2,137 Matching Annotations
  1. Last 7 days
    1. Of all coincidences, the post immediately after yours in the sub was for a refurbished Studio 44 out of Berkeley Typewriter Shop with a script typeface: https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1vtctas/will_i_regret_it_passing_on_this_olivetti_studio/

      The though thing is recognizing how to identify potential script machines in online auctions when they don't explicitly state or show the typeface. For many machines prior to 1970 the clue to a script machine may be a dedicated "1" key as script lower case "l" typically won't suffice to also stand in for the number 1 as it did for most other typefaces.

      If you'd like to scroll through some and do some research, the database has a section for typefaces: https://typewriterdatabase.com/typefaces.php If you log in there are also downloadable typeface catalogs you can browse through in addition to the resources Ted Munk has at https://typecast.munk.org/category/typewriter-typestylesfonts/

      On machines with stated script faces, you may need to be prepared to pay $100-150 on average above the cost of just the machine itself. Less common (and more expensive) variations are machines with Fraktur, Vertical Script, or Spencerian typefaces.

      Good luck in your hunt for one, they're definitely out there and not rare.

      Reply to u/Ganimor at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1vtcpjz/cursive_typewriter/

  2. Aug 2026
    1. reply to u/rjekyllhyde at https://old.reddit.com/r/Libraries/comments/1vruija/typewriter_request/

      Librarian Suzanne LaPierre wrote an article last year about typewriters in libraries. I'll link it and some additional references below for those who are curious.

      The Los Angeles Public Library has recently been doing some events with LA poet laureate Brian Sonia-Wallace who creates on his typewriter: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXufGLmgRB3/

      There are more than a handful of typewriter enthusiasts who have been holding "Type-Ins" at libraries in the US over the past 5 or more years. I've held a couple of these at a nearby bookstore in Pasadena, CA and we had over 200 people stop by at both of them. (I'd have held them at a local library, but our main branch is undergoing a huge renovation and some of our other nearby branches have been affected by the Eaton Fire in January 2025.)

      I know one collector who recently did a display at a library: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJqYPVOb2Ss

      I've run across one or two libraries that have typewriters as part of their Library of Things collections along with other analog materials like sewing machines, binoculars, and telescopes.

      There are still lots of reasons to want to use a typewriter including for creativity, distraction-free writing, getting away from screens and having a more analog writing experience. Woz Flint has a relatively recent book about using typewriters to create first drafts of writing projects. In the last five or so years a lot of children in the 7-21 year old bracket have been drawn to typewriters as a means of getting away from their computers and screens and allowing them to concentrate better on their writing work. Richard Polt, a typewriter collector and professor of philosophy at Rutgers, wrote a book about the resurgence of typewriters. A handful of college professors have recently been reintroducing typewriters to their pedagogy. Creating art with a typewriter is also still a thing. Taylor Swift has been using typewriters in her songs and videos which adds to the cool factor, especially for the kids.

      Is it worth mentioning that Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 on a typewriter at the UCLA Library which was coin operated?!?

      I've personally got a small collection of typewriters as well as a list of articles and resources on them for those who may be interested in considering them. I'm happy to chat with any librarians who might consider adding them to their collections.

      Happy typing!

      References:<br /> * LaPierre, Suzanne S. “BiblioTech: Typewriters in Libraries.” Computers in Libraries 45, no. 2 (March 2025): 24–26. https://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/mar25/index.shtml. * Polt, Richard. 2015. The Typewriter Revolution: A Typist’s Companion for the 21st Century. 1st ed. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press. * Flint, Woz Delgado. 2023. The Distraction-Free First Draft. One Idea Press. https://www.oneideapress.com/product-page/the-distraction-free-first-draft.

    1. https://axminsterheritage.org/industry-commerce/

      J H Shand Ltd.<br /> From 1940 until the late 1980s J H Shand Ltd employed highly-skilled engineers and technicians, designing and manufacturing steel type used in office equipment and industrial marking systems; and the manufacture of tools and equipment for use by other manufacturing companies. The company’s original role was to supply individual letter type blocks to manufacturers of manual typewriters which they could build into their machines. As electric typewriters took over, the company specialised in the manufacture of plastic ‘daisy wheels’. As well as producing raised characters for use in typewriters etc , the company made embossing type to produce raised letters or numbers when pressed into metal or plastic. This technique was used to make credit cards, many millions of which have been issued. Another side to the business made larger equipment including precision machine tools.

    1. Example of female typist covering keyboard up with handkerchief to show how light the touch needed would be.

      "Note that the handkerchief is hardly ruffled."

      I feel like that time period and the century before, being able to do something through a thin piece of cloth was indicative of how little effort was required, or how dainty something could be. It definitely feels very gendered to me, but I'll have to find other historical examples to back this argument up.

    1. In the digital age, these typewriter superfans hold the keys<br /> by [[Victoria Hoffmann]], [[Mackenzie Farkus]], [[Melanie Stetson Freeman]] in The Christian Science Monitor CSMonitor.com<br /> accessed on 2026-08-15T16:33:28

      a mini history along with some reasons to use typewriters in the 21st century. nothing really new here...

