Smith-Corona (SCM) Font Styles – To Type, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth… by [[Theodore Munk]]

https://munk.org/typecast/?s=fonts

The Story of Vertical Script (AKA: “Script 46 Ra”, “Oxford Script”) – To Type, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth… by [[Theodore Munk]]

colloquial advice

unreferenced here, so treat as colloquial

A field guide to hunting down script typewriters. by [[May Tobias-Papa]]

David McCullough’s ode to slow (and a tribute to the typewriter) by [[Steve Leveen]] on 2009-12-03

too many people want to attribute the accolades stemming from the work of a person and their process to the tools they use....

I love the setting of a "late-night garret"....

One to get rid of<br /> by [[Richard Polt]]

For yellowed glass keys on typewriters, there's usually a key top covered by a piece of paper with the key glyph on it which is sandwiched in with a small piece of glass and a metal ring that holds it down with several metal tabs underneath the key to hold it all in place. There are custom keyring pliers for quickly removing and replacing the papers which needs care not to crack the glass. Otherwise you can manually bend the metal tabs on all your key rings to remove them and replace the papers. (This is generally a LOT of work either way.) See: https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1csni4d/neat_find_on_clients_kmg/

I prefer the yellowed patina of the older key papers, so I tend to leave them versus spending the time and effort to replace them.

Often after you resurface a platen, it slightly changes the configuration of the platen with respect to the typeface. As a result one usually may need to do three adjustments in a specific order to get things to align properly again. These can definitely be done at home with some patience.

Usually the order for tweaking is: * Ring and Cylinder adjustment (distance of platen from typeface; the type shouldn't touch the platen or you'll find you're imprinting on your paper, making holes in the paper and/or ribbon, which isn't good). Sometimes using a simple backing sheet can remedy a bit of this distance problem, especially on platens which have hardened or shrunk slightly over time. * On Feet adjustment (vertical adjustment so that letters are bright and clear and neither top or bottom of characters are too light/faint) * Motion adjustment (the lower and upper case letters are at the same level with respect to each other) You can search YouTube videos for your model (or related models) and these words which may uncover someone doing a similar repair, so you have a better idea of what you're doing and where to make the adjustments.

Here's Joe Van Cleave describing some of it in one of his early videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0AozF2Jfo0 The general principles for most typewriters are roughly the same with slight variations depending on whether your machine is a segment shift or a carriage shift. You should roughly be able to puzzle out which screws to adjust on your particular model to get the general outcome you want.

Related blogposts: * https://munk.org/typecast/2022/01/23/adjusting-ring-cylinder-on-a-brother-jp-1/<br /> * https://munk.org/typecast/2013/07/30/typewriter-repair-101-adjusting-vertical-typeface-alignment-segmentbasket-shift-typewriters/

You might find a related repair manual for your machine with more detail and diagrams for these adjustments via the Typewriter Database or on Richard Polt's typewriter site.

For those not mechanically inclined you may be better off taking it onto a repair shop for a quick adjustment. https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html 

Reply to u/Acethease at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1d76ygx/got_a_as_a_gift_corona_3_recentlyish_and_i_need/

https://www.usbtypewriter.com/products/bluetooth-usb-typewriter-conversion-kit

https://typespec.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCqcWwg5hDXgYMLRQZR3gRg

Run by https://www.reddit.com/user/Doctor_Will_Zayvus/

https://www.amsterdamtypewriter.com/en-us

https://torontotypewriters.com/

Owner? Chris?

https://reeselectronics.com/typewriter-service-department/

Helmut is an amazing engineer/repairman via https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/w8viia/comment/ihrw7cg/

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

This process can be used to whiten yellowed plastics.

Replace the carriage string in your 1950’s Smith-Corona Silent by [[Theodore Munk]]

Removing the Platen on Mid-Century Olivetti Typewriters. by [[Dr. Typewriter - Venneburg Typewriters]]

The MASSIVE Olivetti Linea 98 (1972) by [[Just My Typewriter]]

https://typewriterdatabase.com/1950-remington-allnew.18856.typewriter

via Glen Crookston at https://typewriterdatabase.com/1949-remington-allnew.17706.typewriter

Adding to the Typewriter collection with a bit of first aid<br /> by [[Midcentury Clive]]

Typewriter Backing Sheets by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Backing sheets for typewriters on Meade standard typing paper.

• Construction paper - Joe's favorite
• 4 mil thick polyethylene film
• Thin typing paper
• 20lb resume paper
• 1/64" synthetic rubber sheet
• 168gsm Evolon (polyester and nylon) paper

To be more specific on solvents for beginners, potentially try mineral spirits (white spirit in UK), paint thinner, naphtha (lighter fluid), kerosene, varnish remover, PB B'laster, or carburetor or brake cleaner. Be careful as many of these are flammable and some can remove paint or decals; use all of them in a well ventilated area. You may see some recommend household variations of alcohol, but these do contain water and generally aren't very effective solvents for the types of oil/grease/dust you'll probably want to remove; professional typewriter repair shops would not use alcohol on a machine. And for those in the back, no one but a psychopath would use WD-40 on a machine's internals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjumGF9NFE8 is a pretty solid cleaning primer. Searching YouTube will uncover some potential additional advice in addition to what you can find at https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-restoration.html

Good luck. That's a lovely machine!

