Congratulations on that beautiful machine!

Don't listen to the nay-sayers who likely have very different priorities and esthetics. If this is your machine, and you love it, then "own it".

It does look like a standard (as opposed to portable) typewriter. (Standards are often better and more robust typers due to their size and design.) Likely a Model 1 or Model 2, but I don't have specific knowledge beyond a cursory glance at the typewriter database. You can start by looking at examples of machine types and bodies at https://typewriterdatabase.com/smithcorona.86.typewriter-serial-number-database.

From there, the Model 1 says "Electric Serial Numbers Concurrent with Standard", so scroll down the page and see if you can identify a year based on a serial number you should be able to find underneath the hood. You can try https://typewriterdatabase.com/Smith+Corona.Standard.86.bmys, but I don't see any later models there, so perhaps no one has documented one before and you could be the first.

Then start with Richard Polt's site https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/ where you may likely find a manual and if you're lucky a repair manual. Surely there will be a few manuals for similar 50s standard S-C manual typewriters which should at least get you started. His site has a wealth of other information to give you pointers. His book The Typewriter Revolution (2015) has good intro chapters on cleaning, basic repair, and restoration. YouTube may have some useful videos as well. The typewriter database will have some later model S-C electric machines which you might try searching for on YouTube as well and it's highly likely that the design changes weren't so drastic that those may help you significantly.

For basic cleaning, try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjumGF9NFE8 which has some solid advice. Obviously take care with respect to getting the electrical portion of your machine wet.

I've not done any electric machines before, but if I recall, I seem to have read/heard (maybe from Tom Hanks who I know has a 50s electric Smith-Corona) that the early electrics only went as far as doing power for the keys, so it should be reasonably repairable if it doesn't work out of the box.

I'm sure you'll love it. With any luck, you'll also get some serious enjoyment and sense of accomplishment out of cleaning it up. If nothing else, it'll give you a wealth of experience in making the attempt and you can apply that to other machines if you continue collecting and typing. Some of my first machines weren't immediate "successes" until after I'd been able to tinker with others and was able to come back to them with a more experienced hand.

Have fun with it!

reply to https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cuzy04/please_can_someone_identify_this/

https://scottscheper.com/vanbillemont/

archive copy: https://web.archive.org/web/20230212131135/https://scottscheper.com/vanbillemont/

http://www.totallyyourtype.com/2014/01/new-handles-on-cheap.html

Blog Gardening Reflection by [[Jamie Thingelstad]]

I've looked and looked for such a template and printer method to no avail myself. Your best bet here is probably either Avery Multi-use labels (maybe 5418 or 5428 depending on your card tabs) which have templates you can print a sheet at a time, or buying a labeler like the Brother P-touch which has a variety of different colored labels available. A third method is to line up multiple tabbed cards in your typewriter and do 3-4 at a time.

Tabbed cards are significantly more expensive than standard index cards, so if you're all in on this, I'd recommend contacting one of the manufacturers directly and buying in bulk to drive the price down. Alibaba can also be your friend here for a bulk order too. Last year I got a bulk order of 15,000 4x6" index cards for well under $0.005 per card, while the current going rate on Amazon or most office supply stores is $0.02 - $0.03/card.

Let me know if you find someone manufacturing inexpensive tabbed dividers in 1/5, 1/6, 1/7, or even 1/8 cut tabs. I'd love to buy a couple thousand of these in bulk as well.

Knowing the extra work involved in this method, I HIGHLY recommend you try it out by hand for a bit to see if it's something you'll do for more than a few months before going all-in. I've read some of Joseph Voros' work, which I understood to be theoretical only. Did he ever fully implement it himself? Before you try, you might want to read up on others' earlier work like that of Paul Otlet, Mortimer J. Adler, et al. Many here will lionize Luhmann's method, but recall that S. D. Goitein managed to take a 1/3 of the notes that Luhmann did while creating a published output a 1/3 larger than Luhmann all while using a method similar to that of Adler and company which is also very close to the method recommended by almost all academics from Jacques Barzun to Umberto Eco.

Definitely think about what you're hoping to accomplish before going straight down the rabbit hole too far.

