1966 Montgomery Ward Signature 440T #G6 303676

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Barry Wolt (BarryB)
Created: 08-03-2015 at 09:52AM
Last Edit: 08-03-2015 at 10:03AM

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Description:

This one is a Montgomery Ward-branded Brother 440T made in Nagoya, Japan although I could not find the Brother name on it anywhere.
I got it mostly as a curiosity on how the early Brother machines were made, along with the allure of the mid-1960's kitschy styling.
I think it's a JP-1 second variation (1964-1975).

It's got all metal steel construction but thinner gauge than the sturdy 1950's western-made portables. It has a lightweight feel bordering on cheapiness but it is a surprisingly (to me anyway) good typer. As fast as I can bang the keys it keeps up with no trouble. It prints cleanly and has a light touch and short throw.

When I got the machine it was in good cosmetic condition--with the owner's manual with case keys--but it had two problems to fix.
The line space lever did not rotate the platen and the margin bell did not ring.

It turns out that the line space lever linkage to the platen ratchet was a broken wire link.
The good news is that the wire linkage makes for an easy fabrication of a new one--but the flimsy wire is why it broke in the first place!

The margin bell has a ringer hammer soldered to a wire attached to the actuator. I found the ringer sitting at the bottom of the housing pan. That fix was a tricky dab of JB Weld to the existing wire stub.

Now everything is working nicely. It's such a nice typer that right now it's my go-to machine.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

Hunter: Barry Wolt (BarryB)

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I'm an electrical engineer with a penchant for writing that loves these marvels of mechanical engineering.