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The language of the bench

Twenty-four words we use every day. Learn six and you can follow any repair call.

Platen	The rubber cylinder the paper wraps around. The part that remembers.
Carriage	The sliding basket that carries the paper past the type.
Bell lever	Strikes the bell as the carriage nears the margin.
Feed dogs	Grip the paper and advance it, one tooth at a time.
Escapement	The click-per-letter mechanism. The sound of thinking.
Type bar	The arm that swings the letter into the ribbon.
Type slug	The head of the type bar. The face of the letter.
Segment	The curved slot fan the bars swing through.
Draw strap	Pulls the carriage home after each strike.
Margin stop	Where the bell rings and the line ends.
Ribbon vibrator	Lifts the ribbon so the slug hits ink, not ribbon.
Key lever	Under the keycap. Springs, pivots, and remember being typed.
Linkage	Connects the keys to the bars. The shop's daily bread.
Tab rack	The comb of stops behind the tab key.
Line lock	Stops the carriage at the margin so you cannot smash a letter.
Ribbon spool	The two twinned spools the ribbon runs between.
Wax ink	Our ribbon ink. Dry to the touch, dark on the page.
Segment brush	Cleans the segment. Replaced at every service.
Feet	Four small pads that keep a machine honest on a desk.
Crinkle paint	The textured finish of the 60s. Repainting it is a calling.
Late shift	The workshop after six. Also this site's dark theme.
The ledger	The public record of every repair since 2004.
Bench	Where the machines sit. Also where the truth is told about them.
Appraisal	One hour, a written opinion, no appointment on Saturdays.