Typewriters

[Vintage Betty]

<snip>

I highly suggest the Vintage Typewriter Shoppe:

http://www.vintagetypewritershoppe.com/Vintage_Typewriters.html

These are *not* inexpensive machines, they are definitely an investment--but oh, are they ever so much fun to have!

Very cool link. Thanks for posting.

 

[Warrussia]

I have 1941 Royal aristocrat, I have to take the ribbons I find in staples and rewind them onto my the ribbon wheels. It is a portable, so I take it to school with me, when I need to type a paper. It is really great for filling our forms, because my handwriting it horrible and the type writer types size 10 font, which is great for forms and letters.

 

[PoohBang]

here's my Smith Corona Sterling Flat Top

as always more pics on my blog

 

[p51]

I used my Underwood two weeks ago at a spectator re-enactment at Ft Stevens, Oregon (within sight of where rounds from the Japanese sub I-25 landed in 1942), to type an article for a magazine I was really writing about the event. At the event I noticed that if you’re REALLY trying to write something, doing so from a table with all your gear and typing on a period typewriter at a public event is NOT a good idea if you don’t want to be interrupted repeatedly. After an hour or so of trying to write on my Underwood, I had to give up because the public found it such a novelty of seeing someone type on a manual machine. I lost count of the number of mothers who brought up their kids to watch and they all had stories of their parents’ manual typewriters. I had to give up and write the story later on my computer the next day. Here I am behind the Underwood. I wish I’d had the lid off for the photo. There were four people standing behind the photographer just waiting to get behind me to watch me type…

I also got a shot of said Underwood with original WW2 War Correspondent items in my collection and think I did a decent job.

 

[Missy Hellfire]

I have a little Imperial Good Companion typewriter, c.1930s. It is still in very good order considering its age and there are vendors on ebay that sell the split colour ribbons that I wind onto the old spools. The only thing is, sometimes I get an unsolicited space after using the T key and after using caps, I have to push the ribbon down with my finger otherwise I get about an inch of red writing! It needs a good service, but typewriter repairers are somewhat scarce these days.

It is wonderfully quirky and I love writing on it as it is so much more satisfying than a computer and creatively it puts me 'in the zone' as it were. It is rather sad how few people know how to use a manual typewriter now. I remember being taught to type at school on massive office typewriters that I could barely lift and now, not many years after, typewriters are unheard of. Very sad!

 

[Hamilton_Honey]

Pictures and an appeal for help

A while back I promised pictures of my machine - 1935 Royal Quiet Deluxe:

In the second picture you can see the 1945 touch typing course I recently got hold of so I can brush up on my typing. (The cover is a typing chart and I would be happy to send a scan to anyone who would like it for practice)

What I am trying to locate now is a vintage copy holder. You know, that metal thing that holds your paper in place that you are typing from. Here is a modern version:

But I remember using old metal ones back in the days when I worked at the college offices. So far no luck on ebay, so any leads are appreciated!

 

[Hamilton_Honey]

Typing Awards

My Royal, salvaged from the dump c. 1986.

During my radio days I wrote over 10,000 pages of news copy on this machine, tapping away six days a week. It never needed service, and I got all the free ribbons I wanted by helping myself to the supply for the teletype machine (they had to be wound onto the Royal's spools before they'd fit, but my resistance to getting my hands inky took second place to my extreme penuriousness.)

I still use this machine for things like addressing envelopes and other such functions, and it still types as nice as ever. Probably it'll outlive me.

I think Lizzie deserves these for her intrepid penuriousness....

 

[Rola]

How to merge old typewriters and new technology? I used one of these machines to create... a unique and authentic-looking font.
I was given samples from this Continental portable (license-made by FK, Poland)

Recently I've spotted a Mercedes brand (AFAIK not that Mercedes) in a newly opened museum... now I only need to convince them to give me samples

 

[p51]

Just scored another Corona Standard typewriter, a 1941 model, this one Navy property marked off eBay:

Would have much rather had an Army marked machine but any military-marked one is very rare anyway! It's the all-caps version used for teletype and telegram work. The cariage and keys stick just a little, I guess some WD-40 to the underside might cure that.
I bought a new ribbon for this and my good-working 1942 non-marked Corona so now I have four period typewriters, two of which work very well and one has potential.