    1. An article from American Machinist Magazine (January 4, 1923). The article, "The Organization and Management of a Medium Sized Plant," was written by Percy S. Brown, a Works Manager at The Corona Typewriter Company in Groton, NY. He would become vice-president of Corona in 1924. Here's a snippet on what went into making one Corona typewriter. "There are 671 parts on the typewriter, 139 on the case, 110 on the folding stand, a total of 920 parts. There are 355 different parts on the typewriter, 61 on the case and 37 on the stand, a total of 453 different parts. There are 1,999 manufacturing operations on the typewriter, 210 on the case, and 205 on the stand, a total of 2,414 operations, exclusive of inspection. To these must be added 38 subassembly operations and 15 assembly operations, a total of 53 assembly operations, and a grand total of 2,467 operations of all kinds, exclusive of inspection. If inspections are added, the total number of operations performed amount to approximately 4,600."

      via https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10163958948944678/

      check original source

    1. A typewriter contains approximately 1800 to 2000 parts, which require approximately 20,000 different operations to manufacture. An operator typing at the rate of sixty words per minute actually motivates, with his or her fingers, 10,000 to 12,000 parts per minute, approximating 200 moving parts per second.
    1. Service Calls: $55 + $75/hour for labor within Greater Dayton Area. Service calls outside of Greater Dayton: $55 + $75/hour drive time + $75/hour for labor. (Currently servicing Ohio and Indiana, for other states please contact us.)​ ​ Cleaning: $75-$200+ Prices fluctuate based on the method we have to use to clean your machine. Call or come in to get an exact price.​ ​ Replacement of key legends and polishing key rings: $100   New/Replacement Parts: Ribbons $8 Metal spools $25 each Recovered platens  $90-150 Recovered feed rollers $10-50 each Felt removed and replaced $5 per piece Replacement draw bands $35 New feet $35-45 ​ Other Services: Type height adjustment $35 Ribbon height adjustment $30 Main spring tension adjustment $25
    1. reply to u/dazzleshipsrecords at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1vhiow0/passed_this_on_up_will_i_regret_it/

      You'll always regret the typewriters you don't get (or can't carry—just yesterday I had to pass up on a $44 Olympia SM3 in good condition because I couldn't physically carry it with me on vacation and I'm still irked about it).

      Watch Shopgoodwill.com and surely you'll run into a few KMMs in similar condition that you can pick up at nearby shops in the $15-25 range.

    1. reply to u/betonyourself19 at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1vhjuav/what_am_i_looking_at_here/

      It's a Smith-Corona 5 series from the 1950s, likely a Silent-Super (though it's difficult to read the lettering on the back of the paper table. Looks like it may have been either originally a pink machine and someone repainted the body grey or someone chopped the pink parts off and put them on a gray machine.


      Repair shops in the US typically run $40-75/hour of labor plus parts or a few hundred for a general clean, oil, and adjust. You can ask for the bare minimum to get it going again all the way up to a full restoration depending on your needs and budget. Typically based on what you need a shop will give you a quote before starting work.

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

  3. Jul 2026
    1. 1st hand, Because his assistant was the one who contacted me first, then I talk to Larry via phone, after working on 2 Hermes 3000's, the 3rd typewriter I delivered myself to him at his place in Tucson. After he died, all 12 of his Hermes 3000's were auctioned of for about $3000.00 ea, I was hoping he would have willed those to me . . . .

      via Duane Jensen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJxFzACiISM&lc=UgyDGDDU6cEskMvsPmh4AaABAg.9Vb0zueAXOFAEfXxtmCuPo

    2. Royal KHM 1940 Typewriter, Special Order for Frank Lloyd Wright, W-I-D-E Carriage, Unique Type Fonts

      1940 Royal KHM typewriter that as customized for Frank Lloyd Wright. 20" platen with custom slugs. Oversized mainspring for wide carriage.

      Serial number KHM 20-92-2155513

      Custom slugs include. <br /> - 3 space wide oval/Rectangle (Moved Q to effectuate this) - Circle with plus /2 - filed diamond/3 - filed circle/4 - plus/5 - double dagger/6 - octothorpe/7 - section/8 - filled triangle/9 - filled circle/0 - six point asterisk/ hollow square <br /> - ( / ) - , / empty circle (next to P and Q on second row) - $/+<br /> - 1/2 / & - - oval / larger square<br /> - % / ,<br /> - ; / . - : / pilcrow - " / _ - arrow up - thermometer-esque glyph

      The extra-wide slugs were at either end of the basket. They moved the letter Q to the far side of the keyboard to fit the custom left slug into the machine.

    1. IBM Selectric Service Training (1978, Restored)<br /> by [[Thickboy]] on YouTube<br /> accessed on 2026-07-31T10:13:34

      I just finished a project and I think a lot of you would like it. I found the old Selectric training videos but the narration is very outdated, slow paced and the slides were all burned red and miscolored.

      With the help of AI I restored the photos and created a new narrator. The script has been modernized to sound more palatable to our ear. "Stop the reel" updated to "pause the video", for example and is now narrated at a natural pace in a woman's voice.

      These courses, for me at least, are way easier to sit through and absorb. There maybe be some coloration errors or glitches in some photos, but for the most part they came out pretty good. Take a look and let me know what you think.

      I'm also putting together some review videos with quiz questions for each section that I will release soon.

      IBM Selectric Service Training (1978, Restored)<br /> via u/Mike3521 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1vbcsob/just_finished_restoring_the_old_selectric/

    1. I have possibly the rarest machine on the planet. Owned by the CEO of Coca-Cola who contracted Royal to make a special slug in the 50s for business correspondence. This is one slug, shift produces the Coca, flat gives cola. To my knowledge there's not another in existence...

      u/NashvilleTypewriter reports that he owns a typewriter with a custom Coca (shift) - Cola (unshifted) slug that came from the daughter of a former Coke CEO.

