https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jyu00h/whats_the_manual_typewriter_market_like_in_your/

Baseball Scoresheets for Typewriters by [[Louis Spirito]]

https://typecast.munk.org/2023/02/17/1967-womda-typewriter-typefaces-royal-fonts/

quote via the reliable u/ahelper

https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jvgm5z/feed_pawl_not_engaging_ratchet/

Mathematics with Typewriters

What you're suggesting is certainly doable, and was frequently done in it's day, but it isn't the sort of thing you want to subject yourself to while you're doing your Ph.D. (and probably not even if you're doing it as your stress-releiving hobby on the side.)

I several decades of heavy math and engineering experience and really love typewriters. I even have a couple with Greek letters and other basic math glyphs available, but I wouldn't ever bother with typing out any sort of mathematical paper using a typewriter these days.

Unless you're in a VERY specific area that doesn't require more than about 10 symbols, you're highly unlikely to be pleased with the result and it's going to require a huge amount of hand drawn symbols and be a pain to add in the graphs and illustrations. Even if you had a 60's+ Smith-Corona with a full set of math fonts using their Chageable Type functionality, you'd spend far more time trying to typeset your finished product than it would be worth.

You can still find some typewritten textbooks from the 30s and 40s in math and even some typed lecture notes collections into the 1980s and they are all a miserable experience to read. As an example, there's a downloadable copy of Claude Shannon's master's thesis at MIT from 1940, arguably one of the most influential and consequential masters theses ever written, that only uses basic Boolean Algebra and it's just dreadful to read this way: https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/11173 (Incidentally, a reasonable high schooler should be able to read and appreciate this thesis today, which shows you just how far things have come since the 1940s.)

If you're heavily enough into math to be doing a Ph.D. you not only should be using TeX/LaTeX, but you'll be much, much, much happier with the output in the long run. It's also a professional skill any mathematician should have.

As a professional aside, while typewriten mathematical texts may seem like a fun and quirky thing to do, there probably isn't an awful lot of audience that would appreciate them. Worse, most professional mathematicians would automatically take a typescript verison as the product of a quack and dismiss it out of hand.

tl;dr in terms of The Godfather: Buy the typewriter, leave the thesis in LaTeX.

a reply to u/Quaternion253 RE: Typing a maths PhD thesis using a typewriter at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1js3cs5/typing_a_maths_phd_thesis_using_a_typewriter/

The majority of American machines (Royal, Remington, Smith-Corona) are 6 lines per inch and either 10 characters per inch (pica) or 12 CPI (elite). My guess would be that you'll see about 90% of people's machines covered across these specs with a roughly 60/40 split for pica vs. elite when it comes to planning print runs.

Most European machines are like the Olympias and are labeled as 2.3 m/m which when multiplied out (25.4mm/inch x 1 character/2.3mm) gives 11.043 CPI. Generally they're also 6 lines per inch. In the US, most of the common (and still popular) imported typewriters are going to be the Olympia SM2, SM3, SM4, SM7, and SM9s and the three incarnations of the Hermes 3000.

I've got a small collection of 50 mostly American machines across six decades with a few less common typefaces including Vogue, Gothic, and Congress Elite if you need some machines for nearby testing (I'm in Altadena, though temporarily still displaced). Most of my available machines are listed at https://typewriterdatabase.com/typewriters.php?hunter_search=7248

There are definitely some smaller 16, 18, 20, and even 24 CPI machines, but they tend to have come on the larger Olympia standards which weigh in at 30-40 pounds and are unlikely to be lugged to ballparks the way that smaller portables and ultraportables might be. There are some larger format 6 CPI machines, but they tend to be much rarer and are more often found on 1970s Smith-Coronas. If you want to go crazy, I'd guess you're aware of Ted Munk's collection of typefaces and catalogs that can be found at: https://typecast.munk.org/category/typewriter-typestylesfonts/

Incidentally, for fun, Bill Madden's book Yankees, Typewriters, Scandals, and Cooperstown: A Baseball Memoir is set for release tomorrow.

