tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62793094195242348792024-02-20T12:08:31.031-08:00Typebarhead- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-11324266999658042292013-02-16T14:07:00.000-08:002013-02-16T14:07:18.960-08:00Hello Chief!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqw74eOJyM9KtCRcGn7qAM8ijKGrM2f1TxoZl7Psm8cYMOHDA4TJGMQS7Bp_FRWe-vyanVbz8x0A0bB1oA5Vwt0kCxpaNo0HXaOCoRJUL4Gx9XKC0k0Zyw31a5PjiYNvPJcLEkJZ6x_PI/s640/blogger-image-173766975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqw74eOJyM9KtCRcGn7qAM8ijKGrM2f1TxoZl7Psm8cYMOHDA4TJGMQS7Bp_FRWe-vyanVbz8x0A0bB1oA5Vwt0kCxpaNo0HXaOCoRJUL4Gx9XKC0k0Zyw31a5PjiYNvPJcLEkJZ6x_PI/s640/blogger-image-173766975.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tower Chieftain III (Sears Skyriter)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I finally got to photograph this typer. It was the last addition of 2012. It was a remnant of my California restoration days with the racing Skyriters. I had wanted to refurb a Tower Chieftain to add to the squadron. Took me a while to find one on eBay. Now the problem is I don't have the space, i.e. a garage to do all the work. NYC living is tight and tiny. It's also winter so I don't want the fumes in the apt. This project will have to be put on hold until time suitable...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivanxiILktd2lMgksGGz5yb2FglLb0iAleni0xVlWnjelpLFjSghwRK4gdxotw1IgbgC01uEhiaMfUaB3H04GhyphenhyphenlA4UZpTFKRRvP3GWT7MP_IaTP9kAacSU1G6GG1q9zGCxMDKSEE-GyE/s640/blogger-image--461095536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivanxiILktd2lMgksGGz5yb2FglLb0iAleni0xVlWnjelpLFjSghwRK4gdxotw1IgbgC01uEhiaMfUaB3H04GhyphenhyphenlA4UZpTFKRRvP3GWT7MP_IaTP9kAacSU1G6GG1q9zGCxMDKSEE-GyE/s640/blogger-image--461095536.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Say Hello, Chief! For some reason I hear the voice of Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I don't even know if he even says that line in the movie, but I'm imagining.</td></tr>
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I did take an inventory of my last years guilty pleasure purchases of typewriters. I totaled 12. Which I guess isn't that bad, considering the addiction. But it also averages one a month, which is totally outrageous for someone who originally just wanted to get one typewriter to write on. There is no denying that I've become a collector now. I'll have to do a full roll call of my collection in another post one day. I just wish I didn't feel as guilty as I do. I know many in the typosphere who find it odd, and maybe one day it will be a guilt-free process for me too, but as it stands, still feeling guilty. :))<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rMjq9vc9nMU11thwDM4KNZH1G2OByXqDjkP86QAV69JU-_0LstNSRCweBmw8K0i4VmIZFo1WUMaBL-Uw0-Yf6HUu4HUIufs077_ceNWq9NshK1-hYs30Hum8d_M-y7B8mNBu2uFwt-A/s640/blogger-image--1834374474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_rMjq9vc9nMU11thwDM4KNZH1G2OByXqDjkP86QAV69JU-_0LstNSRCweBmw8K0i4VmIZFo1WUMaBL-Uw0-Yf6HUu4HUIufs077_ceNWq9NshK1-hYs30Hum8d_M-y7B8mNBu2uFwt-A/s640/blogger-image--1834374474.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo may hint to how I will pimp this into a racer if I keep to my original plans by the time I get to it.</td></tr>
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- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-12104893173326857212013-02-03T16:23:00.001-08:002013-02-16T14:07:47.185-08:00Imperial Spotting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/8417518263/" title="IMG_1758"><img alt="IMG_1758 by soho/prince" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8046/8417518263_15deeff40b.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/8417518263/">IMG_1758</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/">soho/prince</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
I don't see these typers too often except for in fancy furniture stores. I'm beginning to like this one very much. Maybe one day I'll find one and be able to get my hands on it. : )</div>
- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-41874755023711252572012-12-29T16:55:00.000-08:002012-12-29T16:55:45.415-08:00Top 5 Guilty Pleasures of 2012Year end is nigh, time where annual lists come out everywhere, in all forms, and covering all topics. I thought perhaps I'd try my hand at it. I thought about the top ten books I read this year but everyone seems to have a similar list. Then I thought about the top ten short story collections I've read, but realized I didn't have ten for the year I could recommend since I was still compiling my all time favorite short story collection list, and ten still haven't made it. Then of course, there's the movies. I have too many friends who do year end reviews so I'll leave that to them. TV? nah. Music? I just don't follow enough. Besides, this is the time when I discover all the new music that came out this year. I'm lucky if I'm one year behind.<br />
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So I came up with this list. Strictly personal and I had to make it only 5 since my typecasting paper is short. I wanted to rush it out as my final blog of the year, unless I feel inspired in the next couple of days. If not, then Happy New Year to all my fellow Typospherians and thanks for welcoming me into the community! <br />
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Best,<br />
<br />
Typebarhead<br />
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<br />- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-10805989051028433962012-12-10T07:27:00.001-08:002012-12-10T07:29:07.961-08:00Typewriter spotting in Hong Kong (more)I decided to go on a mini adventure this weekend by seeing if I could find a typewriter I saw in a googled photograph in Hong Kong. My first effort was hopeless. The only info I had was he was an accountant in Yau Ma Tei on the Kowloon side. Here's the link to the photo: http://trace.hayleyho.com/?cat=3<br />
I eventually emailed the owner who told me I would find him at the jade market and so he was, in fact a line of accountants with typewriters working from stalls. It was pretty cool. They were very aged and weathered machines. Most just sat openly but covered. A couple of Olympias, an unusable Underwood, and the big one the elder was using was a Facit. I asked if he minded if I took a photo of his typer which he didn't. I was then going to ask if he was willing to type a letter for me for the typosphere so i could typecast it but as you may see in the photo he was preoccupied looking for something that he seemed to have misplaced. He was working on a tax form that was sheeted on the platen so I decided not to bother him anymore. <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkV-SKJDR2uflhwvji6B5SdyGhbGaFF0ce9ftCkotWS78iBnWAPmLOy8MuFPmspzrHsxckULmtJjfPhebo7TgsV5VUH9SWxqxd3LWsP8ETSsrzef_vG6PfrH4sSvLU1O2RZDh1BhrA7iQ/s640/blogger-image-1192812548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkV-SKJDR2uflhwvji6B5SdyGhbGaFF0ce9ftCkotWS78iBnWAPmLOy8MuFPmspzrHsxckULmtJjfPhebo7TgsV5VUH9SWxqxd3LWsP8ETSsrzef_vG6PfrH4sSvLU1O2RZDh1BhrA7iQ/s640/blogger-image-1192812548.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILtbYl4fX3ArjjgnnocSefb4K7fBJkaaBdvKlmpH9zVAIQC2hhVarYOWjd1v_oAD-vcORnVABn986Tn5tn7gzIqBw0hiFxv4LNabGNkOzQbwI98jdBfgBbNwODn2FkntXkP09ro3eVGc/s640/blogger-image-1710526067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjILtbYl4fX3ArjjgnnocSefb4K7fBJkaaBdvKlmpH9zVAIQC2hhVarYOWjd1v_oAD-vcORnVABn986Tn5tn7gzIqBw0hiFxv4LNabGNkOzQbwI98jdBfgBbNwODn2FkntXkP09ro3eVGc/s640/blogger-image-1710526067.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uxwbmpVJAxNduEhx3HHtu8l4MXZMTpLrbWTbMRBrY1eKUtSmIp3Ma8qlBem6lbDHLPWAOgBw9cCnVix_QsKvycRnqUE3G2hMlOzJKkYhzt5IG6a7K_oyQx4rAvlIS6zyPoc_vAp9b3U/s640/blogger-image--1990327341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6uxwbmpVJAxNduEhx3HHtu8l4MXZMTpLrbWTbMRBrY1eKUtSmIp3Ma8qlBem6lbDHLPWAOgBw9cCnVix_QsKvycRnqUE3G2hMlOzJKkYhzt5IG6a7K_oyQx4rAvlIS6zyPoc_vAp9b3U/s640/blogger-image--1990327341.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94B4s654fkAyai1Kthjwz37d_NQnHXpknm8jOVEQtswbjP9-EfUqg8rd7Rop0H_h-eVfOhKe9bzLNCPDjgahE-l17n_cX3dYM3BaVciTJHu0TEoNdeNtd-xz6WEzGh6tr68t2UylpT4g/s640/blogger-image-2076575052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi94B4s654fkAyai1Kthjwz37d_NQnHXpknm8jOVEQtswbjP9-EfUqg8rd7Rop0H_h-eVfOhKe9bzLNCPDjgahE-l17n_cX3dYM3BaVciTJHu0TEoNdeNtd-xz6WEzGh6tr68t2UylpT4g/s640/blogger-image-2076575052.