https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1lbsu6s/need_help_to_identify_a_typewriter/
Screencapture of a typewriter from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade<br />
My impression:<br /> The hood profile shape says Royal while a lot of the body says '49/50s Remington (maybe the All-New), but the scoop in the hood says Rheinmetall Gs all the way. For comparison: https://typewriterdatabase.com/Rheinmetall.Gs.62.bmys
reply to u/TypewriterJustice at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1lbjr5f/sorry_to_say/mxunsb6/
I think the real crime here was the quote of $200 for all this work. $200 should just barely cover the recovered platen, rollers, and new feet with any margin. The full clean, oil, and adjust is a few more hours at $40-75/hour and that's not even getting to the parts or labor on the tougher troubleshooting and repair portions. With this rough diagnosis and potential issues, I (and many others I'm sure) would be quoting closer to $500-600 for a refurbish job at this level.
Living in the LA area, I'm blessed to have 7 shops within a reasonable drive, but if I put a machine into the queue at most of them it'd be a two or three month's wait time at the very best. Most of them have been at the game for decades much less in the midst of also recently setting up a brick and mortar shop.
As a point of comparison, Lucas Dul publishes his wait list on his website (currently 84 people) where he states "Average repair cost is $300-350 for general cleaning, service, and minor repairs. Average turnaround time is 2-3 weeks." Perhaps Charlie might benefit from creating a wait list and not taking machines into the shop until his time and attention can turn directly to them?
It's not often addressed here in this fora how much one should expect to either pay or wait for repair services which aren't evenly distributed across the United States and likely even less so in many other countries. In the broader scheme of things, I think that you get a far better deal at professional shops than you're going to find within the broader public of so-called typewriter sellers (antique shops, thrift stores, etc.)
As a point of reference, I'm an advanced hobbyist with my own garage-based shop for my personal collection and even I get one or two queries a week about repairing or restoring the machines of others, so I'm at least reasonably aware of what some of the wait times can look like. I wish I had the time or stock of parts machines to do more than a handful of friends and family repairs on top of my own personal repair work.
Sadly, at the end of the day, it sounds like both sides were potentially not good at communicating expectations about how long repairs would take. If nothing else we should all be sharing more details about these issues to help level set how this all works for the broader typewriter community.
Typewriter repair people on r/typewriters:
typewriter repairman here - with magnification & needle files it is sometimes possible to reshape the squashed portion of the slug(which usually requires repositioning it afterwards to get an even print) but my advice is to embrace it as part of what makes that particular machine unique…there’s literally no such thing as perfection, and twenty years from now you’ll be able to look at something you wrote & go “ohhhh this was done on that Olivetti…” (and yes, you could also replace the slug completely, but that’s a whole different can of worms)
via TypewriterJustice at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1lb8brp/type_slug_question/
Whenit becomes dominated by a collectivist creed, democracy will inevitably destroyitself.
The belief isbecoming more and more widespread that, ifthings are to get done, the respon-sible authorities mustbe freed from the fettersof democratic procedure.
Is this how the Republican Party died in America with Trump? They created an unwinnable culture war in hopes of splitting voters and ultimately caused gridlock in the house and senate. As a result, we "need" a dictator (in Trump) to get anything done.
A democratic assembly voting and amending a comprehensive economic plan clause by clause, as it deliberates on an ordinary bill,makes nonsense.
A variation of "a camel is a horse built by committee"
Donoughmore Committee,
They are not asked to act where they can agree,but to produce agreement on everything —the whole direction of the resourcesof the nation.
Perhaps this is where the question "can you live with this?" is beneficial in coming to consensus.
And to make it quite clear that a socialist government must not allow itselfto be too much fettered by democratic procedure, Professor Laski at the endof the same article raised the question “whether in a period of transition toSocialism, a Labour Government can risk the overthrow of its measures as aresult of the next general election”—and left it significantly unanswered.*
This same question seems applicable now as President Trump seems to be overthrowing institutions on the road to autocracy.
It may be the unanimously expressed will of the people that its parliamentshould prepare a comprehensive economic plan, yet neither the people nor itsrepresentatives need therefore be able to agree on any particular plan, The in-ability of democratic assemblies to carry out what seems to be a clear mandateof the people will inevitably cause dissatisfaction with democratic institutions.
Problems with democracy
Is this what America has been facing in the years since roughly Reagan? We have a general direction, but the specifics are difficult to hammer out in an increasingly fractuous political environment thus leading to gridlock.
This is the benefit of independent agencies like the Fed, the FCC, or the EPA which can worry about how the rubber ought to meet the road.
(Of course the issue can become a rogue president like DJT dismantling these institutions because he "doesn't like them.")
How can these institutions be hardened against this sort of whole sale destruction of norms?
‘The difficulty is well known to socialis It will soon be halfa tur sincethe Webbs began to complain of “the increased incapacity of the House ofCommons to cope with its work.”*
But it is a mechanism which canbe used only for a common end; and the question of the precise goal towardwhich all activity is to be directed will arise as soon as the executive power hasto translate the demand for a single plan into a particular plan,
Here is one of the issues which will hopefully hamper Donald J. Trump. He's got an "idea of a plan", but the people who are actively supporting him may not support his "particular plan."
We can unfortunately not indefinitelyextend the sphere of common action and still leave the individual free in hisown sphere. Once the communal sector, in which the state controls all themeans, exceeds certain proportion of the whole, the effects of its actions dom-inate the whole system. Although the state controls directly the use of only alarge part of the available resources, the effects of its decisions on the remain-ing part of the economic system become so great that indirectly it controlsalmost everything, Where, as was, for example, true in Germany as early as1928, the central and local authorities directly control the use of more than halfthe national income (according to an official German estimate then, 53 perthey control indirectly almost the whole economic life of the nation.There is, then, scarcely an individual end which is not dependent for itsachievement on the action of the state, and the “social scale of values” whichguides the state’s action must embrace practically all individual ends.
This is an interesting historical example, but does it really hold true? Couldn't the percentage be significantly smaller?
Compare, for example the work of Schelling:<br /> - Schelling, Thomas C. “Dynamic Models of Segregation.” The Journal of Mathematical Sociology 1, no. 2 (July 1, 1971): 143–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/0022250X.1971.9989794.
