10,000 Matching Annotations
  1. Jul 2024
    1. Two "5" keys (?!?) (SC Poweriter)

      reply to u/Deep-Seaworthiness48 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1e5gh4p/two_5_keys_sc_poweriter/

      SMC Typewriter from late 60s/early 70s with a pound/5 key in the !/1 position whose 5 is duplicated in the usual %/5 position

      Things like that happened on alternate language/region typewriters. I've got a Dutch keyboard layout that repeats a % symbol twice.

      It's likely that the pound symbol was needed/required so they pulled one from a pre-existing typeslug and key cap on a keyboard where the £/5 key was common and replaced the 1/! which in the era was widely known could be done by alternate means (aka lower case 'l' and '.' backspace '''.

      The value of the £ was more important to the typist and because of typeface manufacture was probably easier to do in the £/5 existing combination from something like the English No. 1028, International No. 1060 keyboard, the Brazilian No. 1065, or the Danish No. 1047 all of which paired the £/5. See also: https://munk.org/typecast/2023/02/03/1954-smith-corona-scm-typewriter-type-styles-and-keyboards-catalog/

      Off hand, I don't see another S-C keyboard combination from that time period that had a £ paired with any other glyph/character. In the "change-a-type" time period they likely wouldn't have done a custom black key for the £/5 when they were already manufacturing one in a matching white. If they didn't also swap out the key at the far right end of that bank, I would expect it to be a standard black '+/=' key cap and slug.

    1. "The factory cannot only look at the profit index. It must distribute wealth, culture, services, democracy. I think factory for man, not man for factory, right? The divisions between capital and labour, industry and agriculture, production and culture must be overcome. Sometimes, when I work late I see the lights of the workers working double shifts, the clerks, the engineers, and I feel like going to pay my respects." —Adriano Olivetti

      quote likely from Incontro con la Olivetti (Giorgio Ferroni, 1950) via the Archivio Nazionale Cinema Impresa

      via https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1e5gz0i/in_me_non_c%C3%A8_che_futuro/

    1. This lovely old file cabinet is 52" high x 14-3/4" wide x 27-1/2" deep. Each drawer is 6-1/8" wide x 4-6/8" high x 18-1/4" deep. It has a few scratches on the side, but nothing that can't be touched up. Otherwise, it's in good condition. In the early 80's, I worked on a TV series called "Cassie & Co." starring Angie Dickinson. This (and another antique file cabinet) was purchased and used as set dressing in Angie/Cassie's office. When the show was canceled, I bought the cabinets and have had them ever since. I don't have specific background info on them.

      https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3801438776811728/

      Sold · Antique 16-Drawer Library Card File Cabinet

      Purchased for $250

      cost per drawer $15.63

    1. ribbon carrier (vibrator) not moving

      reply to u/67comet at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1e4hu0s/smith_corona_electra_120_ribbon_carrier_not_moving/

      That piece is called a ribbon vibrator which moves the ribbon up and down. They generally operate on gravity and as a result they need to be clean and free from oil, gunk, hair, dust, etc. Usually they slide up and down freely. There's a colloquial saying in the typewriter space that "A typewriter isn't really broken unless it's clean and broken."

      Occasionally ribbon vibrators can become bent which makes them inoperable and this can be remedied with some light forming (bending) with an appropriate screwdriver or needle nosed plier. You can search YouTube and you'll find a variety of videos for cleaning and forming these back into shape so that they slide cleanly.

      As for your missing 1/! slug, it's unlikely that you'll find someone selling just the slug itself and then you'll need to solder it on perfectly and/or adjust it slightly with appropriate tools to get the right alignment. Far better is to check around with repair shops that might have the same or similar machines which they're parting out and then you could request one. Your best bet is to purchase the entire typebar and slug assembly from a donor machine which you can then swap out into your machine and skip the soldering. For this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFMu6dUROGA can give you tips.

      To find donor machines, try repair shops on this list: https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html

    1. Part 4: COMPLETE Olympia SM3 Service and Repair Series: STICKY RIBBON LIFTER by [[The HotRod Typewriter Co.]]

      The universal bar lifts the ribbon vibrator.

      Adjustment points to adjust the ribbon lift heights for issues with red/black on bichrome use.

