Power Rollers Return to their Roots

As we delve more into the history of typewriters and teletype machines as we continue to expand our services of recoating platens and feed rollers, we recently have stumbled upon the POWER ROLLER. Developed and patented by James Smathers at the turn of the 20th century the power roller concept was adapted by North East Electric Company of Rochester, New York who along with Remington put out the first electric typewriter in the 1920s, the Remington No. 12. All the units manufactured sold quickly and Remington wanted to continue the relationship. However, Northeast Electric wanted a firm contract at a time when Remington was unable to make such a commitment, so the Remington Electric let the project drop.

Undeterred, the N. E. Electric Company developed and produced the Electromatic, placing it on the market in 1929. After passing through the hands of General Motors, it became The Electromatic Typewriter Co. of Rochester, New York. IBM acquired the assets of Electromatic Typewriters, Inc., in 1933, and the start of IBM Typewriters was born.

Today the POWER ROLLER comes back to the Rochester N.Y. area, this time for refurbishing by J.J. Short Associates, Inc. Requiring a softer compund then platens so the cams can get some grip, J.J. Short can rejuvenate your power roller and get your electric typewriter back into operating form. Over time, with cleanings and sanding to try to enlongate the power roller's life, the rubber will become dry and will harden not allowing any gripping surface for the cams. J.J. Short will strip off your old rubber and recoat with a fresh rubber to get you even more decades of use from your old electric typewriter.

Contact us today for all you platen, feed roller and power roller needs.