Select-A-Type

It was a dollar on eBay.

 Here is a radical/pi:

Shipping was free. Actually, shipping was a Forever stamp. So that's good.

We are all familiar with Smith-Corona's more popular changeable types, but here is Royal's version. It's not a changeable type as much as a changeable type bar. 

They look completely unused.

I don't have a typewriter that can use these, but I thought they were strange enough to hazard the bid. Further investigation led me to one small clue at the bottom of this advertisement from around 1956.

It reads:

Could these be the interchangeable type bars mentioned in the ad?

The logo on the case is the same that Royal used all through the McBee years especially on the Safari. I am guessing they are from the 50s or 60s. The "Select-A-Type" typeface makes me think 1950s.

My mind also started thinking about why you don't see more early electric typewriters around? In all these years I have maybe seen 5 Royal electrics from the 50s and only one of the colored versions. (I kick myself for not spending the $30 on it.) Where have all the electrics gone?

If anyone has some ideas as to what machine could use these interchangeable type bars, I would be interested in hearing from you. 

Updated Insurgency Image

Looking at the old image, I noticed there was a little halo of white around the outer black circle. I corrected this problem and it has made all the difference when the logo is on a dark background. So, please take it if you like.

4th Time Around

There must be something in the sunshine that makes this dry and dusty town a nexus for typewriter fans. The luck of the sun...or maybe the Irish was with us because the 4th Phoenix Type-In and Typewriter Round-Up had a record crowd. For softies like me there was an additional "awwww" factor with Jeremiah (10 years old) who had seen the type-in during a rerun of Bill Geist's typewriter story, begged his mom to go, and was committed to "stay to the end."

For Christmas he received a Sear Citation in an ice-white color scheme. It's a great machine and he seemed immensely proud to show it off to other collectors. He had a great time going around and trying out new and different typewriters. He was even lucky enough to go home with another machine in tow; a nice Lettera 32.

The regular mugs were there; Bill Wahl, Theodore, Tori, Brian, Robert, Matt, &c. But there were more than a few new faces including, Alexander, a teen collector who brought his Remington Quiet-Riter to show off.

In terms of typers that stole the show my Royal KMG with italic type was warmly received, but it was Bill Wahl's prewar Olympia desktop standard machine that caught my eye. Yowser! Talk about shiny.

Here are the pics:

This time the event seemed more private. There were no reporters there; just fans of the typewriter. I hope everyone had fun. Ted will be scanning in the sheets from the typewriters so keep an eye out on munk.org/typecast .

See You Today at the Type-In

NBC Filming

A crew from NBC was here today taking a few shots and interviewing some of my students about the typewriters. I have to say the two girls and two boys they interviewed were articulate and very impressive. I snapped this quick pic of the camera and lights. Whenever I find out the air date, I'll let you know.

Unfettered Eager Minds

Even with all the excitement over the 4th Phoenix Type-In, the CTP is still chugging along nicely. It's been a while since I have posted with updated information about the benefit of a typewriter in a classroom setting.

I've done stuff with spelling, and student opinions, but I thought it might be a hoot to look at output as an outcome. I have never subscribed to the "more is better" camp of thought. There is, however, a chance that typewritten output can be an evaluative component of student "on-typewriter" performance vis-a-vis handwritten activities.

I decided to take four random journal prompts from my class that has the highest typewriter user to student ratio; 2:3 for Period 2. I then set about counting the average number of words written by both hand and typewriter. The results were interesting:

Typewriters (students who typewrite their journals) were producing more words per journal than handwriters. Typing for composition is definitely faster than handwriting, but is it that much faster? Taking into account that my students are not touch typists and have a non-standard typing styles--owing to the prevalence to two-thumb typing--I find that the result is skewed in favor of something other than speed.

Speed, however, is a powerful metric. Typewriting allows ideas to be placed on paper at a rate commensurate with a thought process. Handwriting can slow things down although that might be a honorable intention in and of itself. Speed (as if speed and quanity equaled quality) was a major justification for kids using typewriters made by Royal, and other manufacturers, during period advertising.

Most of the research that supported the claims by Royal in this kind of advertising were conducted by two researchers; Ben Wood of Columbia and Frank Freeman of the University of Chicago. In 1929, funded by the typewriter industry, Wood and Freeman deployed thousands of typewriters in classrooms across the nation. 15,000 students and over 400 teachers were involved in the study. It was widespread and far-reaching and, ultimately, the results were positive. Wood and Freeman concluded that gains in all areas were measurable by the Standford Achievement Test and that spelling was a significant component of that.

"There is fairly consistent evidence that the typewriter's influence of spelling is more favorable than on any other subject tested in the Stanford Achievement Test" (Wood and Freeman, 1932).

