The Time Is Now!

Big and Little Brother

As the semester winds down (we are three weeks from graduation) I have started to take inventory of machines both at home and school that I had all intentions of showing off here. I was thinking about this all the while looking at a very nice (if not dirty) Olympia SM-3 that I got a few weeks ago. There were two things that made it a pretty special little typewriter; the touch and the color.

Touch

I have one other SM-3 in sky blue. It's a great little machine, but for some reason the keys are a little stiff for my taste. They aren't pillowy like a Hermes 3000 (which I don't care for), but sluggish. It's very clean. That's not the problem. Even when the key tensioner is set to the lightest position it feels like I am typing through treacle. The green SM-3 as a totally different feel. It's lithe and very well balanced. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed typing on an SM-3. Maybe it's worn. Maybe there is something wrong, but it is really very good. Coincidentally, the only other green machine like this was brought to the latest Phoenix Type-In. It had much the same feel and it was green too. Hmm. I wonder if there is a connection between color and touch?

Color

There isn't much exciting about the color other than it matches the Beast of Wilhemshaven. They look like  a big and little brother.

It's Not My Hobby, but I Can Understand

In a box of some old things I came across this old altimeter:

I know nothing about it, but I was able to leverage the power of the Internet to find someone who does. Brian Karli blogs about the restoration of a 1918 (I think that's right) Curtiss Jenny airplane. His blog is filled with really interesting restoration information if you need to restore your antique Curtiss Jenny.

After emailing him out-of-the-blue he was kind enough to respond and give me some information about the altimeter. Apparently it comes from the late 'teens. Through my own scientific studies I have concluded that it works. (My home is about 1000 feet higher than where I work.)

As a collector of old precision equipment (typewriters) I can appreciate something like an antique altimeter. It's quality and construction were designed at a time when units sold was not the bottom line. A product was the public face of a company. If you make a bad product, your reputation was assuredly negative. But more than that, it's a piece of history that comes from the early days of flight. Pretty exciting.

The more I thought about it, the more I can understand people who have hobbies that seek to preserve the past. Preservation gives me a sense of continuity with the human experience. I can use a typewriter and feel part of a cultural guild; people who used typewriters. Computers and its compeer are devoid of this feeling. They are rootless machines. Feeling effective and efficient is nice, but there's more to life than efficacy. Art, timelessness, grace are all attributes that make life round and fleshy.

I've rambled too much. But if you are interested, take a look at Brian's blog. (Click image below.)

Simpy, A Zine

More Gifting

Now on Twitter

Another Restoration

So, by the picture below you can see that the next machine in my restoration queue is a Smith-Corona. I am in the process of eliminating some of the stickiness in a few of the keys. I have already tried PB Blaster, but there has been little improvement. The next option is a mechanical cleaning with a stiff toothbrush. The schedule for today is light, so I will have some time to devote to getting this one done.

A Nice Story

I was going to post a few more pics of the classroom and the kids using typewriters, but I was alerted to this little story that ran in Phoenix Union High School District's newsletter. It's a very nice little story.

Click on the picture for a larger view.

Keeping A Promise

I said that I would post something else about the SG-1 and it's amazing that it's done. It's been a crazy few days, but thinking about typewriters has calmed me down.

The Beast of Wilhemshaven

I had yet to post photos of the star of the type-in. This is it in all 45-ish pounds of glory.

I have more to tell about this wonderful typewriter, but before I do that I wanted to whet you appetite. needless to say it centers around a mystery and Sydney G. Finch.

Type-In Leftovers

These were the pages folks were using at the type-in. Some of what is written is meaningful. Some of it is just silliness. Other things are random. It's fun to read none-the-less. Think of these musings as public cooperative poetry.

Lux et Veritas

I just got wind of this really great article about the Type-In. Click the title below to be whisked away. Make sure to carriage return!

Typewriter enthusiasts gather for Type-In at Lux in Phoenix

I want to thank Megan Finnerty for such a great article. She really asked some great questions and really portrayed the essence of the Type-In.

The Best Type-In Yet!

Phoenix has cacti, hot sun, and one of the most exciting Type-In scenes around. 

The Type-In today was more than a success. I lost count of how many people showed up, instead focusing on circulating and talking to people.

We had reporters from the Arizona Republic and the local NBC affiliate, Channel 12, interviewing, filming, and photographing all the wonderful people who came out for the event.

