Writing Ball

Senta model 4

2012-03-05T16:50:00.000-05:00

Tension adjustment:

Keyboard lock:

Adwoa's Fraktur Senta

Good Companionship

2012-02-28T14:21:00.003-05:00

Rob's manual for the Good Companion 5

Robert Messenger on Torpedos: Is the first typewriter pictured here the ancestor of the GC5? One thing is certain: the GC5 does not match a Torpedo 18 of the late '50s -- I compared them side by side, and they use very different leverage systems.

Notes from a virtual type-in

2012-02-23T16:54:00.004-05:00

Typewriters animate and inanimate

2012-02-20T23:47:00.002-05:00

Typewriters in Finnegans Wake

2012-02-17T12:20:00.001-05:00

Student reflections on typewriting (II)

2012-02-16T12:28:00.000-05:00

Here is another student's essay about typewriting. (Both students used a Lettera 22 to type a class presentation; this student chose to use the same machine to write about the typing experience.)

Student reflections on typewriting

2012-02-14T10:33:00.001-05:00

Students in my seminar this semester have the option of writing a presentation by typewriter and reflecting on the experience, as one of their "communications exercises." Here is one student's reflection, posted anonymously with her permission.

When using the typewriter, even just for this brief period of time, I became acutely aware of my writing process and my dependence on modern computers. I first wrote my presentation with my laptop to act as a visual aid as I embarked into unfamiliar territory. The first thing I noticed was how hard it was to write comfortably with the typewriter. Since my laptop has a flat keyboard, my hands tend to be lazy and droop on to the keyboard, as well as the table. But, in this writing position I can write efficiently and quickly.

The typewriter is a totally different beast. It is impossible to have lazy hands when using this machine because there is no ledge for them to rest. Because the keys protrude vertically from the base, I found myself having to adjust my posture in order to use the keys properly-- there is no slouching when typewriting! Also, the keys on the typewriter are not unified on a board, as they are in a computer. Since each key is separate from one another, it prohibited me from being able to type quickly because my fingers had to firmly press down, release the key and move to the next key. In contrast, my fingers have the ability to slide fluidly, tapping the necessary keys across my laptop. For these reasons, I was forced to adapt my physical writing style to the new conditions.

Beyond the physical differences, I found that my thought process was different too. My academic writing style in always in flux: sometimes I write my conclusion first, or maybe I’ll pick out an important quote from the book and analyze it before I begin to write a cohesive paper on that book, and other times I write in a hurry and edit and revise accordingly. Even though I already wrote the paper, I found myself making corrections and shifting around sentences as I transfered my thoughts to the typewriter. I think this happened because I would read a couple sentences out loud to become familiar with the words so I would not have to keep checking my paper for the next word. By reading aloud, I was able to recognize awkward sentences or thoughts that required more explanation. The typewriter evoked a sense of permanency, there is no “delete” key so I was very cautious that each word was in best order possible.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience of the typewriter because it made me more aware of how I write, also, it made me appreciate what it must have been like for my parents to use it on a regular basis. Another thing that I enjoyed about the typewriter was how it was possible to see the keys moving and striking the paper leaving an imprint. It reminded of when a grand piano has its top open and you can observe the way different keys make the various sounds. Because I could witness the way the machine placed my words on the paper, I felt more connected to the typewriter than my computer-- I have not felt that connection with technology before. However, when I played the saxophone many years ago I had a similar experience, and using the typewriter was refreshing because I felt like that again. The typewriter, like the saxophone, felt more like an extension of myself, like a tool that could express my thoughts in a different way than just speech. Even though I missed my laptop because it took me a while to type my paper, I am glad that I was able to experience an old technology that was new to me.

Pocketcast: Sharp Memowriter

2012-02-12T09:27:00.003-05:00

The Memowriter is a calculator combined with a 3-row "regulation" QWERTY keyboard and a tiny dot-matrix printer. I was amazed to find that the little ribbons for the printer (Epson ERC-05B ribbons) are still readily available. The one-pound device runs on an adaptor and also has an internal rechargeable battery pack, allowing it to store 40 "word memories" -- 17-character files that can be consulted as digital reminders.

In essence, the Memowriter is a rudimentary personal computer. It has two built-in apps: the calculator and the word processor. You can create files, modify them, and print them.

Here's a short video of the Memowriter writing "TYPOSPHERE 2012" (filmed and uploaded to YouTube with my iPad).