If you do go all-in, then buying a big storage box upfront can save you a lot of time and expense, try https://boffosocko.com/2022/12/26/the-ultimate-guide-to-zettelkasten-index-card-storage/ for some ideas. My daily driver now is a 60,000+ card index from Steelcase that I picked up on the used market for $125.

LIFE. “The 102 Great Ideas: Scholars Complete a Monumental Catalog.” January 26, 1948.

Eco, Umberto. How to Write a Thesis. Translated by Caterina Mongiat Farina and Geoff Farina. 1977. Reprint, Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press, 2015.

Barzun, Jacques, and Henry F. Graff. The Modern Researcher. 6th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2004.

Reply to u/SpacePatrician at https://www.reddit.com/r/Zettelkasten/comments/1ctsu78/blank_tabbed_4x6_cards/

10 Things Jerry Seinfeld Can't Live Without by [[GQ]]

It's a great thing to waste time. The secret of life is to waste time in ways that you like. —Jerry Seinfeld 6:18

Even if you're writing comedy, a legal pad, it says, "I'm taking this seriously." —Jerry Seinfeld 2:31

https://www.cygnoir.net/analog/

https://tiny.micro.blog/

Watched this live on YouTube. Not sure if they'll archive it there or not.

https://micro.camp/

Typewriter 101: THE CLEANING GUIDE! by [[Just My Typewriter]]

A solid primer for cleaning typewriters

https://typewriterfeet.com/

You can cross check the data in the typewriter database for most of the big US and European brands to see the slow merging and dying out of the typewriter through the late 60s and early 70s onward. See, for example, Royal: https://typewriterdatabase.com/royal.72.typewriter-serial-number-database which has buyouts and mergers listed at the top. The database also has a huge volume of references for how it was compiled which will give you additional history.

The early 70s saw a lot of plastic entering the space where more durable steel used to be. Most major US firms were shifting to electric after IBM in roughly 1961. Post war manufacture of machines picked up significantly in Italy, Spain, Holland, and even Wales which displaced some of the manufacturing in the US, where solid machines of the prior generation still worked and only needed servicing rather than outright replacement. (Planned obsolescence wasn't as much of a thing during the 30s and 40s, and in fact, [maintenance was heavily highlighted during the war](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocdxgkxKAKo) when most US manufacturers ceased production of most models.) Eventually Japan displaced the business followed by India (which ceased in 2009) and China. Wrexham, Wales ceased manufacture of electronic Brother typewriters in 2012.

Ever decreasing costs of materials and manufacturing, improved manufacturing technology, increased competition in the space, combined with containerized shipping, competition from computers, etc. all contributed to the cheapening of the typewriter and hastened the death of manufacturing (though not the use) of manual typewriters.

Richard Polt's The Typewriter Revolution (2015) has a "microhistory" of typewriters in chapter 2 with references to some addition histories if you're interested.

Your question about Olympia manufacture dates (and more) can be found via: https://typewriterdatabase.com/olympia.61.typewriter-serial-number-database

x over it has a good two part series about the evolution of Olympias at:

https://xoverit.blogspot.com/2015/02/olympia-sm-series-part-1-1948-1964.html

https://xoverit.blogspot.com/2015/04/olympia-sm-series-part-2-1964-1980s.html

Toaster-Typewriter – An investigation of humor in design by [[CreativeApplications.Net]]

A cross between a typewriter and a toaster that writes by toasting bread.

The toaster-typewriter is the work of [Ritika Kedia], and it forms part of her thesis in product design at the Parsons School of Design, New York. It’s written up very much from an artistic rather than a tech perspective, but it’s no less ingenious for that in the way it uses letters formed from hot wire on a clay substrate, mounted on the end of the typewriter arms in front of a toaster.<br /> —This Typewriter Types Toast by Jenny List

Bruder, Jessica. “Click, Clack, Ding! Sigh ...” The New York Times, March 30, 2011, sec. Fashion. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/fashion/31Typewriter.html.

What the @#$% is a Type-IN ?

J.J. Short Associates, Inc for Typewriter Platens, Feed Rollers, Bail Rollers, Finger Rollers, and Power Rollers https://www.jjshort.com/typewriter-platen-repair.php

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1csni4d/neat_find_on_clients_kmg/

Keyring pliers are used to remove the metal rings off of both circular and tombstone glass typewriter keys so that the legends can be replaced or even covered over with black paper circles for teaching or learning typing. They take some practice and skill to use, but speed up the replacement of legends significantly.