Since you sound like a local Dodgers fan, I'd love to invite you to the upcoming SoCal Type-in I'm planning for Saturday, May 10th at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena: https://boffosocko.com/2025/03/25/youre-invited-to-a-southern-california-type-in/ I hope you'll have some final versions available by then. 😍

reply posted 2025-04-01 at https://old.reddit.com/r/BaseballScorecards/comments/1jn2475/yes_tom_hanks_does_schlep_a_typewriter_to_ball/

If you're curious about some of the technical details and how the are affected by the distribution of typefaces and sizes, I laid out some of them the other day: https://www.reddit.com/r/BaseballScorecards/comments/1jn2475/comment/mks9rbc/

Lou also has some great examples of scorekeeping across display sizes and level of data in his offerings at https://thirty81press.com/.

The broader issue for most scorers is the limitation to 8.5 x 11" paper which is the most common page size for the ubiquitous portable and ultraportable typewriters from the mid-century. While there are some portables with carriages and platens that might accomodate up to 12" wide paper, they're not super common.

To get machines with wider platens to get 11x14 or 11x17, you're going to need the significantly larger standard machines and unless you're rich enough to have a suite that you can securely store one in or a journalist with your own booth, not many baseball fans are going to cart a 35-45+ pound typewriter with them to all their games. Though this wouldn't prevent the fan viewing at home from scoring this way easily. My example above was done on a standard width carriage on a standard machine, but I did have several options to do it on a 12", 14", and even two 16" standard typewriters. Interestingly, most of my larger carriage machines are elite 12/6 (12CPI with 6 lines/inch) formats, and I don't think Lou has designed yet for that standard which would allow for an additional 15 characters to be distributed amidst the columns (while still keeping a minimum of 1/2" margins for some balanced white space). I'll be tinkering around with some of this myself in the coming week or so on 11x14" paper using a 15" wide platen on an elite machine to see how things might look.

Perhaps a modified format at 8.5 x 11 that alternates the teams and splits a 12 inning game format across three sheets so that the typist can type down a single page without swapping sheets every half inning and realigning their page every time? But this would cause a lot of formating change versus traditional layouts to do so.

I've also been tinkering with using small space characters like the - and the _ to indicate data (with or without the use of the variable line spacing mechanism) for things like tracking RBIs. The underline is particularly useful for this in Lou's three space layout.

https://www.reddit.com/r/BaseballScorecards/comments/1jej2zl/baseball_scorecard_for_typewriters_lad_chc_3182025/

https://typewriterrevolution.com/the-typewriter-manifesto/

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jm7c02/is_it_better_to_use_mineral_spirits_or_lighter/?sort=old

quote from Nashville Typewriter

Unda-Wunda Logo mark trademark<br />

Serial Number 72129754 filed on 12th Oct 1961<br /> Registration Number 740738 registered on 13th Nov 1962

https://www.trademarkia.com/logomark-72129754

https://www.trademarkia.com/logomark-72129754

Serial number 72129755 filed on 1961-10-12<br /> Registration number 744564 registered on 1963-01-29<br /> Expired 1987-09-01

https://www.trademarkia.com/unda-wunda-72129755

Standard Typewriters - Underwood 5

Portable Typewriters - Hermes 3000 - Smith-Corona Clipper, Sterling, Silent, Silent Supers (5 Series) - Royal Quiet De Luxe - Olympia SM2, SM3, SM4 (Carriage shift)

Ultra Portables - Not recommended

Typewriters for Writers by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

https://web.archive.org/web/20190305042816/http://www.deadmedia.org/notes/index-cat.html#tw

A Type-In to Say Goodbye to a New England Institution by Scott Cacciola and Jillian Freyer for New York Times 2025-03-24

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jlg0l9/new_typewriter_first_typewriter/

<br /> via https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/4e906fe0-3ec5-0137-4dbb-05753e085b4b

How Mid-Century 'Emojis' Were Created on Typewriters by [[Lori Dorn]]

Two poets to open a typewriter and book shop in Garfield Park by [[Sophie Young]]

recently opened typewriter repair shops, 2025

Usually it might have been typewriter shop, gun shop, then cell phone store, so it's intriguing to see the opposite ordering.