Here a very small minority can dramatically effect the outcome of society.
But not only when thestate undertakes direct control in fields where there is no such agreement is itbound to suppress individual freedom,
social ends”
Not only do we not possess such an all-inclusive scale of values: it would beimpossible for any mind to comprehend the infinite variety of different needsof different people which compete for the available resources and to attach adefinite weight to each.
individualism
the basic fact that it is impos-sible for any man to survey more than a limited field, to be aware of the urgencyof more than a limited number of needs.
What he's getting at is that this in an incredibly complex problem, but he doesn't have any vocabulary of complexity theory given that he's writing in 1944.
‘The essential point for us is that no such complete ethical code exists.
If it could what would it's mathematical structure look like? Certainly not linear.
morals have more and more tended to be~come merely limits circumscribing the sphere within which the individualcould behave as he liked.
We are not concerned here with the question whether it would be desirableto have such a complete ethical code.
The old Republican party that brought Hayek to the fore must be spinning in their graves that the current version not only doesn't have a complete ethical code, but that it seems either wholly inconsistent or altogether absent.
That our present society lacks such “con-scious” direction toward a single aim, that its activities are guided by the whimsand fancies of irresponsible individuals, has always been one of the main com-plaints ofits socialist critics.
While Hayek aims this at economics, it's equally applicable to sociology. As a case in point, we currently see Donald J. Trump using his bully pulpit to push a social agenda and lead a culture war in America.
Socialism of culture
Hayek, F. A. The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents, The Definitive Edition. Edited by Bruce Caldwell. 1944. Reprint, University of Chicago Press, 2010.
Pierre Trudeau
Harold Lasky taught Pierre Trudeau (the father of Justin Trudeau).
Ralph Miliband
Ralph Miliband, the father of David and Ed Miliband, was a doctoral student of Harold Laski
Trump’s instability and the potential of a post-American world by [[Washington Week PBS]]
Among the more specialized examples were so-called “double-gothic” typefaces. They are characterized by including a set of uppercase letters while the corresponding small-caps take the place of the lowercase. “Double” refers to the two uppercase-shaped glyph sets while “gothic” is simply the American term for sans-serif.
RT Dromo is a typographic line-up of vintage concert ticket typography from the 1980s performed with the sturdiness of an all-purpose grotesque. Echoing functionalist shapes proven in the challenging environments of impact printing it remixes them into a contemporary digital composition.
The new RT Dromo Collection comes in a total of 16 fonts in 4 weights, freshly complemented with corresponding italic and monospace styles. Once conceived as a single weight custom typeface, RT Dromo is now a versatile family for a wide range of uses.
Some interesting typewriter hunters:<br /> - Joe Van Cleave<br /> - Richard Polt<br /> - Michael Hoehne<br /> - Robert Messenger - Ted Munk<br /> - Ian Brumfield - Sarah Everett (aka JustMyTypewriter) - Mei Travis<br /> - Currie Russell - Otto Koponen - Marcin Wichary<br /> - Martin Howard - James Grooms - Suzanne LaPierre - Chris Aldrich
Typewriter repair people: - Scott Connors
For anyone who has lost their house or apartment, we ask that you do not discard your old keys. We are establishing drop sites to collect them, and turn those many, many keys into a tribute to the devastated communities. We feel this will be a powerful visual statement that we hope will help people move forward.Caty Maxey, volunteer
He Thought His Badge Made Him Untouchable—Until He Brought the Wrong Woman to Court by [[Black Thread]]
Example of using a typewriter and a roll of cash register paper to score a baseball game.
'Last' UK typewriter built in Wrexham
Brother manufactured 5.9 million typewriters in Wrexham, Wales from 1985-2012.
Governor Newsom Delivers Major Address to Californians by [[Gavin Newsom]], Governor of California
The Welsh 'll' is how we write the phoneme (sound) /ɬ/ which is called the voiceless lateral fricative. This sound is not a part of English phonology. In fact the only other European language which has it is Icelandic and then it's only found in clusters. Because English lacks the /ɬ/ sound, people who are unfamiliar with it often struggle to articulate it. Depending on where it is in a word, the English speaker will approximate it as /k/ before /l/ (klan for llan), or as /l/ in isolation (alan for allan) and sometimes /θl/ in medial position (Lanethli for Llanelli). People will always approximate a phoneme which is alien to them. Just as English speakers do not pronounce the French and German /y/ as /y/ but usually as something like /u/. Often phonemes like /x/ and /χ/ are realised as /k/ (e.g. lock for Scottish loch).
https://www.reddit.com/r/learnwelsh/comments/1l8o22q/why_do_some_people_pronounce_llan_as_klan/
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l8m84q/putting_the_imperial_back_into_service_again/
Use of a typewriter in inhospitable environments (cold, no cell service, remote)
Sly Stone, Sly and the Family Stone frontman, dies at 82 by [[Kiki Intarasuwan]]
Tom Hanks' love of typewriters by [[CBS Sunday Morning]] by Lee Cowan
Typewriter Typefaces: Pica vs Elite, an explainer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwCD69jUPps
Pica machines (10 characters per inch) will usually have a scale up to about 80-84.
Elite machines (12 characters per inch) will have a scale up to 100.
On Olympia machines, script only comes in Elite sizes (scale to 100 on platen).
Edit: fixed the appropriate CPI numbers
https://www.ebay.com/itm/336005327511
A bumper sticker that reads: "Government Can't Hack My Typewriter" with an image of a Smith-Corona flattop.
a $13 typewriter from 2012.......(the Royal Scrittore) by [[Just My Typewriter]]
Most likely manufactured by Shanghai Weilv, but not mentioned or obvious anywhere.
7.6 is the motion (distance between the baseline of lower- and uppercase characters) in millimeters.
Ro1T is RaRo Modern Pica typeface.
Type Shop, Ep. 3: How to remove and install the carriage on a Royal Standard Desktop Typewriter by [[Typewriter Chicago]]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rYHNg3pM34
Second edition of this video...
