1933 Erika 5 #168086
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Sebastian Kleinschmidt (SebastianKleinschmidt)
Created: 01-13-2021 at 05:06AM
Last Edit: 01-13-2021 at 08:41AM
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Description:
This is my second* Erika 5, a slightly newer variant from 1933 (serial number 168086) with the rare Perlschrift or Elite typeface (No 104). I got it from a fellow German collector who had always wanted to repair it but didn't have the time to do it and a focus on other typewriters. I'm really grateful to him that he gave it to me. :)
It needed new feed rollers, which I produced through heat tube shrinking, one of the feed roller holders in the feed roller assembly, which I took from an older parts machine (1929), and some cleaning. It is now in a good working condition and just needs metal spools with a good ribbon and a nut for the screw fixating the carriage return lever as it is now scraping along the top of the left spool and causes some trouble. Shouldn't be too hard to find I think.
The feeling of this Erika 5 is a bit heavier than that of my earlier Erika 5 and my parts machine. Feels a bit more like an Erika M from my limited experience with one of them. Interesting to see and feel this development firsthand.
Since the decals on both the paper holder and the ribbon cover are not as good as they are on my parts machine and since the platen already has a few chunks missing I had planned on replacing those with parts from said parts machine. But those aren't fully compatible, they changed the specs between 1929 and 1933. The platen is about half a centimeter longer, which means that the paper holder is also slightly longer. And the ribbon cover is mounted differently (the older version has two screws on each side panel while this newer version has one on each side and two on the front panel. So, I won't be able to replace those. It is still looking good I think.
*I also got a parts machine from 1929 which is not in working condition and which I don't intend to keep. So I won't count it.
Typeface Specimen:
Photos:
Hunter: Sebastian Kleinschmidt (SebastianKleinschmidt)
Sebastian Kleinschmidt's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 596
I'm a typewriter collector from Germany and interested in various kinds of brands and types from pre- and post-WW2, particularly focusing on Seidel & Naumann (Ideal & Erika), Triumph-Adler and Smith-Corona (my favourite brand!), although I own some other brands and am looking at some others (Underwood, Remington). I particularly like portables, my favourite pre-WW2 typewriter being the Erika 5 and my favourite post-WW2 typewriter being my Smith-Corona Silent-Super.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Erika 5 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Erika Serial Number page and the Erika 5 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