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zJA9PQjiHlcaLnh-fpIhdE3dLZlNVSgHlB2eF9Ydr5vtEeYeVVTuk-0ug9V7NBTjztsDj6BTxJQYfQt32P-msrbFyQvm-HL6Iv0Xg-mDXflDsm9CkBv54_x7U68rKTGbkEjeg01rSdg/s640/blogger-image-1821270634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zJA9PQjiHlcaLnh-fpIhdE3dLZlNVSgHlB2eF9Ydr5vtEeYeVVTuk-0ug9V7NBTjztsDj6BTxJQYfQt32P-msrbFyQvm-HL6Iv0Xg-mDXflDsm9CkBv54_x7U68rKTGbkEjeg01rSdg/s640/blogger-image-1821270634.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSaf4I24PiPxNft_yyMJsR-GTVYrcPZlY2CThOIBwy6BEFu8aDlDfKSX_Mx4bqufzFl0PksP7ANUyRPx-dwLMY1iu_lOqhRqGmxPKjcg-9kGpxkOVKMApsJNXQmb-VTOMxtLWU1apudY/s640/blogger-image-113020719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSaf4I24PiPxNft_yyMJsR-GTVYrcPZlY2CThOIBwy6BEFu8aDlDfKSX_Mx4bqufzFl0PksP7ANUyRPx-dwLMY1iu_lOqhRqGmxPKjcg-9kGpxkOVKMApsJNXQmb-VTOMxtLWU1apudY/s640/blogger-image-113020719.jpg" /></a></div> <br/><br/><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRefCNt-ZGXm0TcMOI3Ghb89f21ajfDRz8k36WOZE14yRKuZI3bdj_o-GLU6ixWs3rXW8YYt3LYRMWokDyMro4U4-bQh_-2YRpK2P0aLl4Qw0kdz5QRE5zrWBxRvCNlmMfnOqeQQ01JY/s640/blogger-image-352036789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRefCNt-ZGXm0TcMOI3Ghb89f21ajfDRz8k36WOZE14yRKuZI3bdj_o-GLU6ixWs3rXW8YYt3LYRMWokDyMro4U4-bQh_-2YRpK2P0aLl4Qw0kdz5QRE5zrWBxRvCNlmMfnOqeQQ01JY/s640/blogger-image-352036789.jpg" /></a></div>- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-45330543176036421822012-12-05T07:23:00.001-08:002012-12-10T07:27:17.087-08:00Typewriter spotting Hong Kong (again)I decided to revisit Apliu St. in Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to see if any new typers came up since my last visit here. And Olympias seem to reign this visit. There was a Monica sitting with a pile of used stuff with the street vendors and I saw a Kofa which I never heard of but looked like a cheap 80s machine (couldn't get a photo of that). Inside store number 253 ( someone requested the address last time so I bothered to find out this trip) I found two shrink wrapped again. An sm9 and sg1 I believe. <br />
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I saw a typewriter sitting in a basket on the sidewalk in Sheung Wan while I was in a taxi but haven't been able to revisit it since to see if they had more. <br />
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Hopefully I'll spot a few more before I leave. Any typewriter collectors in Hong Kong?? Email me, I'm here for another week. <br />
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I saw this and found it interesting and thought I'd share. I thought I had read about the last typewriter manufactured a few years ago. </div>
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<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/shortcuts/2012/nov/20/last-british-made-typewriter">Brother CM-1000</a></div>
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- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-82190274694403015752012-11-16T13:53:00.001-08:002012-11-16T14:05:29.810-08:00My Grey Royal Quiet De Luxe, x704<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I've found it harder and harder to keep up with this blog because one, I'm trying to go cold turkey on buying typers. The good thing is I have no car in NYC so I no longer can go on weekend (or weekday, for that matter) adventures for typewriters. And avoiding Ebay for now. When the addiction isn't in the forefront, I forget about the blog unless I spot one in the wild. I've also had to refrain from reading the typosphere too much at one time, fearing it may inflame the addiction which is currently in remission (but damn, it's gonna be a lot of catch up!).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> However, I do want to try to commit to writing some thing at least weekly here if not only for discipline's sake. I was going to typecast but realized my scanner isn't working properly, perhaps damaged from the move. But luckily, I scanned a bunch before my move cross country, knowing I would need to put most of my collection in storage. I was only able to bring a handful of typers which is quite ridiculous for a regular person. They were all in boxes until recently. The weather got cold enough that I had to unpack my winter clothes and I found two in the box. One I remember packing, the other, I completely forgot about. It was a nice surprise. Kinda felt like Christmas morning! It was my grey Royal Quiet Deluxe. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> I've been typing on it all week. Got some decent writing done on it. I do love this clacker model. I don't have an emotion attachment to this one like I did with Rusty, but it's growing on me. It doesn't type great, but it works fine. I didn't clean it at all and stuff is falling onto my desk the more I use it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> I've decided to leave the other ones in boxes still and perhaps surprise myself at later dates.</span></div>