There's a few things going on here. Generally at SGW a gray Olympia SM3 in excellent "looking" condition like this one will go for $120-150. This one is also hiding a script typeface which will usually add another $110-150 of value, which would put it at the $300 mark. I'm sort of surprised that the original winner didn't actually pay for it at this price as that's likely what someone would honestly pay for one like this. (It's also possible that they forgot they won or didn't know and didn't pay for it in time too.)

On today's listing, it's far, far more likely that someone wants it and either couldn't get it or pay for it now at the price that it was going to go for in a reasonable auction. They used a throw away accout to make an outrageous bid in hopes that in a week it'll be relisted and no one will notice the script typeface and it'll go for well under $200. (It won't.) This happens incredibly frequently for some of the less common typewriters. Usually it's machines with script or uncommon typefaces or uncommon character sets. Recent auctions for a gold plated Olympia SM3 and a Yellow Royal FP with a Gothic typeface come to mind. I've seen this also happen four or five times in a row before someone ultimately pays for a machine at some reasonable price.

Honestly, SGW should have a policy that the second and third runners up for auctions that don't get paid for by winners should have the right of last refusal on auctions like this to prevent this sort of "gaming" of the system. If you search back in this sub, you'll see this topic coming up every couple of weeks with the same discussions over and over. The common wisdom is that a SGW auction isn't gone until the machine doesn't pop up anymore and actually "sold". And even then, if you wait a week or two, you'll usually see the exact machine pop up less than a month later on eBay being listed by the winner for an exorbitant amount (almost always without having done any additional cleaning or restoration work on it aside from maybe dusting it out.)

Maybe we should add the tag #SGWgaming to all these conversations to make them easier to find?

reply to https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jift5r/listing_on_the_right_was_a_month_ago_listing_on/

The long, thin spring-loaded metal flap labeled the "paper conductor" on the SM3 and SM4 and labeled the "erasing table" on the SM2 are all the same part. They serve a few functions.

They can be used for erasing mistakes certainly and help to keep dust and debris from going into the carriage and rollers.

The "paper conductor" description sounds like a fun translation of something from German into English, but this part also prevents the paper which goes under the paper bail and forces it up and back to the paper table and the paper support. Presumably without it, a slightly curved piece of paper might be misrouted to go right back into the platen a second time as the paper advances.

This sort of paper conductor/dust shield can also be found on some later 1960s+ Smith-Corona (SCM) machines. For example, see the Galaxie II which calls that part the erasure table.

India's nostalgic passion for old typewriters by [[Kamala Thiagarajan]]

The best ‘low-tech’ spycraft tricks by [[Frank Swain]]

Kremlin security agency to buy typewriters 'to avoid leaks' by [[BBC News]]

Baraniuk, Chris. “‘We Use Them Every Day’: In Some Parts of the US, the Clack of Typewriter Keys Can Still Be Heard.” BBC, March 22, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250321-the-people-who-still-use-typewriters.

Royal Typewriter Family by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

In Typewriter Video Series Episode 321 Joe and Kevin explore the Royal Heritage, Empress and Safari.

The Royal Futura and subsequent Royal Heritage were successor machines to the Royal Quiet De Luxe.

The Empress and the Safari have a sort of Jetsons (1962-1963) aesthetic.

Colloquial collection of typewriter fan names by Kevin and Joe:<br /> Cult of Hermes<br /> Royal Family<br /> Remington Rebels<br /> Smith-Corona Silent Superiors

2025-03-21: edit (spelling)

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jgepoi/those_of_you_who_have_replaced_a_drawband_on_an/

via https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jgg4kh/royal_kmm_extra_column_of_keys/miyumvn/

Raymond Chandler's Typewriter - Mark Coggins by [[Mark Coggins]]

Raymond Chandler was not a touch typist.

variations of the Olivetti Studio 44

https://www.typewriters101.com/

Beyond the Type-In by [[Woz Flint]] ​

If you're a more serious writer, you're sure to find a smoother and better experience with a standard typewriter, but they're slightly larger and heavier (~30 pounds vs. ~15-22 pounds) than the portables. These are usually the ones I recommend if you're writing for several hours and have a dedicated space for your writing. Standards aren't as popular with most collectors, so they also tend to be less expensive.