The Classroom Typewriter Project data proved Wood and Feeman correct.

The only other reason for the data in the chart above might be a fun little indicator that made its debut appearance in the first typewriter survey I gave my students. The statment was; "Using a typewriter imparts more meaning to my writing." If a writer thinks that the act of typewriting is special, there would be an interest in fulfilling that preconceived notion and writing more. And in the case of a classroom filled with teenagers a lack of material is the greatest detriment to quality revision.

Type-In Geekery

The New Times Jackalope Ranch was kind enough to give the Phoenix Type-In scene another accolade in a recent post.

Justified!

ITAM is over, but it seems like Type-In season has just begun:

There is also this thing in Phoenix:

But back to the blog post. In my eternal quest for full typewriter justification, I found this little snippet:

The way that the attachment works is a mystery. From the description is seems that you note the number of spaces that remain on the line after typing. Some sort of pointer and ruler help you do this. In retyping, a knob s allows you to set the number of spaces to drop into the line to fully justify it. Maybe its something that fiddles with the spacer mechanism. The possibilities are very interesting. Maybe this is something that can be replicated if I channel my inner Thomas Edison.

4th Phoenix Type-in

Selectic Stairway to Heaven

It happened almost by accident; three IBM (Ee-bee-ems as Toddler Magic Margin calls them) Selectrics. The strangest thing is that they are all the same color. One, two, and three. The Right Reverent Munk has also seen a surfeit of Selectrics come his way, although his come with natty keys.  Mine are more...serious?...somber?...Blue Chip! All typewriters are welcome during ITAM!

Typewriter Restoration: It's a Messy Business Pt. 3

The plan was to be farther along with this restoration, but I think I heard a saying about the best laid plans...

I came away from this exploratory surgery with a fairly good idea of what was causing the wayward keytops. Unfortunately, the solution wasn't the button I found deep in the bowels of the typewriter. That would have been too easy.

It was something far more interesting; a pivot point.

The keytop arms of this particular typewriter are very long. The extend all the way into the back of the frame where they pivot. I think this is something well-known to Underwoods. Each bar has a small tab of metal that engages with a comb/pivot plane. An extended "Z" bar-like piece covers these tabs and the pivot comb allowing the arms to stay in place, but also move freely. Small springs add some push to the tops and keep everything aligned. In the picture below, I have removed the retaining bar for ease of viewing.

On this typer, several of the arms had worked their way out of the pivot comb. Their conspicuous absence can be noted above. This small change rendered the typewriter unusable. Here is a better view of the absent key bars:

The metal tabs were intact on both bars. I imagine if they were actually broken I would have a whole set of other problems, but they look good. The loose retaining bar might have contributed to them working out of their locations.

To fix I just formed the metal "Z" a little so there would be a tighter fit. I have yet to reinstall it, but I was thinking that oiling this point might make more trouble than it solves. There is no sign that oil was ever applied here and adding it at this juncture might cause the pivot points work loose even easier.

I am also fairly confident that the springs that are on the underside of the bars are important to alignment because they keep the keytop bar tabs pushed up firmly against the pivot comb. I have a few extras from a very bad donor machine.

I am getting closer to some of the more fun stuff, but without a solid working mechanism all the rest would just be window dressing.

Big and Little

While I place the finishing touches on the next installment of the Underwood restoration, I wanted to share two photos. These machines are contemporaneous to each other and share many stylistic choices. I like both of them for their sober gravitas.

This weekend has been very difficult. The final deadlines for yearbook came around the mountain and I had to spend a few longer nights going over pages. My yearbook kids are nice, but they can sometimes miss the small details. That means that I get the singular pleasure of going over every page to make sure that there is nothing amiss. The up-shot is that my brain is tired right now.

Oscar, You Are Fantastic

Mondays are always a little blah. My Monday became far less blah when one of my former students stopped by. He had something he found that he wanted to give to me.

The racy stripe was a giveaway.

It's a beautiful machine.

It's a litte dirty with eraser shavings and such, but it works well.

And getting a gift from a student is really nice. So, Oscar you are fantastic. Thank you!

I have not posted as much as I have wanted, but there are still many days left in ITAM. There have also been some interesting developments on the Underwood in the restoration series.

4th Phoenix Type-In

I am happy to announce that the date for the 4th Phoenix Type-In and Round-Up has been set. Again, Lux has kindly allowed us to host our event at thier famous "farmhouse" table.

Bill Whal from the Mesa Typewriter Exchange will be on-hand to diagnose youe typewriter woes and offer some sage advice.

I also wanted to use this post to soft-launch a new side-business of mine: Type the Knot. If you want to know more about this visit http://www.typetheknot.com The site is still in formation, but I wanted to share none-the-less.