 

[kps]

The cariage and keys stick just a little, I guess some WD-40 to the underside might cure that.

It sounds like you know, but I'd like to note it for those who don't: cleaning and lubrication is a two-part operation. WD-40 is primarily a solvent, and can help with the cleaning phase. It can be used to use it to loosen rusty parts and help clean out dirty old oil and grease. (It can also be used protect non-moving iron from rust, though it's a bit runny for that.) WD-40 should not be used as a lubricant. (Use light machine oil, e.g. 3-in-1, or in a pinch, plain old 10W30 or 5W20.)

Moving on to the typewriter porn… I have a Smith-Corona Clipper that's in decent shape, but a bit of an oddball:

No, I don't know Greek. This came from a local university surplus sale.

My other two typewriters both came from thrift shops. It's just coincidence that they are both wide-carriage machines.

 

[Professor]

Old Royals

Up till my switching to computer, my preference was for manual typewriters. They're so much more intuitive and reliable. My accuracy was helped by a manual too, with the extra degree of effort required, whereas the IBM Selectric required constant liquid paper as it was too sensitive to my clumsy fingers. Alas, I got a computer in '99 and my two Royals have been collecting dust ever since. Just this last week a dear friend expressed an interest in obtaining a typewriter, and so it was I dug mine out to show off. I told her she's welcome to 'em, since I've been trying for years to figure out what to do with them anyhow. I had thought about eBay, but the prices make it hardly worth the effort. So, we'll see which one she likes best, and perhaps I'll have only one left to discard...anyone interested?

.

.

 

[fluteplayer07]

I may be...








Thanks,

 

[martinsantos]

I use tywriters daily - usually a Remington from circa 1955, sometimes another from 1940 (portable).

I use because:

1- I like.
2- Usually I do not make many dactilographic errors, and can make the right margin correct.
3- People nowadays give more attention with typed texts than computer texts. It's impossible to just repeat the same text clicking "print"! As a lawyer, most of my askings, etc, are made with typewriter - and it's funny that I got some extra respect by this from the Court's people.

 

[Johnny J]

Can anyone help date this Underwood Noiseless Elliott Fisher Co. typewriter and tell me how good it is? My dad purchased it in some antique place and does not know; neither do I.
Thanks.

 

[Argee]

you can look up the serial number here
http://www.tw-db.com/indexen.htm

 

[SGT Rocket]

I've often thought it would be fun to have an office in an old 20's building and have all period equipment & staff - wooden file cabinets, candlestick phone, manual typewriter, secretary with a steno pad full of shorthand, maybe even a telephone switchboard, bookkeeper with green eyeshade and cuff protectors, pouring over a real ledger and clicking numbers into a hand-crank adding machine - and have people come in for interviews, give them a typing test, etc. I think the reactions would be priceless. Said reactions, of course, would be caught on modern video.

That almost sounds like the movie The Secretary. Not vintage, but very... interesting.

 

[Johnny J]

you can look up the serial number here
http://www.tw-db.com/indexen.htm

Thanks Argee. On that list it does not have this typewriter serial number (735267), but I see a description that dates it to Jan 1 1935, so I guess I can go with that.
Thanks again.

 

[RadioWave]

The Two-Spaces-After-A-Period Rule...and why it's wrong.

Evidently modern typographers find the "double-space" rule highly irksome. In the early 20th century, European (and shortly thereafter, American) typesetters agreed on the unifying single-space rule. This was the prevailing spacing method until the increased use of typewriters, with their primitive and disproportionate monospaced type, called for the implementation of double-spacing to easily discern the breaks between sentences.

Read more: http://www.slate.com/id/2281146/pagenum/all/

Edit: I take that back, don't read more, it's just the rantings of an irate typographer. The above summary says all that needs to be said. And the tradition stuck. The End.

 

[M. Oleman]

I am currently searching for an old typewriter. I used to get a catalog of surplus military equipement and they had brand new unused Swiss machines for sale. That was just a couple of years ago. Should have bought one.
Typewritten letters have so much more character I think.

 

[martinsantos]

That's one of the most atractive things in typewriters. No one write exactly as other, ever when the same model.