Royal Typewriter Shift Alignment

If your capital letters are not perfectly aligned with your lowercase letters, and it’s not due to poor typing skills, then your shift stops are most likely out of alignment.  If you own a Corona, or a Hermes, then you’re not going to die...but if you own a Royal, say your prayers and dig your grave.  Royals are hard to work on.
So this brief instructional (that nobody’s likely to read) will deal with adjusting the capital alignment on a basket shifted Royal Typewriter, and what better machine to use than a Royal 10.  This desktop model is the standard of standards.  Every other Royal has some variation of these presented mechanisms, so look closely.  

The basket shift on a Royal Typewriter consists of two stopping points.  When you depress the shift, one of these stopping points prevents the basket from dropping lower than a certain point.  Each machine might be slightly different, but in this case it was the top.  I’m the photos, the machine is on its back with the bottom taken off.  Tightening or loosening the bolts on these stops will determine how high or low your capital letters will sit.  Some Royals have two stops only.  Capital, and lowercase.  Some machines, like the 10, have four stops.  One set on each side, and you have to adjust each one exactly the same.  It’s a pain.  It could just be a matter of turning a couple screws, but no.  It has to be a finicky bunch of bolts tucked away behind a bunch of other stuff.
Capital T hangs too low

V hangs too low




Right side of the shift

Left side of the shift

The far set of bolts is the caps stop.  To bring the letters up, they need to be brought down.  Counterclockwise turns will do it in this case, but some linkages need to be moved beforehand.

It’s nice to have steel rulers on hand to unstick stuck screws.  

Nut and bolt removed, linkage dropped down.

Next, remove the spring...or maybe do this part first.

THEN undo the linkage (after the spring is removed) 

Ta-da

Adjust accordingly on both sides evenly, and reassemble.  Don’t forget the spring. 

Fixed

Comments

  1. Hi -- this is so helpful. I own (among other, finer machines) a dreaded Royal Epoch with predictably terrible alignment. Do you suspect that import machine would adjust the same way? I understood so much else changed it's not a "Royal" in anything but name -- but if it can be made a competent typer I can find a use for it in the stable. Thanks!

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