David Lynch Interview supposedly... source? (asking mrtnj at https://discord.com/channels/992400632390615070/992400632776507447)

Interesting with respect to orality almost more than literacy.

—David Lynch

This is from his book: see: https://hypothes.is/a/Swp61GITEe6dmD-RxxFY4w

I was in a vintage shop about 30 minutes from downtown Los Angeles earlier in the week and the proprietor had a mostly functioning 1950 Smith-Corona Sterling for sale for a roughly equivalent US $150. (One key was disconnected, but fixable, and some keys were sticky, the ribbon was disintegrating, it was incredibly dirty, with a case in very poor condition.) The Sterling was similar to the Silent, but without some of the extra bells and whistles. She wouldn't accept an offer of $40 for it, which I thought was a reach for the dreadful condition it was in. Her reasoning was that she was sure that someone (read: a sucker) would pay the $150 for it. At a yard sale it might be worth $5. Cleaned up a bit maybe $30. In online platforms they're going for a bit more, but you're also saving yourself some level of "shoe leather" in the work of searching for the exact model you want.

I've been specifically watching this model and a few related ones for a few months, and machines of indeterminate condition (though in my experience they're usually reasonably functionable or easily fixable), like this go for about $50 on ShopGoodWill.com (as auction items). There are usually about 4-5 per week which come up as this was a popular model in the 50s. You can probably find similar prices on eBay, though sellers there usually have a little more information about the working condition. They're definitely common enough that you could easily wait for the exact color options and typeface (pica or elite) that you're looking for, and could also probably purchase two for the price he's asking (including shipping.) I've been watching for a similar mid-50s Smith-Corona Clipper with similar colors and elite type for a while and just bought one online last week for $35. Patience definitely pays off.

I would only go as high as $150 on that machine if I knew it was well functioning and had a brand new platen in the last several years. You can tell him that most of the expensive machines in the range he's asking for are all fully functioning, have been well maintained and/or recently serviced, and often have new platens, rubber rollers, and feet replaced. He'll know that this isn't the case with his and may come down in price. They're likely pricing it based on other listings they see and not pricing it based on actual sales. If it's their only machine, wait things out until they see that there aren't any takers. If it's a vintage shop, simply move on.

The Smith-Corona Silents from this time period are really spectacular and solid machines, so good luck in your search for the perfect one.

A Useful Productivity Measure? by [[James Shore]]

via 1949 April 06, Naugatuck Daily News, Walter Winchell In New York, Page 4, Column 5, Naugatuck, Connecticut. (NewspaperArchive)

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/09/14/writing-bleed/

https://cambridgetypewriter.blogspot.com/2019/03/some-stories-from-2018.htmlk

Includes some images of interchangeable platens for typewriters including some for index cards, library work, and labels.

Vale Paul Auster (1947-2024) by [[Robert Messenger]]

Some interesting typewriter hunters:<br /> - Joe Van Cleave<br /> - Richard Polt<br /> - Michael Hoehne<br /> - Robert Messenger - Ted Munk

https://3dtypewriterparts.com/

Update on the Urban Legend Institute by [[Richard Polt]]

https://typewriterdatabase.com/sears.615.typewriter-serial-number-database

Polt, Richard. The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century. 1st ed. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 2015.

annotation URL: urn:x-pdf:65fe580cf845ed035c4e57ad02a987cf

alternate annotation URL

Most Smith-Coronas in the 40s and 50s have similar ribbon set ups. Hopefully this photo and description will help:

(Alt Text) Smith-Corona typewriter ribbon thread sample. A view into the type basket with the hood of the typewriter raised showing the ribbon coming out of a spool on the left, through a black ribbon guide (which actuates the autoswitch when the eyelet at the end of a spool gets stuck between it and the spool) next to the spool cup, and then into the two metal guides of the ribbon vibrator on either side of the the typing point. A silver pen's tip is pointing to the ribbon guide next to the spool cup at about the point where an eyelet clipped onto the middle of the end of a length of a ribbon would trip the ribbon auto switch.