    1. reply to u/NoFace125 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1vb701u/thoughts_on_3d_printed_parts_on_typewriters/

      I've heard mixed things on 3-D printed platens and there aren't many out there from what I've seen/heard.

      I've seen lots of broken spacebars, though never run across a 3-D printed one.

      As for the platen knobs on the Hermes 3000, they're probably one of the most commonly broken parts of any typewriter out there, and I've seen dozens of variations of printed knobs for those. It's almost like you don't own a real Hermes 3000 unless you've replaced the knobs on it.

    1. I also still use the BSI function on the iPhone which stands for Braille Screen input. It allows you to type in landscape if you were using a brailler. So using the 6 dot method and once you have 'got your fingers lined up and done a command to tell the phone where your fingers are on the screen you can type as if you were using a brailler and it then translates that into normal keyboard / number presses and types the appropriate letters in. So because of the fact that we use contractions in grade 2 for words, arguably it's quicker than typing normally on the on screen keyboard on the phone. I can use both though using the screen reader Voiceover. I prefer the sound of a typewriter over a brailler though. Much quieter and more pleasurable to type on honestly.

      via u/liamkembleyoung at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1v19s46/got_my_first_typewriter/

    1. https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1vajqs7/olympia_sg3_question/

      Olympia SG3 typewriter with an optional carbon ribbon set up?

      My guess:

      Is it just a holder or is there some sort of drive mechanism associated with it? Is the other side a mirror version of it?

      I have seen a handful of custom machines (all of them standards) in the late 50s/early 60s that had dual ribbon set ups: one being the standard cloth ribbon mechanism and the second, usually in a "Princess Leia's hair bun" configuration on the sides of the machine (similar to your photo) in which a secondary carbon ribbon was stored for secondary use when/as necessary. I've never seen one on an Olympia however.

      It could also potentially have been used for white correction tape as well.

      Here's an example of a Royal FPCP with such a feature: https://www.facebook.com/groups/705152958470148/posts/1203433725308733/

      It could be the passive holder side for an optional carbon ribbon that is then threaded to the spool on the left side which does the pulling. Typically most carbon ribbons are single use only, so you wouldn't need/want an auto-reverse mechanism.

    1. reply tu u/liamkembleyoung at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1v9g96o/best_prewar_typewriters/

      Best by what criteria? Manufacturing, design, materials, user interface, ease-of-use, portability, serviceability, price, features, value, collectability, rarity? There's a lot to consider here and your analogistic comparison to the Olympia SM3 leaves out a lot. Even worse, you're asking for opinions from a crowd that is typically not using the best exemplars of machines by which to be making such comparisons, not to mention the personal bias that enters into these sorts of comparisons.

      Generally you'll get a lot more bang for your buck on all the criteria (except for portability) with a solid well-tuned standard like a Royal Ten, an Underwood No. 5, or even a Woodstock No. 5, but then I'd also be more partial to the Olympia SG1, SG3, Hermes Ambassador, Remington Super-Riter, or a Royal HH or Royal FP in the post-war era.

      Really the hidden secret to any era is to be using a typewriter that has been properly cleaned, oiled, and adjusted with properly functioning replaced rubber.

    1. I regularly use this “Renaissance” wax to protect paintings and, above all, very fragile inscriptions. After it dries (10 minutes) and is lightly buffed, the surface becomes very slippery and is no longer susceptible to friction or fingerprints. It also helps preserve nickel plating that is beginning to deteriorate on levers or axles, for example. It’s a truly reliable product.

      via u/Tall_Garage_7398

    1. By studying Haverford’s card catalogue, Michael Stuart Freeman, Librarian of Haverford College, was able to determine when his predecessors deployed their first typewriter (it was during the summer of 1916)—a tiny fact, perhaps, but one of sufficient interest to Freeman that he published a brief paper which discussed the history of typewriters in libraries. Freeman kept several handwritten cards as samples (“I save a few, because I’m a sentimentalist,” he confided to me); but once his own passing curiosity was satisfied, he dumped the rest of his catalogue.
    2. Berkeley’s subject catalogue is already gone. Though it was more or less frozen in the nineteen-eighties, it was nonetheless very efficient for some kinds of searches: if the primary sources in your field were published in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, you don’t want your retrievals spread among the thousands of irrelevant records that a mechanical database subject haul brings up. Any drawer of an out-of-date paper catalogue represents the equivalent of a filtered computer search, a Boolean date-limited search, of a very sophisticated sort—in fact, one drawer represents the outcome of a kind of search that most on-line catalogues can’t and won’t ever be able to perform, since it offers clues to what books were in the library during different eras. If in seventy years a historian of science (say) wants to know whether some Nobel-laureate physics professor could possibly have seen and been influenced by a certain out-of-the-way Dutch mathematical monograph from the thirties which bears important similarities to his work—whether, that is, it was part of the library’s collection during the period when the professor was developing his ideas or was acquired only after the professor’s papers were published (perhaps acquired by the library as a gift from the professor’s estate, in fact, because the professor was sent the monograph by the Dutchman himself, anxious to establish primacy)—the historian of science will have little chance of finding an answer to his question now, because the computer record will bear the (to him) meaningless date of the retrospective conversion of the card, i.e., sometime in the late eighties or early nineties, which has no relation to the time that the card was originally produced (and the book placed on the shelf), whereas the original card, even if it bore no direct date of creation, would have exhibited distinct features (typewriter style, format, cataloguing conventions) that might have enabled a cataloguecard paleographer to place it within a five-year Period.