      Maximum travel of the universal bar adjustment screws on crossbar that attaches to springs. timestamp 5:29

      Screws at the ends of the cross bar which are attached to the key springs can be adjusted slightly to provide for heavier or lighter touch control. Timestamp 6:07

    1. What are the must have tools for a maintenance of a typewriter, some tools you recommend, some that make maintenance a little bit easier

      reply to u/riatai69 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1e3c0zy/tools_for_a_deep_maintenance/

      You can do a tremendous amount with just a few things:

      • thin Philips screwdriver with a small magnet to hold/catch screws
      • small adjustable wrench
      • bottle of Simple Green (or other mild cleaner)
      • can of mineral spirits (naphtha, paint thinner, varnish remover, PB B'laster etc.) with a standard/cheap restaurant refillable ketchup/mustard squeeze bottle
      • Toothbrush (and/or brass bristle brush)
      • canned air
      • a piece of string (useful for reattaching some pieces without more specialized tools, and particularly for reattaching springs)
      • light machine oil (gun or sewing machine) for very lightly oiling your carriage rails
      • YouTube for watching lots of typewriter repair videos

      If you want to go higher end and do a lot more

      • a set of spring hooks with push/pull ends
      • full set of small wrenches
      • more custom screw drivers
      • a nice thick felt pad (approx 15" x 15" x 1/2"+ for having a place to sit your typewriter on without scratching it up)
      • a small lazy susan big enough to set your typewriter on to more easily manipulate it
      • air compressor (to replace your canned air)
      • bins and trays for storing typewriter parts and screws while you're taking them apart and putting back together
      • a set up for spraying down/washing out typewriters (DIY ideas include paint roller trays or plastic milk crates as a base and plastic bins for catching the run off)
      • wiping cloths or similar cloth rags for wiping things down

      If you want to go crazy

      • Keyring pliers
      • set up for respooling ribbon from 330+ yard spools
      • The Manual Typewriter Repair Bible https://typewriterrepairbible.com/ as well as various other repair manuals and all the tools listed within them.
      • storage shelving for 100+ typewriters
      • a small collection of machines for parting out
      • an 800+ square foot workshop space
      • a publisher for you book about typewriters

      When you're really ready for full-on insanity

    1. I want to thank The United States Secret Service, and all of Law Enforcement, for their rapid response on the shooting that just took place in Butler, Pennsylvania. Most importantly, I want to extend my condolences to the family of the person at the Rally who was killed, and also to the family of another person that was badly injured. It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country. Nothing is known at this time about the shooter, who is now dead. I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

      via Donald J. Trump on Truth Social

      His grammar here just sounds "off" to me.

      Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.

      really?

    1. Adjustment screw for the Olympia SM3 on feet shift set up is just to the side of the ribbon spool/cup. Gerren indicates that he's never been able to do this adjustment properly with the typewriter body on, so it's much easier to do with it off.

      The bottom adjustment point (through the side of the frame) allows one to set the base line for the on foot for the lower case letters while the top one sets the upper case.


      Gerren credits Phoenix Typewriter for most of the material he's learned in terms of fixing typewriters.

      Bill at Philly Typewriter has an apprentice program, but there aren't many shops that do this. (Gerren makes a joke that it's free (child) labor.)


      Trip point adjustments

      The trip point is the point at which the typebar trips the movement of the escapement.

      The adjustment point for it is reachable by removing the small protecting plate on the bottom at the back of the machine. The escapement trigger is just underneath it.

      The lower one (top if the machine is upside down) is for the lower case; the top one is for the upper case.

      Screwing the screw in will cause the trip to occur sooner.


      Spacebar adjustment mechanisms [13:00]

      There are two, one set in the front of the bottom of the typewriter and two screws in the back, right near the escapement.

      If the spacebar is hit too many times while cleaning and repairing, the spacebar won't work properly and will need some minor adjustment when the body is put back on.


      He shows at the end how to remove the keytops of the individual keys.


      The final check is the shift lock mechanism to make sure its aligned properly.

    1. This excerpt, by Stacy Schiff, is drawn from “Lolita in the Afterlife: On Beauty, Risk, and Reckoning with the Most Indelible and Shocking Novel of the Twentieth Century,” published by Vintage.

      excerpt of Stacy Schiff book in the New Yorker...

    2. He himself assesses the cost of his transgressions when he realizes, with a shock, that amid the “musical vibration” that lifts from a valley below him, her voice is plangently missing from the melody of children at play.

      plan·gent<br /> /ˈplanj(ə)nt/<br /> adjective LITERARY<br /> (of a sound) loud, reverberating, and often melancholy. "the plangent sound of a harpsichord"

    3. Humbert has always been on trial from page one; his offenses have not changed. The jury has. Familiarity has bred alarm: the book feels, in 2021, more potent, more pernicious, less of a riotous highball and more of a ruinous opioid.

      "less of a riotous highball and more of a ruinous opioid."

    4. The New York Post took pains to observe that the author was accompanied to cocktails by “his wife, Véra, a slender, fair-skinned, white-haired woman in no way reminiscent of Lolita.” At that reception, as elsewhere, admirers told Véra that they had not expected Nabokov to show up with his wife of thirty-three years. “Yes,” she replied, smiling, unflappable. “It’s the main reason why I’m here.” At her side, her husband chuckled, joking that he had been tempted to hire a child escort for the occasion.

      !!