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- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-59514339300595153752012-10-28T20:44:00.000-07:002012-10-28T20:56:10.925-07:00Typewriter in NYC Bookstore Window Display<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another typewriter sighting in NYC:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfF9fxDQOruNuagfenmIcdgNwwaUGVCYFgCrBBtWWGV29M1cTV4u0cLWLrxhpSD5qIMSPsdvQwFU-TY-kd-2zfkncahmxeEOfZ0rDjP5-0VA9wdW4Rhs1MKrBFugEXN1H4oE81SJ6pYw/s640/blogger-image-221575359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAfF9fxDQOruNuagfenmIcdgNwwaUGVCYFgCrBBtWWGV29M1cTV4u0cLWLrxhpSD5qIMSPsdvQwFU-TY-kd-2zfkncahmxeEOfZ0rDjP5-0VA9wdW4Rhs1MKrBFugEXN1H4oE81SJ6pYw/s400/blogger-image-221575359.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crawford Doyle Booksellers in UES</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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This is a beautiful little bookstore in the Upper East Side. Books from floor to ceiling. Wooden library ladders on rails always win me over. I saw the Corona walking by and loved the Sontag quote. The only issue I have is that the quote is laser printed in a really big font so people can read it from the street rather than actually typed out by the Corona. <br />
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So I've neglected my duties on my blog for a few months. My apologies but my recent relocation to the big apple took much longer than anticipated. I'm still unpacking. I left my typer collection back west in storage and brought only a handful over to use (which is still an overkill). All but one are still in boxes along with my winter cloths which I will likely need to unpack soon.<br />
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Maybe I'll get to it since it seems like I'll be stormed in for a few days with Sandy visiting.<br />
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- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-7109484890514139782012-07-07T17:06:00.002-07:002012-10-28T20:57:16.050-07:00Typewriter Spotting in New York City:<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sorry, I disappeared for a bit from the typosphere. I made a misjudgment of planning a vacation before a cross country move, and it's come to bite me back now with the pile of stuff I must do. Anyhow, here are some spottings in the Big Apple.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOKnqHcXQe14EGI_tm49ihFQl71gzuY3xaArcYNF94e40spUcMML71yfSlB3CAEDwOMPk1cDDomCZcngd1Z5n9uudVHAlKS1dqxTCIlclb7wsM3TevDt4EInaXwsVNnXIyA9QbGxxGoU/s640/blogger-image--352897383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjOKnqHcXQe14EGI_tm49ihFQl71gzuY3xaArcYNF94e40spUcMML71yfSlB3CAEDwOMPk1cDDomCZcngd1Z5n9uudVHAlKS1dqxTCIlclb7wsM3TevDt4EInaXwsVNnXIyA9QbGxxGoU/s320/blogger-image--352897383.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sale on cloths, not the typerwriters! : )</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs1QZkcrPX9-zb1SnHd41s-BEbLmGqLJfmG4RPMyq8wZm_0JZlrNo3wy5i5Q8uZs4ivcjL4tUI9u-UCYmflrR4ruaYiWEtxjk53CixjDpkb-AZH_FW8hEnjqOJXmxC8kTgZdYz75NINg/s640/blogger-image-448382612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggs1QZkcrPX9-zb1SnHd41s-BEbLmGqLJfmG4RPMyq8wZm_0JZlrNo3wy5i5Q8uZs4ivcjL4tUI9u-UCYmflrR4ruaYiWEtxjk53CixjDpkb-AZH_FW8hEnjqOJXmxC8kTgZdYz75NINg/s320/blogger-image-448382612.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySpK0bKKeweQIWFd695Kw5pX0O8g_EtRmsLc2xP_mA8i-u9TvfD8tBQoyX647FxB22zrllk7Vmt0n3Tbb2GNK9QBA0PfsfdspZbSzRoI7nisGNwrHz9nYWuOq2EbUCm9BFhLGYIDcU1g/s640/blogger-image-998101924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgySpK0bKKeweQIWFd695Kw5pX0O8g_EtRmsLc2xP_mA8i-u9TvfD8tBQoyX647FxB22zrllk7Vmt0n3Tbb2GNK9QBA0PfsfdspZbSzRoI7nisGNwrHz9nYWuOq2EbUCm9BFhLGYIDcU1g/s320/blogger-image-998101924.