      interesting research example of a search not enabled by a digital card catalog

    1. Tip: of the 3 things WD-40 is actually useful for on a typewriter, one is cleaning and giving a nice sheen to crinkle paint safely. Apply lightly on a clean rag. The other two are cleaning white-out off plastic card guide without fogging the plastic, and removing the calcified masking tape often found on SCM portables.

      via Ted Munk as a comment on a YouTube video

    1. So what makes a technically newer brand of typewriter more valuable than an older one?

      reply to liamkembleyoung at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1v4ykv9/pros_and_cons_of_pre1950s_typewriters_vs_1950s/

      Quality of the materials, build, and engineering, condition of the machine (clean, well-adjusted, rubber condition), popularity, rarity, desirability, collectability all figure into machine pricing.

      Most would say that the $250-350 Royal Classic/We R Memory Keepers machines from Shanghai Weilv Mechanism Company that are available new from Amazon and other retailers are cheap, poorly made pieces of junk with dreadful quality control and thus not worth the money one would spend on them. (The fact that they sell on ShopGoodWill for $5-10 underlines this.)

      You might also have a 1970s Brother typewriter (made in the millions) that might have sold brand new in the $100 range versus a used 1955 Olympia SG1 selling in that same shop at the same time (1970s) for about the same money, or possibly less. The SG1 is acknowledged as one of the finest typewriters ever manufactured versus the very pedestrian and "cheaper" (materials-wise) Brother, so it's going to be worth more money now in the secondary market. The SG1 is less common, has a better reputation, more popular, more collectible, and just a better machine overall which is also likely to last longer. At the low end the SG1 is going to go for $75-150 while the Brother will be $25. Fully serviced out of a repair shop (cleaned, oiled, and adjusted with new rubber feet and a recovered platen) they might go respectively for $700-850 and $400-475.

      Keep in mind that most typewriters you'll see on this sub and in the broader market are far from "rare"; rarity and desirability are two different things; and rare doesn't always equate to being more expensive. Actually rare machines aren't often discussed on this sub in general.

    1. reply to u/shadowwolf892 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1uzynlz/a_portable_compared_to_sg1/

      You're comparing apples and oranges and the apple you're looking for will never be an orange. (i.e. Standard machines are almost always going to beat out portables: https://boffosocko.com/2025/03/21/standard-typewriters-versus-portable-typewriters-and-ultraportable-typewriters.)

      The feel question is also going to be so variable across people's experiences (not to mention the condition of the machines on which they were formed which is a tremendous amount of noise in the secondary market) that you're highly unlikely to find what works best for you in this way. Incidentally, this is also a great way to end up with 30 typewriters and still be unsatisfied.

      Your best bet for all of the variables you're trying to optimize for is to go to a shop with a variety of machines in good condition to try and purchase something you think will suit you best.

      All this aside, I nearly guarantee that neither of your machines are well tuned, so you might consider looking into this for your Sterling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYOXgqiHBmg.

    1. Don't feel bad. Your not the only one. This misconception has been going on for years simply because no typewriter repairman has stood up and said " Now wait a minute! " The collectors have done all the talking and publishing while the typewriter man isn't heard. Consequently, it's the big typewriter collectors that are heard. They never talk about how many times they had to reclean a machine. They often have several and may only use 1 or 2. Also there isn't that many of us real typewriter repairman left to do the talking.

      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.

    2. 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.)

    1. What you need: a small wooden board, six long screws, two short screws (with heads that fit through the center hole of the ribbon spools), a small kitchen sponge cut in half lengthwise with scissors, and light machine oil (like sewing machine oil). ​The two short screws are mounted on the left and right of the wooden board to act as axles for the spools. The two sponge halves are placed flat on top of each other in the center and secured along the sides with the six long screws so that they press tightly against one another. ​The typewriter ribbon is threaded from one spool, through the sponge halves, and onto the other spool. Before pulling it through, apply a little light machine oil to the inside faces of the sponges. ​The ribbon is then slowly pulled through once, which evenly massages the oil into the fabric. After pulling it through, the spools must rest in a sealed bag for 12 to 24 hours so the oil can distribute fully throughout the fabric. ​Notes: This method only works for ribbons that are simply dried out but not actually "typed out" (meaning they still contain enough ink pigment). It only works for solid-color ribbons; using it on two-color (black/red) ribbons will cause the colors to bleed together. ​The advantages of this design include a clean application without messy hands, precise and twist-free ribbon guiding, and optimal oil dosage thanks to the even pressure of the sponges. If the ribbon is still too wet after resting, it can easily be pulled through a pair of dry sponges to strip off the excess.

      https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1uy67c4/diy_jig_for_rejuvenating_driedout_typewriter/

    1. In the photo with the three brushes at the top: the bottom tool is used to split the platen rubber for removal before mailing them to Ames for recovering. We had a special reusable shipping box with fabric straps and buckles and a reversible label. Stripping the rubber enabled more to fit in the box and saved postage. We would mail about 20 cores at a time.

