Non-rubber synthetic TPE Oliver feet! Here you can get new feet that closely match the original design for most Oliver "batwing" typewriters: beautiful, strong, rugged, and grippy for these heavy machines. This listing is for one set of 4 3D printed replacement typewriter feet for the famous Oliver "batwing" typewriters (officially HP-2/58), made between 1986 through about 1928. It should be obvious by looking at your machine if the foot style and mounting dimensions matches, On the bottom they are 22mm diameter, and mount in a 15.8mm diameter hole in the machine. These feet were made to replace the rock-hard, squashed, slippery feet on my 1913 machine (so cool, this is my oldest typewriter!). They look identical to originals once mounted, but have an attractive glossy sheen.
PS: I have also made plastic 3D printed spool covers for the Oliver 5, but haven't listed this currently as I have yet to figure out how to paint them for color match. Please message me if you are interested in this.
I designed these to be nearly an identical replacement in outside appearance, but with the advantages of modern 3D printing technology we can engineer materials that were previously impossible. I printed with black NinjaFlex TPE polymer (https://ninjatek.com/ninjaflex/), which is very strong in ordinary usage (but a knife or scissors will cut it, just like rubber!), flexible, and very gripping on most surfaces. Some people may prefer the original dull rubber look (and those are also being made and sold for less), but I actually think these are a superior look and quality to rubber, and the sleek glossy finish nicely accents the machine. I also think these will last far longer than natural rubber without changing shape or falling apart. This is a premium product, and does cost more than cast natural rubber feet, but I'm posting it here for those who feel their machines deserve an upgrade.
Please examine photos and your machine closely for compatibility. Basically, if it looks like the photos, it's likely a fit. But, I do not think these are compatible with the later portable Oliver typewriters.
These are very easy to replace, just like the original design. The hard part is the old petrified natural rubber feet. Be careful, you can damage the paint (or worse) trying to remove ancient feet with a screwdriver. I found that with just a little more patience, I could safely and easily get them out as follows:
- Put the typewriter on newspaper, cardboard, or a trash bag, there will be rubber bits everywhere.
- Put an about 5/8" drill big in your drill, and drive it right down the middle of the old foot. Don't worry, you can't go through the other side (well, easily, it's metal).
- Use what tools you have to pry out what's left. I just used a flat screwdriver, sticking it in the hole, and leveraged it out in pieces from the inside. Go around the entire inside surface to get all pieces of old rubber out.
- Thoroughly clean the inside of the hole, I used rubbing alcohol and Q-tips (they came out black).
To install the new feet, it's a tight fit so they don't wiggle out under the weight of this machine if you slide it. You may get them in by simply pushing/twisting. I found that wetting the foot with a drop of rubbing alcohol lubricated it nicely and it slid in more easily (but note that alcohol in general is not good for NinjaFlex). You want to get them seated all the way, which is tricky because they trap and compress air.
I designed these for my own Oliver 5 typewriter as shown, and this is an experiment to see if it's worth my time to make some more for the community. Compatibility Info: Your responsibility, please don't order unless you checked! Based on information on the internet, these should fit Oliver models 2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10, and no hardware or original feet are required. This auction is only for 4 replacement feet, any other items shown (like the typewriter) are not included! Please read full description and examine photos to be sure you know what you are ordering! (sorry, I've been burned by no-read one-click buyers)
PS: Ebay's volume discount display is a bit confusing, each purchase is a SET OF FOUR feet, so picking "1" is one set of 4; "2" is 2 sets of 4 (8), etc. You get one set only, everything else pictured such as typewriter and hardware is NOT INCLUDED.