If your ribbon auto-switch isn't working one can usually switch the direction manually with the ribbon reverse lever usually found on the front left side of most machines.

To speed up changing the ribbon on many machines, it can often help to switch the color selector to the red setting and then simultaneously press the G and H keys gently so that they're stuck together almost at the typing point which will raise the ribbon vibrator and make accessing the slots for threading the ribbon easier. Once the ribbon is installed, release the G and H typebars and select the correct color setting for the portion of the ribbon you want to use.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/11/europe/eurovision-song-contest-winner-switzerland-nemo-intl/index.html

https://type-in.org/

Want to run a typewriter shop? by [[Richard Polt]]

http://www.cambridgetypewriter.com/

CAMBRIDGE TYPEWRITER<br /> 102 Massachusetts Avenue<br /> Arlington, MA 02474<br /> 781-643-7010

Shop owner Tom Furrier hoping to retire sometime in 2024

The 710 freeway displaced a large number of people between 1965 and 1974 in West Pasadena.

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7182106044301557760/?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A%28activity%3A7182106044301557760%2C7182123565037617152%29&dashCommentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd%5Fcomment%3A%287182123565037617152%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7182106044301557760%29&midToken=AQFVYkd8ftYDiA&midSig=1pWGb6HsgXurc1&trk=eml-email_notification_single_mentioned_you_in_this_01-hero_notification_cta-0-1ep~cta&trkEmail=eml-email_notification_single_mentioned_you_in_this_01-hero_notification_cta-0-1ep~cta-null-3xzxs~lun6078t~hp-null-null&eid=3xzxs-lun6078t-hp

Just Imagine, 1947. http://archive.org/details/JustImag1947.

This is Coffee by Vision Associates

The Onion Sold by G/O Media by [[Katie Robertson]]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/296414315589

Shaw Walker steel cabinet with brass pulls offered for $800 at auction ($1,200 buy it now) o/a 2024-05-03

Modular in 4 sections with 2 sets of drawers (each 6x3 for a total of 36 drawers) and a top and a bottom.

Cost per drawer: $22.22

This is a rarer modular set up.

reply to u/rocklover7 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cnljgm/where_do_i_start/

The best thing you could do is to take a moment at the library or bookshop and pick up a copy of Polt, Richard. The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century. 1st ed. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 2015.

He looks at typewriters from a writers' writer perspective which I'm sure you'll appreciate. He's got experience with a wide variety of machines as well as a large collection himself. He goes over all of the common/popular (and solid machines) in a variety of sizes and formats to help you figure out which one you might like to start out with. He also covers some of the common problems and repairs that regularly pop up. The book is really a "best of" list of typewriter material from the past 15+ years of this reddit forum and material from the "typosphere" of which he's been not only an active member, but literal ring-leader. The vast majority of the questions which appear on a weekly basis here are discussed and addressed in his book, along with some emphasis on writerly concerns and practice which most beginners here wouldn't be asking. Even reading 3 or 4 of the 8 chapters which are rife with images will give you a solid crash course for exactly the sorts of typewriter (and writing) advice you're searching for.

Definitely DO NOT pick up a new machine off of Amazon. They're even worse than some of the late 70s/early 80s machines. Instead, for beginners (and for the value) I'd recommend looking at Remingtons (Quiet-Riter), Royals (Quiet De Luxe), or Smith-Coronas (Clipper, Silent, Super) from roughly 1948-1958 which is generally the peak of U.S. typewriter manufacturing as well as for features. These were all built like tanks and are usually still in very good condition, even when they're in bad condition. I've provided links to some of these models in the typewriter database, so you have an idea visually of what to look out for.