      A tool with a wooden handle and a platen length metal protrusion with a lazy s shape

    1. This crate was originally shipped via the Railway Express Agency, who were the precursors to companies such as FedEx or UPS. The remains of the prepaid shipping label are still visible pasted on the lid. Below and to the the right of the letter “Y” in the word agency you can see the numbers 12 and 7-30 in parentheses. The 7-30 indicates the month and year that the label was printed. While I don’t know much about typewriters and how how long an older model may have sat in stock; I can pretty confidently say that this box and it’s contents would have been shipped to either it’s new owner, or possibly a department store no earlier than July of 1930, and likely no later than sometime in 1931 as there were constantly new sets of labels being printed.

      via u/Charliev1630 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ubgozb/acquired_early_1900s_wooden_woodstock_standard/

    1. Replacing a single typewriter key legend:

      The keys on these are metal bases with a cardboard legend (with the glyph printed on it) which is typically covered by a clear acetate lens and held on by a metal keyring. Fortunately you've got the keyring. If you can't source a single acetate lens from a repair shop you can buy a set from https://mytypewriter.com/products/hello-qwerty-replacement-keytop-disc-set

      Richard Polt has some of the process described here as well as as high resolution scans that you can use to print out the key legends you may need. https://writingball.blogspot.com/2016/10/legendary.html

      Ames Supply Company used to sell keycards for doing this. Some of them had colors including green, so keep this in mind if you try something like creating rainbows across your keyboard or other visual fun. https://typewriterdatabase.com/1960-Ames_Gen_Cat_10-March.misc-supplies.manual

      Our friend Lucas Dul of Chicago Typewriter has a great YouTube video of the tool and some of the process, though you can probably get away without a pair of custom pliers since you only need to do one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYHrBjfQxpM

      As a fun example, Heiko Stolten recently did a whole keyboard on a Remington using custom made legends that use the font from the Netflix series Wednesday: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10163537426144678/ If you ask nicely, they've got the original files if you need them for printing out.

      Good luck!

      reply to u/saved_rae at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1uvehmb/missing_period_key_repaint/ who was missing a period legend and the acetate lens.

    1. Successful Secretary Presented by Royal Office Typewriters. A Thomas Craven Film Corporation Production, 1966. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If5b2FiDaLk.

      Script: Lee Thuna<br /> Educational Consultant: Catharine Stevens<br /> Assistant Director: Willis F. Briley<br /> Design: Francisco Reynders<br /> Director & Producer: Carl A. Carbone<br /> A Thomas Craven Film Corporation Production

      "Mother the mail"

      gendered subservience

      "coding boobytraps"


      "I think you'll like the half sheet better. It is faster." —Mr. Typewriter, timestamp

      A little bit of the tone of "HAL" from 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). This is particularly suggestive as H.A.L. was a one letter increment from I.B.M. and the 1966 Royal 660 was designed to compete with IBM's Selectric

      This calm voice makes suggestions to a secretary while H.A.L. does it for a male astronaut (a heroic figure of the time period). Suddenly the populace feels the computer might be a bad actor.

      "We're living in an electric world, more speed and less effort."—Mr. Typewriter<br /> (techno-utopianism)

    1. I have a question for you collectors. If you purchase a typewriter for say $250 or $300. Do you expect it to be clean, with a new ribbon or is that just me?As I passed an antique store I saw a Smith-Corona Zephyr on the window. It didn't have a lid, but it drew my attention enough to lure me into the shop. I learned the Zephyr was for sale for $300 without a lid. I want a typewriter for travel (an ultra portable), so I was mildly disappointed. The shop keeper said he had other typewriters with cases. He brought out three cases. Two Smith-Coronas and a Remington Portable. They all were in working order (at least for the quick test I did), but they were all dirty. One of them the ribbon was dry and all of them were between $250 and $350. I thanked him and walked away. Am I delusional in wanting to have a typewriter at the very least be cleaned if its being sold for $250 or $350?

      Antique/Vintage shops have a different market that isn't really "us" (collectors or enthusiasts with some baseline knowledge.) They're getting machines either at yard sales or house clean outs for $5-20 and marking them up for presentation long term in their stores until they can turn their profit. They'll rarely go less than 10-20% (in my experience) because they know that some sucker who knows nothing will come in and buy it. Most of their customers are buying things for display and not for actual use. They're also buying based on perceived value rather than solid research.

      Generally I find that there is a "dead zone" for typewriters between $50 and $250. When you find one in this range it's almost always being sold by someone who has no idea how to use a typewriter, knows anything about the market, or what sort of condition a machine is actually in.

      Often people may get their start by overpaying for a machine at an antique store, but then as they research how to use it they find out either they need to self-service it or that they need to take it to a repair shop. If it's the latter, they realize they ought to have bought a machine from the repair shop and they'd have come out far ahead. Based on my experience from type-ins, people are limping along using and putting up with some machines in pretty marginal condition.

      reply to Ed Medina at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10163822675949678/

    2. reply to Ed Medina at https://www.facebook.com/groups/TypewriterCollectors/posts/10163822675949678/

      Antique/Vintage shops have a different market that isn't really "us" (collectors or enthusiasts with some baseline knowledge.) They're getting machines either at yard sales or house clean outs for $5-20 and marking them up for presentation long term in their stores until they can turn their profit. They'll rarely go less than 10-20% (in my experience) because they know that some sucker who knows nothing will come in and buy it. Most of their customers are buying things for display and not for actual use. They're also buying based on perceived value rather than solid research.

