Now I have my typewriters, I need to get the keys off them!

There are two thoughts here. You can either just grind the keys off with a cutting disc, or - as I did - you can strip the typewriters first and then grind the keys off.

I stripped the typewriters for three main reasons:

1) It was fun.

2) It'll be more stable to clamp the arms in a vice before grinding.

3) It'll guarantee a clean cut.

Did I mention it was fun? Also, it's provided me with no end of parts. I'll hang on to them, as they could prove useful!

This is the keys and arms ready to be attacked with the grinder:

The (cunning) plan is to grip the arms in a vice then grind the key off at it's base, hopefully providing the flat surface. Note that there's a green bin and there isn't! The green bin contains the "good" keys - these are the ones I will use directly (such as letter and number keys). The others I will need to "play" with to either reletter\number them, or can use for practice.