    5. The timing was less than ideal. His previous works had all proved “dismal financial flops,” as he said in 1950. He had recently secured an appointment at Cornell University as an associate professor of Russian literature. For the first time in two decades, the couple found themselves in the neighborhood of financial security. If ever there had been a time when Mrs. Nabokov should have discouraged her husband from working on what seemed an unsellable manuscript, it was 1949.

      Nabokov began teaching at Cornell in 1948 and must have been relatively financially well-off enough to afford the roughly $95 ($1,248 in 2024 dollars) for a brand new Royal Quiet De Luxe typewriter.

      The typewriter is pictured at the top of the article in a photo from a 1958 photo shoot. Presumably he bought it contemporaneously, though may have gotten it used after its release in 1949. The model changed in mid-1950.

    1. There is for himno royal road to order. Knowledge andright will a r e indispensable. This doesnot mean that the world will heed, andeducate its feelings and thoughts forthe sake of self-preservation. But quiteproperly, Mr. Wells should not care.He has diagnosed the ailment and pre-scribed the sensible dose. The patientis always a t liberty to pass out in self-conceit or with the aid of quacks.PRODUCED 2005 BY UNZ.ORGELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED

      relationship to Eric Hoffer's The True Believer and modern politics?

      relationship to the Great Books idea in 1942-1952 and beyond?

      repeating history...

    2. Now Mr. Wellsindependently arrives a t the recogni-tion that Science with a capital S notonly neglects the psychological prob-lems in the world's disorder, but alsocarries in its train the dogmatism anduniformity upon which theologicalhate and persecution a r e founded.

      What besides work in behavioral economics has focused on the humanist side of the sciences as a means of helping humanity beyond the basic black and white?

      How to create a "religion of science" which helps to displace the psychological problems, theological hate, etc?

    1. This also means that one cannot think without making allowances for differences.

      9/8g The card index technique is based on the experience that one cannot think without writing – at least not in demanding, selectively accessing memory-based contexts.

      This also means that one cannot think without making allowances for differences.

      I like this slightly more differentiated instantiation for thinking better than Ahren's assertion that one can't think without writing. Luhmann qualifies it over and above Ahrens who elides meaning if this was the source he may have been tangentially referencing. (Was it an explicit reference? check...)

    1. Differences between Olympia SGE typewriters

      reply to u/ingeniouskeys at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1e0utt9/differences_between_olympia_sge_typewriters/

      The Typewriter Database is going to be one of your better sources, but will require delving into each particular exemplar to see what their owners may have written about them. So, for example, go to https://typewriterdatabase.com/Olympia.SGE40.61.bmys and then click on the individual galleries for all the machines. If you've got an account, you can message those who currently have them and ask questions directly.

      Given their manufacture in the late 60s and into the early 70s you're likely to find small incremental improvements in the electrical side, but you're also likely to find more dramatic changes in manufacturing which made them cheaper (replacing metal pieces for flimsier plastic.) I doubt the 45 (later 70s) is going to be incredibly much better than the 40, which I would suspect to be more robust from a manufacturing standpoint. You may have vaguely better "specs", but its build quality is likely going to suffer even more, so you'll have to balance out what you're after.

      If you want to delve into the deeper specifics, then try out the repair manuals for them: https://www.lulu.com/shop/ted-munk/the-olympia-sge-304050-typewriter-repair-manual/paperback/product-1e4pnd4v.html?page=1&pageSize=4

    1. Project 2025

      Dans, Paul, and Steven Groves, eds. Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise - Project 2025: Presidential Transition Project. The Heritage Foundation, 2023. https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf.


      ᔥ[[Clive Thompson]] in @clive@saturation.social) (accessed:: 2024-07-04 10:20 AM)

      I'm reading the entirety of the #project2025 book: https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf

      The intro lays things out very clearly -- full-blown attacks on trans and queer folks of any stripe; utter dismissal of climate change; disdain for any form of expertise and education (wonderfully incoherent, given the sparkling pedigrees of the document's many authors); economic thinking that's equally incoherent, if not at times magically-realistic; christian nationalism; and incessant, self-pitying grievance politics

      Jul 07, 2024, 10:03 · Edited Jul 07, 12:42

    1. https://once.com/writebook

      Writebook<br /> Instantly publish your own books on the web for free, no publisher required.

      ᔥ[[Evan Hildreth]] in Downloaded 37Signals’ Writebook at 2024-07-04 (accessed:: 2024-07-04 08:29 AM)

      Downloaded 37Signals’ Writebook because free. I might try to run it locally as a Scrivener replacement, but I’m bristling at the thought of running a full Rails app on the server for what should be static files.

    1. https://www.ebay.com/itm/296524757520

      Shaw Walker steel cabinet with brass pulls<br /> 6 columns of 6 drawers for a total of 36. Built in legs. Drawers were listed as 4.5" tall, so likely a 4x6" card catalog even though it was listed as a library catalog from downtown Cleveland Public library.