      Generally I find that there is a "dead zone" for typewriters between $50 and $250. When you find one in this range it's almost always being sold by someone who has no idea how to use a typewriter, knows anything about the market, or what sort of condition a machine is actually in.

      Often people may get their start by overpaying for a machine at an antique store, but then as they research how to use it they find out either they need to self-service it or that they need to take it to a repair shop. If it's the latter, they realize they ought to have bought a machine from the repair shop and they'd have come out far ahead. Based on my experience from type-ins, people are limping along using and putting up with some machines in pretty marginal condition.

    1. Looks like an expensive hobby!

      reply to u/Valuable_Discount_26 at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ullgmc/first_typewriter/

      It all depends on how you want to practice your individual version of a typewriter hobby.

      Some only have 2 or 3 typewriters. Others have hundreds they've thrifted for $20-30 each while others only buy refurbished machines for several hundreds from repair shops. Some collect inexpensive colorful machines from the 70s while others focus on the incredibly rare machines from the 1890s. Some (like me) get them for pennies on the dollar and lovingly refurbish and restore them. Some are content to stare longingly at a single rusty old Underwood they spent $450 on and have on the shelf as decor.

      Some collectors only have portables because they're easy to stack while others prefer only machines over 50 pounds with ultra-wide platens. One or two strip them down to make sculpture. Some use a different machine every day to write to a typewriter pen pal. Some take them to baseball games to score what they're sure will be the winning home run. Others only collect typewriters of famous authors. A few only collect toy typewriters. At least one collects Barbie typewriters.

      Some are Royal or Remington completists. Some are Olympia maximalists and others are Hermes minimalists. Some just watch movies and tv shows with typewriters in them. Some write articles about typewriters. A handful collect typewriter ribbon tins. Some are fulfilled collecting typewriter ads out of magazines and newspapers. Others study how typewriters impacted society while a select few practice forensic document analysis.

      Some collect ephemera, others serial numbers and photos of machines they've found in the wild. Others have no machines and just compare all the specs and features for the day that they decide they've found their one and only holy grail so that they can spend $1,500+ on pure perfection. Others buy a machine or two and keep them for six months before re-homing them elsewhere and acquiring a new machine to replace it. Some have six typewriters sitting around the house for various uses. Some have them hiding in the walls, in their attics or basements and blissfully live their lives not knowing what they're missing out on. Others use their machines to write poetry or create zines.

      A few run typewriter shops. Some write books about typewriters. Yet others read them. Some are typewriter academicians. A handful design and create 3-D replacement parts. A rare handful are typewriter-enablers who give away functioning typewriters to aspiring young writers. Some choose to host type-ins to hang out with other typewriter-y people. A few make YouTube videos about typewriters.

      If there are N typewriter hobbyists in the world, I'm positive there are at least N+1 ways of having a typewriter hobby. Speaking of which, there is also the N+1 hobbyist who always knows that the next typewriter is going to better than all the rest.

      Which sort of typewriter hobbyist do you imagine yourself to be? What sort will you become?

      It all starts with the inexpensive dream of a typewriter...

  4. Jun 2026
    1. Chuck Goldstein, was a members of The Modernaires singing group from the early/mid 30's until 1942. In 1940, they began singing with Glenn Miller and his orchestra. The day after Glenn disbanded the orchestra in 1942 (so he could join the Army), Chuck had left The Modernaires to pursue his own career. I believe around 1945 he formed a new singing group... That being Four Chicks and Chuck! They sung a few commercials, but they also did other songs. They sung with Kate Smith a decent amount. They weren't a long lasting group though, only going until around 1953. After that, Chuck formed Chuck Goldstein Productions, which focused on commercial jingles.

      See also: Olympia Typewriter Song

    1. reply to u/psitaxx at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ui2vvo/does_it_even_count_as_a_second_typewriter_if_its/

      You're right that sometimes 1+1 is not equal to two.

      For example 1 pile of laundry plus 1 pile of laundry is still 1 pile of laundry (just bigger), or 1 cloud merging with 1 cloud is still 1 cloud (albeit a different cloud). Sadly this is not the case with typewriters. 1 typewriter plus another 1 typewriter is 2 typewriters.

      According to typewriter collector Keanu Reeves, you don't have a collection yet. That happens when you have 3, something you could never accomplish unless the math worked in the standard way.

      Would that 1 typewriter + 1 typewriter = 1 typewriter! Then my collection of well over 30 wouldn't bother my wife, and I could say that I only have 1 typewriter...

      Of course I can commiserate with your mint condition typewriter conundrum. Sometimes there's nothing better than getting something in mint condition, but often we all have hopes that it's not mint for one reason or another. I too was disappointed by a recent $21.95 purchase of an Olympia in perfect condition. Perhaps, as Frank Navasky said in You've Got Mail (Warner Bros., 1998), "I needed a backup."

      img

    1. reply to u/Typed_Anew at https://old.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ug4q1i/any_information_on_thisa_repair_question/

      There don't appear to be any examples in the typewriter database, so be sure to create an account and upload the data and photos you've got. https://typewriterdatabase.com/register-today.php (It's not every day someone gets to upload a new make/model!)

      Similar machines and details: - Gundka https://typewriterdatabase.com/no_info.414.typewriter-serial-number-database - Frolio https://typewriterdatabase.com/no_info.415.typewriter-serial-number-database

      By drilling down into the database and looking at pictures and descriptions of other models as well as looking at the galleries for specific examples, you may be able to troubleshoot what is missing or "off" on your machine (which is obviously missing the spools, though you may be able to fashion something similar to get yours working.)

