Typewriters

[Lulu-in-Ny]

I just bought an Underwood No. 4. I know very little about it, but it does work. Can anybody out there fill in any gaps for me?

 

[TopSpin]

As a journalist, I've always held a special place in my heart for the good 'ol typewriter.

That is, until I remember how convenient MS Word and Adobe Indesign CS3 are.

Still, it's a lot more satisfying to peck out a couple'a pages on a typewriter than on a PC, no contest.

 

[docneg]

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

Well, eat your heart out. For years, my medical office has been "period" (since I practice in an antiquated way anyhow), and I have a Western Electric 202 telephone on my desk, all furniture is from the '30s, and the typewriter in the lab is a late '30s Royal manual. Although my assistant and receptionist both use electric typewriters, I still use the manual because it's the only machine that types on ALL the labels we use, no matter the paper or size. I got rid of three modern typewriters in succession because they could not handle the job. Have used the Royal for years now and not a problem.

Docneg

 

[docneg]

but my resistance to getting my hands inky took second place to my extreme penuriousness.

"Extreme penuriousness"--I love it!
I knew you were all right when you admitted you were an ex-radio gal.

Docneg

 

[J.J. Gittes]

I have two typewriters. A 1939 Remington 17, and a 1941 Royal Quiet Deluxe.

 

[miss_elise]

well, i hope i'm not dirty-ing up you thread here... but I think I have a 60's Royal in it's original carrying case (also with the original instruction booklet).

I can post a pic if you would like.

I'm mainly interested in where you get your ribbons from as the ribbon in mine is so tattered that it's getting little inky bits all over the paper.

Any suggestions?

 

[J.J. Gittes]

Pictures are good, get one of the spools that distribute the ribbon. You can most likely just re-spool some new ribbon from Office Max onto them.

 

[Teabag1927]

I own a 1944 Remington Rand typewriter, its in good shape, works well. It was given to me by a wwII vet friend of the U.S. Navy. I was a lucky guy that day

 

[miss_elise]

here it is... it's a mid 60s one i think, made in the Netherlands

 

[Brinybay]

Before there was a shift key...

I guess there were dual keyboards on typewriters. This has been at an antique store near me for the last few times I've been there. I'm not much interested in them, but it did look very "vintagey", for lack of a better word.



Correction - Shift keys apparently were around at the same time according to this website:

Dual keyboard typewriters

And apparently the No. 10 in my picture is not the most desirable among collectors due to the less sturdy contruction when compared to earlier models, the No. 1 is, well, #1 according to the info here:

Typewriter Museum.org

 

[Tophat Dan]

Corona flat top.

Here is one of my small herd of machines. I tried (and failed) to take some semi-artsy pics of it with some other vintage knickknacks of mine on the Standard sewing machine table I've got. It's a Corona Flat top and I *think* it dates from around 1938. Only downside is that somebody scratched his SSN# in the paint on top of the machine. Argh! Otherwise it's in excellent shape and eats much paper daily.

The glasses are my daily wear ones, and the stapler and box of original swingline staples I found at my great grandmothers house. The machine everything is sitting on still works. I used it to mend a pair of pants this morning.

 

[J.J. Gittes]

Nice Corona TopHatDan! People loved to carve their SSN#'s into stuff. I've heard stories of people getting vintage bicycles, mostly perfect most of the time, except for the badly carved number into the frame!

 

[bobalooba]

I have a remmington circa 1940's, I don't know the exact date or much other info, it's also not in very good condition but it looks good on my desk and has a lot of character

 

[J.J. Gittes]

Got a new typewriter the other day, one of my Holy Grail finds.
Its a 1930 Remington Portable 3 in Two-tone Green. Got it for 50 bucks in Leadville Colorado for case and all. Only a few paint chips, case in in bad shape
Pictures soon.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I have a 1942 Corona Speedline, how can I figure out what ribbon it needs and where can it be purchased?

 

[ladybrettashley]

So, i think i've looked through all of the typewriter threads, and not a single Olivetti! Or, perhaps i missed it in the crowd

Anyhow, i wanted to show off my baby: an Olivetti Lettera 22

(sorry about the big and kind of fuzzy photos!)

I can't figure out an exact date for it (couldn't find the serial number in the typewriter database), but, if i remember correctly, Olivetti bought Underwood in '59, and switched the names from "Underwood-Olivetti" to "Olivetti-Underwood" in '63.

Writes like a dream - the shift used to stick a bit, but it's smoothed out with use. Now the only hitch is that the ribbon-reverse doesn't work, so it will only scroll one way. When it reaches the end of the ribbon, i have to pop the lid and "rewind" it by hand. The zipper on the case doesn't open fully, either, but it's enough to get it in and out.

I absolutely adore it; the perfect compromise between style and function. And with my handwriting, it's nearly a necessity for letter-writing! It's handy for filling out my tax forms, too And it's portable! Not exactly a laptop, but not a beast either. I think i've only ever seen one typewriter i'd rather have =)

I also have a non-functional Burroughs. I don't have any photos at the moment, nor any info on its date or style, but it is certainly an older, stationary model. I rescued it from my boss' trash, and it's been cleaned a bit so some of the parts function again, but it will never actually work without getting into replacing parts and such, i don't think.

 

[Vintage Betty]

here it is... it's a mid 60s one i think, made in the Netherlands

This is adorable. Love it!

 

[kittypackard]

vintage typewriter shoppe

There are few things as pleasurable as having, on an idle Sunday dusk, the sound of a high pitched metallic *PING* at the end of every sentence, the whirl of the slider back into place, and a mad, rhythmic chop chop chop crashing down onto the paper--reverberating off your apartment walls.

pardon me for being a bit romantic on the subject, but manual typerwriters are, to me, very romantic indeed. (I must have been Hildy Johnson in a previous life-- I simply must have been!)

I have exactly one typewriter and would marry it if i could--a 1959 buttercream Olympia. If you are interested in making an investment in a pristine condition vintage typewriter, 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!

 

[Shangas]

I love typewriters. I wish I had one. Sometimes they're so much more convenient than computers.

 

[Dr Doran]

There are few things as pleasurable as having, on an idle Sunday dusk, the sound of a high pitched metallic *PING* at the end of every sentence, the whirl of the slider back into place, and a mad, rhythmic chop chop chop crashing down onto the paper--reverberating off your apartment walls.

Lovely.