Graphotype Operation
Keyboard Keys – hunt and peck
by TagTech on Oct.13, 2009, under Graphotype Maintinance, Graphotype Operation
The key board on the Class 6300 Graphotype machines is the only interface betweenthe operator and the machine. Key caps on the key board keys are the operators navigation chart and when the key caps are missing it can make composing tags on a Graphotype difficult and tedious.
Photo by Tiwonge - from Flickr
Many times the key caps will be lost, damaged or become illegible over time. Weather and age can cause the key cap material to become brittle, crack and break. Chemicals, solvents and lubricants can cause key caps to become illegible or damaged. Other times key caps are lost simply because they are knocked off or fall off.
While original Addressograph Multigraph key caps can be located from time to time, original key caps are becoming increasingly harder to find. When one finds original key caps the set us usually incomplete and more often than not the one cap you need is the one that is missing!
Photo by Tiwonge - from Flickr
We recommend that you pull a known good key cap from your Graphotype machine and inspect it so that you have an idea how they mount. Better yet take one of the good key caps with you when you go to look for replacement key caps so you have a known good sample with you thus eliminating any guess work.
Several people I have visited with have gone to thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales to purchase old typewriters. Many times you can find old typewriters for $10.00 or less. Before you buy just any old typewriter pull one of the key caps off the machine to make sure that the two are interchangeable. Not all typewriter keys caps are interchangeable with Graphotype machines. Keep this in mind if you buy a typewriter for its key caps if you do not have a sample from your Graphotype to compare it to.
PLEASE – be respectful of the merchant and others seeking old typewriters - if you find that a key cap you have pulled off a prospective machine will not work with your Graphotype, please, please put the cap back on the original typewriter so person behind you can purchase a complete machine. Attention to detail and common courtesy – these are virtues of a true Graphotypist.
eBay is a good place to look for key caps, at any given time there are dozens of auctions for key caps going on, just make sure the key caps will fit your Graphotype before purchasing.
Happy Hunting.