Typewriter Restoration: It's a Messy Business Pt. 2

This is the second part of a multi-part post about the restoration of an Underwood Universal.

The last time I wrote about this Underwood I felt like it might just be an easy job. I could clean it and be on my way, but the typewriter gods do not look favorably on my enterprise. After looking a little closer I noticed that something was very much amiss with the 3/4 and slash key. You can see the problem below:

I don't know what happened but the entire coordinating linkage is not here. As you can see from this picture it causes the keytop to be "out of alignment" with the other keys. By "out of alignment" I mean completely akimbo. Moreover, the spring is missing on this lever. I have some spares and that will be a fun repair.

In addition to the dodgy 3/4 and slash key, the 'B' is in a similar state, but not nearly as extreme as the former. This linkage is missing a spring as well. We'll get into that repair very soon.

The rubber feet are missing. This is going to be a big problem. The rubber feet on the front had a hole through the center to allow for corresponding pegs to hold the front of the machine with friction. The rear feet seem fairly normal. I will have to find (or craft) something that would work.

 

This Universal features the Champion keytops that were more comfortable than the glass key variety. Some of the lettering is pretty grimy, and some of it is gone entirely. I would like to fill in the missing paint and probably replace the white lettering on all the keys.

Finally, I look at these decals and I can see how significantly they have flaked. The one on the paper table is particularly bad, but the touch control Touch Tuning is pretty crummy. I can tough them up using a gold pen, but I am on the hunt for gold foil decal paper and a special process. We'll see if there is anything I can find that might make these decals look close to original.

As for this Universal according to Ted's new Typewriter Database (http://www.typewriterdatabase.com) this machine was made between 1936 and 1937. Of course, the deco lines give it away instantly. 

The Universal was one of two new typewriters in the Typemaster line. A more enclosed case made for a safer machine and  reduced dust problems. The more enclosed machine also allowed for an increase in the sound-deadening material; a claim made in period advertising.

On a final note, the difference between a Champion and a Universal in these 1937 models? It's the paint and a tabulator. Universals are crinkle paint with no tabulator. Champions are gloss paint with a tabulator. Interesting, no?

Restoration: It's a Messy Business Pt. 1

Restoration is one of the fun things about collecting typewriters. You can take something that is a little rough and make it shine. I recently obtained an Underwood Universal and while it looks like it's in descent shape, I think it can look a little better.

In a series of posts I am going to take you step-by-step through the restoration process that I use to make this typewriter look awesome.

Let's start by looking at this particular Underwood Universal:

Part of the challenge for this restoration is the decal touch-up. I have a few new techniques I am going to try. I look forward to sharing all my tips and secrets with everyone in the Typosphere.

Next: Evaluation

Click, Clack, Moo: Typewriters at Play

Before the holiday I received an email from a co-worker about a special event hosted by the ASCC (Association for Supportive Child Care). The ASCC provides support to childcare providers and parents in Arizona. Yearly, the ASCC hosts a special event called Children at Play. A reception is held where children can participate in various activities related to a children's play produced by a local children's theater. Following the reception the children have a chance to view the play. This year, the play is based on a modern classic; "Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type."

If you have never read Doreen Cronin's Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type you are missing out on a really sweet children's story. Farmer Brown's cows find an old typewriter in the barn. Shortly after that missives listing various demands are found tacked to the barn door. Hilarity ensues.

I went to the web site to find out more about the event. As I read I started to think. I thought it would be nice to offer ASCC the use of several of my typewriters for their event. That is if they wanted them. I sent an email message and got a call right away. I guess the ASCC had been looking for typewriters, but were unable to find any to use. Well, I told them that I have more than a few typewriters and I would be happy to lend them. They accepted and now I have to gather a selection of typewriters that little kids can use. If anyone has any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below.

If you live in the valley and have kids this might be a fun family activity. More importantly, it will be a wonderful way of introducing young people to the exciting world of manual typewriters.

More information form the ASCC web site (click on the pic below to be taken to the site):

The Association for Supportive Child Care invites you to join us for our Annual Children at Play! Event, Saturday, February 2, 2013.

The Tempe Center for the Arts provides a picturesque backdrop as children and adults engage in a day of play. The event begins with a children’s reception featuring story telling, face-painting, science and crafts, close encounters with gentle animal friends – and much more!

Following the reception, families will enjoy an adaptation of the children's story,
"Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type," performed by Childsplay.

Proceeds from this event benefit the programs of the Association for Supportive Child Care which continue our mission to enhance the quality of care for Arizona's children.

TYPEWRITERS ∩ BOATS

The intersection of a Venn Diagram that contains the sets "TYPEWRITERS" and "BOATS" would contain the following images:

By way of Rob