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnmiGWJC_aGvUB8fWw8YpWrUZBsy3S9yTe5BFqLklOHaBNT_rA4ZXCkKwgkv743SpIKmqra2ttJQ8x8UK9-KtSIB4PW5hcVmbE-vJjbufhcCNesexMSK00zkEvZ4jx_WojexrozoEnTk/s640/blogger-image-639054436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnmiGWJC_aGvUB8fWw8YpWrUZBsy3S9yTe5BFqLklOHaBNT_rA4ZXCkKwgkv743SpIKmqra2ttJQ8x8UK9-KtSIB4PW5hcVmbE-vJjbufhcCNesexMSK00zkEvZ4jx_WojexrozoEnTk/s320/blogger-image-639054436.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3K0VxwDji3H-vhlUXJXPcCAYSCSw7eUNhyphenhyphenlOsaqpuZ73omng-QCrUfVj14ZJeO2nT3vxu7YR47COPuCyVNXMhZZQ6v7lSME0MX69VMeEFCR845U2x4OIWZWDVktDV3huZb9YpgYg3AY/s640/blogger-image-909156724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv3K0VxwDji3H-vhlUXJXPcCAYSCSw7eUNhyphenhyphenlOsaqpuZ73omng-QCrUfVj14ZJeO2nT3vxu7YR47COPuCyVNXMhZZQ6v7lSME0MX69VMeEFCR845U2x4OIWZWDVktDV3huZb9YpgYg3AY/s320/blogger-image-909156724.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Rag and Bone, what appears to be a clothing boutique, has chosen this summer season's window display to be of typewriters (or maybe it's permanent). These were various window displays from their stores around Manhattan.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rdRVGj1Gv5TOtZtgvTFthg6dbl9PL3ZpMXkhYaKmJ-KUzpCiHIdEHSXxSwd8yA8KwHeW3kLGqvNeux-84S8tul5AIwxc4DiXsmfTXHMS_9aqGqC73dQjPaTmQZo1qSsTqOGomHj67OY/s640/blogger-image--224622661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rdRVGj1Gv5TOtZtgvTFthg6dbl9PL3ZpMXkhYaKmJ-KUzpCiHIdEHSXxSwd8yA8KwHeW3kLGqvNeux-84S8tul5AIwxc4DiXsmfTXHMS_9aqGqC73dQjPaTmQZo1qSsTqOGomHj67OY/s320/blogger-image--224622661.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This was a very cool store in Williamsburg. I think it was called dijital (I'll need to check on that).</div>
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- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-74846453169704561642012-05-24T03:46:00.001-07:002012-10-28T20:57:42.924-07:00Typewriter Spotting in Hong Kong<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I stopped briefly on Apilu St. in Kowloon, Hong Kong today, and found a few typewriters to my surprise. I was only able to sneak this one photo, but there were about five. Most were Olympias, shrinkwrapped as if they were new. There were a few brands I never heard of but I wasn't able to get more info. I will have to revisit again when I have more time and investigate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicER5RuARF6pdx7IhN-Nj2Yray1Ed3FSz14Mb2s0cacubKfWllSKsHhFn_iSB6bcXFgNtt9WDPr5UJUTSfWskP0K_lp-GZioNE_5Pil6SN_RQk5TtGOlt5CEDY9atcbdZwiGwuyYPkEuw/s640/blogger-image-672325667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicER5RuARF6pdx7IhN-Nj2Yray1Ed3FSz14Mb2s0cacubKfWllSKsHhFn_iSB6bcXFgNtt9WDPr5UJUTSfWskP0K_lp-GZioNE_5Pil6SN_RQk5TtGOlt5CEDY9atcbdZwiGwuyYPkEuw/s640/blogger-image-672325667.jpg" /></a></div>
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- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-81897057351959540922012-05-15T01:37:00.001-07:002012-05-17T19:01:09.795-07:00The doppelgängerHere's a sneak peek of a work in progress of another skyriter, the sibling to my green racer. All work has ceased until I have free time at a later date. Lucky, my L32 is also at a stand still til then. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Kd-8BPo69vE1Lnl0HaKRt1yX0NDpBXg20SN6qwh96OACButQhjjP-utkop4xNeN5mpsEiYrHtRv3HQuTndvMUGBBqPrv4nJLnM5gE7T_gRLl6jU2JBNbgmrEayBJ2UwMSTHmmqQIvmE/s640/blogger-image--1774703269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Kd-8BPo69vE1Lnl0HaKRt1yX0NDpBXg20SN6qwh96OACButQhjjP-utkop4xNeN5mpsEiYrHtRv3HQuTndvMUGBBqPrv4nJLnM5gE7T_gRLl6jU2JBNbgmrEayBJ2UwMSTHmmqQIvmE/s640/blogger-image--1774703269.jpg" /></a></div>- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-45663659151221958712012-05-10T22:16:00.001-07:002012-05-10T22:16:35.548-07:00Would this be considered a typewriter??I was cleaning out some of my junk and found this. Do you think people in the future will collect this? Will a labelsphere come about?<br />
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IMO : nah, this is going to Goodwill. I've got Typers for labeling now. <br />