If desperate, and you live in an area where machines are priced starting over $50 or you're more price sensitive (making eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist less appealing), you can find some of these every day listed at shopgoodwill.com starting at $10. Even with heaving bidding on auctions, these usually don't go over $35 (except for some of the Smith-Coronas). I've even seen them (sadly) not move at all for $10. This would give you an incredibly solid and inexpensive machine to tinker on, and will most likely work for you out of the box (as long as it's got a ribbon.) You'll end up with a solid machine to start off on while you search for your dream machine. It'll also give you some experience cleaning up and maintaining one. Of the seven machines I've gotten this way and paid an average of about $30-35 each (all in with shipping, tax, etc.) All but one were all immediately usable and only needed moderate cleaning that one could do at home with a cloth, dish soap, a toothbrush and maybe some canned air. Two of the seven were in near mint condition and didn't need any work at all. Tag/garage sales are also inexpensive options that usually allow you test out a machine, but it requires some shoe leather and lots of patience. If you've got a favorite author you love and trust, you might try searching out their machines: https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/typers.html

If there are any type-ins in your local area, try to go so you can not only meet others, but it might give you a chance to see and try out the machines of others to see what might suit you best.

Happiness and best wishes on your search!

https://www.youtube.com/@classicalliberalarts/videos

Americans can't stop 'spaving' — here’s how to avoid this financial trap by [[Jessica Dickler]] for CNBC

The white gunky substances seen on the plastic keys of old, unmaintained typewriters generally isn't mold, but plasticizers coming out of the plastic. These can usually be cleaned off using simple household cleaning products or if necessary heavier cleaners (Goo Gone, alcohol, naptha, etc. - test these on hidden parts first to ensure they don't react with or destroy the plastic or remove the paint of the key letters) followed up by light waxes or polishes and buffing.

reply to u/FriendlyAd4234 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cn004l/olympia_sg1_dust_cover/

Other than the traditional fabric-like dust covers, you might consider doing a thicker plastic/acrylic cover, particularly if you've got several machines and are using them for display purposes. I live in Los Angeles and there are half a dozen places that do this sort of custom work all the time for very reasonable rates. Searching for "plastic fabricator memoriabilia case" along with variations of plastics (acrylic, lucite, plexiglass) should get you what you want locally. (Here's a few examples I've used in Los Angeles before to give you an idea: https://solterplastics.com/, https://www.plasticfactoryinc.com/, https://www.customacrylicproducts.com/, https://plexidisplays.com/). Search for something similar in your area for easier communication and pick up/shipping.

If you search around for companies that make plastic displays, particularly for memorabilia (baseball bats, baseball cards, etc.), you can have them design and make a custom sized clear plastic box/enclosure that will keep the dust and dirt out, but still allow you to see the machine inside.

Olympia SF Companion adjustments<br /> by [[Typewriter Justice]]

Repairing a 1961 Olympia SF

Wiping dirty plastic typewriter keys with a soft cloth and then waxing/buffing them can bring them back to life.

Cleans them but probably doesn't repair them.

https://www.classictypewriter.com/typewriter-shop

Woody Allen Has Used the Same Typewriter for 50 Years! by [[Roger Friedman]] in Showbiz411

Referenced documentary is from PBS: American Masters Woody Allen: A Documentary (2011)

Woody Allen & his Typewriter

He wrote everything with his Olympia SM3 typewriter. He lost the hood "30 years ago".

He literally cuts and staples pieces of typescripts together.

How to Make Your Own Typewriter Ribbon: Rainbow Effect

Glycerine mixed with ink may help keep typewriter ribbons from drying out.

Smith Corona Vintage Typewriter Straighten Chrome Ring Keytops Twisted Crooked Letters Repair by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

https://typosphere.blogspot.com/2016/10/lady-gaga-is-interviewed-with-her.html

Maintenance Of Office Machines. 16 mm. Vol. MN-1513. United States Navy Training Film, 1943. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocdxgkxKAKo.

https://christmas.musetechnical.com/

Catalogs & Wishbooks from Sears, Montgomery Ward, and JC Penny

I have run across Jeff Shelton's Analog system (originally via Kickstarter) before. Thanks for the reminder.

There's also a slew of others, especially for folks looking at commercially preprinted cards (though I tend to think they're overpriced compared to blank cards): - The Hipster PDA (Parietal Disgorgement Aid) https://web.archive.org/web/20040906150523/https://merlin.blogs.com/43folders/2004/09/introducing_the.html - Pile of Index Cards (PoIC) https://www.flickr.com/photos/hawkexpress/albums/72157594200490122/ - Levenger https://www.levenger.com/products/triple-decker-pocket-planner?variant=42485422424213 (among others they carry including pocket briefcases) - Notsu https://notsubrand.com/ - Baronfig / Strategist: https://baronfig.com/products/strategist?variant=39787199529043 - Jeff Shelton's Analog system https://ugmonk.com/ - 3x5 Life https://www.3x5life.com/ - Foglietto https://www.nerosnotes.co.uk/collections/foglietto - Jot & Mark https://amzn.to/3Qs26Je

Am I missing any significant or influential examples, particularly branded ones?

