Olivetti-Underwood 21

No, those are baby hands.

The Journals Go To...

Last Chance to Win a Rhodia Journal!

Today is the last day you can "Comment-To-Win" a Rhodia journal. Tomorrow the winners will be announced. Can you stand the excitement? Click on the picture to the right to enter!

Fine Purchase

Class has started again, and the kids are typing away. I have some other student typecasts that I never quite got posted. I am going to post them as a static page. They are a hoot to read and I want them to be read.


Fiscal Plan? Fun Payroll? Fire Peons? All business!

The Purchase to which I allude is actually a Royal FP. This massive machine is going to be set up in a corner of the classroom for anyone who would want some time alone with their thoughts. I am slowly working on having every Royal desktop standard in my class. This is a crazy goal, but goals are good to have. I have the HH (more for my use) and now this FP. I love that the desktops are so much cheaper than their portable counterparts. Another benefit is that I have the space and audience to justify their addition to the collection. Desktops have always appealed to me.

Perhaps it is their girth and weight. Perhaps it is the comforting thought that the weight of a desktop could prove an asset were we, for example, invaded by Visigoths from the east. Just take to the top of your crenelated tower and hurl KKMs, FPs, and HHs. Nothing stops a Visigoth like a FP to the head.



Without jest, desktops are wonderful to use. They can be fast (if you're fast), tough, and incredibly dependable. If you have just one standard desktop, make it a Royal.

This specimen is in good shape, however something strange seems to have happened to the escapement in transport to school. I am sure that there was some preexisting condition. I've called our Man in Mesa for a consult and it will be on its way to MTE as soon as possible.

In the interim, please enjoy the pictures. Also don't forget to enter your comment for a chance to win a nice Rhodia stapled journal. In the stores this very journal retails for money. Click on this sentence to be taken to the post.





Look upon my badge, ye mighty, and despair.

A sleeping corporate giant.

Rhodia Giveaway!

The Prize


 

Local AZ Typewriter Coverage

Bill Walh, Owner, operator, and heir of the Mesa
Typewriter Exchange.

This story about the Mesa (AZ) Typewriter Exchange ran in today's East Valley Tribune. I had the pleasure of visiting Bill's shop last Thursday. Ted was also interviewed for the story. Take a look by clicking this sentence.

Crass Commercialism Rises Again

Look to the right. No, not in reality. On the computer screen. See the pages listed under the CTP logo? At the bottom it says "For Sale." The link is nor for sale, but the typewriter described therein is. Take a look. The SC-Silent w/Orator Typeface has found a new home. Keep an eye peeled for other wonderful machines that might be "For Sale."

Keep Them Flying

More poster silliness. This one's not so forceful.

UPDATE: Corrected spelling of "aid."

Take Up the Glorious Cause!

Just a little, light-hearted poster. Please, pardon my amateurish computer skills. If you want a high-res PDF, let me know. If there is enough interest I'll put a link to it. 

A Viral Typosphere

Mike Clemens mentioned this idea and I ran with it. If you see a lonely looking typewriter at an antique mall, Goodwill, or thrift store feed one of these pages into the machine. Then, walk away. Inquisitive people will definitely read the page and this might pique their interest in the Typosphere. Fun idea, huh?

I do not recommend that you bother people or get into trouble over this. The idea is definitely more surreptitious that a poster, card, or website, but it can be a fun little discovery for the person who buys that typewriter you pass up. Feel free to adapt the format to your aesthetic or regional tastes. I have linked two different versions. One is geared for Arizona, the other is more generic.

Click on Arizona
Click on World

N.B. There is no image on the bottom half because the page is meant to be fed into a typewriter.

The Original Retro-Tech

The Scent of Spring

If you are interested in seeing the Arrow post click on this sentence.

You Should Buy This

I found this underwood on Phoenix Craigslist. It would be wonderful for a budding typewriter collector. $30

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/atq/2258171458.html

typosphere.net

Growth

On a similar note, Mike Clemens has started an interesting blog that will eventually become a directory of the Typosphere. The page is located at: http://typosphere.blogspot.com/

The Phoenix Type-In Remembered

The Phoenix Typewriter Round-Up was a success. All told, 6 typewriter lovers ventured into the heart of Phoenix and enjoyed each other's company. I was excited to see so many typewriters from so many time periods at the event. Everyone had a chance to see and use a typewriter or two that were completely novel.

Particularly, I was taken by the mechanism of the Blickensderfer. Playing with it I was able to see how the designers were able to use a single type element. Looking at pictures does not compare to looking at it closely. The mechanism is simply magical. If you ever have the chance to see one in person you will spend hours being mesmerized by that rotating element. To think that it was designed and made without the aide of computers! It's simply amazing.

Everyone shared how they became interested in typewriters. There was a common thread in all the stories; everyone started with just one special machine that grabbed their imagination.

We had a lively discussion centered around my post-war QDL and the Aristocrat that came with Jim. And Bill shared a story with me on how he came by several machines that have connections to local history. We both shared an interest in tracking down Don Boles' typewriter.

