blocks were made of lead/graphite until even the 70’s because it was softer. So unless you have the tools to work with a harder metal you may still be limited to the lead. CNC may help but carving such small type is still incredibly difficult even for experienced mill workers. Since it would be pretty much custom the above stated prices would probably be an average as you would want the highest quality to match the durability of a traditional typewriter so it would probably be more than that. That wouldn’t even include the installation depending on the model in question. If you wanted to do it for a Underwood 4 bank portable (the model Violet uses specifically), you would have to take it apart far enough to replace every holding arm as well because the arm is directly connected to the head. They are all also placed in a row. So you would have to look up what model you would want to convert. Choosing newer models would be notably easier along with being cheaper. I personally wouldn’t convert any of the ones shown specifically in the show as most are almost 100 years old and should be kept as is and/or restored. I know all this as my father was a printer and I thought of doing it to mine which is the aforementioned Underwood 4 bank. It’s a big deal I still encourage you to do it if your heart is set out to do it. But I say convert a electronic model from the mid 60’s to late 80’s.
Would be fairly simple on a CNC with predetermined tool pathing. Install may be frustrating, but 100% doable with a smaller CNC if aluminum or an industrial grade for steel etc. A manual mill would be damn near impossible lol. A numerically controlled machine will have no issues doing the small print if you have access to the proper tooling (I assume you would if you have access to a CNC)
When using modern metal you would probably want to pick a softer steel or aluminum composite because another reason they used lead and graphite for so long was to not damage the roller on the arm. So it would be dependent on the model in question. Though thanks for the input on using a CNC. Never used a CNC my high school just got one the year after I graduated. I use mill worker as that was/is the more traditional name for a carver who may have done it back when and that was what my mind was stuck on.
I work in a fabrication shop lol. I didn’t even think of the softer metal for that reason. I know brass is expensive, but that could be beautiful. To be fair though, even aluminum is expensive af nowadays unless you’re recycling your own. Honestly this project wouldn’t be monetarily feasible unless done on a project scale with a hobby CNC, soft metal that you can easily source and about 3 lifetimes to piece it together
The original type slugs in the 1920s era Underwood 4-bank typewriters were steel. Mild low-carbon steel, but still steel. Vowels, especially the E key, wore too fast to use softer materials. This was common with a lot of typewriters at that time, though there were exceptions. They were die formed under high pressure into hardened steel molds. The forming process also produced the recess at the back of each type slug that slots onto the typebar. Once formed, the parts were hardened, typically in a 1600F cyanide bath, and then plated for longer wear. (This was all well before OSHA.) The geometry of the slug face is fiddly. In addition to the shape of the characters, each character is also radiused to fit perfectly with the curved face of the platen, the rubber roller the paper feeds around. So looking at a type slug from the side, each of the characters appear to be scalloped. If you look at the geometry of each letter on each slug, the molding process becomes apparent. The molds were cut with v-shaped cutters that left a significant draft angle. When the soft steel was pressed into the mold, that draft angle was preserved in the resulting typeface. Reproducing this geometry on a modern CNC mill is straightforward if you're doing it the way they originally did: cutting a die that you then press mild steel into. It's not entirely possible if you're cutting the type slugs directly. Nonetheless, it's possible to get very very close. Close enough that you wouldn't notice the difference unless you were in the habit of staring at type slugs under high magnification. (There are people who are in that habit. Don't judge.) Provided you can model the geometry of the slugs, it is well within the cpacity of a modern shop with CNC tooling to manufacture a workable set of type. It may not be a perfect match for how the originals were made, but it'll type and look great. Luckily the rest of the equation is fairly straightforward: The Underwood 4-Bank Violet's was modeled after has glass topped keys that are held in place with retaining rings. The tools necessary to safely remove and re-install those retaining rings exist and can be bought new at this point. Key legend replacement is pretty straightforward, and as long as you use the font Alan\_B74 linked to and are handy at making a key legend layout, you can print that onto acid free card stock, cut out the little circles, and use those to replace the originals the typewriter came with. As far as finding a donor machine, KingJollyRancher is right in that the original machines are close to a hundred years old at this point and should be loved, cherished, and hugged often. But you do occasionally find one in rough enough shape that it lends itself to judicious hacking. The trick is to find a machine that's rough enough that an as-made restoration would be difficult to impossible, but that is mechanically complete enough to be worth the trouble. Be patient, keep your eyes out, and get ready to learn the graceful art of typewriter repair because I can 100% guarantee you that whatever you find will need a great deal of tender loving care.
This was an amazing read
Agreed. Though in response to your above. That’s why I kinda gave up on it personally. I’m just happy to have the real model that Violet uses. It’s even in excellent condition. It will hopefully be going into/onto its home this weekend after trying to remove the musty/moldy smell after a little over a month. It will be going alongside all of my other collectibles for the show. Though don’t worry I do still intend to use it and not have it just for show. It’s what it deserves. I will most likely take a picture with everything around it. May even post it on here for everyone’s enjoyment.
OH HECK YES! Please do! I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures. That musty smell sucks. Congrats on all the hard work over the last month trying to clear it up. I hope your efforts were well-rewarded! I've had a couple come in that way and it's truly hard to get rid of. Personally, I'm not actively pursuing a VE-converted Underwood, though I did get into the dubious habit of servicing the originals. I've got five on my shelves at the moment. Three have been serviced and only have minor issues and the other two will eventually get there. They're beautiful machines. My hope with each of these is to help them find their way to their permanent homes, where they will be well cared for and *used* as typewriters. The goal with my own work is to make sure they're in as good a shape as I can get them so that they can be of good service for another hundred years. Like you said, it's what they deserve. I do know of someone who's converting an Underwood 4-bank to have Nunkish keys and type slugs. They're also probably the most knowledgeable person I've ever met when it comes to the history of the Underwood corporation and details about the inner workings of these things, so I honestly think they've got a good shot of pulling it off. I can't wait to see it in action.
Don't know if this helps but someone on this sub posted 4 years ago, they made the font and you can download it here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a2FY8_Yyyk3ULGhpq7sPQ2N5KurLKyIk/view
As 3D designer, is not impossible to be real. You can make a 3D template and make every type character 3D with an svg file. There is Oné person who made violet evergarden font here on this sub. Maybe By printing both parts and using a real typewriter replacing the parts with a custom ones, Is possible. The real problem comes with the 3D printer. Metal ones are 25.000 Usd. And cut services gonna be expensive.
You’ll have to get custom keys made. But you probably want be able to change the print unless you’re rich and willing to part with a crap ton of money and risk the typewriter not working right ever again
Im not aure but that sounds awesome
45🤤
Why did this get downvoted, i said a typewriter with the pins would be cool