Mechanical calculators: FACIT C1-13 (third machine)
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My brother-in-law found this machine stored in a friend's offices and gave me for my birthday in 2018. The machine's keyboard and the rotor advancement mechanism were locked, but the crank worked in its base position, and the counter and accumulator reset levers worked nicely. After opening it up, I found the locks that were frozen in place, cleaned and lubricated them, and the machine was running practically as new.
Among my FACITs, this one was in the best state. Old lubrication still worked, and the machine runs smoothly and with a light touch. I'll do a more thorough cleaning and partial disassembly in the future, but so far it is unnecessary. I had to clean the digit wheels and some other superficial parts, since the old lubricant was quite dark.
There's a curious thing about this unit: the main crank handle does not match my other FACIT C1-13 machines from that time. It looks like the handle in my FACIT TK, but it is actually more similar to the crank handle in my Original Odhner 27, and the one in older two-color C1-13s (like this one). I suppose maintenance has switched it for some reason.
This machine was manufactured in about 1967 (ref, at FACIT's unit in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This one has a plastic cover, which probably used to be light gray (judging from the inside of the cover), but is now yellowish from exposure to light – about the same color as my FACIT 10-04.
Have a mechanical calculator stored somewhere, and want to get rid of it? Send it to me!
FACIT C1-13 c. 1967 s/n B-128273
Inside
Plastic cover
Outside view
Bottom plate, serial number
More about this machine
The evolution of FACIT calculators
