1930’s Royal Deluxe Typewriter Tutorial

Video Tutorial

Welcome to a Classic!

The Royal Model O appeared in 1935 from Royal's Hartford, Connecticut facility. The machine existed because of rejected prototypes. Inventors Bernard Joseph Dowd (1873-1946) and Henry Joseph Hart (1898-19??) received a patent in 1934 (patent no. 1,985,155). Their design had three corrugated chrome bands. It was Art Deco. It would never be built. In April 1934, designers Clarence H. Bills and John J. Kittle filed three more patents. Each one pulled back from the one before. Then in May 1934, Dowd and Hart tried again. This time without the chrome bands. This was the one Royal built. Somewhere those first prototypes might still exist. In an attic. In a basement. Waiting.

This Model O is black. The paint is glossy and reflects like a mirror. The machine had features that mattered. Touch-Control let you adjust how hard you had to press the keys. You moved a lever. Light touch or heavy touch. Your choice. The glass-top keyboard had what Royal called "Finger Comfort Keys." The basket shift worked. The ribbon reversed automatically. You could switch between black and red. It had margin sets and tab sets you controlled by hand. Three line spacing options. A variable spacer when you needed it. Serial numbers starting with "O" or "A" mark these machines. They came from Hartford between 1935 and 1939. Six thousand workers built typewriters there. Royal was the largest typewriter company in the world. They made this one. Now you have it.

I sell ribbons here.

Here is the manual.

A pad will help quiet her down a lot.

The stationary that your note came on is here.

Please let me know if you have questions.

Mostly, enjoy the writing!

PS.  I offer a trade-in policy, in case you ever want to upgrade or switch,  you can trade your machine in for the value you paid toward anything  else.