      Listed for 800.00 in Jun 2024

      No longer available as of 2024-06-29. May have sold for as much as $800, but not determinable based on this listing.

      cost per drawer: $22.22

    1. The keys beingattached to the type bars and working inunison with the carriage movement enabledus for the first time to test the work ofprinting words and sentences. We werethen in the midst of an exciting politicalcampaign, and it was then for the first timethat the well known sentence was inaugu-rated,—"*Now is the time for all good mento come to the aid of the party;” also theopening sentence of the Declaration of In-dependence, ““When in the course of humanevents,” etc., which sentences were repeat-ed many times in order to test the speed ofthe machine.

      While some sources indicate that "Now is the time..." was used as an early typing exercise, Charles Weller in his book on the history of typewriters indicates it, along with the opening of the Declaration of Independence, was "repeated many times in order to test the speed of the [typewriter] machine.

    2. I have been describing the actions of themachine in some of its worst moods. Butdon’t imagine for a moment that this was acontinuous affair. There were times wheneverything worked beautifully, and _ thespeed that could be gotten out of it at suchtimes was something marvelous, especiallywhen we got onto that familiar centence,“Now is the time for all good men to cometo the aid of the party.”

      More recent typing books use a variant: “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country”. This version fills out a 70-space line if you count the period at the end.

      General lore has it that Charles Weller used the phrase as a typing exercise in the early 1900s.

    3. Then again, at times the little steel“dog” with its escapement working backand forth in the ratchet which controlledthe movement of the paper frame wouldfail to do its work properly, and the car-riage would jump an inch or two, or per-haps half a line, stopping with a suddenjerk, which was calculated to make onenervous, to say the least.

      Apparently they were calling it a "dog" pretty early on...

    1. Part 3: COMPLETE Olympia SM3 Service/Set Up Guide- Carriage Adjustments/ Ring and Cylinder by [[The HotRod Typewriter Co.]]

      Not mentioned in the video is that, at least on his model, most of the common adjustment points have screws or nuts which have a brassy look rather than silvery almost as a means of highlighting them as subtle adjustment points for improving the performance of the machine.

      Sometimes the carriage lock mechanism on the Olympia SM3 may not clear the carriage rail completely and this can result in it rubbing on the returns which results in a zipper or grinding sound. Forming the bar that connects the lever to the mechanism can quickly remedy this issue. See timestamp 2:17

      Fore and aft adjustments on carriages

      Details at timestamp

      Side to side adjustment on carriage:

      Details at timestamp

      Forward and backward carriage adjustments (on both sides):

      Details at timestamp

      Adjustment for the spacing between the carriage rails:

      This adjustment is rarely done unless there is something drastically wrong with the machine Details at timestamp

      Adjustment on the carriage stoppers for how much bounce the carriage shift might have as well as how high or low the carriage sits at it's lowest point using the triangle sliding bracket on each side of the carriage with two screws. If these force the carriage too high, it can affect where the type sits in terms of potentially interfering with the bichrome settings to make letters (especially the tallest ones) have two colors when they should only have one. Details at timestamp 8:14

      Adjustment on the rear springs for how light or heavy the carriage shift may be. Raise the spring and then adjust the small "nut" on the top. Details at timestamp 9:52

      Ring and Cylinder adjustment for Olympia SM3<br /> Details at timestamp

      Gerren doesn't seem to understand (or perhaps doesn't discuss it) some of the mechanics behind this adjustment beyond the distance of the platen to the typeface, but the usual suggestion is that the typeface shouldn't actually strike the paper and/or the platen. Ideally there should be just enough space between the typeface and the platen that an addition sheet of paper can be easily slid between the two along with the ribbon and another sheet of paper. This will allow the typeface to just kiss the ribbon and force the ink onto the front sheet of paper. Doing this will help to protect the integrity of the paper being typed on (ie, no deep imprints being pressed into the paper -- often seen with the period), as well as the integrity of the platen (preventing chips and imprints into the rubber, especially if it has been hardened), and the longer term integrity of the ribbon which can tend to be cut into by the typeface if it's too close.

      From a physics perspective there is some minor amount of flex in the typebar arm between where the "hammer" at the bottom of the typebar hits the "anvil" (aka ring) and the top of the typeface which, when typing at speed will tend to "throw" the typeface a tad farther than it would hit when the hammer hits the anvil when simply holding it against the ring manually.

    1. Likely the key lockout isn't resetting like it's supposed to upon carriage return - the little part you mentioned. Cleaning and light oil on the friction and pivot points of that and the margin stop assembly usually can get things moving again. That's the most common issue I see in Royal Standards.