      Other examples via online search may be helpful as well: - https://www.glennsantiques.co.uk/shop/p/02/060/11 - https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-toy-typewriter-emg-dover-1000802769 - https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=EMG+Dover+Junior+typewriter&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313

      Documenting your own example will make it much easier for collectors in the future.

    1. A 1950s Smith-Corona “Eighty-Eight” Secretarial model, this typewriter was purchased at Byers Office Equipment Co. in Ames.In 1955, Mer Byers established Byers Office Equipment at 126 Main Street in Ames. Art Taylor purchased the company in 1957 and operated it with his son Paul. Around 1963, the business moved to 417 Main Street.By the 1960s, the company offered machine rentals and repair along with new and used models of typewriters, calculators, and adding machines. The showroom also featured office drapery options and furniture. At its peak, Byers Office Equipment Co. served a seven county area with 65% of sales taking place outside of Ames.In 1973, the name changed to Taylor Office Equipment Inc., and operations moved to a new, larger space at 705 East Lincoln Way. The business continued to serve Ames and surrounding area through the early 1990s.

      https://www.instagram.com/p/DLS_eretU9c/<br /> via Ames Museum

    1. Typewriter Muse Shop Tour<br /> [[Joe Van Cleave]]

      Bob Marshall has an assembly line set up in his typewriter repair shop that consists of four people: - Bob: intake/quotes/repair/adjustment/platens - Jonny: front desk, showroom, QC - Grace: wash station, cleaning (alcohol)<br /> - Abraham: Repair/adjustments/oiling; rubberwork, rollers

      Machines usually sit for a few days to a week in QC to ensure there are no issues.

      Typewriter Muse offers 3-way shipping.

    1. reply to u/patsy_dragon at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1ucl6lx/is_this_typewriter_seller_legit_plz_help/ re: classictypewriter.com

      It's Steven Budden, Jr. out of North Carolina who has been in the space for several years. I suspect that his prices are higher than most because it looks like he's offering a higher level of (bespoke) service than the blow and go C/O/A that many repair shops are offering in the $350-550 range. It looks more like he's doing actual restorations rather than simpler refurbishments with a clean, oil, and adjust. Prior to buying, I'd want to have a direct conversation about what level of service he's offering to these machines? Is it a full restoration? Or just refurbishing with all new rubber? The metal work and brights on his machines seem to indicate he's doing way more work than one typically sees in the overall space. (See: https://typecast.munk.org/2023/04/24/how-to-properly-describe-the-condition-of-a-typewriter/)

      I'm vaguely concerned that he's not got himself listed on Polt's repair list at https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-repair.html, but as he looks like he's mostly doing higher end custom work, he may be trying to avoid the drive by day-to-day repair work and ribbon swaps that is the bread and butter of most shops. His socials seem to indicate this is a side job and he has another career(s).

      If you're concerned, call him up and see what's going on beyond the website. You can also comparison shop using Richard Polt's repair list as well.

      https://boffosocko.com/research/typewriter-collection/#Typewriter%20Market

    1. reply to u/pricklypearssoda at https://reddit.com/r/Screenwriting/comments/1u3hp5q/should_i_drop_99_on_student_discounted_access_to/

      Should I drop $99 on student discounted access to Final Draft for industry standard formatting?

      Why buy into a "system", much less one with recurring costs? Formatting a script is the lowest bar in the space. A third grader could easily do this.

      Even a vintage typewriter with a pica typeface will allow you to set margins, a few tabs, and you're on your way. It's the writing that's the tough part. Spend your time and energy on this part where it really belongs. Software isn't going to suddenly add creativity, emotion, or verve to your work. The "industry standard" of unsold and unproduced screenplays is the one you really want to worry about.

      Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, William Golding, Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Paddy Chayefsky, Robert Towne, Frank Pierson, and Steve Tesich all have something in common: they won Academy Awards for best original screenplay without using screenplay software. Why couldn't you? Why shouldn't you?!?

    1. reply to u/someblokeonhere at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1u4ftix/which_typewriter_had_the_best_font/

      The vast majority of typewriters were sold with a traditional mono-spaced Courier-like face in either pica or elite pitch (often with incredibly generic names like "Royal Pica" or "Royal Elite". Usually for about $5 (on what was often a $100 purchase which is about $1,000 in today's money), you could custom select an alternate face which was often marketed as a way to make your correspondence more personalized. They tried to make it a selling point, but I suspect it wasn't much of one in actual practice, particularly at that mark up. Many companies sold an "Executive" typeface that was often in italic as a means of differentiating typewriters meant for executives rather than the standard faces secretaries used.

      Lots of alternate faces were manufactured for specific purposes like banking, accounting, speechwriting, and schools and those were sold as selling points for those markets. Other related features like keysets and special characters were marketed at pharmacists, doctors, engineers/mathematicians/scientists, and libraries.

      If you create an account on the typewriter database you'll see options in the main menu for downloading full versions of a variety of typographical catalogs. Ted Munk also has (lesser) photo scans of some of these on his blog.

    1. https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1u4gbul/its_working/

      To create an account on the typewriter database, visit https://typewriterdatabase.com/register-today.php (Ted Munk manually approves new accounts within a day or two.)