Hubnote for 3 x 5" index cards for productivity

Said in the context of his pending crucifixion, with respect to a woman who had poured expensive ointment on Jesus.

This is an interesting proposition in this passage with respect to lots of what he'd said about the poor in the past. See also the Beatitudes

relationship to the idea of "Waging war on poverty, but not on the poor"?

Coogan, Michael David, Marc Zvi Brettler, Carol Ann Newsom, and Pheme Perkins, eds. The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with Apocrypha, An Ecumenical Study Bible. Fully Revised Fourth. 1962. Reprint, New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.

Annotations URL: urn:x-pdf:d8e0b658bbb0af5343bfb78eec4546f9

Alternate annotations view: https://jonudell.info/h/facet/?user=chrisaldrich&max=100&exactTagSearch=true&expanded=true&url=urn%3Ax-pdf%3Ad8e0b658bbb0af5343bfb78eec4546f9

Leaked Amazon memo warns the company is running out of people to hire by [[Jason Del Rey]]

Like Cuckoos, Capitalism Had to Push All Other Ways of Living Out of the Nest<br /> https://app.thebrain.com/brain/3d80058c-14d8-5361-0b61-a061f89baf87/9aeb5260-87fb-4f0d-94ae-b2656c9d84bb

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/g69bmw/stationery_size_suppliers_for_modern_typists/?context=3

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ci0c86/paper/

Remington Quiet-Riter carriage lock help by [[Typewriter Justice]]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTFM54VKKc4<br /> How To: Replace a Ribbon on Remington Quiet-Riter Typewriter by Typewriter Minutes

Read Repairing a 1957 Remington Quiet-Riter typewriter from 2018-06-16

Royal Typewriter Platen Variable Repair, Roller Removal by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

I'm seeing this issue on my 1949 Royal QDL. I figured it'd be an easy fix.

Turns out, it was exactly my issue and the pieces had "frozen up". A quick clean out and we're back in business in under 20 minutes.

Williams, Alex. “Paul Auster, the Patron Saint of Literary Brooklyn, Dies at 77.” The New York Times, May 1, 2024, sec. Books. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/30/books/paul-auster-dead.html.

How much time do book reviewers really spend on either a book or their actual review? Often it's a rushed process at best. How much can a reader get out of a quick read and gut reaction?

Perhaps things may be good from some of the best of the best reviewers, but generally, the author likely put more work into their work than the reviewer did.

digging the words into the page sounds adjacent to Seamus Heaney's "Digging" which analogizes writing to digging: https://hypothes.is/a/J-z8OgfQEe-0adtJyXyb3g

There's something here which suggests pens, typewriters, keyboards, etc. as direct extended mind objects as tools for thought. A sense of rumination and expulsion simultaneously.

Digging by [[Seamus Heaney]]<br /> via Poetry Foundation

Cop-E-Eez Metal Typists Copy Holder by [[Analogue Papa]]

TWVS Episode 20 - Adjusting Upper and Lower Case Positions by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Why I’m excited about Richard Polt’s book. by [[Scott K]]

via u/Pelicram at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cg6e3t/platens/

https://shopgoodwill.com/item/196946239 <br /> Royal Quiet De Luxe <br /> Won in auction 2024-04-24

https://micro.camp/<br /> May 17, 2024

https://alienmelon.itch.io/electric-zine-maker

I love the fish cursor on this website and the way it turns into fish bones on hovering.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1151228549580675

This is a version of a typewriter I had in my youth around 1983/84.