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After dinner yesterday, my belly was happily filled with comfort food which I direly needed. The television was blaring some housewife reality show on Bravo so I decided to go to the garage to inspect my "workbench" which consisted of a temporary plastic fold-up table. Originally, this was my typing table for my Sherman, my Selectric II, and two other standards. I was too lazy to haul these hulking beasts up three flights of stairs so they were relegated to the garage. Now they sit on the garage floor nearby. Except for Hank, my Royal HH, that shares the table with the work in progress. Half the table is now cluttered with typewriter parts and tools. New additions include a lamp and a blow dryer. The most recent inhabitant is Olivetti Lettera 32.<br />
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As I blogged yesterday, I had given the Lettera a much needed soap bath. As I drained the sink, I discovered a quarter inch spring lying at the bottom. Luckily, I use a strainer for such reasons, but I didn't need it on this occasion because the spring sat dead center against the white, calling for my attention. I deduced from the carriage not working properly anymore and through a second working Lettera that the spring came from the escapement mechanism, one that held the teeth to the wheel that held and advanced the carriage as one typed. Through my Skyriters, I had a good sense of how it looked and worked, but there is no clear sight or access to this mechanism on the Olivetti. I had to remove parts piece by piece to try to get closer to it until finally the carriage collapsed on me when the ball bearings fell out. I now had easy access to the escape mechanism and wheel, but a whole new problem of reassembling the carriage confronted me. Since I didn't plan on dismantling the carriage system, I did not track how the parts fit and worked together. I feared I was not going to be able to put it all back together. But one thing at a time.<br />
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I concentrated on the mystery spring. I hooked it on the teeth that controlled the wheel. I got it working in theory (hard to test with no carriage at this point) but the spring was being twisted irregularly so I knew it was incorrect. I eventually found what I thought would be correct since I had no map or drawing to follow (and I was not about to take apart the other functioning Lettera to see since I had no idea if I could put one back together). I included the photo in my last blog. I will prematurely jump to the result since it was good news. The guess was correct. Happy days!<br />
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Before I knew this of course, I was faced with the question and challenge if I could put this typewriter back together again. I've never liked dealing with ball bearings the few times I've encountered them. And never before on a typewriter. The first hour was quite fun, trying to come up with a way to get the ball bearings back into the rails without falling. It was like pinball or a game called Labyrinth I played as a child where you tried to navigate a metal ball through a maze via tilting and shifting the level of the board via knobs. The balls kept dropping so much that it was almost comical. This is where a plastic folding table where it's center has been bent over time with weight becomes a benefit (thanks Sherman!). All dropped balls rolled back to the center.<br />
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By the second and third hour, it became less fun and comical. It became more a mind riddle how they got them there and finally it felt like a Jedi mind trick. More drastic measures were needed with the machine being in various orientations that the balls now fell to the ground. I spent much time on my knees with a flashlight looking around other typewriters and cases surrounding me. A few times I thought I had lost one for good and the game was over, but each time I got lucky and found it again. Only one time I was at a loss. Usually I hear it hit the concrete floor so I know it's there, but one time, two balls dropped. One hit the table and rolled (a very distinctive sound) and I didn't hear the other hit anything. This concerned me because there was junk everywhere surrounding the table. I looked all around and just when I was about to give up, I decided to look into a trash bin at the foot of the table. It was filled with paper towels. Buried a few layers down was my stainless steel sphere. Whew!<br />
