80 Years Later, Are We Still on ‘The Road to Serfdom’? by [[Rainer Zitelman]]

Ref. by PM

https://incowrimo.org/faqs/

Smith Corona Typewriter Keyboard Cork, Out of Place, Repair, Controls Key Top Height by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Typewriter Collection: IBM Typewriters by [[Erik Bruchez]]

https://mytypewriter.com/collections/qwerty/products/hello-qwerty-replacement-keytop-disc-set

https://www.reddit.com/r/AYearOfMythology/comments/1k4rhj8/translation_guide_the_history_of_the_kings_of/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l15xt2/1951_smith_corona_sterling_recovered_case/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l13zhf/if_anyone_is_interested_in_matlock_this_episode/

Matlock, "The Lovelorn"

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.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l090yl/to_paint_or_not_to_paint/

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

https://karlbusinessmachines.com/

https://karlbusinessmachines.com/pink-typewriters/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1l03oxd/stephentown_typewriter/

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

1. 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

2. 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).

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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".

7. Miscellaneous: I enjoy writing about typewriter collecting and repair to help out others: https://boffosocko.com/research/typewriter-collection/

via u/brianlpowers at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kzw0fk/your_typewriter_collection/?sort=old

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Webb

The Choice this Election is between Corporate and Oligarchic Power by [[Chris Hedges]]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesca_Gino

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.

Keanu Reeves via Keanu Reeves: 'I Worry That People Won't Like What I Do' by [[Cathryne Keller]] for Women's Health

https://parade.com/31899/parade/keanu-reeves-low-tech-life/

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

Users of the Royal HH typewriter included: William Buckley, Charles Bukowski, George Burns, Herb Caen, Truman Capote, Bruce Catton, Patty Chayefsky, Don DeLillo, Alice Denham, James T. Farrell, Paul Fussell, Hugh Hefner, Elia Kazan, Sterling North, Robert B. Parker, Sylvia Plath, Mario Puzo, Robert Penn Warren, Eudora Welty, and William Zinsser.

including photos via https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/typers.html

https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/typers.html

Users of the Royal FP included: Herb Caen, Peter De Vries, Stephen King, Melissa Ludtke, Frank O'Hara, and Morley Safer.

https://timpanogos.blog/2013/07/20/typewriter-of-the-moment-supermans-1950s-television/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kxfxhw/from_the_1950s_superman_live_action_show/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eversharp

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]]

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kwp3jc/i_wish_someone_looked_at_my_typewriter_like/

Underwood Touchmaster 5 Typewriter Tabulator Decelerator Demo Operation by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

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 ad, p. 58

https://archive.org/details/sim_newsweek-us_1948-10-04_32_14/page/58/mode/2up

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.

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.

https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kwlywm/typewriter_ribbon_einker/

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.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kvufqw/repair_on_olympia_socialite_plastic_case/#lightbox

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.ikea.com/us/en/p/fabrikoer-glass-door-cabinet-black-blue-00363171/

$159.99 on 2025-05-25

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kvhyol/anybody_else_used_these/

NOS Scotch Typewriter Cleaner No. 575

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/1i26bu3/new_typewriter_display_case/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kukxjf/another_cotton_vs_nylon_ribbon_comparison/

cotton typewriter ribbon vs. nylon typewriter ribbon

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ktb7ty/what_are_the_rules_of_typewriter_club/?sort=new

The Rules of Typewriter Club

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."

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ksx0qy/adhesive_to_fix_peeling_covering_on_cases/

https://newenglandtypewriter.com/about-us

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.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PUYEJB2/

Sarah Everett suggests using a saw to turn Phillips head screws into a flat head screw if they've been stripped.

Confidence is a (the?) key ingredient of typewriter repair.

rofl!

curious, but common phrase "needed cleaned"...

Appalachian dialect?

via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3xNRlLd1-c

Smith Corona H Electronic Typewriter Repair High Pitch Buzz Rattle Disassemble Fix by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Thought-Ruminations-Alton-Brown/dp/1668064219/

8 questions for Alton Brown who is coming to the Riverside, Boswell Books by [[Molly Snyder]], Published Apr 15, 2025 at 1:01 PM

In 2025, Alton Brown indicated that he owned 15 typewriters.

https://typecast.munk.org/2016/06/15/stephen-colberts-typewriter-alton-brown/

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.

https://theantikeychop.tumblr.com/post/32045053525/alton-brown-and-his-beloved-hermes-3000

via https://www.facebook.com/altonbrown/posts/behold-the-sublime-hermes-3000-still-my-favorite-writing-device/1150346998328240/

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?)

u/gojenjen84

https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kt68ld/are_you_my_type_typewriter_celebration/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ktm3fk/typewriter_regret/

Hurtling into posthumanism by [[Richard Polt]]

May 2025 Cherry Hills Library Type-In by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1krwn5c/ibm_selectric_with_strange_typ_ball/

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.

Finding Forrester: The Key to Writing

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1k0q8ep/olivetti_studio_44_case_lock_mechanism/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kp9cye/any_guesses_on_how_these_springs_go_back_together/

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?

The Californian Ideology by [[Richard Barbrook]], and [[Andy Cameron]] on 1 September 1995

https://www.streetdirectory.com/lyricadvisor/song/wewuul/whitey_on_the_moon/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/typewritermaintenance/posts/4083165991920819/

Kenneth Alexander begins tearing down a Hermes 3000 typewriter for servicing.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ko3vju/typewriters_and_music/

https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ko6mbi/olivetti_typefaces/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1knq0b3/they_all_have_a_home/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGwrm0jtvKV/

Walmart workers are one of the largest consumers of American social service programs.

reply to u/Omega48boar at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1knsgn8/pressure/

I was wondering what the upper limit psi would be for blowing out the gunk using an air compressor.