I really love my Royal KMG, HH, and FP and my Remington Standard and Remington 17 which are all serious machines. Here are some of the other more common standards for serious writers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r3533cSZ38

Reply to u/RetailThrowAway69 at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1je4owq/new_typewriter_for_a_keyboard_warrior_of_20_years/

Almost every portable and ultra portable typewriter made from the 1930s onward came with a case that the typewriter locked into. On almost all of these the top of the typewriter case was easily removeable from the base with a spring loaded locking mechanism of some sort. This allowed the user to sit in almost any chair and use the typewriter on their lap. The thin case bottoms prevent dirt and oil from soiling one's clothes.

Beginning in the late 60s/early 70s some manufacturers began making plastic tops that clipped onto the typewriter bodies, but often these are more brittle and prone to breaking/shattering due to the type and age of the plastic. (I'm looking at you Remington Streamliners...)

Our cat used to love "hiding" in the wooden case tops of my 1940s and 1950s Smith-Coronas (Clippers, Sterlings, Silents, Silent Supers).

It's really only the larger and much heavier standard machines that didn't come with cases at all.

https://www.thingiverse.com/etkaar/collections/43102335/things

reply to u/andrebartels1988 at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1jcsp6t/rant_over_online_sellers/

No, they're either ignorant or actively trying to hide the fact that their machine was bought for $5 at a yard sale and they're trying to match the pricing of pro shops that have cleaned, oiled, adjusted and repaired a machine which far exceeds the misery they're selling because they have absolutely no idea what goes into a good machine.

People doing the work to show type samples and video of their machines are usually far, far more legitimate. These people are also going to give you $2 of new ribbon for free with purchase.

Without a type sample or video, all but the rarest machines aren't worth more than $20.

I've never used them. They're probably alright. Looks like they're specializing in engraved spools more than anything. My guess is that they're buying ribbon in bulk from Baco or Fine Line and passing along the cost and adding some additional profit.

Here's typical bulk pricing:

nylon ribbon $0.10 - $0.15/yard silk ribobn $0.33 to $0.40/yard cotton ribbon $0.25/yard If you can get a spool's worth of nylon ribbon (16 yards) for about $1.50 to $3, do you really want to pay $8 or more plus shipping? If I'm going to do this (usually for small quantities of custom colored ribbon), I'm going to buy it from a local shop to help support them and keep them open.

There are obviously lots of options you can choose from, ultimately you'll do what works best/quickest/cheapest for you.

Type Shop, EP. 20: Ribbon Colors by [[Typewriter Chicago]]

blue/pink is an excellent color combination as is the blue/green. blue/purple isn't as strong a differentiated color combination as one might hope.

Typewriter Chicago used to carry orange, but doesn't any longer. Maybe again in the future?

Tested 100s of heavy desk typewriters, Here is the top 5 revealed. by [[Mr & Mrs Vintage Typewriters]]

Top Five Standard Typewriters:<br /> - Imperial 55 - Imperial 70 (after this they went to cheaper plastic parts); removable carriage, swappable typefaces; removeable core - Hermes Ambassador - removable carriage - Underwood Standards, esp. 5 - Royal 10 (carriage shift); (and subsequent incarnations like the KH, KMM, KMG, HH, FP) - Olympia SG1 (the "crown jewel" of desktop typewriters)

Also rans: - Olivetti Lexicon, Olivetti Graphica - Contintental m40 & m20 - Mercedes

Cleaning with Air Compressors (testing portable air compressors) by [[Just My Typewriter]]

Sarah Everett uses: - Porter Cable portable air compressor (loud, high powered) - Uses smaller USB chargeable one for smaller jobs: PeroBuno mini car vacuum and compressor with attachments

Sarah Everett recommends the Vogma air duster / air compressor for cleaning out her typewriters. https://amzn.to/3FjqZ76

How to Clean a Typewriter (Apartment Friendly Guide!) by [[Just My Typewriter]]

Remington 5: Learning how to replace feed rollers by [[Just My Typewriter]]

The Texas Bucket List - The Typewriter Repairman

Cool Spaces: A shop from another era

The Apothecary's Typewriter by Scott K on 2012-12-14

How I display my typewriters (and a Q&A) by [[Just My Typewriter]]

Sarah uses WD-40 on the black enamel of older 20s-30s era typewriters to clean and polish them.

reply to u/bethcano at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1j3z646/whats_a_fair_price_these_days_for_a_hermes_3000/

In the US I've been seeing them go for around $250 based only on photos without any additional information about whether they work or other condition.