Here are two 1981 ads for the Memowriter. The first one refers to only 8 "memory registers, with an input total of 120 characters" (i.e. 15 characters per file). The second ad (Popular Science, October 1981) refers to 40 files with 17 characters each, which is the arrangement on my Memowriter. The gadget was not cheap: its price in the ad is $129.95 (over $300 in today's money).

Notice the claim in the second ad that the gadget is "a lot of fun." That's essential. Is it actually more practical to use the Memowriter than to handwrite some notes on a conventional calculator printout? No. But is it more fun? Sure! Especially if you're a nerd... This machine brings back some of the feelings I had when I got my first digital device: in the late '70s my grandmother gave me a Casio watch with LCD screen, alarm, and stopwatch. It was pure magic!

I found these very schematic instructions online, but a full instruction manual would be nice to have. Notice that they are for the EL-7000; mine is the EL-7001. I don't know how they differ.

Isn't this "mobile device" cooler than a smartphone? Hey, you could even tweet with it. Print a 48-character tweet and mail it to your "follower." Nifty! (A computer scientist at my university speculates that some hacker could rig this device up to connect to Twitter.)

Sharp, by the way, also made (and still makes) many conventional calculators. For years they also manufactured full-sized electronic typewriters, but no more.

So why do I say that the Memowriter wasn't really the world's first pocket typewriter? Well, as collectors know, in 1907 the Junior came on the scene, a little mechanical typewheel typewriter that was only a little bigger than the Sharp Memowriter, and a lot better: it was faster, it wrote on full-sized paper, and it could type lowercase, uppercase, and figures. The Junior used an ink roller; its more popular successor, the Bennett, used a ribbon. (Photo: Wim Van Rompuy collection.)

So were these the world's first pocket typewriters? Not at all! Just ask Benjamin Livermore...he invented a pocket typewriter before the US Civil War!

Click on Mr. Livermore to read an article (PDF, 3MB) about his invention by Jos Legrand (first published in ETCetera no. 81). I wish I could have known Livermore; he and his relatives look like the happiest folks you are likely to find in any 19th-century photographs.

Super-Speed

2012-02-08T11:45:00.001-05:00

PS: OK, the alignment needs a little work ...

The Case of the Mutant Typewriter

2012-02-06T10:56:00.000-05:00

New York Times story: "The Bookstore's Last Stand"

Hangman

2012-02-02T13:19:00.007-05:00

Sorry about this, I've been reading Derrida.

2012-01-31T13:16:00.000-05:00

Pelvin D-Lux Tats!

2012-01-28T20:12:00.000-05:00

So you were won over by the dazzling good looks and cutting-edge high tech of the Pelvin D-Lux? Then you'll want to join Angelina and get a [temporary] Pelvin tattoo! Yes, they exist already, and I've got four of them to give away.

In order to get one, you just have to be one of the first four people to comment on this post with something a tough typospherian might say. We tattooed people are tough, after all.

Pelvin D-Lux

2012-01-27T14:46:00.000-05:00

It's Written in Your Hands ...

2012-01-25T19:07:00.000-05:00

Here's a lovely advertising insert from a vintage Pelikan typewriter ribbon. (Thanks to Bill M for the tip on it!) What a luscious product: a bakelite round box with a golden top that unscrews, embossed with the Pelikan logo; a metal Olivetti spool wrapped in foil, again with the logo; a clever uninked end of the silk ribbon; and best of all, this fanfold advertising. Unwrapping this ribbon was like unwrapping gourmet chocolate. I would guess that this dates from the early '60s; how about you?

Wirtschaftswunder: The Taylorix Contofix Junior

2012-01-22T18:53:00.001-05:00

My original entry on the Taylorix Contofix

After typing this, I read up a bit on the Marshall Plan, and it seems that many today argue that it should not be given too much credit for the Wirtschaftswunder.

Here is some information on Frederick Winslow Taylor, whose theories seem to have inspired the Taylorix company to develop its bookkeeping systems and invent typewriter attachments to help with keeping business records.

But let me take you on a tour of this extraordinary, eggshell-blue business machine ...

The attachment on top of the machine tilts back when you push a release lever on its left end ...

... and it can then be removed altogether just by sliding it to the right, leaving an almost-normal typewriter:

Unfortunately the oval plastic Taylorix logo is missing from this machine. Otherwise it's in good condition and just needed a thorough cleaning. Notice the Deutsche Mark symbol on the keyboard and a mysterious key next to the right shift key. I'll return to that ...

