The Leader of the Stack: 1959 Underwood Leader

​Every machine has a story and, in spite of it, deserves to serve its original function diligently until the steel itself turns to dust. Right up to that moment, it's a matter of respect to maintain its mechanics, keep it slicked and clean, give it the chance to do what it was built to do. 

This $10 Craiglist find was pulled from the back of the seller's pickup truck in the pouring rain; every single key was stuck fast, the carriage was shaking on its rails, and rust was eating away at the frame. Sorry as it was, it was complete and, as far as I could see, just a little TLC away from returning to its rightful place on the writer's desk.

It took about 3 hours of oiling and finessing each rusty typebar, one at a time, until the keys were all functioning normally again, probably for the first time in years.

Pitting and surface rust on the left side of the frame is unsightly but doesn't impact the structural strength of the machine. We call these superficial imperfections "character".

​A few replacement springs, some vibrator finagling, and this little workhorse will be back in the mix.