Platforms like eBay and ShopGoodwill.com will allow you to search for actual sales (see the advanced settings) and this will give you a much better picture of what the prices are versus people listing them for several hundred more (usually to match the prices of professional shops that are listing theirs in cleaned, oiled, and adjusted condition). (Remember when shopping: Condition is king!)

See:

• https://shopgoodwill.com/categories/listing?st=hermes%20typewriter&sg=&c=&s=&lp=0&hp=999999&sbn=&spo=false&snpo=false&socs=false&sd=false&sca=true&caed=3%2F5%2F2025&cadb=90&scs=false&sis=false&col=1&p=1&ps=40&desc=false&ss=0&UseBuyerPrefs=true&sus=true&cln=1&catIds=&pn=&wc=false&mci=false&hmt=false&layout=grid&ihp=
• https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=hermes+3000+typewriter&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1

Keep in mind that prices may be dramatically different in your country based on how ubiquitous they were when they were originally manufactured.

Expect to add $150-200+ for script or rarer typefaces, and another \~$150 if the platen has been recovered.

$550 would not be uncommon if purchasing a pica or elite Hermes 3000 with a standard typeface in generally good cosmetic shape that's been professionally cleaned, oiled, and adjusted by a shop.

https://www.ebay.com/usr/thakseman1

thakseman1

Local writers host ‘typewriter revivals’ by [[Algernon D'Ammassa Las Cruces Bulletin]]

RARE Japanese Toshiba Typewriter by [[Typewriter Collector]] David Herrera

Apps, E. A. “Typewriter Inks.” In Inks for the Minor Printing Processes and Specialised Applications, p218-221 of xix, 295. 1963. Reprint, London: Hill, 1966. http://archive.org/details/typewriter-inks.

T.H. Dixon & Co. Ltd. manufactured machines for typewriter ribbon processing and had a method for spraying a coating to the edges of ribbons in a special chamber to prevent the edges of the ribbon from fraying. (p219)

Center lining machines are used to make bichrome typewriter ribbon. It operates by drawing an insulating line on the ribbon and transparent gum solution is pumped through a needle using pneumatic pressure to keep the two colors from running into each other.

Typewriter ribbon can be inked in four different configurations: - impregnated throughout - surface treatment - inked on one side only - inked on both sides, usually simultaneously

https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/38178621

https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1j1zm4z/easy_out_typewriter_tool/

Apparently for "pulling out typebars when they get stuck"??

r/sk8cruz = LaDonna Qualtieri https://typewriterdatabase.com/typewriters.php?hunter_search=6493&collection_search=My+Collection

How a Mechanical Typewriter Works by [[Animagraffs]]

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 74: Choosing Typewriter Bags by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

https://www.google.com/books/edition/System/sjnnAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=typewriter&pg=PA763&printsec=frontcover

System, the Magazine of Business, volume XLII, Number 6(?), December 1922, p763 an advertisement for the Memindex

https://www.google.com/books/edition/System/sjnnAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=typewriter&pg=PA536&printsec=frontcover

There was no office machinery at all–the typewriter was known but scarcely used. Even telephones were rarities. The card index, the filing cabinet, the loose-leaf ledger were all but unknown. Of course there were no calculating machines.

System, the Magazine of Business, volume XLII, Number 5, November 1922, p536, "What 55 Years in Business Taught Me About Managing: The first installment of the biography of John H. Patterson, founder of the National Cash Register Company and Lately Chairman of the Board" by Samuel Crowther.

Correcting Bad Typing Habits with the Smith Corona Electric Typewriter 63024 by [[PeriscopeFilm]]

Motion should happen only at the level of the fingers and not at the wrist or even the arms. Type only with your fingers and not your wrists or arms.

Allow the carriage to glide to complete the carriage return rather than wasting addition time and energy on pushing it all the way. Let the momentum do the work.

Use the paper release when removing letters to reduce wear on your rollers and prevent ripping of the paper.