The Secretary: Transcribing (Second Edition) Coronet Instructional Films, a division of Esquire, Inc., 1966<br /> James R. Meehan, Ed.D, Dean of Administration Hunter College of the City University of New York
Typing Skills: Fields of Typing. 16 mm, Instructional film. Periscope Film, 1972. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvF0atKsggY.
Typing Skills: Fields of Typing <br /> Coronet Instructional Films, a division of Esquire, Inc., 1972<br /> Lawrence W. Erickson, Ed.D. Professor of Education, University of California, Los Angeles<br /> Production: Coronet Films and Creative Establishment, Inc.<br /> Director and Writer: Don B. Klugman<br /> Photography Robert Flaxman<br /> Editing: Barbara Kaplan
Periscope Film XD72104 archived at https://stock.periscopefilm.com/xd72104-typing-skills-fields-of-typing-1972-typewriter-based-careers-educational-film/
Alternate version at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMmsE6GMIR8
Warm ups of fingers
Rules of good typing - concentrate on the copy
Typewriters in the piece: <br /> - Olivett editor 5<br /> - Others...
Backspace from center method for setting tab stops
Uses for typewriters:<br /> - check writing - billing - chain feeding - financial records and reports - filling in forms - carbon copies
index and file cards - inserted into a pleated page which may have lines.
Successful Secretary Presented by Royal Office Typewriters. A Thomas Craven Film Corporation Production, 1966. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If5b2FiDaLk.
Script: Lee Thuna<br /> Educational Consultant: Catharine Stevens<br /> Assistant Director: Willis F. Briley<br /> Design: Francisco Reynders<br /> Director & Producer: Carl A. Carbone<br /> A Thomas Craven Film Corporation Production
"Mother the mail"
gendered subservience
"coding boobytraps"
"I think you'll like the half sheet better. It is faster." —Mr. Typewriter, timestamp
A little bit of the tone of "HAL" from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). This is particularly suggestive as H.A.L. was a one letter increment from I.B.M. and the 1966 Royal 660 was designed to compete with IBM's Selectric
This calm voice makes suggestions to a secretary while H.A.L. does it for a male astronaut (a heroic figure of the time period). Suddenly the populace feels the computer might be a bad actor.
"We're living in an electric world, more speed and less effort."—Mr. Typewriter<br /> (techno-utopianism)
🌲When Themed Logs are More Useful than Daily Notes by [[Eleanor Konik]]
Konik seems to have realized that filing things topically can be a valuable practice as if this wasn't the mode of the day for centuries now. How did the daily note become such a thing that this was lost? Is it the focus on notebook-based bullet journals? Programmers creating daily notes?
Bring Your Own Disruption: Rhizomatic Learning in the Composition Class by [[Tanya Sasser]]
We must wholly re-envision the purposes, processes, and products of First-Year Composition. We must invite FYC students to not only bring their own devices — in both the technological and denotative sense of the word — but to bring their own disruptions, and discover ways to use both for their own authentic ends.
A nice Rx presented here with some discussion potentially about how NOT to do it, but no mention of tools or scaffolding about HOW to do it.
Note taking systems? Commonplace books? Alternate methods? Pencil, pen, fountain pen, quill, stylus and wax tablet, typewriter, writerdeck, etc.?
This sounds exactly like the sort of place in which Umberto Eco or Bob Doto could be easily brought to bear.
I'm not sure if there's even a basic knowledge of classic rhetoric here. How have we gone so far afield?
Invention will need to be tackled head-on via workshops, whole-class and small-group discussions, and collaborative practice.
A hint at knowledge of the old rhetoric version of inventio?
as Hemingway noted, “[Writers] are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
Scriveiner Classic Fountain Pen Review by [[Joe Van Cleave]]
Kmart 300 Deluxe 12 Typewriter by [[Joe Van Cleave]]
Because of the geometry of the JP-7's ribbon vibrator, which hinges from the right rather from the middle, the ribbon can rub against the paper/platen. To remedy this, one can mis-thread the left side to keep the ribbon away from the paper.
Spring 2025 ABQ Type-In by [[Joe Van Cleave]]
Public libraries are an excellent place and resource for hosting type-ins.
Joe uses slips of paper so as not to be as wasteful of paper.
Develop a mailing list to be able to contact people for future events.
Joe having his other hip replacement surgery in July 2025, so perhaps not as much activity for him just after.
Not unusual to see regular pica spaced rulers on very small (18-21 cpi). They weren't common enough to warrant making new rulers.
via u/Koponewt (Otto)
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l2ayq1/any_font_smaller_than_elite/
Eric Zencey wrote that the free market economy Hayek advocated is designed for an infinite planet, and when it runs into physical limits (as any growing system must), the result is a need for centralized planning to mediate the problematic interface of economy and nature. "Planning is planning, whether it's done to minimize poverty and injustice, as socialists were advocating then, or to preserve the minimum flow of ecosystem services that civilization requires, as we are finding increasingly necessary today."[70]
Since publication, Hayek has offered a number of clarifications on words that are frequently misinterpreted: "Socialism", as Hayek used it, refers to state socialism and is used to mean state control of the economy, not a welfare state[39] "Classical liberal ideals", means liberty, freedom and individual rights, as Hayek understood them[40]
On This Day in Typewriter History (LXXIV) by [[Robert Messenger]]
Dreyfuss continued his studies as an apprentice to Norman Bel Geddes(below), completing them in 1924.
Use of capitalism rises as mixed economy declines
The use of "mixed economy" in texts according to n-gram viewer was cut in half from 1990 to 2000.
Plastic Repair Welding MELDING Reinforced with Metal Demo DIY (#1) by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]
Jack Handey Is the Envy of Every Comedy Writer in America by [[Dan Kois]]
When Real Life Calls for a Cheesy Rom-Com Gesture by [[James Nikopoulos]]
We poor schlubs out in the world don’t have teams of writers scripting our happy endings, experts caution — and so taking inspiration from rom-coms’ corny gestures just sets ourselves up for disappointment.
As the sociologist Niklas Luhmann put it, “Showing that one could control one’s passion would be a poor way of showing passion.”