I hadn't the heart to do a door prize drawing, so everyone who came to the event went home with either some carbon paper or a typewriter eraser.

We had no members of the press there. I had gone and invited every reporter, editor, Lit. Professor, coffee house barista, and hipster I could find, but not a nibble. Not the result I had wanted, but press overage was not the reason for this event. We wanted to celebrate the typewriter.

The food at Hula's was very tasty. I had the Spicy Tofu Tacos. Delicious! I do have to say that Hula's staff was very accommodating. They allowed us to have two very long tables which worked perfectly for our needs.

Will there be another Type-In in Phoenix? There seemed to be interest. While I think about how I could make that happen, take a look at some more pictures.

Bill, Marshall, Jim, and Ted's arm.

P.S. Ted Munk was kind enough to bring an Olympia SM-9 for the CTP. His name will be added to our roll of illustrious benefactors.

P.P.S. I should have taken a few more pics. Maybe I'll sneak a few from Ted's blog. He's too interested in typewriters to notice.

Typewriter Round-Up Pics

I will post a narrative soon, but in the meantime enjoy some of these great machines...

I have more pics that I'll share later this evening. It was a really great event.

Today is the Day!

I look forward to meeting everyone at the Typewriter Round-Up (Type-In). I've gone ahead and embedded a map of the location of the event in this blog post. As things develop over the day I'll  continue to post. But, in case you need the address of Hula's here it is:

Hula's Modern Tiki

4700 North Central Ave.

Phoenix, AZ 85012

Remember that Central is now home to the Metro light rail and the road is now divided by tracks. Hula's is on the west side of the street, so it is easiest co come from the north.

View Larger Map

I will also make sure to bring my camera to capture the historic event.

Countdown!

well, with that in mind, I thought it would be smart of me to think about the typewriters I plan on bringing. Obviously, my pride an joy, the Royal Quiet Deluxe should be allowed an outing. Normally it sits on the shelf looking pretty, but tomorrow it'll be hitting the town. The blue Olympia SM3 will be tagging along as well. The color is wonderful and the condition is nice. It will juxtapose perfectly against the black QDL. Finally, after much hemming and hawing, I am going to bring the 1969 Hermes 3000. It is going to serve as the official guest book. This Hermes is not a looker, but it is a good solid performer that has yet to fail me. As people arrive, they can type-in a message. 

Tonight and tomorrow I plan on assembling all the stuff I'll need for the event. I completely forgot the modest door prizes at school. I'll have to make a small trip back to get everything, but that's no biggie. I am getting seriously excited. 

On a wonderful note, Georganne, the proprietress of Frances Vintage (a wonderful boutique in Phoenix) was kind enough to post the flier for the Round-Up on her blog. Take a look. I've been to Frances and it is simply the best place to buy a gift for the significant woman in your life. There are things with frills and adornments!  

Two Days To Go

Please Pardon the Indulgence

ITAM has been wonderful. I've had the chance to write a few letters, get a few letters, and just enjoy typewriters. Others have posted their collections and, as my last ITAM post, I am going to share my personal collection of typewriters.

Of course, you know that the classroom has quite a few typewriters. The classroom machines are (incompletely) recorded on the "Our Typewriters" page, but I wanted to write about my personal collection. These are the typewriters that I have displayed at home. They are too special to me to risk bringing in the classroom. There are only four because I promised my wife that I wouldn't clutter the house up with typewriters.

Left: (1) Royal Arrow 1941, Right: (2) Blue Olympia SM-3 1959

Left: (3) Royal Quiet De Luxe 1946, Right: (4) Remington Remette 1942

1. Royal Arrow 1941

This is the newest to my personal collection. As I mentioned in earlier posts, this particular machine was incredibly dirty. The Arrow was the first typewriter which I dunked into a basin of warmish water. I had tried just penetrating oil, but there was so much grime and dust it wouldn't clean up. In a fit I decided to throw caution to the wind and dunk it into water, dried it in the oven, and oiled while warm. The water was able to get into all the nooks and crannies. It did wonders for the mechanism. However, there are two small problems. First, I cannot stop the Y from sticking. It's clearly not gunk, but some part of the linkage won't let the typebar return upon striking the platen. Second, the touch control is very hard to move. I took care to take pictures during the disassembly, but for some reason the touch control is stiff and difficult to move. The slider is set where I like it, so I have no problems with the current situation. I am pretty impressed with my own restoration.

2. Blue Olympia SM-3 1959

I love this typewriter because it's blue and it matches with our Heywood-Wakefield themed office. In all the Craigslist ads and dodgy eBay auctions I've seen few Olympias have been blue. No doubt it's not rare. It's just a little special. The picture does not do it justice. The blue is very nice, like a robin's egg.

3. Royal Quiet De Luxe 1946

This is the first typewriter I ever bought. It's special for that reason alone, but I've been spoiled by the condition of this machine. It was well loved and always stored in the case. There was almost no dust. It's life was spent in Arizona and there is no damage from moisture. The only thing that could be improved is the platen. Now that I have experience removing it, I might send it off to Ames for recovering.