Smith Corona 5 Series Typewriter Keyboard Adjustment for Lighter Touch Silent Super by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Taming The Tinny Typing Sound of a Brother JP-1 Typewriter (Part 3 – the Finale?) by [[Theodore Munk]]

Adjusting Ring & Cylinder on a Brother JP-1 by [[Theodore Munk]]

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/21zpri/what_you_should_know_before_cleaning_your/

Note the stated 33 year experience as typewriter repairman

Due to the nature of online communication, it may often be the case that typewriter collectors and their colloquial advice may drown out the more experienced and professional typewriter repair people.

Most typewriter shops did not use alcohol as it was ineffective and contained water. Industrial alcohols contained keytones and acetones that will melt plastic and remove paint.

Solvents for typewriters used in repair shops: - White mineral spirits with a squeeze bottle. (Sometimes also called Varsol, Stoddard's Formula, and possibly Inhibisol) - Naphtha (aka lighter fluid; used in Zippo lighters, and frequently seen in Europe). PB B'laster is essentially pressurized naphtha in a can. - Auto carb and brake cleaners, usually pressurized in a can. These usually have acetone in them and will melt plastic. Will remove WD-40 if accidentally used on a typewriter.

For cleaning typeslugs, one can use naphtha or mineral spirits with a brass bristle brush.

For platen cleaning try mineral spirits or fedron.

Only oil the carriage rails for the bearings or trucks.

(This is all colloquial advice, albeit with experience, so check specific facts about what certain products contain.)

should find a better reference

Example of a typewriter repairman calling a 1954 model a Royal Dreyfuss Quiet De Luxe.

While they did have some of the general design elements of Henry Dreyfuss' 1948 redesign, would one really still call them a Dreyfuss?

Ames Segment Pick, an Artisan Tool – For Sale $24.95 by Paul of Bremerton Office Machine Company

Is it telling that a typewriter shop around since 1947 only has one segment pick?

Everyone mentioned most of the usual tricks, but one.

To get your sticky typewriter keys working again, while you're flushing out the segment with your solvent of choice (lacquer thinner, paint thinner, mineral spirits, alcohol, etc.), actually move the typebars using the keys or by other means. This will help to get them moving and allow the solvent and subsequently compressed air to help flush the oil, dust, hair, etc. out of your machine. You've already got a mechanical cleaning device of sorts (the typebar itself) inside the segment, so move it while you're flushing it out!

It may take a few repeated treatments/attempts to get it all clear for all the keys, but it's far easier than taking everything apart.

reply to u/nogaesallowed at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1cp75ln/how_do_you_clean_a_1mm_gap/

People were recommending all sorts of ideas and solvents here, including folded card stock, tooth brushes, floss, toothpicks, interdental brushes, wood cuticle sticks, Swiss Army knife tweezers, microbrushes, and even an ultrasonic cleaner.

https://amzn.to/3ywkwm1

Speedy Inks with typewriter ribbon with DIN spools for European typewriter spools (eg: Adler, Olympia, Adler, Facit, etc.).

12 pack for about $10.

Recommended by Joe Van Cleave

Typewriter Video Series Episode 244: Ribbon Winder by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/266277055176

Typewritermuse's "Speedy Spooler"

How to Change the Platen and Feed Rollers on a Typewriter - The Smith-Corona Skyriter, Part One by [[CreateX3]]

https://www.bedlamcreations.com/custom-waterslide-decals/custom-restoration-waterslide-decals/

https://www.typewriter.wiki/index.php/Main_Page

https://www.swintec.com/

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 175: Skipping Skyriter<br /> by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Watch Phoenix Typewriter in Remington Quiet-Riter Typewriter, Skipping Letters, Adjust Escapement, Type Bar Trip

https://www.vintagetypewritershoppe.com/vintage_typewriters_21.html

https://typewriterreview.com/typewriter-marketplace/

Thank the Ribbons! by [[Daniel Marleau]]

via https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-faq.html

Baco Ribbons by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Smith Corona Skyriter Shift Repair, Ring & Cylinder Adjustment for Even Quality Print by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

My first "ultra-portable" (Skyriter 1955) by [[Just My Typewriter]]

55 had an integral cover versus later versions which had bags.

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 143: Rocket Versus Skyriter by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 121: SCM Skyriter by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Joe likes this better than the Hermes Rocket. Solid ultra portable.

Typewriter Video Series Episode 407: Remington Ten Forty by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Joe Van Cleave has used an index card with his typewriter to hold up the back of his typewriter paper on machines (the Ten Forty, for example) which lack a metal support on the back of the paper table.

The Remington Ten Forty typewriter is a half-space machine. This means that when one presses a key, for example the spacebar, the carriage advances a half space and then advances the other half space when released.

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 100: Loosen Up, Brother! by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Aligning a Montgomery Ward (Brother) Signature 511 by Bill M.

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/

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

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/

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

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.

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.

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.

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/

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

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.

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

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!

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]]

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

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.

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.

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]]