See also at https://stock.periscopefilm.com/63024-correcting-bad-typing-habits-with-the-smith-corona-electric-typewriter/

Drop the paper into the top of the platen and against the paper guide to improve alignment can save time.

Setting the right hand margin will help save huge amounts of time from the transcriptionist looking back and forth to get proper margins otherwise.

Using correct typing for numerals will speed up typing numbers as well.

For the top tabulator, use your index fingers alternately instead of hitting it with your entire hand.

Hugging the keys with your fingers allows you to type faster, much like a drummer keeps the sticks closer to the drumhead when drumming quickly.

Smith Corona Manual Typewriter Shift Lock Adjustment Latch Repair Upper Case Letters by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Olympia SM-3 Vintage Typewriter, Repaired Adjusted Shift Lock by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Yankees, Typewriters, Scandals, and Cooperstown: A Baseball Memoir by Bill Madden<br /> Release date: April 1, 2025 (hardcover)

https://www.gates.com/us/en.html

Sells belts including v-belts which might be used for typewriter repair parts.

The Hermes 3000 repair manual has a really good section on type alignment including tools, according to Joe Van Cleave. (9:17)

Smith-Corona Electra 220 Typewriter Review by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

Some details about the internal motor workings of SCM electric typewriters.

Typewriter Strike Out Corrections by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/w1k8lq/vintage_typewriter_repair_resources/

Back in the day people used custom erasers for erasing. They were much harder than the softer erasers in use now, which is why modern pencil and art erasers don't work as well. For some historical methods, see these videos or here.

Secretaries also used small eraser shields to target individual letters, words, or lines. They also used larger curved shields for erasing within carbon copy packs.

Eaton used to make Ko-rec-type tabs which could be inserted for short corrections and it can still be found online as old stock.

There was also bichrome ribbon with white correction tape, but that tends to fleck off and make a mess in your machine over time. Similarly White Out is still made, but it can spill and make a mess while you wait for it to dry.

For modern typists, hand-held correction tape is probably the quickest and easiest.

This could be expanded for the widest range of history on erasing using typewriters with caveats, etc.

reply to u/Fearless_Camera_1788 at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ixmz88/how_to_erase/

Remington Rand KMC Standard Typewriter, Ring Style, Noiseless, 1/2", Install, Replace Ink Ribbon by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Without the Remington ribbon rings, one can utilize the slots in coordination with grommets to thread up a Remington typewriter.

Remington Standard Typewriter KMC , model 17, How to Change and Set Margin Stops, Demo<br /> by [[Phoenix Typewriter]]

Identifying My Remington Rand Typewriter

reply to u/Pope_Shady at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1iwrlij/highest_price_youd_spend/

Generally my cap for typewriter purchases is in the $20-35 range. Most of my favorite machines (the standards) were acquired for $5-10 and they're so much better than the portables. At these prices I'm not too worried about the level of work required. I regularly spend 3-4 times more money on a full reel of bulk typewriter ribbon than I do on a typical typewriter.

A few of my more expensive acquisitions: * I went as high as $100 on a machine (including shipping) to get a Royal Quiet De Luxe with a Vogue typeface that turned out to be in about as stunning a condition as one could hope for. * I went to $130 on an Olympia SM3 in part for it's Congress elite typeface as well as an uncommon set of mathematical characters. I'm sure I could have gotten it for significantly less, but wanted to help out the seller and it was in solid condition except for worn bushings. * I also went to around $150 for an (uncommon in the US) early 30's Orga Privat 5 that was in solid shape. I've yet to run into another Orga in the wild in the US since.

It also bears saying that I don't mind buying "barn machines" as a large portion of the fun in collecting for me is cleaning, adjusting, and restoring them to full functionality. I've been dissapointed once to have bought a Remington Quiet-Riter once for $10 only to discover it was in near mint condition and didn't need any work at all.

I am at the point where I'm going to need to start selling machines, work at a local shop, or start my own shop if I'm going to keep up with the "hobby" and maintain a sane spouse simultaneously. If I didn't enjoy wrenching on machines so much, I would definitely be buying them from local shops for significantly more money, and I'd probably have far fewer.