80 Years Later, Are We Still on ‘The Road to Serfdom’? by [[Rainer Zitelman]]
Ref. by PM
It’s clear how relevant Hayek’s warnings remain today. Economic freedom—unlike in the 1980s and ’90s—is in retreat. Faith in “industrial policy” has come to dominate in China, the U.S. and Europe. At the same time, intellectual freedom is under threat as proponents of a woke ideology strive to politicize all of life. Mathematics is now considered “racist” by some, while freedom of speech is under threat. Opponents of economic freedom often oppose intellectual freedom as well.
In 1971, Hayek emphasized that the primary focus of his book was classical socialism, which aimed to nationalize the means of production.
Hayek’s book presents a second important thesis: The loss of economic freedom precedes the loss of intellectual and political freedom.
In 1939, the philosopher Max Horkheimer, co-founder of the Frankfurt School, said: “But whoever is not willing to talk about capitalism should also keep quiet about fascism.”
InCoWriMo is the short name for International Correspondence Writing Month, otherwise known as February. With an obvious nod to NaNoWriMo for the inspiration, InCoWriMo challenges you to hand-write and mail/deliver one letter, card, note or postcard every day during the month of February.
Smith Corona Typewriter Keyboard Cork, Out of Place, Repair, Controls Key Top Height by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]
I've been wanting to learn electroplating so I bought the variable power supply and an anode. I had the rest. I made my own nickel acetate with vinegar and my own pickle with water and muriatic acid, baking soda in water to neutralize. Mother's to polish metals. It's my go to. Fabric was denim and poly canvas. Cheap poly grosgrain ribbon to hide my sins. 3M spray adhesive, contact cement, and fabric glue. I used double cap rivets for the hardware.
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l15xt2/1951_smith_corona_sterling_recovered_case/
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l0o9ax/what_is_the_difference_if_any_between_de_luxe/
Differences in Olympia SG1 typewriters
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l11y1d/not_for_the_purists/
PB B'laster apparently doesn't destroy the plastic keys of a Smith-Corona 5 series.
Simple Green will peel the paint off of a typewriter in a few days.
If you're looking for pink, here's a shop that repairs and refinishes them (repaints) in pink: https://karlbusinessmachines.com/pink-typewriters/
As for natural pink manufactured typewriters, you're probably primarily looking at the Royal Quiet De Luxe (circa '55-58), Royal Futura 800, Royal FP (a larger heavy, standard desktop machine), the late 50's Smith-Corona 5 series (Clippers, Sterlings, Silent Supers). There were a few later in the 60s and 70s, but they're more difficult to find in the US and aren't as solid. These aren't rare typewriters, but generally because the collector's market likes color, you should expect to pay a $50-150 premium for pink in most online markets. Professional shops are much less likely to charge this sort of premium on pink unless it's for a machine they've had to strip down and repaint. (See also: https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kw5jxh/what_are_your_thoughts_on_these_and_the_prices/)
For colloquial experience from a typewriter hunter from the Los Angeles area, I'll say I've been looking for a Cameo Pink smooth Royal FP for over a year and finally found one in solid, but restorable shape for $35, but it's taken a year of searching and it'll take a half-day's labor and some parts to clean it up to what a professional shop would consider solid working condition. In that time I've seen maybe half a dozen in online shops sell them in similar rough condition going for anywhere between $100 and $300. For your budget range, getting one from a professional shop is really the best, most economical way to go.
Please note that you positively don't want any of the new pink plastic typewriters made by "Royal Classic" or "We R Memory Keepers" (etc.) which you'll find on Amazon, Michaels, Home Depot, etc. for $200-300. They are dreadful machines, and if you really want one, save the money and buy one from ShopGoodwill.com for $5-15 instead.
If you wanted to go custom in your particular budget range, you might check out Gerren's work at Hot Rod Typewriter Co. where he does some truly gorgeous paint jobs on excellent typewriters. I suspect a pink Olympia SM3 from him would be a thing to behold.
Reply to u/dtja1l at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l0l6pi/help_finding_a_thoughtful_typewriter_as_a_gift/ with regard to buying a pink typewriter for a birthday present
Try a toothbrush with a long, thin handle and a small head.
The brushes sold with many metal and rubber straws or thin bottle brushes are also excellent for reaching into places like this. Sometimes you can find similar thin brushes in the baby bottle section of big box retailers or specialty stores doing baby goods.
Similarly a plastic oiler with mineral spirits in combination with an air compressor/blow gun or canned air is also a solid way to go.
Long handle cotton swabs can also be used if necessary.
reply to u/General-Writing-1764 at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l05a17/i_dont_think_that_superficial_dust_should_be_a/
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kzw0fk/your_typewriter_collection/?sort=old
reply to u/Back2Analog at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kzw0fk/your_typewriter_collection/?sort=old
Total: I currently have 53 with 2 incoming and 1 outbound. About 12 are standards, 7 ultra-portables, and the remainder are portables. Maybe a dozen non-standard typefaces including 2 Vogues and a Clarion Gothic. You can find most of the specifics at https://typewriterdatabase.com/typewriters.php?hunter_search=7248 or on my site at https://boffosocko.com/research/typewriter-collection/#My%20Typewriter%20Collection
Display: I've usually got eight displayed in various places around the house including three on desks, but ready to actively type on. The remainder are in cases either behind our living room couch or a closet for easy access and rotation. I'm debating a large credenza or cabinet for additional display/storage space. There are two machines out in the garage, and one currently disassembled on our dining room table (my wife isn't a fan of this one right now).
About 25 have been cleaned and mostly restored, most are functional/usable, but need to be cleaned, repaired, or restored to some level. One is a parts machine. I always have a Royal KMG, a Royal FP, and two other standards out ready to go and rotate the others on a semi-weekly basis. There's usually at least one portable in my car for typing out in the wild.
Use cases: I spend a few hours a day writing on one or more machines and use them for nearly every conceivable case from quick notes (zettels), letters, essays, lists, snide remarks, poetry, etc., etc. I should spend more time typing for the typosphere. Because I enjoy restoring machines maybe even more than collecting them, I've recently started taking mechanic/restoration commissions.
At 50 machines, I'm about at the upper limit of my collecting space. I've given away a few to interested parties, and sold a small handful that I didn't use as frequently. I'm currently trying to balance incoming versus outgoing and might like to get my collection down to a tighter 35-40 machines in excellent condition.