Let's take off the ribbon cover ...

... and the whole exterior shell!

This striptease is fairly easy on a late Voss, which allows you to remove its exoskeleton without any tools, just unhooking some hooks and doing a little typewriter wrestling.

Here's the attachment. Its purpose seems to be to feed forms, possibly fanfold forms, through the typewriter, and to allow you to read them easily as you are filling them out.

Here's a rear view of the Contofix with its clothes back on and its formfeed attachment on.

The paper slides into two adjustable paper holders. When you push down on the large lever on the left side of the attachment, it quickly pulls the paper through the rollers that are directly beneath the paper holders.

It is then possible to feed the paper into the front of the platen. Is this what you're supposed to do? I'm not 100% sure.

The machine is ready for typing. Typing, in this position, is noisy because the paper isn't flat against the platen and it makes popping sounds as you type. Every time you return the carriage, the paper is pulled up a bit farther into the formfeed attachment.

You can push the long horizontal plastic shield down, presumably for better visibility. But why do you need the shield in the first place?

Now here's a complication. With the formfeed attachment off, you can see that if you lift up the erasing table (not possible on a normal Voss), you reveal little metal feed rollers, suggesting that the paper is meant to pass through there. But why? I can't figure out a paper path that uses all the features of the carriage and the formfeed attachment. Probably the typewriter was intended for two different uses. If I had the forms they were using, I might understand better.

The left end of the carriage and the attachment is sheer industrial beauty ...

Now, back to that extra little key next to the right shift key:

... when you press it down it locks in position , extending a spring (the big spring on the right in the photo below) that helps to pull the carriage upwards. Without the spring, the weight of the formfeed attachment makes shifting far too difficult. But when you don't have the attachment on, you want to release the spring (pulling forward on the metal tab to the right of the /& key) -- otherwise the carriage will stick in the upper position.

This is the decimal tabulator mechanism:

For readers unclear on the purpose of a decimal tabulator, it's used when typing columns of figures, like this:

456.87 22.03

2349.11 293847.22

20.01 332.03

5.55 92740.11

You can see that you want the figures to line up on the decimal point. You set your tab stops at the decimal points, and then hit the tabulator key appropriate to the figure you want to enter. For instance, if you want to enter 456.87 you will hit the "100" tab key, and the tabulator will take the carriage to a spot three spaces before the decimal point.

A mystery on this typewriter is that the "." tab key does not stop the carriage at all -- the carriage just ignores all tab stops and moves all the way from right to left. I assumed something was broken, but when I inspected the mechanism it appeared to be designed to work this way.

Finally, one more mystery: the purpose of this attachment on the back of the typewriter shell.

Clearly I have more things to learn about the Taylorix Contofix Junior!

I got a tattoo

2012-01-21T18:14:00.001-05:00

Tattly

PS: I mean the model of the typewriter pictured in the tattoo, not the one I used to write the typecast (which was, incidentally, an R.C. Allen VisOmatic).

The Squad Car

2012-01-18T22:51:00.001-05:00

Underwood De Luxe Quiet Tab font

2012-01-15T19:36:00.000-05:00

Download the font here: Underwood Quiet Tab.ttf

Read about '50s Underwoods on Alan Seaver's site and Robert Messenger's blog.
Read about designer Paul A. Braginetz on Robert Messenger's blog.
And here's the black-and-white version of this machine.

Typewriters in Madrid, December 12, 1964

2012-01-11T12:34:00.002-05:00

Orality, Literacy, and Communications

2012-01-10T11:57:00.002-05:00

Thirty-three for three

2012-01-05T20:50:00.001-05:00

By request, here's a photo of the Lettera 33 I picked up at the thrift store for $3. Good-looking for a plastic-bodied machine, especially after I blew out the hairy dust and wiped it down with Pledge. It will go to some deserving person sooner or later. (The Consul 221 pictured here on November 27 now belongs to a student, and the cursive Hermes 3000 from December 11 is going to a colleague. I get a kick out of spreading the typewriter goodness.)

I also recently bought several rare typewriters that will turn up on this blog sooner or later.

A surprisingly grim New Year's poem

2012-01-03T12:13:00.002-05:00

Hmm, where did that come from?

On a happier note, I stopped by St. Vincent de Paul's and picked up an Olivetti Lettera 33 for three bucks!

Travel diary

2012-01-02T13:01:00.001-05:00

PS: Thanks to Bill M for sending me a replacement knob for my Royal!

PPS: This is what a Noiseless (not Remington/Underwood Noiseless) Portable looks like, for those who aren't familiar with it. Mine isn't working terribly well, unfortunately.

Coming out of the closet

2011-12-24T00:43:00.001-05:00

Holiday wishes

2011-12-17T11:49:00.001-05:00

Recent typewriter doodles

2011-12-16T11:56:00.001-05:00

Oh Snap!

2011-12-11T14:29:00.002-05:00

Stages in a poem's life, continued

2011-12-07T21:09:00.002-05:00

Stages in a poem's life

2011-12-06T23:18:00.000-05:00

A seamy typecast

2011-12-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

Conclusion

2011-11-28T15:49:00.003-05:00

.... and here's the final installment of Gil.

Click this image for the complete PDF file (3 MB):

It's a good day to type

2011-11-27T20:59:00.001-05:00

PS: I meant "Cavalier Speedwriter" -- but it was marketed by Commodore.

Installment 7

2011-11-24T23:04:00.001-05:00

Another thrilling episode, tapped out on a belly full of turkey. Hey, it beats watching football!

Installment 7

Installment 6

2011-11-21T10:14:00.000-05:00

Installment 6

Installment 5

2011-11-14T11:29:00.000-05:00

Another small novelistic increment. I changed things up a bit by using my Royal HH for part of it.

Installment 5

Installment 4

2011-11-09T15:53:00.000-05:00

Installment 4

Installment 3

2011-11-07T11:18:00.002-05:00

Installment 3

Installment 2

2011-11-04T11:43:00.002-04:00

Installment 2

The Olivetti team & installment 1

2011-11-02T15:30:00.000-04:00

Installment 1

Last-minute fetish fix

2011-10-31T16:09:00.000-04:00

Photo: British temples in a Yankee basement

2011-10-30T22:50:00.001-04:00

Counternarratives

2011-10-26T21:57:00.002-04:00

Photo source:
http://wweek.com/portland/article-18140-notes_from_the_occupation.html

PS: I'm adding this photo of rn at the Occupy Wall Street camp in New York (see comments).

The Mystery & Adventure Series Review

2011-10-21T22:56:00.001-04:00

Pictures at an exhibition (of typewriter madness)

2011-10-15T23:25:00.001-04:00

It's too late to be typecasting -- I don't want to disturb fellow typewriter collectors spending the night at Herman Price's house -- but here are a few photos with brief comments that will give you an idea of the fun we had today.

Steve Lehman and Peter Weil discuss an Antares:

A few shelves of Herman's collection:

Jett Morton's Lego typewriter mechanism:

We compared an earlier and a later Alpina (notice the carriage return levers):

Peter presented some great research on an Oliver cigar box that he found, sold by a pharmacy in the town where the Oliver was made:

Steve and Herman:

Jett shows us a Sears (Smith-Corona) with changeable type:

Steve's mint red Underwood Champion was soon to find a new owner:

Devin (Duffy Moon), Peter, Jack Knarr, and Herman enjoy a variety of modern portables:

Peter shows us a framed Royal ad, probably from the late '20s. Is it an oil painting or "oilette" print?

At Herman's office there are still more machines, such as these "typewhiters":

... and these colorful portables:

In addition to a heap of typewriter talk, we had lots of good food and good laughs.

Now here are a couple of overviews of the main room in Herman's basement (which is still less than half of his collection). You can click these to enlarge them.

Have typewriter, will travel

2011-10-14T23:47:00.000-04:00

(Correction: that should be Independent Order of Odd Fellows.)

Roadcasting

2011-10-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

Against Lethe

2011-10-11T22:03:00.002-04:00

Meet the Adler Privat

2011-10-09T16:38:00.000-04:00

If you love typewriters ...

2011-10-02T16:00:00.001-04:00

Oh, and please spread the word about the typewriter documentary and its Kickstarter fundraiser by blog, tweet, or airdropped leaflet ...

And the most fantastic is ...

2011-09-27T18:46:00.001-04:00

Cameron Kopf would like to channel a brilliant writer who used a Sholes & Glidden:

Right Reverend Theodore Munk's fantasy is a swinging nerd's Valhalla:

Mike Speegle offers a familiar phrase that gains real poignancy when typed on a magical typewriter. He gives credit to his wife Genevieve for thinking of it:

Rob Bowker submits a sentence that will make every typewriter collector's heart beat faster:

And finally, the comic book goes to notagain, who has an idea to keep the magic going:

Free postcards and what to do with them

2011-09-24T00:13:00.002-04:00

The Fantastic Typewriter (DC Comic)

2011-09-20T19:59:00.001-04:00

PS: To state the obvious: your sentence must be typewritten!

Gone green

2011-09-15T20:00:00.000-04:00

Before:

After:

Now click here for some professionally customized typewriters.

Quasitypecast: Why libraries?

2011-09-14T21:44:00.002-04:00

I was asked to say a few words on the occasion of the renovation of Xavier University's library, which is connected to our new Learning Commons -- a building with a variety of classrooms, learning labs, and high-tech study spaces where students roam with their laptops. I figured these thoughts on the relation between old and new might be appropriate to this blog. This is not a true typecast, but was written with MS Word Mac 2011 (I really do like its Full Screen mode!) using my Remington Noiseless font.

The learning commons -- light, airy, contemporary, and not a book in sight:

The library -- archaic towers of paper:

The Typewriter in the 21st century: the movie

2011-09-13T17:19:00.000-04:00

Christopher Lockett and Gary Nicholson are creating a documentary about the life and revival of the typewriter in the 21st century. Here's their new trailer.

Visit the movie's main site here and their Kickstarter fundraising page here. Support this eye-opening endeavor!

MS Word 2011 for Mac: a typewritten review

2011-09-10T20:54:00.000-04:00

Aphorisms

2011-09-09T21:58:00.000-04:00

How to have fun paying bills

2011-09-05T11:33:00.000-04:00

Blogging the virtual type-in

2011-09-04T15:03:00.005-04:00

Here are Adwoa's and Elizabeth's (Little Flower Petals) reports. It's fun to find out what we were typing during the type-in -- we weren't able to look over each other's shoulders at the time!

The poems

2011-09-03T16:00:00.065-04:00

Thanks for sending in some typewritten poems! Only the first one to reach me was rewarded with ETCetera, but I appreciate them all. They came from ...

1. Tori Forte

2. Justin Lamb

3. Vikram Shah

4. Peter Baker

5. deek

Trade you a magazine for a poem

2011-09-02T14:59:00.001-04:00

"Remove my braces."

2011-08-31T23:57:00.001-04:00

Will Davis on Brother typewriters

Sterling Silver Surfer

2011-08-30T21:49:00.001-04:00

MADE WITH SKILL

PACKED WITH CARE

painted with vegetarian vomit

or is that "celery"?

Safest Stripper™ at work

No puns please.

There is method to this madness ...

A little extra shine ...

Voilà.

Uh-oh ... now look what I found!

Phree Photographica

2011-08-26T16:42:00.000-04:00

The Byron Typewriter Company & the Byron Mark I

2011-08-19T12:37:00.001-04:00

Paper pusher

2011-08-18T12:02:00.005-04:00

As I'd hoped, the John R. Green Co. of Covington, Kentucky is a shameless destroyer of American forests and purveyor of nondigital substances.

The company has occupied this warehouse since 1950, but the building looks like it's another half century older than that.

Just look at those goodies. And here is their record book section:

Ah! The coveted Form 201 -- 7-6-7 -- W.O. Long, printed by The Riegle Press of Flint, Michigan. I bought three.

Here's a panoramic view of the picturesque "Main Strasse" neighborhood of Covington, where the Green Co. is located. The neighborhood is known for its Goettafest. If you came to my house this summer for the Typefest, you know what I'm talking about.

Panorama of Main Strasse, Covington, Kentucky, USA supplied by Panoramic Earth

And here's another Covington attraction: The Smilin' Smoker. Straight-laced Cincinnatians like to cross the Ohio River into Kentucky for cheap tobacco, cheap booze, and cheap women.

Me, I'm just going to enjoy my new stash of paper.

Thoughts on paper

2011-08-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

Education on paper

2011-08-11T17:10:00.000-04:00

Provenance

2011-08-10T22:24:00.021-04:00

Here are a few contributions to the typosphere's exploration of dealers' labels and decals:

This one is self-explanatory.

This is from my 1929 Underwood portable with Ukrainian keyboard.

And this one is from my 1922 folding Corona -- the first typewriter I bought as a "real" collector, in spring of 1994, when I was on fire with typewriter desire after reading Paul Lippman's American Typewriters: A Collector's Encyclopedia. Amazingly enough, International Typewriter Exchange is still in business.

Years on paper

2011-08-06T23:27:00.003-04:00

Times story: "A Paper Calendar? It's 2011"

Universal Babel Service

2011-07-20T11:05:00.000-04:00

Typewriter Playlist

2011-07-15T19:32:00.000-04:00

PS: the Calvin Marty song and the Bollywood song are just excerpted on my CD. Just so you know!
And "Swiws" = Swiss.

Typewriter letterheads

2011-07-06T11:36:00.001-04:00

By Cameron's request, here is the Fox stationery from the Cincinnati type-in, along with some other designs we used. All of these were kindly contributed by Peter Weil. He writes a column for ETCetera, "Ephemera," all about the cultural history of typewriters as evidenced in photos, advertising, etc. His next column will be about wonderful letterheads like these.

These are high-quality JPEGs, 300 dpi, 8.5 x 11 inches. There is no reference to the type-in on them. If you need other formats, let me know.

Fox

Emerson

Hammond

Crandall

Caligraphic (a New York typewriter dealer)

All right then, more Cincinnati type-in pictures

2011-07-04T19:43:00.002-04:00

Ted wanted more photos, and here they are, complete with some links.

These pics are courtesy of William Lawson (Typecove).

Here are the four public typewriters and the pink SC88 blogging station.

Usually there were more people here, but the table was never full.

Jerry Lee Atwood (Jerry Lee's Western Wear) with the sterling silver

Smith-Corona from the collection of Alan Seaver (Machines of Loving Grace).

Mike Brown (typewriter repairman and editor of The Typewriter Exchange -- e-mail typex1@aol.com to subscribe) presents tips on repair and maintenance.

Herman Price (Chestnut Ridge Typewriter Museum) on a maroon Remington Noiseless.

Richard Polt using his Groma Kolibri to take notes on Mike's presentation.

Marty Rice (Johnstown Type Writer Conservatory) blogging on an Oliver.

The Cincinnati Enquirer has published a short news item I wrote on their web site.

Don't know whether it will appear in print.

Type-in pictures and more

2011-07-03T18:05:00.001-04:00

Notes I took on Mike Brown's repair and maintenance tips:

Felicia Alexander's typewriter primer:

By chance, all the texts you've seen here were typed on the Fox stationery. There were actually seven different stationery designs: Fox, Crandall, Bar-Lock, Caligraphic (a New York typewriter dealer in the 1890s), Emerson, Hammond, and Wellington -- all kindly provided by Peter Weil, who's writing an article about letterheads for the next issue of ETCetera.

Aside from the type-in, our activities this weekend included a typewriter auction, a 10-minute typing contest (handily won by Matt Cidoni, who participated via Skype), lots of food, and lots of good chat.

Almost-live blogging the Cincinnati Type-In

2011-07-02T20:37:00.000-04:00

Photos will follow in due course.

Bikecast: Mt. Adams and Eden Park, Cincinnati

2011-07-01T00:59:00.006-04:00

It took some wrestling with the scene-stitching software and some self-education about panoramas, but here are the results (I recommend trying the full-screen version).

Panorama of View from Immaculata Church, Cincinnati, Ohio supplied by Panoramic Earth

Click to see full-size:

Hermes Regent typewriter

2011-06-25T12:40:00.000-04:00

PPS: Somehow this didn't occur to me until now, but could the story about the embassy have anything to do with the Ambassador model??

From Russia With Indifference

2011-06-24T18:56:00.001-04:00

The Ortekh:

Side by side comparison

Paperwork from the Ortekh:

The primary workers are named on the test sheet: Soboleva, Martinov, and Moiseeva. I have to say the alignment in 1993 was good.

Sloppy Ortekh logo:

The Moskva's psychedelic plastic spool:

Price 110 rubles:

Seen online: an early Moskva with impressive decals.