4. Remington Remette 1942

This was a Goodwill find. I think it was $10 all told. Cosmetically, it's very nice. Mechanically, it's junk. The Remette uses a very interesting geared linkage. It made it possible to have the typebars resting at a very low angle. The low angle eliminates the need for a mechanism to raise the typebars to a 45%. This kept the cost of the machine down. It may look like a depression-era waste, but it really works. That is, of course, if you don't break the J gear linkage while trying to bend it back into place. Yes, I am that stupid. I thought that I could silver solder it back together, but I would need to disassemble the entire typebar segment block. I don't know how to do that or if I would want to do that. This Remette sits on our shelf and looks pretty. If I find another one, I'll just swap the body plates. 

I hope that you've enjoyed looking at my typewriters. I don't have nearly as many as others, but I do have the option of trying one out for a while and then taking it to school for the kids to use. Poor me.

Note: I staged the photos. Each of the typewriters has a special place in the house. I put them all together for ease of photography. 

Making History

Did you know that March 5th will mark the single largest gathering of typewriter enthusiasts in the storied 99-year history of Arizona?  It's true. Come and be a part of history. Bring a typewriter. Bring a story.

Clean Arrow

Last night, while watching Dowton Abbey (a miniseries about a noble Edwardian family), I reassembled a 1942 Royal Arrow. Shined and polished, here are the results:

The Invasion of The Big Roll of Paper

I was able to find a little inspiration and start working on a short story featuring a library, a 40s Royal Quiet De Luxe, and some near-future speculative fiction.

"Bow Arts" is an intentional mistake. I know it's Beaux Arts.
All part of a cunning plot twist.



Found!

Apart from the very low quality typecast (sentence fluency and conventions) I am happy I found the badge. I had looked into fabbing one through Ponko. I started tracing a photo of the ghostly glue residue. That's not necessary now. All is right.

Heavy Is the Head that Wears the Crown

When you are gone from your classroom you come back to this kind of cruelty. It was a defenseless typewriter. The trouble-maker and badge location are unknown.

Arrow Unsheathed

The baby was ill, so I stayed home with him today. During a long nap, I took the dog outside and decided to start cleaning the Arrow. The weather is warm and working outside was nice. I really don't want to remove the platen to clean the machine. It is dirty, but the platen and carriage is significantly cleaner than the body. The plan it to have it clean before the Phoenix Typewriter Round-Up which is happening on March 5th. If I can't get it done before that, I have plenty of other typewriters that I can bring.

Happy Olivetti Valentine Day

Arrow of Royal*

This weekend the whole family was ill, but there was an typewriter arrival to take my mind off the mayhem. This machine, as I understand it, represents the middle of Royal's portable line. The Quiet De Luxe had the most features. The Companion was the most inexpensive. This typewriter was a popular combination of features and price. It is the Royal:

The Arrow was a QDL minus the tabulator and chrome trim around the ribbon cover. It was a popular machine and is fairly easy to find today. This one came from eBay and was very inexpensive. It cost more to ship it that I paid for it. Take a look at that "Arrow" logo. It just screams post-war speed.

This Arrow is in an absolutely filthy state, but it was only a few dollars. Under the dirt, grime, and niter there is a very nice machine. Regardless, It's going to take some time to clean up and I am going to love every minute. 

Look Ma, no tabulator!

It must have been kept in a very damp environment, but there seems to be very little water damage to anything. The only hint to the atmospheric humidity of the previous location is the felt on the typebar rest. It's a little moldy. The mold seems to be fairly old because nothing feels damp. The chrome is bright and the keytop paper inserts are clean and flat. 

After some elbow grease I'll have a shiny new Arrow. I don't know if this one will make it full-time into the classroom. It might go on rotation with some other rarer machines. 

* A terrible, artless allusion to Achebe's third novel.

Comical Paper





I promised to include a picture of this several posts ago.

Emily Post Post

As I gather addresses to start writing my own letters, my thoughts have turned to the stationery that I want to use. The problem is that I have no stationery, at least none that is fine enough for ITAM. You always see nice stationery folded in half in old movies. I like that look. For this particular social grace I needed some expert advice. Emily to the rescue:

Whew! Thank goodness Emily was there. I was considering some comically large paper, or something decidedly liberal, but she has talked me down off that ledge. The Age of Innocence plays over and over in my mind as I look at all these rules. (Good movie from a greater book.) Without the internet, I suppose that people had more time for social rules and propriety. I particularly love that these paper sizes are nothing like American Letter sized paper. 8 1/2 x 11 is too cold and impersonal a size for a letter. I don't want to be reminded of a bill or my City of Phoenix water statement; I want a letter from a friend.

From my research only Crane offers paper in something similar to these traditional sizes. The hand-bordered Regent Blue Ecruwhite letter sheets are a perfectly respectable 6 3/8 x 8 1/2. The Ecruwhite Letter Sheets are in a similar vein.

Crane also offers a Monarch sheet (7 1/4 x 10 1/2). That size paper is intended to be folded in thirds. I don't like paper folded in thirds. If there is another company that offers paper and envelopes in matching paper I would be interested, but this seems to be an expensive, all-cotton, niche product.