Next typewriters: I'm currently looking for an Olympia SG1, a Royal Ten, a Hermes Ambassador, and a Hermes 3000. I'm also passively looking for either very large (6 or 8 CPI) or very small typefaces (>12CPI). I'm definitely spending less time actively hunting these days and more time restoring. I'm tending towards being far more selective in acquisitions compared to my earlier "acquisition campaign".
Miscellaneous: I enjoy writing about typewriter collecting and repair to help out others: https://boffosocko.com/research/typewriter-collection/
I recently found the Remington Mark II as a compromise since I have not been able to find a Torpedo 18B at a decent price and they are mechanically identical.
Writing letters mostly to people from InCoWriMo or (more frequently) TypePals.com I often will write short stories for my kids or journaling entries, though I have been writing more journal entries with fountain pens these days.
via u/brianlpowers at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kzw0fk/your_typewriter_collection/?sort=old
TAWNY Sam, have you heard of Andrew Hawkins? SAM No. TAWNY You funded his performance piece recently, which involved him destroying all his belongings outside a Starbucks in Haight-Ashbury. SAM I've done that a couple of times. But I didn't know there was funding available. TAWNY Yeah.
ACT TWO FADE IN: INT. THE MURAL ROOM - DAY Toby walks in the room. TAWNY CRYER, member of the Appropriations Committee, waits for him.
Coincidence that actress Valerie Mahaffey, who portrayed a Republican member of the Appropriations Committee in The West Wing "Gone Quiet" (Season 3, Episode 7), dies of cancer on the same day that Elon Musk leaves the White House in disgrace?
Perhaps it's fate's way of saying that democracy may recover?
https://youtu.be/_rqIW9SszPg?si=Qii9SO0-N8u1NKMD&t=511
Keanu Reeves has a typewriter collection of 5 typewriters according to a Toronto Film Fest interview in 2013.
"I collect vintage typewriters. I like the sound and feel of the keys. There's something satisfying about having a thought, then seeing it on the page."
Keanu Reeves via Keanu Reeves: 'I Worry That People Won't Like What I Do' by [[Cathryne Keller]] for Women's Health
Q: Do you use a pen to write?A: Actually, I prefer a typewriter. I enjoy the sensation of sitting down and taking time to think about what I want to say and then, typing, which has a kind of physicalness to it as the imprint goes on the paper. It's also something that doesn't take batteries.
Reply to u/eJelly at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kyf66p/ribbon_replacements_for_smith_corona_corsair/
Typically Corsair spools are 1 5/8" in diameter and sometimes listed as 1 2/3" in diameter. Ribbons Unlimited carries them if you need both the spools AND the ribbon: https://www.ribbonsunlimited.com/category-s/12685.htm
Otherwise, if you have spools that already fit, then just buy the ribbon and spool it onto your empty spools to save the $10-15 for the extra spools. See: https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-faq.html#q1
The eyelets are for doing the ribbon auto-reverse on Smith-Corona machines, but your print will go faint when you reach the end and you can do the reverse manually if necessary.
As a pending birthday stop-gap, I have done the trick before of typing on a blank sheet with a carbon paper and a second sheet behind it. You won't be able to easily see what is on the first sheet, but you'll have the carbon copy behind it!
If you're in a bind, many of the big-box office supply stores carry 1/2 inch wide ribbon for calculators which you could spool into your existing typewriter spools as well. Typically these are much shorter in length, but they'll work in a pinch.
Screenwriters, Directors, Actors, and playwrights * Woody Allen Olympia SM3 * Julie Andrews IBM Selectric I * Paul Auster: Olympia SM9 * Ingrid Bergman: Smith-Corona Skyriter * Ray Bradbury: Underwood (No. 5?), Royal KMM * Marlon Brando: Royal Arrow or Aristocrat * Bertolt Brecht: Erika * Richard Brooks: Royal KMM, Royal Portable (30s or 40s) * Mikhail Bulgakov: Olympia 8 * George Burns: Royal HH * Stephen J. Cannell: IBM Selectric II or III * Johnny Carson: Royal KMM (or maybe a KMG), Olivetti Lettera 22 * Paddy Chayefsky: Underwood Standard Model 6, Royal HH, Olympia SG3 * Francis Ford Coppola: Olivetti Lettera 32 * Norman Corwin: Flattop Corona, Royal KMM * Noel Coward: Royal KH, Imperial Standard, Olivetti-Underwood Studio 44 * Michael Crichton: Olympia electric, IBM Selectric I * Bing Crosby: Corona 3, 1920s Royal portable * Bette Davis: Remington Noiseless portable * Joe Eszterhas: Olivetti Lettera 35 * Douglas Fairbanks: Underwood 5 * Federico Fellini: Olivetti Studio 44 * Jodie Foster: Olivetti Lettera 35 * Stephen Fry: Hermes 3000 * Greta Garbo: Olympia SM 7 * William Gibson: Hermes 2000 * William Goldman: Olympia SM9, Olympia SM9, Hermes Baby, Olympia Traveller<br /> Matt Groening: Hermes Rocket<br /> Oscar Hammerstein II: Royal portable * Tom Hanks: Smith-Corona Clipper, Hermes 2000, Hermes 3000<br /> Katherine Hepburn: Royal De Luxe * Alfred Hitchcock: '30s black Underwood Champion portable * John Hughes (director): Olympia SM3 * Eric Idle: Adler J3 * Elia Kazan: Royal KMG, Royal HH<br /> Buster Keaton: Blickensderfer no. 5 * Grace Kelly: Remington Super-Riter * Stanley Kubrick: IBM Model C, Adler Tippa S * Ring Lardner: L. C. Smith * Stan Lee: Remington noiseless portable, Olympia SG1 * Ernest Lehman: Royal Electress * David Letterman: Royal Empress * David Mamet: Smith-Corona portable, Olympia SM4, Olympia SM9, IBM Selectric * Terrence McNally: Olympia SG3 * Arthur Miller: Smith-Corona portable in the late '30s50s Smith; -Corona Silent Super; Royal KMG * Henry Miller: Underwood * F. W. Murnau: Remington portable no. 2 * David Niven: Royal Quiet DeLuxe, 1940s * Christopher Nolan: 1940s (?) Royal portable * Conan O'Brien: Royal 10 * Clifford Odets (1962): Royal Quiet DeLuxe, ca. 1957 * Louis Pollack (screenwriter): Royal desktop * Mario Puzo: Royal HH * Carl Reiner: Royal KMG, 1950s Smith-Corona Silent * Gene Roddenberry: IBM Selectric I, IBM Selectric II or III, Panasonic * Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers): 1930s Royal portable (Model O?), Royal KMG * Rod Serling: Royal KMG * George Bernard Shaw: Bar-Lock; Remington portable no. 1; Smith Premier (Remington); Remington Noiseless Portable * Sam Shepard: '60s Hermes 3000, Olympia SM9 * Neil Simon: Olympia SM9 * Steven Spielberg: Smith-Corona Coronamatic 2200 * John Millington Synge: Blickensderfer #5 * Shirley Temple: white Student (Bing variant), white Underwood Champion portable, white Remington portable no. 5 or similar * David Thewlis: Olympia SM9 * James Thurber: Underwood no. 5 * Dalton Trumbo: Underwood, Royal KHM, IBM A or B * John Waters: ca. 1950 Underwood, IBM A or B * Orson Welles: 1926 woodgrain Underwood portable, ’30s Underwood Noiseless Portable, Smith-Corona (?) * Tennessee Williams: Remington portable no. 2, 1936 Corona Junior, mid-1940s Corona Sterling, Royal KMM, Hermes Baby, Olivetti Studio 44, Remington portable #5 flat top, Remington Standard M, Olympia SM8
https://timpanogos.blog/2013/07/20/typewriter-of-the-moment-supermans-1950s-television/
Keeran is considered a pioneer maker of mechanical pencils,[3] as the inventor of the first successful one.
Typewriter Video Series - Episode 189: Underwood SX by [[Joe Van Cleave]]
Joe mentions, again, how standards fill up your field of view and aid in cutting out distractions so you can focus more while writing.
At the end Joe talks about the hobby of repairing typewriters.
Olympia SG1 Typewriter by [[Joe Van Cleave]]
Underwood Touchmaster 5 Typewriter Tabulator Decelerator Demo Operation by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]
Last week, the public was meeting thie answer hereDreyfuss touch in four more conveniences:
Dreyfuss' shop was so busy in 1948 that a Newsweek article highlighting his work named four projects, but missed a mention of his work on the Royal Quiet De Luxe which had come out earlier that year.
TORRINGTON Bearings
Torrington Bearings ad, p. 58
https://archive.org/details/sim_newsweek-us_1948-10-04_32_14/page/58/mode/2up
For such work, Dreyfuss collects an annual income greater than $2,000,000, a healthy slice of the approximately $25,000,000 which business spends on industrial design in America. There are about 30 people on the Dreyfuss payroll in his New York and California offices. The boss shuttles between the two.
Before redesigning a tractor, Dreyfuss drove one for days. When he almost ran over his assistant because he couldn’t see him in time, he redesigned the tractor for visibility. Dreyfuss also found that farmers lost fingers in exposed tractor gears, corn pickers, and other farm implements. He fixed it so that the gears and chains were enclosed.
The average American is seldom far removed from Henry Dreyfuss’s influence. When he picks up a Bell telephone, rides a John Deere tractor, scoots a Hoover vacuum over a rug, writes with an Eversharp pen, pounds a Royal Typewriter, awakens to a Westclox Big Ben, thumbs a Minneapolis-Honeywell thermostat, sprawls in a Statler Hotel room in Washington, yanks open the door of a GE refrigerator, focuses an Ansco camera, shoots a 105millimeter ack-ack gun, or swats a fly with a U.S. Manufacturing €orp. fly swatter, he is utilizing Henry Dreyfuss’s skill and pay-‘ing him a tribute which runs annually intoseven figures.
DESIGN:The Dreyfuss Touch
Newsweek Staff. “Design: The Dreyfuss Touch.” Newsweek, October 4, 1948. Http://archive.org/details/sim_newsweek-us_1948-10-04_32_14. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/sim_newsweek-us_1948-10-04_32_14/page/62/mode/2up.
Could National mechanized accounting save as much for you? Almost certainly! For businesses of every size and type, employing from 50 people, up, report that upon mechanizing their accounting with National Accounting Machines, they effected savingsTHE NATIONAL CASH REGISTER DETROIT PUBLIC LIBRARYup to 30%. Savings which often pay for the whole National installation in the first year—and then run on, year after year. Ask your local National representative to check your present set-up, and report specifically the savings you can expect.
advertisement on page 17 of Newsweek (US Edition) 1948-10-04: Vol 32 Iss 14<br /> https://archive.org/details/sim_newsweek-us_1948-10-04_32_14/page/16/mode/2up
Advertisement shows two female clerks at adding machines with drawers of a card index next to them as they work.
The Motive Puzzle: The tip which led to Bolton’s arrest had come from John Miller of Highland Park, now awaiting sentence with John Pantello for burglary. Miller told the police: “Bolton offered me and John Pantello fifteen grand to bump off Reuther.” Later, he added, Bolton hid two shotguns in Miller’s home. Several hours before the near-fatal shooting, Bolton came after the guns. “I want my two typewriters,” he said, according to Miller. “[’m going out and kill me a redheaded Communist,” Bolton was quoted as adding, with complete disregard of Reuther’s staunch anti-Communism.
p. 41 of Newsweek (US Edition) 1948-10-18: Vol 32 Iss 16
https://archive.org/details/sim_newsweek-us_1948-10-18_32_16/page/40/mode/2up?q=typewriter
Typewriters as a colloquialism for shotguns in a murder investigation in 1948 Michigan.
Royal Futura 800 Vintage Manual Typewriter Ribbon Change Install Magic Margin Demo by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]
A quick overview of the Royal Futura 800. Duane shows the very basics here including one of the simplest ribbon changes out there. He also does a quick overview of the Magic Margins, though it's not the best demonstration.