The highest air compressor pressures may be determined by your particular compressor's (or air canister's) maximum output as well as the maximum suggested output for any accessories you're attaching to it. Many basic air gun attachments have a max PSI of around 100 PSI even when the compressor will produce much higher outputs.

Generally I find that for most benchwork on typewriters anywhere from 50-100 PSI is generally more than sufficient.

Depending on the condition of your surroundings, I recommend putting a towel (or similar material) underneath your typewriter with a solid backstop so that if any springs, screws, or other valuable parts are blown loose, they're caught pretty quickly by the towel rather than flying across the room or down onto the floor out of sight.

Higher pressure settings may be useful in some cases. One should always take care to be wearing protective garments and eyewear to prevent being spattered with caustic chemicals. Similarly protecting plastics, paint, and decals on your typewriter with appropriate cover is advised with some solvents.

Operating the compressor, which can cause sparks as well as heat, at a reasonable distance from potential flammable vapors is also a mandatory safety precaution. Using volatile solvents frequently seen in typewriter cleaning procedures should only be done in the open in a well-ventilated area using appropriate masks to prevent inhalation of vapors. Long term exposure to vapors of substances like lacquer thinner can cause lung damage, COPD, and other adverse health effects.

For extended usage pending the sorts of air gun tips which might be used for typewriter cleaning, one is also well advised to use ear protection to prevent long term hearing damage/loss.

https://typewritermuse.com/ <br /> Bob Marshall

Gil Scott-Heron

Sierra Madre Firefighters Quickly Contain Vehicle Fire

Evie said she saw/was aware of this at school.

The Typewriter: A Graphic History of the Beloved Machine by [[Janine Vangool]]

Everyone mentioned most of the usual tricks, but one.

To get your sticky typewriter keys working again, while you're flushing out the segment with your solvent of choice (lacquer thinner, paint thinner, mineral spirits, alcohol, etc.), actually move the typebars using the keys or by other means. This will help to get them moving and allow the solvent and subsequently compressed air to help flush the oil, dust, hair, etc. out of your machine. You've already got a mechanical cleaning device of sorts (the typebar itself) inside the segment, so move it while you're flushing it out!

It may take a few repeated treatments/attempts to get it all clear for all the keys, but it's far easier than taking everything apart.

reply to u/nogaesallowed at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cp75ln/how_do_you_clean_a_1mm_gap/

People were recommending all sorts of ideas and solvents here, including folded card stock, tooth brushes, floss, toothpicks, interdental brushes, wood cuticle sticks, Swiss Army knife tweezers, microbrushes, and even an ultrasonic cleaner.

SCM Electric Typewriters by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Tips for cleaning the Smith-Corona 6 series electric typewriters and details about how they work.

S-C also made this series of typewriter for both Sears and Singer under their branding. (including the Singer Electric in this video.)

The belts on the electric motor and cams was originally a rubber 'V' belt which is no longer manufactured. Using 1/8" round cross-section o-rings of appropriate sizes (for water cannister applications) is the recommended replacement, however one may need to slightly move the drive motor down a bit so that the belt doesn't hit the frame of the typewriter and thereby destroying it over time.

Cleaning and lubricating the drive motors and moving pieces before using may help before trying out a typewriter which has been sitting for long periods of time.

Some later models had an electric return, which can tend to be violent. Electro 220 and Coronet Automatic 12 have an additional clutch and draw band (and lack of return lever on the carriage) for their electric returns.

https://www.instagram.com/marcivogel2/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rehbinder_effect

can be leveraged to cut glass and make flint easier to chip off (Indigenous peoples used a variation of this to create arrowheads - source?)

u/tinyrooster is in the Pasadena, CA area

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1kk35vo/comment/mrsd3yc/?context=3

reply to u/letsjustwrite and u/CowCommercial1992 at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1iilo0f/re_inking_ribbons/

None of these are really prohibitively expensive, especially when purchased in bulk. Both Baco Ribbon and Fine Line offer black/red bichrome ribbon in most of these materials for a very reasonable price:

• nylon ribbon $0.10 - $0.15/yard
• silk ribobn $0.33 to $0.40/yard
• cotton ribbon $0.25/yard

If you're going to buy even 3-6 spools of ribbon at individual prices of $9-20 per spool, you may as well make the investment in a half or full reel of inked typewriter ribbon and save yourself a lot of hassle. My guess is that if you're buying your own ribbon in small quantities, you're going to pay even more than these prices to have uninked ribbon. Unless you have some serious equipment and technique, you're highly unlikely to be able to ink your own bichrome ribbon, so you're stuck with monochrome.

While using ink stamp pads is "doable", it's a lot of work for a very poor result.

I've yet to hear of more than a very tiny handful of people who are interested in the art or process of this to bother with attempting to re-ink typewriter ribbon, silk or otherwise. Generally, if they do it for any reason (other than the one time "fun of it"), it's for environmental reasons rather than pricing ones.

As an inveterate tinkerer, I've tried some of my own re-inking experiments to very mixed results. I've given up bespoke ribbon for bulk purchases.

Testing Cotton Ribbons- Typewriter Ribbon Test!! by [[Just My Typewriter]]