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Poetman

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I grew up with typewriters.

 

Learned touch on a manual Royal in HighSchool summer school.

 

Had a Torpedo portable in HighSchool.

 

Bought a KMart Office Electric, on sale, for post Service College.

 

Replaced it with a Brother 50.

 

When the PC with wordprocessing became available to me I dumped the typewriters and have never looked back.

 

I realize that a few people have to use them because of the way they write, estabilished habits and such, but not me. I find them an improvement over handwriting but a pain in comparison to a wordprocessor.

 

And yes, they require periodic cleaning and lubrication.

YMMV

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If anyone wants a modern keyboard with the feel of an old typewriter, http://www.datamancer.net/keyboards/keyboards.htm and a good photo diary of making one, http://steampunkworkshop.com/keyboard.shtml (warning, heavy on images for slow connections)

 

I learned to type on a typewriter, then went onto 'clicky' keyboards like those mentioned by macaddicted, now onto the modern mushy keyboards. I have intentions on ordering one from that site he mentioned. (And have for awhile, but haven't had the spare dosh for it)I see the occasional manual typewriter out at the fleamarkets on occasion and always think about possibly grabbing one, but I know I wouldn't use it...

 

-MJ

Samantha Carter - You spent seven years on MacGyver and you can't figure this one out? We got belt buckles and shoe laces and a piece of gum, build a nuclear reactor for crying out loud! You used to be MacGyver, MacGadget, MacGimmick. Now you're Mr MacUseless. Dear God! I'm stuck on a glacier with MacGyver!

 

Edward : Say it... Out loud...

Bella : Vampire...

Rifftrax: Close. I'm a Metropire.

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My dad had (still has, AFAIK) a boat-anchor-heavy, manual Royal from what must be the late '50s (he graduated high school in 1959, and it was probably a graduation gift). I never used it much, skipping straight to an electric and then a computer when I got the chance, but I'm sort of hoping he leaves it to me. My grandfather gave me an old Royal in pretty good shape once when I was a kid, but I could never get used to composing on a manual--too much time spent correcting errors. think I like the idea of banging away on an old typewriter more than I like banging away on an old typewriter.

 

(I do have and use my grandfather's Sheaffer Snorkel, though.)

cfclark

email cfclarktn at gmail dot com Twitter cfclark Facebook PM me

51 Flighter Fetishist

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These days, I ma down to a 1963 Olivetti Lettera 32 manual typewriter.

 

Lettera 32s are great!!

 

I have a blue Olivetti Lettera 32 from a typewriter repair shop in Calgary (Alberta) - with matching blue & black carry case! It is wonderful to have a regular escape from electronics. I find this helps me order my thoughts for writing moreso than a computer is capable. (Same reason I like fountain pens!!)

"The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life." -- William Morris

"Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future; concentrate the mind on the present moment." -- Buddha

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I use an Olivetti Lettera 32 portable and an Olympia SG3 desktop on a regular basis. Both of these machines were made in the mid-1960s. I write drafts with a fountain pen, then type them up on the typewriters, and, finally, scan the typed drafts into my computer. For my working style, the computer is definitely the place to work on tweaking a manuscript, to a large or small extent, but I prefer composing with the older technologies, I am not old enough to have grown up using either fountain pens or typewriters on a daily basis or in school, but I find them to be just the right technology for composing stories and poems and essays.

 

Does anyone use typewriters? I know of many professors and writers who will only work on a typewriter. In fact, many such individuals also only use fountain pens. In any case, I thought a thread devoted to typewriters would be fun. What do you have and how do you use it. Of course, pictures are a must. I use a 1940's Royal for letters and shorter documents. Although I have a goal to hand-write then type a future essay.

 

Here's a photo link:

 

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Y2z0iizUE8Y/RbTTTkQD6WI/AAAAAAAAAJg/XzGLhiWnLxg/s400/RO_Port_Quiet_Delux_M.jpg

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I do not use typewriters. I much prefer a PC. I am middle aged and for much of my academic career (high school and undergrad years) typewriters were the only available technology. I have far too many unpleasant memories - dyslexia and typewriters are not a good mix. There is no double clicking to correct spelling errors.