I repaired it using 2-part epoxy, and fiberglass dry wall tape. First routed out the path of the crack, and created a little reservoir for the glue just past the end of the crack, then applied the tape and worked the epoxy into the voids. I've been using it for a week now, and it looks like it's going to hold just fine.
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kunlxr/the_rules_of_typewriter_club/
Just like most areas of life relating to expertise, it's nice to have a broad set of rules when you start out. Then as your knowledge of the arts and sciences grow, you can begin to "paint outside the lines."
Once you've used, tinkered on, collected, repaired, or restored more machines than there are rules, then you can consider them more like guidelines and feel free to experiment more freely. By that point you'll have enough experience to be a true typewriter artist. ⛵🧑🎨🎨🏴☠️
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kvhyol/anybody_else_used_these/
NOS Scotch Typewriter Cleaner No. 575
A house is not a home without a typewriter.
via u/leapwolf at https://boffosocko.com/2025/05/17/acquisition-1966-underwood-touch-master-five-standard-typewriter/
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kukxjf/another_cotton_vs_nylon_ribbon_comparison/
cotton typewriter ribbon vs. nylon typewriter ribbon
The first rule of Typewriter club is Do not oil the segment.
The second rule of Typewriter club is DO NOT oil the segment.
Do not ask the value of your typewriter: they are invaluable.
Always talk about typewriter club. Every chance you get: to family, friends, complete strangers...
If you only have one typewriter, you must refer to it as "my FIRST typewriter".
If you're new to typewriter club, you have to type.
A typewriter is not broken unless it is clean and broken.
Parts of a typewriter should only be removed in order to repair another typewriter.
Keychoppers shall have the extremities they used to chop keys chopped off.
More than one machine is allowed to be your "favorite".
The last typewriter you bought is the greatest one. Until the next one.
Never leave a typewriter outside, in a barn, or in a damp basement to rust.
Typewriters are to type with. They should not be "flipped".
Any reason is a good reason to buy and use a typewriter.
The hardest part of typewriter repair is believing you can do it. Everything else is just instructions plus a careful, thoughtful hand. —Rt. Rev. Theodore Munk
If you see a typewriter, you should take photos and upload the details to the TypewriterDatabase.com.
Typewriters are not mood setting decor, they are meant to be used.
Always leave a typewriter in better condition than you found it.
We form things; we do not "bend" them.
The only acceptable way to dispose of a typewriter is to find it a new home. The only exception is in dire circumstances in time of war when one should follow the guidance of the Underwood manual and "Smash typewriters and components with a sledge or other heavy instrument; burn with kerosene, gasoline, fuel oil, flame thrower, or incendiary bomb; detonate with firearms, grenades, TNT, or other explosives."
If anyone asks you about your typewriter, you must spend at least five minutes talking to them about it.
Legitimate typewriter sellers never use the phrases "it works" or "it just needs a new ribbon."
Remember that typewriters are dangerous and can be used for samizdat. As Woody Guthrie wrote: "This machine kills fascists."
Blessed are those who give typewriters to children for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
"In death, they have a name." Lenore Fenton. Lenore Fenton. Lenore Fenton!
The Typewriter Database does not list every single serial number, just ranges of numbers and years in which they were made. You are responsible for figuring out which year your number fits into.
"Working but needs new ribbon" is seller's code for "I have no idea if it really works, but I'm going to try to sell you this machine for the price of a fully functioning machine that was just serviced by a professional shop despite the fact that I just took it out of grandpa's barn and I'm not sure if the mouse inside is dead or not. Also, I can't afford $10 to replace an old ribbon to truly participate in the charade of the price I'm going to try to fleece you with."
It's oil cloth, but not the kind made today, sadly. Contact cement is fine. For a refurb, take lots of pictures. Undo any screwed in components (usually the handle and a couple springs). Using a dremel or similar rotary tool, gently grind down the inside cap of each rivet. It's easiest to use a pin and hammer to knock them out and avoid damaging the wood rather than prying the hardware up. Set aside the hardware for cleaning. Sometimes they're split rivets (which I loathe) and you have to be VERY careful to not wreck the wood pulling those. LOATHE. Get the case WET. It'll soften the glue, make it far easier to remove and keep the glue dust out of your lungs. Pay attention to the order in which it comes off and where the various cuts are made. Scrub the case clean. Let it FULLY dry. Sand any uneven areas and patch what needs patching. Make placement templates in case you have trouble locating the original holes for the hardware. Ensure your rivets or attachment parts will work with the existing holes, modify if needed. Install the internal top and bottom lining. Install the hardware with a pop rivet gun. Put the outside upholstery on. Install the handles/feet/rest. Put the sidewall lining in. Seal any surfaces as desired. Done. If the wooden case is beyond repair but hardware is good, you can build a new case and use the same hardware provided the internal dimensions and hardware placements match the original. I'm mid process on two portable wooden cases or I'd show pics.
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ksx0qy/adhesive_to_fix_peeling_covering_on_cases/
these 7:36 are the ones i picked up and these were 7:38 three and three-fourths by four by 7:40 one-eighth
Sarah Everett has used water filter o-rings of 3 3/4 x 4 1/8 to replace the drive belts of her electric typewriters.
i used a saw to just make the 6:46 one edge of that phillips head a little 6:48 bit deeper so that i could then use a 6:51 flat top screwdriver in there to remove 6:52 that screw the next time that way when i 6:55 put that screw back in there i could 6:56 remove it later just using a flat head 6:58 screwdriver instead of a phillips 7:00 now this was a little bit of a ratchet 7:02 job but it did the trick and with that i 7:04 had a working electric typewriter
Sarah Everett suggests using a saw to turn Phillips head screws into a flat head screw if they've been stripped.
i couldn't 4:50 get into the typewriter the screws were 4:52 in there so tight that there was no way 4:54 i could get that bottom off of the 4:55 machine so i did the only logical thing 4:58 i could think of i set it upside down 4:59 and then forgot about it for a really 5:01 long time i then went back in once i got 5:03 the confidence to go into this machine
Confidence is a (the?) key ingredient of typewriter repair.
i don't know 4:26 how i fixed it i kind of stabbed it a 4:28 lot with a screwdriver until it worked
rofl!
i 2:15 didn't know if it was broken because it 2:17 needed cleaned
curious, but common phrase "needed cleaned"...