      Advice by Nashville Typewriter at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1dwqi1r/friend_found_in_junk_pile/lbwege9/

    1. It can be useful to take some mineral spirits, naphtha, or paint thinner and a tooth brush (or, even better, a brass bristle brush) to your typeface every now and then to clean the ink, dirt, paper, bits of ribbon, dust, etc. out of it. Doing it after changing ribbon is always a good idea. If you're really hard pressed, nail polish remover (acetone) or rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball along with a small pin tip for the loops of letters like 'a', 'o', 'p', 'g', etc. can be used.

      How well (or not) your typewriter works from a print perspective can also change with the type of paper you're using, what your ribbon is made out of (usually nylon, silk, or cotton), how much ink it's got in it and how old/worn it may be. A good backing sheet behind your typing paper can also be helpful.


      reply to u/kirrachristine at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1dtuksy/one_letter_weirdly_thicksmudged/ RE: one letter weirdly thick/smudged

    1. I'm two months in to my "writing a book entirely on a typewriter" projectI

      I also don't just mean the script, but I mean every thing. The signatures and text block I'm also printing with my typewriter. Looking online before setting this I couldn't find much info or other people doing the same thing, so I feel like it's quite unique.

      It's also insane. And I get why people aren't doing it. My book is a small collection of short stories and won't be too big. I have a friend who's a book binder that will bind the text block into a hardcover book. Very excited! Just wanted to share.

      [...]

      Oh no but I mean it's uncommon to make signatures and text blocks from typewriters. Like each copy of the book will be made from the typewriter.

      https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1dtb8sn/im_two_months_in_to_my_writing_a_book_entirely_on/

      Example of someone both writing and publishing a book entirely by typewriter.

    1. [–]DistributionPure6051[S] comment score below threshold-14 points-13 points-12 points 2 days ago (8 children)Managed to grab it for $40. Don't know the model but I'm hoping to clean it up, replace the ribbon, and resell on eBay for a few bucks permalinkembedsaveparentreportreply[–]chrisaldrichMy typewriter addiction is almost as bad as my card index one 7 points8 points9 points 2 days ago (1 child)If that's your intention, you'd have been much better off getting it for $5-10 to get some margin for your work. If that's your intention, you'd have been much better off getting it for $5-10 to get some margin for your work.formatting helphide helpcontent policysavecancelreddit uses a slightly-customized version of Markdown for formatting. See below for some basics, or check the commenting wiki page for more detailed help and solutions to common issues. you type:you see:*italics*italics**bold**bold[reddit!](https://reddit.com)reddit!* item 1* item 2* item 3item 1item 2item 3> quoted textquoted textLines starting with four spacesare treated like code:    if 1 * 2 < 3:        print "hello, world!"Lines starting with four spacesare treated like code:if 1 * 2 < 3:    print "hello, world!"~~strikethrough~~strikethroughsuper^scriptsuperscriptpermalinkembedsaveparenteditdisable inbox repliesare you sure? yes / nodeleteare you sure? yes / noreply[–]DistributionPure6051[S] comment score below threshold-5 points-4 points-3 points 2 days ago (0 children)They wouldn't go lower than $40 permalinkembedsaveparentreportreply[–]Smubee 2 points3 points4 points 2 days ago (5 children)Don't do this. permalinkembedsaveparentreportreply[–]DistributionPure6051[S] comment score below threshold-6 points-5 points-4 points 1 day ago (4 children)Explain permalinkembedsaveparentreportreply[–]Neilgi 3 points4 points5 points 1 day ago* (3 children)Resellers kind of suck the life out of certain industries and make it difficult for hobbyists to get decent equipment. So long as you sell it for what it is WORTH and not upsell by 100%, then you perhaps aren't one of the bad guys. permalinkembedsaveparentreportreply[–]DistributionPure6051[S] -4 points-3 points-2 points 1 day ago (2 children)I'll take a look at the model and see if I can find its actual worth considering its wear just to try and make a profit. If it ends up actually being $50, oh well, maybe I could send it to a theater or props department in the area permalinkembedsaveparentreportreply[–]Smubee 1 point2 points3 points 1 day ago (1 child)This makes you an asshole. Don't buy shit just to make a profit. You're inflating a market unnecessarily. permalinkembedsaveparentreportreply[–]DistributionPure6051[S] -2 points-1 points0 points 1 day ago (0 children)Then I wasted $50 on a theater prop

      Typically in this sub, when people ask, "Is it worth it?" the presumption is that they're buying it to use for themselves. You left out your context of buying it to sell until later. This means that once you've cleaned things up, and go to try to sell it for something above $40, people are going to show up here and ask that same question. When they do, the answer is going to be that it's far too expensive, especially with shipping which is notoriously tricky, expensive, and risky.

      You'll be sitting there with a typewriter that you don't care enough about to have known anything about it or if it had any particular value. This also probably means that you don't know enough about what goes into cleaning and properly adjusting a typewriter either. If someone is a sucker enough to pay the crazy mark up, it means that someone who wants to try out a typewriter will be buying a sub-par machine and have a sub-par experience.

      unposted reply to u/DistributionPure6051 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1dqr02l/is_this_worth_it/<br /> (Most of context is hiding because of downvoting)

  2. Jun 2024
    1. reply to u/virtualellie at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ds1aps/typewriter_suggestions_for_newbie/

      aggregated links from prior notes:


      I'd generally endorse most of the advice on models you'll find in these sources which are geared specifically toward writers, all three sources have lots experience and reasonable bona fides to make such recommendations.

      Obviously, you'll want to steer towards the smaller portables in the lists, but most of what's represented should fit your criteria. You'll notice a lot of overlap but with different positioning, so there's obviously some personal preference at play. If there's a nearby shop to you, it may be worth driving over to try out the touch and feel of some machines to see which you like best. Try https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html

      There was also some sage advice from u/Thylacine33 about purchasing the other day which may be helpful: https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1drj32h/comment/lawb2h7/

      Beyond this Just My Typewriter has a few short videos that'll give you a crash course on Typewriter 101: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJtHauPh529XYHI5QNj5w9PUdi89pOXsS

    1. Only portable and ultra-portables

      List: 1. Hermes 3000 (Switzerland) (pre-1965 curved models; square tops are good, though slightly less solid; later plastic frames aren't durable at all) 2. Olympia SM9, SM8 & Monica (Especially pre-1970s) SM8 has tabs on the back. the SM9 are by the spacebars. Best SM9s are green shift keys and knobs.<br /> 3. Olivetti Lettera 32, Lettera DL (Italian better than Spanish) Mexico, Brazil and other countries are lower quality materials<br /> 4. Olympia SM3, SM4, SM2<br /> 5. Imperial Good Companion Model 1<br /> 6. Smith-Corona Super, Silent Super (Series 5); pre-war flat tops too<br /> 7. Olivetti Lettera 22<br /> 8. Brother De Luxe; Brother 200, 210, 220 (no repeat spacers; prefer metal frames) 9. Olympia Traveller de Luxe S (German; not Eastern Europe which were weaker); Olympia Splendid 33, 66, 99<br /> 10. Adler Tippa; Adler Tippa S; Triumph Tippa

      Also rans: <br /> - Underwood 3 bank<br /> - Royal P<br /> - Hermes 2000<br /> - Remington Quiet DeLuxe<br /> - Remington Victor S or T<br /> - Hermes Baby (metal frame)<br /> - Halda and Erika M.

    1. The ‘industrial revolution’ is often understood imprecisely and expansively, encompassing anything and everything from mechanisation and the development of the factory system to the division of labour and the shift of employment from agriculture to manufacturing, as well as commercial and financial innovations, the take-off of economic growth and the development of capitalism itself.

      some variations of the definition of "Industrial Revolution"

      one must naturally be more careful in how one defines, treats, and uses the phrase which can bind together a great many things, particularly in non-technical contexts.

    2. In​ 1880 Britain could with some justification be called the ‘workshop of the world’: it produced more than 20 per cent of global industrial output and about 40 per cent of the world’s manufactured exports. In the nearly half-century since Samuel published his essay of that name, historians have done much to undermine the narrative of an ‘industrial revolution’ bookended by the invention of the spinning jenny in 1764 and the New Poor Law of 1834.

      There's an interesting linkage going on here between the industrial revolution (and thus possibly Capitalism) with the creation and even litigation of "the poor" classes in Britain.

      Did "the poor" exist in the same way they do today prior to the Industrial Revolution? What are the subtle differences? (Compare with Thompson, E. P. “Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism.” Past & Present, no. 38 (1967): 56–97.)

    3. Samuel observes that it was in studying the social and economic history of poaching that oral sources proved most revelatory. His interviews showed that the relatively small number of poachers who appeared in court records in the late 19th century were not the most prolific but the worst at getting away with it. In the years before the Great War, poaching was organised and knitted into the local economy and seasonal patterns of labour. Gangs of poachers took orders, traded door to door, and sold on to fences who supplied butchers in Oxford’s covered market. A retired practitioner, a longtime antagonist of the local gamekeepers, trained lurchers for the gangs. Amateurs, in it perhaps partly for the thrill, were not considered ‘real’ poachers by the pros.
    4. Despite – or perhaps because of – all this activity, Samuel only published one sole-authored book in his lifetime, Theatres of Memory (1994), an account of the popular historical imagination in late 20th-century Britain told via case studies, from Laura Ashley fabrics to the touristification of Ironbridge. Since his death from cancer in 1996, however, Samuel has been prolific. A second volume of Theatres of Memory, titled Island Stories: Unravelling Britain, came out in 1998, followed in 2006 by The Lost World of British Communism, a volume of essays combining research and recollections.

      Theatres of Memory (1994) sounds like it's taking lots of examples from a zettelkasten and tying them together.

      It's also interesting to note that he published several books posthumously. Was this accomplished in part due to his zettelkasten notes the way others like Ludwig Wittgenstein?

    5. In 1967, Samuel founded the History Workshop movement

      "History Workshop movement" here (https://hypothes.is/a/pzSbkDSWEe-GVmsfDdhvrg) is another good example of the serendipity of autocomplete functionality in Hypothes.is helping to link together disparate examples of ideas which I'd long since forgotten. In this case to a tangential idea I'd read about a year prior (https://hypothes.is/a/bxMX5MKJEe2Wkq_zinG3iw) and been interested in, but completely forgotten about.

      Now I've got a link from that to the founder of the movement in 1967.

    6. Each thought or reference to a source was written or pasted onto a single side of a loose sheet of paper. It might be the source itself – an advertisement, a jam-jar label or an extract from a Xerox – it mattered only that it was attributed and subheaded under a theme. Then the notes were filed in groups. Scholarly prestidigitation allowed the pages to be constantly reshuffled so that new combinations of ideas appeared, presuppositions might be overturned and surprising connections thereby generated ... All that was needed was reams of rough paper, scissors and a pot of glue, phalanxes of lever-arch files, and a hole-puncher.

      brief outline of Raphael Samuel's note taking tools and some scant description of the method.

      I love the phrase "scholarly prestiditation" to describe the "magic of note taking" along with the idea of combinatorial creativity.

      Presumably the quote comes from the Samuel piece quoted in the article.

    1. Joe Van Cleave makes the interesting observation that while a hobbyist will only take a typewriter apart as much as is necessary to fix the issue at hand, the professional repair person will strip it all down and clean everything out for the coming 50 years to prevent it from coming back to them for something else in the near future thus costing more time, effort, and potential damage to their reputation.

    1. reply to u/Rabbits16 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1df7o2t/request_type_writer_suggestion_please/

      For that budget range, pick up something cleaned and fully serviced from a nearby shop https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html

      Too many resellers are pushing overpriced machines that say "works" or "may need servicing" on some online shops like ebay or Etsy for top end pricing when you can get something truly spectacular and ready for the next 50 years from a serious pro that needs the support for the same price.

      As for particular machines to look at, I can't find much to fault in Joe's advice here https://youtu.be/aKMt-aCHZZk?si=CGPduwA4A3HPDm3u

    1. Why can Luhmann manage information better than those who typing on obsidian?

      Too many people fetishize Luhmann and his system. Yes he wrote a lot and yes he was productive, but was he as influential as any of the thousands upon thousands of writers and academics who used broadly similar methods? A lot of Luhmann's productivity boils down to how one chooses to define productivity. As an example: Isaac Newton, John Locke, Taylor Swift, and even Eminem had broadly similar not taking methods and though their note corpuses are dramatically smaller than Luhmann, their influence on art, culture, and humanity dramatically exceeds that of Luhmann.

      I would posit that most serious note takers' productivity boils down to their utter simplicity and easy ability to replicate that method for decades. The largest part of Luhmann's productivity was that he not only had a simple system, but that he was privileged to use and practice at full time for the length of his academic career. (He also didn't face the scourge of peer-review that most academics are forced to run today.)

      As an example of someone whose methods were very similar to Luhmann's, but who was dramatically more productive (from a generic definition of it), take a look at S. D. Goitein who wrote out about 1/3 the number of slips that Luhmann did, but used them to write almost a 1/3 more articles and books! Luhmann: 90,000 slips, 550 articles, 50 books versus Goitein: 27,000 slips, 669 articles, 69 books. Interestingly Goitein's method of organization was much closer to the topical organization to the vast majority of zettelkasten/card index users (as well as Obsidian users) than to Luhmann's alpha-numeric organizational method. There isn't nearly enough scale in (psychology, cognitive psychology) research to reasonably compare analog versus digital methods, much less enough research to distinguish between methods at the scale of individual people. Everyone will respond differently to different modalities because the breadth of neurodiversity within the population. The psychology research you're citing is painfully, painfully thin and is far from reaching the level of replicability. As a result, the best practicable advice to any individual is to experiment for themselves and choose the method they feel works best for them from a sustainability perspective.

      reply to u/Quack_quack_22 at https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1doqgar/why_can_luhmann_manage_information_better_than/

      I found that Luhmann's information management system is not more complicated, but it is more effective than the influencers talking about taking notes on Obsidian. Because he took notes by hand:

      Studies show that taking notes by hand has a positive impact on many different brain areas. Writing by hand is slower than typing: The slowness of handwriting helps Luhmann consider and select important words to write in literature notes. -> he will remember better the brain is relaxed -> the brain is more creative: when writing literature notes -> he will come up with more ideas so he can write permanent notes. To put it more simply. Luhmann takes notes to find as many ideas as possible to write in permanent notes, then these permanent notes will become a complete essay after Luhmann connects them together. And writing citations, summaries of content and citing sources in literature are just proof that his ideas are correct (ironically, people who make content about obsidian (also Tiago Forte) just encourage copy-paste).

