Smith Corona Electric 5TE & 5LE Portable Replacement Typewriter Feet (4 feet)

Description: This listing is for a set of 4 replacement feet for the late 1950's Smith Corona Electric typewriters called "Electric", "Electra", or both. The serial numbers began with model designators "5TE" and "5LE". These are basically the same machine, but the later released (but overlapping in time) 5LE had a wider 12" carriage. These wonderful and widely admired and collected machines are the electric-powered twin of the "5-series" Smith Corona Portables, in this case it's basically an electric "Silent Super", the deluxe model in the line. I was amazed first comparing these two (manual and electric) side by side, what ingenuity the Electric is basically a hotrod version of the mechanical, basically the same machine with a motor drive improvised under the hood, super cool!This listing is for feet fitting:Portable Electric • 5TE Series (1956 - 1961)Electric/Electra 12 • 5LE Series (1959 - 1961)I offer two versions of these feet in this listing, due to the original styles used by Smith Corona. What seems to have happened is, the early machines came with flat bottomed feet. I have found that flat feet in generally have less grip (counter intuitively), and it seems Smith Corona figured this out too. In about 1959 (serial 5TE 179616 is the first I know), they began shipping "dimpled" feet for both 5TE and 5LE machines, and did this until the end of production in 1961. By dimpled, I mean they have the 4 semi-spherical cutouts on the bottom of the feet. Kind of stylistically cool, and in theory should improve grip. For aesthetic purposes, I offer both types of foot, pick as you see fit for your machine. I will add that I generally get around the flat grip issue by designing in various texture patterns for the bottom of the foot. As you can see here, the spiral pattern on this flat version not only looks great, it has fantastic grip as well, so don't worry about grip, just pick what you want to match your original, or simply "upgrade" to dimpled as would have happened if you replaced the feet in 1961. As to installing the new feet, you need to pry out the old fossilized crumbly ones from their retaining bracket, no screws required. Put the typewriter on it's back on something soft. I used a large flat screwdriver to break the "seal" at the top (where the foot is stuck to the bent bracket), and then work the screwdriver (wiggling) under the foot at one end, continuing to wiggle my way about halfway under and then rotate one way to pop one side out. You can remove the rest after that. ** Very Important **, you need to meticulously clean out all the old hard sticky rubber pieces from the bracket, then clean the bracket, because this perfectly fitting replacement foot must slide all the way through to install, anything in the way will be an issue. On that note, I discovered two inconveniences to this foot hardware design. First, a screwhead protrudes bottom center--I designed a slot at the bottom to glide over it. Second, in the front, a metal bracket is installed using a screw (mine is missing) and 4 tabs, 2 on each side, which protrude into the space of the feet! I designed a second slot to allow those to glide by. The feet are all the same, and the slots are symmetric, so you can install any foot anywhere. It appears that you need to remove one front foot to reveal the screw, and unscrew that, and slide the bracket w/foot sideways to be able to remove the bottom panel, FYI. Aged typewriters originally had rubber feet that by now are hard as a rock--they may look reasonable, but they have no grip at all, and the metal hardware might scratch your furniture. This is the problem with using natural rubber (think old eraser). Luckily, today we can make much improved feet using modern 3D Printing techniques and synthetic materials, they look fantastic and function better than the original rubber ever could have, and will hopefully last a lot longer!I designed these to be nearly an identical replacement (for the visible feet installed), but with the advantages of modern technology we can engineer materials that were previously impossible. I printed with NinjaFlex Black TPU (https://ninjatek.com/ninjaflex/), which is nearly indestructible in ordinary use (but a knife or scissors will cut it, just like rubber!), flexible, and very gripping on most surfaces. I printed these with a complicated interior design for a balance between good friction on the table, a secure fit on the machine, and shock absorption while you type. These look and function just like the original, but should last much longer and be far more durable. Some people may prefer the original dull rubber look, but I actually think these are a superior look to rubber, and the glossy sheen looks great on the machine. Rubber hardens within a few years, these should not! Note that 3D printed feet indeed have lines, but this is more noticeable in my close up photos than on the machine in real life. Feet are available lately from a number of vendors, which is great for all typewriter enthusiasts. What is not great is the disinformation being spread by some. Please ignore other's marketing claims that 3D printed feet have no grip, or that their feet are more "professional", "perfect shore hardness", or "rubber just like from the factory". I'm not sure anyone is using vintage rubber materials, nor should they, synthetic rubber is superior (kind of like oil for your car), and lower Shore Hardness only means they are weaker and easier to puncture! My feet are optimized 3-dimensional objects, not just poured solid into a mold with air bubble defects. Look at my reviews, these are beautiful and amazing typewriter feet being bought by collectors and dealers alike, I'm regularly told my feet are the best.I designed these for my own typewriter as shown, and this is an experiment to see if it's worth my time to make some more for the community. PS: Ebay's volume discount display is a bit confusing, each purchase is a complete kit of parts for one typewriter, so picking "1" is one set of 4 feet; "2" is 2 sets, etc.**PSS** Typewriters and mounting hardware shown in photos is for illustration and display only, and is NOT included in this listing!! This auction is for sets of 4 typewriter feet only, you need the original cover, washer and screw for each foot **

Price: 48 USD

Location: Leesburg, Virginia

End Time: 2024-02-09T00:06:34.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD