Splendid collection! Were the early Vosses made of plastic or bakelite? It's just that I saw someone say bakelite before and I just like saying the word... not that I know how to pronounce it, even. My favorite is the Sad Face Voss, for some reason it looks less menacing than the Happy Face (the irony); must be all that ivory.
...and is that a Swiss stamp on the envelope near the Vosses? :-D :-D
Adwoa, bakelite, usually called "bake-light" or (by its close personal friends) "polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride," is in fact a kind of plastic -- the first synthetic plastic. (There were also natural plastics developed in the 19th century, such as celluloid and bois durci, made with extra blood from slaughterhouses, among other delightful things. Another moldable substance developed in the 19th century is vulcanized rubber -- used to make Hammond type shuttles, etc.) The early Voss bodies are made of a bakelite-ish plastic, with a similar hard, brittle consistency, but I don't know whether it's exactly polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride.
Fascinating (and also sort of gross) information, thanks! I shall try to memorize polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride (I'm so proud of myself for not copying and pasting that!) for future reference.
I wasn't sure if "Vossi" above was a typo, or if that's actually the plural of Voss. Because it should be.
Those are beautiful. I love my shiny black one, but I'm also very easily swayed by pretty colors. Would give a good chunk of my left arm for that blue and white one.
I've perused your collection on the other site before, but I was going through it slower and came across that maroon number - OH, MAN, what a dream. After surfing the web to find others, I saw an mage of the two- tone, whiich, no surprise, led to this ancient post. See what digging around produces? Man, what gorgeous machines. They reming me of the cars on the flying bobsled ride at the fair, from when i was a kid - yeah, that may sound strange, but, well, who can account for memory.
They are gorgeous, for sure. I still remember the thrill and excitement I felt when I first spotted the maroon gullwing Voss on eBay. That color is hard to find.
You must be the luckiest person on earth to find these things, being as rare as they are.
Those gull-wing covers are clever as well. I'm still wondering why no one designed a cover that can be opened no matter where the carriage lever happens to be. It doesn't happen often, but I cringe when I open a ribbon cover and feel resistance, realizing the cover is rubbing against that lever. The first thing I do is check to make sure I didn't scratch the paint.
Those look like a lot of fun to play with. They are what I pictured reading your novel
ReplyDeleteVery striking design and wonderful colors.
ReplyDeleteSplendid collection! Were the early Vosses made of plastic or bakelite? It's just that I saw someone say bakelite before and I just like saying the word... not that I know how to pronounce it, even.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is the Sad Face Voss, for some reason it looks less menacing than the Happy Face (the irony); must be all that ivory.
...and is that a Swiss stamp on the envelope near the Vosses? :-D :-D
argghhhhhhhhh [drool]
ReplyDeleteThat is just awesome. And then, pure scrolling delight - when you scroll down to the two-tone numbers...
But that's odd on the carriage shift... I'd expect something smoother from such good looks.
Adwoa, bakelite, usually called "bake-light" or (by its close personal friends) "polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride," is in fact a kind of plastic -- the first synthetic plastic. (There were also natural plastics developed in the 19th century, such as celluloid and bois durci, made with extra blood from slaughterhouses, among other delightful things. Another moldable substance developed in the 19th century is vulcanized rubber -- used to make Hammond type shuttles, etc.) The early Voss bodies are made of a bakelite-ish plastic, with a similar hard, brittle consistency, but I don't know whether it's exactly polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride.
ReplyDelete(Thanks to Wikipedia!)
Fascinating (and also sort of gross) information, thanks! I shall try to memorize polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride (I'm so proud of myself for not copying and pasting that!) for future reference.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure if "Vossi" above was a typo, or if that's actually the plural of Voss. Because it should be.
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful. I love my shiny black one, but I'm also very easily swayed by pretty colors. Would give a good chunk of my left arm for that blue and white one.
I've perused your collection on the other site before, but I was going through it slower and came across that maroon number - OH, MAN, what a dream. After surfing the web to find others, I saw an mage of the two- tone, whiich, no surprise, led to this ancient post. See what digging around produces?
ReplyDeleteMan, what gorgeous machines. They reming me of the cars on the flying bobsled ride at the fair, from when i was a kid - yeah, that may sound strange, but, well, who can account for memory.
They are gorgeous, for sure. I still remember the thrill and excitement I felt when I first spotted the maroon gullwing Voss on eBay. That color is hard to find.
DeleteYou must be the luckiest person on earth to find these things, being as rare as they are.
ReplyDeleteThose gull-wing covers are clever as well. I'm still wondering why no one designed a cover that can be opened no matter where the carriage lever happens to be. It doesn't happen often, but I cringe when I open a ribbon cover and feel resistance, realizing the cover is rubbing against that lever. The first thing I do is check to make sure I didn't scratch the paint.
I'am a VOSS lover too! BakeliteMuseumArlesheim
ReplyDeleteI just bought a Voss today in Berkeley CA as my Xmas present for 2020 the yr from hell
ReplyDeleteI was typing on it tonight and realized the keyboard is entirely Bakelite
Feeling pretty lucky over here
My pen pal club is going to love my typed letters!!!
My Mom was a competitive speed typist back in the day 112 WPM so I’m very attached to typewriters
Congratulations. They are such beautiful machines.
Delete