      Thus, copying highlights from Kindle to Obsidian becomes useless if you don't understand anything about highlights and don't get any ideas from them. I don't claim that typing makes us stupid, because people who write on computers have a habit of carefully correcting spelling and arguments, which helps them think more deeply = more smart.

      Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nancyolson/2016/05/15/three-ways-that-writing-with-a-pen-positively-affects-your-brain/ https://www.psychiatrist.com/news/handwriting-shows-unexpected-benefits-over-typing/

      P/s: I think this guy is very precise about the zettelkasten method: he takes notes on paper like Luhmann to get ideas, then he just starts copying them into Obsidian. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrvKHFIHaeQ&t=0s)

    1. Five Fairly Fun Fixes For Free by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

      Advice for typewriter ribbon printing, especially as silk ribbons age and more quickly gunk up the loops or letters like "e" or "a". Nylon ribbon and a thin plastic backing sheet can be helpfu.

      Use of bookbinder's glue on fabric of typewriter cases, then layers of shoe polish.

      General advice for replacing feet on typewriter cases.

      Small incremental improvements to your typewriter can be easier and more sustainable than trying to do everything at once.

    1. I dont know if im hitting too hard or not. ( second image is the backup paper behind the actual one)

      If you've got heavy impressions going to the level of the backing sheet or things like your period cutting holes directly through your paper, then it's not really so much an issue of typing too hard, but your carriage is slightly out of alignment with respect to your type bars.

      Your typeface shouldn't actually hit the platen when pressed (or held forward), but should just kiss the ribbon which then places the imprint onto the paper. Holding your typeslug forward against the type guide you should have just enough space to slip a piece of paper between your slug and the platen. If there isn't a tiny bit of space, your typeface will chew up your ribbon and paper over time. The typing thunk sound that typewriters make isn't the slug hitting the platen (aka cylinder), but the typebar hitting the anvil (aka ring).

      The proper adjustment for fixing this is thus commonly called a ring and cylinder adjustment and how it's effected depends on whether you have a segment shift or a carriage shift machine. On many machines it requires adjusting two screws on either side of the machine. It changes the distance of platen from typeface and can prevent your making holes in the paper and/or ribbon, which isn't good. Sometimes using a simple backing sheet can remedy a bit of this distance problem, especially on platens which have hardened or shrunk slightly over time. Searching YouTube for your make/model (or similar models) will usually show you the adjustment you'll need to make to remedy these problems.

      See also: https://hypothes.is/a/AegRziHnEe-Ud_stVcPQLA

      Reply to u/Bitter_Rent_141 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1dnnh2n/is_this_normal/

    1. Test typing and adjustments

      • Ring and Cylinder adjustment (distance of platen from typeface; the type shouldn't touch the platen or you'll find you're imprinting on your paper, making holes in the paper and/or ribbon, which isn't good) [Interestingly Dul doesn't mention this particular adjustment]
      • evenness of the letters (on feet)
      • alignment between capital and lower case (motion)
      • margin consistency
      • line scale height
      • adjust escapement "so that it's moving the proper distance both up and down to prevent skipping or missing spaces"
      • adjust the height of the ribbon, this is done to make sure the entire letter is printed (and presumably so the bichrome is properly usable when available)
    1. https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/nabokov.jpeg via https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/typers.html

      This photo, similar to others in the Carl Mydans series for LIFE Magazine is surely from his September 1958 photo series, though I couldn't find an original from the LIFE archive.

      Nabokov, reading off of index cards in his zettelkasten, dictates to his wife Vera who is typing on what appears to be a 1949 or 1950 Henry Dreyfuss Royal Quiet De Luxe typewriter.

      Notice metal strip on the back of the typewriter with small rectangular blocks. This is the Royal's tabulator set up which distinguishes the Quiet De Luxe model from the Arrow model.

      The body styling of this typewriter changed in 1950 from Dreyfuss' original 1948 design. Because it's light gray it has to be from '49 or '50 as the '48 original was a black body with dark gray highlights and didn't have chrome across the front as this one does in an alternate angle.

    1. Links to Typeface Resources- Olympia- https://munk.org/typecast/2011/04/23/... Royal- https://munk.org/typecast/2011/04/24/... Smith Corona- https://munk.org/typecast/2020/06/15/... Adler- https://munk.org/typecast/2023/02/04/... Story of vertical script- https://munk.org/typecast/2022/02/26/... Typewriter Database Typefaces- https://typewriterdatabase.com/typefa... Typographica.org- https://typographica.org/on-typograph... Type Slug Specs- https://munk.org/typecast/2023/02/05/...