It's not talked about in great length in some typewriter collector spaces, but I think some of the general pricing "game", beyond just getting a "deal", is the answer to the questions: "What am I into this space for anyway? What makes it fun and interesting?" If you don't have the time, talent, tools, or inclination to do your own cleaning and restoration work, then paying $300-$600 for a nice machine in exceptional clean/restored condition from a shop is a totally valid choice and shouldn't be dismissed. Some are in it for the discussions of typewriters. Some are in it for the bargain hunt. Some just want to write. Some want rare gems. Some want common machines from famous writers. Others just want one "good" machine while others want all the machines. It's a multi-faceted space.

Typewriter Algebra by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

via https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1iucu6i/you_guys_wouldnt_know_what_typewriter_is_used_in/

The Texting Typewriter (hardware) by [[Sam Christy]]

https://hackaday.com/2024/12/18/back-to-the-future-of-texting-sms-on-a-panasonic-typewriter/

Typewriter Market: It may be better if you didn't get an Olympia SM3 typewriter today.

I'm not out to shame people for their purchases, just to caution uninitiated typewriter purchasers and budding collectors who aren't carefully watching the market.

Olympia SM3s are well-touted and excellent typewriters. They've recently been selling on ShopGoodwill in unknown condition for $120-150 based only on photos.

Earlier today, an Olympia SM3 sold for $334! So what gives? Why did this go for over twice as much as the average? To the uninitiated, the seasoned collector can look at this machine carefully and realize that even without seeing a type sample or a close up photo of the slugs that this machine is quietly hiding a script typeface of some kind. This means that two bidders would have paid an almost $200 premium for a script typeface, and one of them managed to snipe it for $1 with minutes left. Generally I see script machines going for $100-150 over similar machines without script.

Sadly, the high price on this machine earlier in the day may have suckered others into thinking these machines are significantly more valuable as it seems two other Olympia SM3s right after it both went for:<br /> * $202.03 https://shopgoodwill.com/item/222707079 * $202.03 https://shopgoodwill.com/item/222546519

And they were bid over 200 by the same two people while the "smarter" money stopped with bids at $137 on both.

Of course, neither of these later two machines have a script face, but at least two bidders were potentially reeled in by the much higher sales price of the script machine earlier in the day. This means that they've overpayed at least $50 above market for each, possibly thinking that they may have gotten a great deal. Sadly they didn't, they just overpayed the market average. The person who was sniped on both managed to save themselves $100+ today because I imagine they'll be able to get equivalent machines in the coming month for closer to under $150.

Incidentally another later Olympia portable (usually in the $75-120 range) earlier in the day went for a more reasonable $232 with a stated/photographed cursive typeface: https://shopgoodwill.com/item/222546740 This one was a stronger deal in the current market as they only paid about $110 above average for that machine to get the script typeface. The tough part is that because the description stated "cursive", they didn't have the benefit of possibly picking up a script machine with less competition.

While this is an interesting microcosm example of the current (overheated?) typewriter market (at least in the US), I hope all the buyers of these machines enjoy their purchases. If they're your first Olympias, and they need some work to get back to fighting shape, I've put together a guide: https://boffosocko.com/2024/07/14/aggregated-resources-and-playlist-for-a-crash-course-on-the-olympia-sm3-portable-typewriter/

syndication link

via https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1iqn5hs/comment/mdakb8r/

Just craft/tacky glue. I painted the machine with the glue and applied the fabric.

via https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ir50gz/i_covered_a_typewriter_in_fabric_not_sure_how_you/

Cleaning Typewriter Type Slugs by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

JVC recommends 91% isopropyl alcohol (IPA) for cleaning typeslugs.

Brass bristle brushes from Harbor Freight.

Sally's Beauty Supply stiff nylon brush for cleaning typeslugs.

Bergeon Rodico 6033-1 as a cleaning compound (similar to Silly Putty and other older compounds) for typeslugs.

https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ijiwn0/hermes_10_repair/

https://selectric.org/selectric/

Replacing the Carriage on a Royal Portable Typewriter by [[Marty Morren]]

https://www.m-morren.nl/product/17071027/royal-bearing-guide-ball-feeder-tool

Triumph Adler Tippa / Tippa S / Contessa De Luxe Service Manual - T.A. Vertriebs-GmbH Nürnberg<br /> by [[T.A. Vertriebs-GmbH Nürnberg]]

Typewriter Video Series - Episode 231: Petite Toy Typewriter by [[Joe Van Cleave]]

I see a Hermes 3000 typewriter on the shelf behind AOC here. The true "Green New Deal"!