      Joe Van Cleave has a good intro video on using the database: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K5m1W7KNW8

      And you'll find some notes on photos for the TWdB here: https://boffosocko.com/2024/10/24/photos-of-typewriters-for-the-typewriter-database/

    1. https://typecast.munk.org/2011/04/24/1964-nomda-blue-book-olivetti-font-styles/

      Olivetti type styles from the 1964 NOMDA Blue Book<br /> - Olivetti Bulletin (5 pitch, 3 lines/inch)<br /> - Olivetti Giant Primer (alternate) (5 pitch)<br /> - Olivetti Comet (10 pitch)<br /> - Olivetti Distinctive Pica<br /> - Olivetti Distinctive Pica Heavy Face<br /> - Olivetti Elite Gothic Heavy Face (10 pitch)<br /> - Olivetti Elite Correspondence Gothic (10 pitch)<br /> - Olivetti Esquire (10 pitch, 5.4 lines/inch)<br /> - Olivetti Pica Gothic Shiftless Alphabet<br /> - Olivetti Pica Victoria<br /> - Olivetti Stymie<br /> - Olivetti Wide Elite Victoria (10 pitch, 5.4 lines/inch)<br /> - Olivetti Distinctive Elite<br /> - Olivetti Distinctive Elite Heavy Face<br /> - Olivetti Elite Stymie<br /> - Olivetti Elite Italic<br /> - Olivetti Elite Stymie Heavy Face<br /> - Olivetti Stymie Heavy Face<br /> - Olivetti Stymie Gothic<br /> - Olivetti Universal Pica<br /> - Olivetti Monza (10 pitch), script<br /> - Olivetti Esteem Pica<br /> - Olivetti Pica Gothic<br /> - Olivetti Elite Victoria<br /> - Olivetti Esteem Elite<br /> - Olivetti Financial Gothic<br /> - Olivetti Financial Gothic Heavy Face<br /> - Olivetti San Serif Elite<br /> - Olivetti Universal Elite #468

    1. reply to u/Solid-Theme-6653 at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1txfdst/is_this_lc_smith_typewriter_the_real_deal/

      Rebuilt was a legal term back in the day to mean that a typewriter's condition was equivalent to that of a brand new machine: https://typecast.munk.org/2023/04/24/how-to-properly-describe-the-condition-of-a-typewriter/

      Typewriters from that era will have wildly different conditions, and often be in very poor condition. https://boffosocko.com/2026/01/08/on-purchasing-typewriters-condition-is-king-context-is-queen/ Usually they start in the $20 range and often, but not always top, out in the $500 range. With only the pictures to compare these, I might place the first at $25 and the second at $120. (Putting my hands on the machine and inspecting it would obviously dramatically change my evaluation.)

      Pretty much no one rebuilds machines anymore, they either service and/or refurbish them (relatively inexpensive $200-400) or they restore them ($500-2000+). I could imagine a well restored version of one of these machines selling for over $2,000, but it would have to be truly stunning and this would be tremendously rare.

      More examples to look at and compare: https://typewriterdatabase.com/L.C.+Smith.8.143.bmys

    1. Get things covered up. Gloves on and fan cranking. Pre wipe as much as you can off the top. You want to keep gunk out of the segment. This one is not going to be too hard, as the typebars don't run downhill. Brush, blow, repeat. Swap out for clean brushes often. Time for the brass, And save the "you're going to damage the slugs" bs. A brass wheel will do nothing to the slugs except make your life easier. Inspect and time for the pick. Use your phone and take a pic. Inspect the vowels closely. Brush, blow and repeat. Are they clean? If you are looking at a FBM "professionally serviced machine," look those slugs over. If they can't clean the slugs, what can they do? Now you are ready to wipe each typebar with the solvent rag. Cleaning the slug under the typeface is the worst part of it. People will clean the typeface and let years of junk build up underneath. Now you are ready to tackle the segment.

      via James Grooms at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1tsct5a/lets_clean_some_slugs/

  5. May 2026
    1. SerialNumber

      Serial Number<br /> Each typewriter carries its own serial number. Lift the cover plate, and looking at the machine from the right side, you will note the serial number stamped directly behind the touch Selector on the left side of the machine. Record this number for use in ordering supplies and accessories or as identification in case of theft.

    1. Tuning a typewriter

      reply to u/solestal801 at https://reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1tp6xh5/tuning_a_typewriter/

      Most will call it "adjusting" in the literature (eg. clean, oil, adjust). That's the sort of thing that's hiding deep within a lot of the repair manuals and found by closely watching lots of YouTube repair videos (and taking notes for when you need them). It's the art hiding within the practice and probably takes the longest to acquire.

      This will give you a start for some resources: https://boffosocko.com/2024/10/24/learning-typewriter-maintenance-and-repair/

      Some examples of the tidbits include:

      By the sound of where you're at, I might suggest buying a Royal KMM for $20 and methodically working your way through this:

    1. Like most Hermes Rocket/Baby typewriters, mine no longer had feet on the bottom. You can purchase 3D-printed feet at various places, but I went with the silicone grommet/cap route and found a perfect fit. These are rubber caps meant to replace the cushion on the bottom of certain furniture. The holes on the bottom of the typewriter are 6mm in diameter. These plugs fit tight, provide a slight lift, and a slip-free typing experience. I did have to trim off the tops a bit to fit the body back in, but that's all inside the typewriter when put together. These were a pack of ten for $6 USD (or .60 each).

      via u/ksigler at https://www.reddit.com/r/typewriters/comments/1t5resr/replacement_feet_for_a_hermes_rocketbaby/