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Not for a long, long time....now I use a PC, spell check, read it, print it and voila!

Pedro

 

Looking for interesting Sheaffer OS Balance pens

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I don't use a typewriter, but I wish I had one! Are mechanical typewriters hard to maintain? And for that matter...where the hell do you find ribbons these days? Does anyone still make them?

 

Yeah ribbons are still made, I got mine a few years ago from mytypewriter.com, a good number of types and sizes are available for many vintage typewriters, a little pricey, I think I can get 20 pages per ribbon, though that is with a number of pages that end up in the trash can, but currently I have five that will last me a little while yet, I really need to get back to using my Model 10!

 

P.S. Wow, ribbons are really getting pricey, good thing I bought mine a few years ago, hopefully they haven't dried out! But I do know a few companies are making them still and can be bought directly, I don't remember any names off hand though!

Edited by JakobS

FP Ink Orphanage-Is an ink not working with your pens, not the color you're looking for, is never to see the light of day again?!! If this is you, and the ink is in fine condition otherwise, don't dump it down the sink, or throw it into the trash, send it to me (payment can be negotiated), and I will provide it a nice safe home with love, and a decent meal of paper! Please PM me!<span style='color: #000080'>For Sale:</span> TBA

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Wendy:

 

Blue, black, and the Selectric I is red. Black one got a screwdriver dropped in it, thanks to my Siamese cat, and is out of action.

 

Peter

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Sooo...I must be the only 16 year old who collects typewriters. I currently have 5:

 

1929 Underwood 5, it looks terrible but works great:

 

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/1972volkswagen/100_4845.jpg

 

1935 Underwood 11, inherited it from my great-grandmother. She kept it in the family store. My first typewriter restoration:

 

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/1972volkswagen/100_4835.jpg

 

1960ish Smith Corona Skyriter, my only portable and the only typewriter I actually paid for:

 

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/1972volkswagen/100_4849.jpg

 

1970ish Remington, my friend gave this one to me, haven't ordered a new ribbon yet:

 

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/1972volkswagen/100_4850.jpg

 

NOT PICTURED: 1990's Brother SX-4000. My first typewriter.

 

And a group shot, the Brother is at the end. Ignore my messy room:

 

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg84/1972volkswagen/100_4851.jpg

Edited by TheRustySuper
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Found some old term papers I wrote. Typed on an old Smith Corona, white-out and all. I'll take the computer and word processor any day!

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I don't use a typewriter, but I wish I had one! Are mechanical typewriters hard to maintain? And for that matter...where the hell do you find ribbons these days? Does anyone still make them?

 

Yeah ribbons are still made, I got mine a few years ago from mytypewriter.com, a good number of types and sizes are available for many vintage typewriters, a little pricey, I think I can get 20 pages per ribbon, though that is with a number of pages that end up in the trash can, but currently I have five that will last me a little while yet, I really need to get back to using my Model 10!

 

P.S. Wow, ribbons are really getting pricey, good thing I bought mine a few years ago, hopefully they haven't dried out! But I do know a few companies are making them still and can be bought directly, I don't remember any names off hand though!

 

The old cloth ribbons can be reinked (I used to have a little machine that was made for reinking impact printer ribbons, and would work for typewriter ribbons if you bought or improvised a carrier for the spools), and the trick for stretching their life when I was a kid was to put a few drops of 3-in-1 oil on the edge of a partially dried out rolled ribbon, which would replace the solvents that evaporate as a ribbon dries out. BTW, most cloth ribbons will (or at least would, back in the 1970s when I last owned a typewriter) last for hundreds of pages, though they get fainter and less crisp with each pass through the machine. One might even be able to replace the cloth in a ribbon, if the spools are good, and ink the cloth with a suitable ink (the ink for my reinking machine was viscous, but not as thick as ball point ink -- think good maple syrup or molasses, but less sticky -- and, based on the 3-in-1 trick, typewriter ribbon ink was probably oil based).

 

Carbon ribbons (as used in many of the last generation of electric typewriters) are another story; they're single use items, and little or no chance of improvising a replacement as might be possible with cloth ribbons.

Does not always write loving messages.

Does not always foot up columns correctly.

Does not always sign big checks.

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  • 1 month later...