ᔥ[[BonchBomber]] in Spotted on AOC’s shelf : r/typewriters

reply to u/Ill_Tear8308

Not so much that they're proprietary, but the Zephyr, Skyriter, and later Corsairs used the 1 5/8" diameter spools, which fit about 12 yards of ribbon versus the more common universal 2" spools which will hold 16 yards of ribbon.

1/2" wide ribbon should work on this. Sellers include: https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-faq.html#q1

If you wind it onto pre-existing spools keep in mind that Smith-Coronas typically used eyelets in the ribbon to effect the auto-ribbon reverse, though you could certainly do it manually if you needed to.

There aren't a lot of examples of Empire-Coronas in the typewriter database, so be sure to include your example with photos:

https://typewriterdatabase.com/empire.24.typewriter-serial-number-database

https://typewriterdatabase.com/Empire.-Corona+Skyriter.24.bmys

reply to u/HenRoRo61

Earlier today, in a now-deleted post, someone had posted a question about identifying one of Helen Keller's typewriters based on this video in her archive.

Having done some initial digging, I thought I'd share some of the details I've found for those who may find it interesting.

According to researcher Richard Polt, Helen Keller was known to use both a Hammond and an L.C. Smith no. 5.

As for the Remington Noiseless, it definitely appears to be a mid-century Noiseless Standard with a tabulator. To know the year, you'd need either the specific serial number (to cross check https://typewriterdatabase.com/remington.42.typewriter-serial-number-database) or you'd need many more examples than the Typewriter Database currently has listed under the generic Remington Noiseless.

If you're careful at looking at the design choices and changes in some of the Remington Portables from that time period which would have likely tracked the design changes of their desktop standards, you might be able to extrapolate a closer dating based on the styling, but this will still only give you a dating within a year or so.

The tabulator was at the top of the keyboard by 1937, so you can probably presume it was a model from that point or thereafter until 1954. Most American typewriter manufacturers didn't make machines from '41-45 due to WWII, so you can discard those dates. Remington had moved into thicker/taller plastic keys by the early 1950s, so I would guess her machine was more likely from the late 1940s.

Looking more closely at the Remington Noiseless 10, I'd suggest that this is the most likely set of candidates, particularly in the timeframe of 1946-1947. Hers obviously had the openings in the rear and had the metal covers on the sides (as opposed to glass found on some models). Comparing hers in the film to some of these individual galleries may help to narrow things down with respect to dating.

Perhaps others with more Remington Standard experience, may be able to narrow things down here.

The appraisal of her Remington Noiseless in 1957 was $135.00.

One might find some close noiseless models in the $20-40 range + shipping (these are about 30 pounds and will cost about $35 for shipping) via ShopGoodwill.com. Here are some recent sales for comparison. Based on the video you'll want the bigger, heavier ones (25+ pounds) rather than the smaller portables with cases (usually under 20 pounds). Generally machines purchased this way are reasonably functional, but usually need some cleaning and work to be restored to full functionality.

Unless you're sure they're being sold by repair shops and have been cleaned and are fully functional, don't overspend on potential exemplars on sites like Etsy or eBay which are likely to be only marginally better (aka dusted off) than ShopGoodwill machines, but at 5-10x the price.

Hellen Keller's brailler: https://www.afb.org/HelenKellerArchive?a=d&d=A-HK08-B049-183&e=-------en-20--1--txt--typewriter------3-7-6-5-3--------------0-1

She apparently owned a \~1938 or 1939 Corona Silent as well: https://www.afb.org/HelenKellerArchive?a=d&d=A-HK08-B045-184.1.1&srpos=19&e=-------en-20--1--txt--typewriter------3-7-6-5-3--------------0-1

One might have some luck trying to find a Corona Silent typewriter from that era, but the unique color is going to put a machine like it into the $100-200 range (at a minimum and potentially going up from there depending on the condition) unless you get lucky at a garage sale somewhere.

https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/16s3u8o/i_found_this_cool_service_guid_in_one_of_my/