When it came to machines, boy did we have some interesting ones. There was a Bennett, a Continental, a Swissa (Ted's), and a host of other machines. I brought the script Facit, an SG-1 with 16" inch carriage, and the US Navy Royal Arrow with radio mill typeface.

The staff of Lux were gracious and very kind. We had far more than anticipated, but they took it in great stride. I want to thank Jeff, the owner of Lux for his generosity. Also, Danielle, worked hard to make sure that we had want we needed.

Finally, Bill Walh deserves a big thanks. It was his word-of-mouth and constant Facebook efforts that get so many people there. It was very fun.

Type-In Today!

A Taste of the Type-In

I have been mulling over what three machines to bring to the Type-In. I have narrowed it down and these are the three. However, the pictures of the machines below are just teasers. To see them in their full glory, stop by Lux between 1p and 3p! Oh, by the way, bring a typewriter with you if you can!

[Archive] Type-In Tomorrow!

In case you were wondering, this is a post from a Type-In long past. However, you are in luck. There is a type-in happening this weekend (May 23rd, 2015) at Changing Hands on Central Ave. There's a blog post about it here:

http://www.magicmargin.net/2015/05/the-countdown-to-type-in-and-type-in.html

So, if you are free, check out the typewriter excitement.

This post seems to be popluar. That's great, but there is more detailed and newer information on the current March 6, 2013 type-in here:

http://www.magicmargin.net/2013/02/4th-phoenix-type-in_25.html

and here:

http://www.magicmargin.net/2013/02/4th-phoenix-type-in.html

Obviously, the Type-In happened and it was a great success. If you were there, thanks for coming. It was fun to see typewriter fans getting together and sharing their love of this wonderful machine. Keep an eye peeled for information about future Type-Ins!

March 31st Type-In Poster

I've just finished my version of a poster for the 3rd Phoenix Type-In. Feel free to down load the PDF (by clicking on the picture below) and distribute it to everyone you know! Hope to see you there!

Magic Kismet

Know 99 Typewriter Story

The City of Phoenix has an education channel called Know 99. It's very local and very fun to watch. Many of the students from the Cronkite School of Journalism at ASU produce segments and this is one. It fell on the heels of the CBS story and, honestly, I forgot about it. It's these kinds of local things that give me the most pleasure. CBS Sunday Morning was awesome, but when your local educational community recognizes something, it's really nice.

 

The awful thing about seeing yourself on TV (or in this case the internet) you can really see where you need to shed some pounds. So, if you excuse me, I need to run up and down the stairs while holding a couple of Royals.

A Tad O' the Green

This afternoon I spent a little time preparing a typewriter for a special young lady. Diana is Alhambra's valedictorian and I found out that she wanted a typewriter of her own. From what I gather, she had worked hard all year in a part-time job and her tax return was going to be used to buy the typewriter of her dreams. Well, I've seen what's out there and I was positive I had the perfect machine for her…and gratis too. She can keep the tax return. It's this Hermes 2000:

Wow, the iPad camera is pretty grainy in medium-light situations.

I really must get some better pictures tomorrow.

As it was in a fine condition when it came to me I only had to clean it up a little and throw a ribbon in it. 

This looks more green, but still sickly.

I had offered a few other machines, but it was the Hermes 2000 that she really wanted. Until I had the joy of getting this one ready for a new user, I was unaware of how lovely they are. This diminutive gem has a touch regulator and you can tune it quite nicely to your typing peccadilloes. I feel the touch is less "pillowy" than the Hermes 3000. It's not snappy, it's soft in the first half of the key press and then it thickens in the last half. It's quietly muffled like all Hermes are and is not distracting in the least. As one is inured to the rhythm and cadence required from the 2000– the commonest problem being skipped letters originating from the type bar segment antipodes– the experience becomes smooth and enjoyable. I have heard that the letter 'a' is a particular nuisance to our more ham-fisted Typospherians, but I have never had that sort of problem. 

While this post comes at the nadir of St. Patricks Day it is appropriate that this Typegrant is green. The greenness bends more to the mint and less to the kelly, but the sentiment is the same. And to honor those of Irish blood here is a link to a very interesting report by Michael Everton on Irish Typewriter Keyboards. This link comes by way of Richard Polt's very stimulating website. It's very interesting and there are samples of the typefaces too. Absolutely beautiful!

Royal Doire from
http://www.evertype.com/celtscript/type-keys.htm  

Yellow Typewriters are for Redhead Apple-Eating Geniuses

March 31st Type-In at Lux Coffeehouse