Replacing the key cap [as a means of switching from QWERTZ to QWERTY] isn't going to help at all, it's just a label. You'd have to swap out internal parts too. Depending on the model, you'd either have to remove and swap typebars or remove the head off the typebar and resolder it onto the appropriate alternate (and ensure that it's properly aligned, not an easy task). Then you'd have to swap the key caps (labels). It's definitely a mechanically doable process, but it's probably almost never done in practice. Doing it as a newbie probably isn't recommendable; you're better off having a repair shop do it for you if you decide to go this route. Depending on the keyboard/model, you'd also have to deal with accents, umlauts, etc.

Given the difficulty (or cost) of the process and the potential end results, you're assuredly better off locating a QWERTY machine and paying a bit more for shipping to your area if necessary.

Your mileage may vary depending on model.

reply to u/imprisoningmymemory at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cg1avp/replacing_keys/

reply regarding painting typewriters at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cflyf2/help_identifying/

It's been a while since I've done it, but I've sent vintage metal filing cabinets out to have them powder coated with stunning results. If you have someone local who does this, they'll be able to handle the details and give you color options. It may be best to give them the individual parts of the frame you want done and not the whole machine (especially so they don't lose or destroy anything vital). You can get some interesting colors and still have the older vintage look.

I've also been contemplating doing a brushed steel finish and several layers of shiny clear coat. I've done it to a few desks before (here's an example of a table with a brushed/enameled top though it's got a slab of glass on top too), but haven't done it with a typewriter (yet).

Depending on your area, you might find an auto repair artist who could strip the case down (sand blast/bead blast) and give you some real artwork including ombre paint, sparkle, racing stripes, etc. Just for fun, how cool would it be to have a matching "Jerry Orbach typewriter" if you had a Jerry Orbach car? If you're a Star Wars fan, it could be cool to have a typewriter done to look like either R2-D2 or C-3PO, for example. Or maybe cover a 1977 Smith-Corona Galaxie 12 with brown faux-Wookie fur and a bandolier Chewbacca-style!!! If you're going in, you may as well go all-in, right? (But definitely stop before you end up restoring one of the old black batwing-style Oliver's to fit it with a Darth Vader helmet dust cover...)

If you go with straight paint, your local paint shop can recommend the best combination of primer and paint formulation for painting onto metal. (The small sample pint sizes of paint may be more than enough to do a single typewriter.) They'll give you more color options than you could possibly want. You'll want a high quality paint brush and some paint thinner so that when you apply, the finish comes out buttery smooth as it dries. Various spray paints may be options as well, though here you may not have as many color options.

Left Behind by [[Nancy Isenberg]]

This is of interest because Isenberg's White Trash came out in January 2016 just a five months before Vance's Hillbilly Elegy was released. As a result she didn't get to reference it in her book.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._J._Sansom

Cohen, Rachel M. “What the Supreme Court Case on Tent Encampments Could Mean for Homeless People.” Vox, April 21, 2024. https://www.vox.com/scotus/24123323/grants-pass-scotus-supreme-court-homeless-tent-encampments.

Why is it that so many of Americans' gut reactions is to "kick the can down the road" rather than to solve the underlying problems?

I'm surprised to see this stance from Gavin Newsom... though California probably faces a higher level of homelessness than most states as a result of its weather.

Does it though? What are the rates of homelessness as a percentage of population per state? What do the overall numbers look like for CA as a percentage of the total?

Rolodex Item #67380 https://www.ebay.com/itm/166733559184

You have to appreciate the way that this zettelkasten is designed to be decorative and include personal family photos almost as a representation of what it directly contains.

Caption: A small rolodex file in grey and black plastic with a picture frame on the front with space for a small photo, in this case either a picture of a young child or a family dog

Will the escalation of protests and reaction by Columbia University’s President, Minouche Shafik cause an ultimate shift in American sentiment because she reacted in the wrong way to quell protests in Spring 2024? Will things escalate as they did in 1968 and spill over into actual change in society and culture?

The only thing university administrators had to do was NOTHING. by [[Dave Karpf]]

original source?

A 'typewriter rebellion' is underway. Here's what that means and why it's attracting kids from 2024-04-15 from Joe Dana / 12 News / Phoenix, AZ

Top 10 Typewriters for Writers by [[Daniel Marleau]] (created One Typed Page)

Hermes Rocket feet repair advice.

Hermes 3000

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Nesmith_Graham