After dropping off seven boxfuls at Half Price Books today, I peeked into a nearby stationery store. It was mostly greeting cards (never knew there was a "sorry for your infertility" card) and wedding stationery. I bought a variety of colorful envelopes, and then spotted these at the counter. Had to get them!
Long live SCFACMs! Visit typewriter.works on Instagram to see more variations and request a hi-res file. (And yes, Instagram/Facebook is a supreme example of surveillance capitalism, but we can work within the system to undermine it...)
The ribbon is found under a cover that swings up and forward.
The top part of the plastic shell is a bit tricky to get off.
The way the mechanism works is less than obvious.
A couple of months ago I bought this Lexikon 82 on eBay and was frustrated to discover that several characters just wouldn't print. I have no idea what to do about that, except clean the mechanism (which did nothing). So this is now a parts machine.
The Lexikon 82 is simpler than the Vantage in a few ways: the Vantage includes two plastic paper guides, a swinging cover for the ribbon (shown above), and a half-spacer.
When I was a kid, I got a book of Milton Glaser posters, and I was fascinated by his posters for this machine, which celebrate the sheer coolness of the interchangeable typing ball.
And yes, I still think it's cool!
Let's take a look:
Too quick for you? OK, let's slow it down:
You've got to admit it's pretty neat.
PS: Love this ad for the Lexikon 82, featuring journalist and novelist Jimmy Breslin writing a letter to "Dear Norman [Mailer]." Thanks to The Philosophy Teacher for the tip on the video!