First of all, I need to say that ribbons are actually very easy to find, at least where I live (forty mintues northeast of Seattle). Most office supply places (Office Depot, Office Max) carry them for around $6 each. I don't know how long they last but I've been using my current ribbon for almost a year (and probably nearly 1,000 pages).

 

Secondly, typewriters can be tricky to maintain or repair but not impossible. If you are a person who is inclined to tinker with mechanical things, you can learn to repair a typewriter. It takes a little getting used to and lots of patience. It is fun and rewarding to fix your own. It's good to start with a cheap one or one that is beat up, just in case you can't fix it properly.

 

Now, on to using typewriters...

 

My typewriter is one of the main ingredients in making want to write. I've used several over the years and I have a small collection going. The machine that I use the most is an Olympia SM-3 DeLuxe. It's like a friggin' Cadillac and I love using it.

 

I recently finished my first novel and all three drafts of it were pounded out on my SM-3. My current process (for the new novel, as well as short stories or whatever else) is to write the first draft with a fountain pen and then any remainging drafts on the SM-3.

 

I own several other typewriters but they are on display in our dining room, and I have one "beater" that is in our garden. A second SM-3, a German travel writer called a Princess 200, a Remington Rand DeLuxe 5, an Olympia SM-9, and an Underwood Universal.

 

I do not have pictures of my actual machines.

 

Olympia SM-3

Princess 200 (The picture is a 100 but it is similar.)

Remington DeLuxe 5

Olympia SM-9

Underwood Universal

 

 

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I have three functional typewriters in my office--an Olympia SM4, a Royal DeLuxe Portable, and an Olympia SM9. There's also a Royal KHM in the attic, but the carriage return spring on that one is worn out.

 

I write my first drafts with a fountain pen, and then transcribe the second revision pass into the computer. For short stories, however, I like to drag out one of the manual typewriters on occasion. The SM4 with its green crinkle finish and script typeface is the prettiest--with its lines and the chrome trim, it reminds me of a 1960s Mercedes Benz. The Royal Portable was sort of an inheritance from an old friend's estate, and the SM9 is the no-nonsense workhorse of the bunch.

 

They share some of the fountain pen's advantage: distraction-free, single-purpose writing. They're also faster than the fountain pen, but not nearly as portable. As a tool, they still have their uses, for those of us who just need to get words down on paper without the hojillion distractions that come with composing on a computer.

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I graduated Pharmacy school in 1977--just before the computer made its appearence in the drug store. We used electric Smith-Coronas till about 1983 when we computerized. Now, most pharmacys don't even keep one in the store--my store, part of a very large chain, actually does have a Brother electric in one of the cabinets--I did use it some time ago to type up a action plan for the Rx dept. My young collegue, a 2006 graduate, has never used one!

Secundum Artem

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Sooo...I must be the only 16 year old who collects typewriters. I currently have 5:

 

1929 Underwood 5, it looks terrible but works great:

 

 

I have an Underwood almost identical to your 1929 - same in every respect except it has the

small picture next to the logo, so it's probably a year or two later. After a little loving care it

works great! Computers come and go, hard drives crash and burn, but these old Underwoods

keep on cranking! No power? No Problem. They're the ultimate post-apocalypse writer's tool!

 

MJ

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I have three functional typewriters in my office--an Olympia SM4, a Royal DeLuxe Portable, and an Olympia SM9. There's also a Royal KHM in the attic, but the carriage return spring on that one is worn out.

 

I am partial to the SM3/4 machines but all four of those are great machines. Nice collection.

 

It would not be difficult to find a replacement return spring for your KHM if you were inclined to. Let me know if you are interested, as I can get a hold of people who have parts machines.

 

 

 

Sooo...I must be the only 16 year old who collects typewriters.

Good for you. That's cool that you value the ones that have been passed down to you and given to you. Do you use them much?

 

Do you drive that bug in your avatar? I've been driving a '71 bus for about six years. It's our work/camping/family/everything wagen.

Edited by JustinL
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i mentioned it in this thread, but i also like typewriters, and here's my newest/oldest baby, beside my other writing machine, my macbook air:

 

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2580/4030700393_225f5e3322.jpg

Check out my blog and my pens

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