A later model, which I would guess came between the decal model and my Moskva:

-- And I'd guess that this model came between my Moskva and my Ortekh:

Typewriter Day video

2011-06-23T07:38:00.000-04:00

For Typewriter Day -- the holiday celebrated (for the first time today) by typospherians to mark the anniversary of Sholes' patent for the Type Writer -- I've filmed myself typing "Greetings to everyone in the Typosphere!" on an unusual machine. Unfortunately my '99 camcorder chose this moment to malfunction, so this was recorded on an '01 (or so) cheap digital camera. Quality is poor, but you'll get the idea. And you can hear the combination of birdsong and typewriter racket quite nicely.

Self-sufficiency

2011-06-19T16:43:00.000-04:00

Alicia Keys, "Typewriter"

2011-06-18T21:05:00.005-04:00

Recorded in 1997 (at age 16), released in 2011.

Bikecast: Elmwood Place, Ohio

2011-06-16T21:42:00.001-04:00

Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati: A bikecast and photo essay

2011-06-14T17:32:00.001-04:00

First Cincinnati Type-In - July 2, 2011

2011-06-12T10:48:00.006-04:00

The First Cincinnati Type-In

Type, chat, admire, write, caffeinate, repeat.

Sitwell’s Coffeehouse

324 Ludlow Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio

Saturday, July 2, 2011, 4-6 pm

The type-in is just part of Midwest Typefest 2011,

with plenty of activities planned for that weekend.

If you're interested in attending, let me know at polt@xavier.edu

or sign up on Facebook.

Click to download a PDF poster:

It could be verse

2011-06-09T10:59:00.002-04:00

Footsoldier of the revolution

2011-06-07T23:32:00.002-04:00

Blue Monday; or, Better Dead than Red?

2011-06-06T15:00:00.001-04:00

Groma E from '53

2011-06-05T11:21:00.002-04:00

This is my 1938 Groma N for comparison:

Mysteries of Wuppertal revealed

2011-06-01T22:41:00.003-04:00

More on Vosses

The Hermes Silver Surfer: installment 1, installment 2

Mercedes W196 Streamliner (1954):

Teaser

2011-05-31T22:22:00.001-04:00

Maybe someone can guess what make of typewriter I'm silversurferizing based on this photo from the original eBay listing, showing a flaw in the paint. The "flaw" has now spread over the whole body. The project is proceeding swiftly.

Better red than dead

2011-05-29T13:56:00.002-04:00

PS: Another hot rod project is already in the works. Hint: Which aluminum-bodied typewriter, other than the Hermes 3000, might look great with the Silver Surfer treatment?

In Vogue

2011-05-25T21:29:00.002-04:00

PS: The material used to mask off the bottom strip on the top body piece is that wonderful all-purpose invention, duct tape.

Welcome to the colorbox

2011-05-24T10:47:00.001-04:00

I'm painting the carriage ends by hand. Too much trouble to disassemble them!

Seinsmaschine store now online

2011-05-23T15:26:00.001-04:00

From the Shameless Commerce Division of Writing Ball, it's the Seinsmaschine Store. Everyone needs a Seinsmaschine baby bib, or beer stein, or blanket ... right? And the image has even been tweaked in Photoshop for new, improved perspective.

Don't blame me, this shop was created by popular request (from, er, one reader).

Here are a few of the many can't-live-without-it gewgaws available at the store.

Reanimated

2011-05-22T17:26:00.000-04:00

Before and after:

Rust Never Sleeps

2011-05-21T23:05:00.000-04:00

What's in the case?

It's an Optima!

Let's look under the hood ...

Uh-oh!

Help!!

Disassembly:

Even the logo gets removed:

Ready for an overnight Evapo-Rust bath:

Here's a surprise. I tried soaking these two body parts in nail polish remover (which did wonders on aluminum parts of my Hermes 3000). The paint got soggy, and I used a stiff brush to remove it efficiently ... revealing more paint! Under the thick coat of textured tan paint, I found this smooth khaki and grey paint which isn't fazed by the polish remover.

Tune in next time to see the effects of the Evapo-Rust. What color do you think I should paint this machine?

Followup story on Amherst typewriter man

2011-05-11T22:26:00.000-04:00

Read more ...

Previous stories here, here, and here.

Seinsmaschine

2011-05-10T09:50:00.000-04:00

PS: Among Rocky Jones' revelations: That device on the lower right corner of the Royal HH is properly known as a Palm Tabulator; the '50s Godrej was a clone of the R.C. Allen 600; and R.C. Allen revived the old Woodstock Electrite, putting out the R.C. Allen Electrite, with a "fluted metal shaft" mechanism different from the other electric typewriters on the market.