Appalachian dialect?
in fact almost 0:28 all of my successful repairs have come 0:30 from a lot of faith trust a little bit 0:32 of pixie dust and a lot of googling
Smith Corona H Electronic Typewriter Repair High Pitch Buzz Rattle Disassemble Fix by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]
8 questions for Alton Brown who is coming to the Riverside, Boswell Books by [[Molly Snyder]], Published Apr 15, 2025 at 1:01 PM
The one on the cover of your book, the Hermes 3000, is that your favorite? Absolutely. It’s a rock solid portable. I have four of them. I also like the Hermes Rocket, Olympias, Olivettis. I use them constantly.
How many typewriters do you own? Currently, about 15.
In 2025, Alton Brown indicated that he owned 15 typewriters.
What Did The Late Show Get Trump For His 70th Birthday? by Stephen Colbert
This office set up for Stephen Colbert includes a black Underwood portable typewriter in a black case in the background.
Alton Brown Verified accountSeptember 6, 2015 · Shared with PublicBehold the sublime Hermes 3000. Still my favorite writing device.
Chatto, Beth, and Christopher Lloyd. Dear Friend and Gardener: Letters on Life and Gardening. London, North Pomfret, VT: Frances Lincoln, 1998. https://www.amazon.com/Dear-Friend-Gardener-Letters-Gardening/dp/0711212279
Recommended by TB
Plutocrats Meeting #5 by [[Dan Allosso]]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batya_Ungar-Sargon
dumbing down of rhetoric on the left versus the right (source?)
May 2025 Cherry Hills Library Type-In by [[Joe Van Cleave]]
reply to u/highspeed_steel at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1krspvh/im_totally_blind_and_new_to_typewriters_wax/
Your question is a great one, but I'll go another direction since I'd dug into some of the history and details of Helen Keller's mid-century typewriters a while back. You can find some details and descriptions here (and in the associated links which includes an accessible video of Ms. Keller using a solid and sexy black Remington Noiseless standard typewriter): https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ihot96/helen_kellers_typewriters/
She managed on both her Remington as well as her brailler as well as any sighted person, though obviously had someone to check her printed work.
I recently saw another heavily modified midcentury typewriter for someone who, if I recall correctly was not only blind, but had no arms. It was set up so that they could move a selector and type using a custom chin rest. Sadly, I didn't index it at the time, but it's interesting to know that such things existed for accessibility reasons.
As for Braillers, you might appreciate this recent article about a repairman in Britain who was retiring: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/02/wed-be-stuck-alarm-as-uks-last-braille-typewriter-repairer-ponders-retirement
I've got my own brailler, which is a sleek-looking art-deco industrial piece of art with the loveliest shade of dark shiny gray paint I've ever seen on a typewriter. (I'm both a mathematician and information theorist into the areas of coding and cryptography, so Morse code, Braille, etc. are professionally fascinating to me.) I still need to take it apart and repair a few portions to get it back to perfection, but it generally works well.
As for the aesthetics, I personally enjoy the solid industrial look and feel of the machines from the 1930s-1960s. The early 30s and some 40s have glossy black enamel and machines like the Corona Standard/Silent from the 30s are low slung with flat tops that sort of resemble small pianos and just scream out "I'm a writer" with a flair for dark academia and just a hint of classical Roman design. Many of these machines come with gold tinged water-slide decals which really set themselves off against the black enamel, though on the majority of machines the gold is beginning to dim from time, wear, and uncareful application of cleaning solutions.
I love the Royal KMM, KMG, and the Remington 17, Standard, and Super-Riter for their industrial chonkiness and (usually) their glass keytops. One of my favorites is the Henry Dreyfuss designed Royal Quiet De Luxe from 1948 which always gives me the feel of what it would look like if a typewriter wore a tuxedo or the 1948 gray and chrome model which is similar but has the feel of a sleek gray flannel suit on a 1950s advertising executive prone to wearing dapper hats, smoking cigarettes, and always with a cocktail in his hand. Into the 50s and 60s almost everyone had moved to plastic keytops which I don't think are as pretty as the older glass keytops with the polished metal rings around them.
At the opposite end of that spectrum are the late 50s Royal FP and Futura 800s which have some colorful roundness which evokes the aesthetic of the coming space age. They remind me of the modern curves and star shapes of the television show The Jetsons. Similarly space-aged are the sexy curves of the silver metalic spray paint on wooden cases for the Olympia SM3 from the same period. These to me are quintessential typewriter industrial design. In gray, green, maroon, brown, and sometimes yellow crinkle paint with just a hint of sparkle in their keytops I really love the combination of roundedness and slight angularity these German designed machines provide. They have a definite understated sort of elegance most other typewriters just miss. I suspect that late-in-life Steve Jobs would have had an Olympia SM3.
There's something comforting about the 40s and 50s sports-car vibe of the smaller Smith-Corona portables of the 5 series machines in the 1950s with their racing stripes on the hood. They feel like the sort of typewriter James Dean would have used as a student—just hip enough to be cool while still be solid and functional.
Sadly into the 70s, while machines typically got a broader range of colors outside of the typical black, gray, and browns things became more plastic and angular. They also begin to loose some of the industrial mid-century aesthetic that earlier machines had. They often feel very 70s in an uncomplimentary way without the fun color combinations or whimsy that art and general design of of that period may have had in the music or fashion spaces. They make me think of politics and war rather than the burgeoning sexual revolution of the time period.
Interestingly, for me, I feel like most typewriter design was often 10-20 years behind the general design aesthetic/zeitgeist for the particular decades in which they were made.
Good luck in your search for the right typewriter(s) for your own collection.
https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kppij9/blue_olivetti_valentine_how_rare_is_it/
In increasing order of rarity, the Olivetti Valentine was made in red, white, green, and blue.
Film: Typing on Robotron by [[Joe Van Cleave]]
You've got to love the "dancing hands" portion of the film which was such a product of it's timeperiod.
My first "rectangle annotation"! These apparently only appear in as an option on .pdf books?