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Rather than spend time with the "story" or the "adventure" of the ball bearing riddle (and what an adventure it was for me) I want to document how I did it in case I ever need to do this again in the distant future. I will most likely have forgotten the steps, and there is a sequential procedure for it to work. And if others can make use of it, great.<br />
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First off, I do not know if this is the correct or only way to do this. It probably isn't, but it works. I dismantled the rail system a couple of times after to make sure it was repeatable and it was. The only thing I regret not doing was photographing it. I was too much in a hurry to rebuild it to see if it worked when fully assembled back. And luckily, it did. Now that all the parts are on, I do not want to dismantle it. I feel like I went to battle with this typewriter, brothers in arms, and we have now both returned safely home. It was hard earned and there are still some problems that need fixing, but this typewriter has now forever been a part of me, hard to part or relinquish it. And it earned it's nickname on this adventure, Lucky.<br />
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So what exactly is the problem or difficulty? Or what I call the Olivetti ball bearing riddle? Let's back track to the carriage system first. Like most typewriters, the carriage moves on a rail system facilitated by four ball bearings that move on these two rails, two balls each on the front and back rail. It's fairly simple to slide the carriage off the rail on either the left or right side after you remove what I'll call the rail stopper (picture A below) on the back of the machine or by lifting it up once the ball bearings are out. Once you remove the carriage there is a thin device that slips between the rails which holds the two ball bearings equidistant between the rails in place with a tiny center wheel that resembles a miniature fan (picture B below) that rides the notched rails as teeth not unlike a bicycle with it's chains. Where the Olivetti becomes challenging (and maybe this is so for many other typewriters) is the positioning of this device which I'll call the ball bearing retainer (these parts probably all have names but I don't know what they are. If you do, let me know please. thx).<br />
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The obvious solution of lining the balls and it's retainer device and slipping/inserting the carriage back on the rail like a train doesn't work. The balls will fall out depending where the carriage is on the rail because one side of this retainer extends outside of the parallel rails when the carriage is extended left or right. It doesn't matter which side of the typewriter you slip the carriage onto the rails. All it does is reverse the order of which balls will fall because the other side of the retainer will now be extended beyond where it should be. When you compare it to a functioning machine, you notice that this retainer device is always in the middle of the carriage, never extending itself to either end and overextending itself outside the needed parallel rails that keep the bearing in place. If you align and slip the carriage on the tracks, you can never get it in the middle. One end will always expose and overextend, dropping the bearing. How did they get this device in the middle? Once the ball bearings are in the rail, it locks the fan wheel to the notches and you cannot move the retainer device and ball bearings without moving the entire carriage. The system is now locked in sync. It's hard to describe unless you are dealing with it and for me, it felt like a riddle. How in the world did they get all four balls in and the device in the middle? It seems physically impossible.<br />
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So the questions really become how does one assemble the carriage rail system of an Olivetti Lettera 32? How do you insert the ball bearings into the retainer onto the rails without it falling later as the carriage moves from one side to the the other, or more precisely, how to you reassemble the rail system so it is exactly like how it left the Olivetti factory? Not close to, but exactly. This was key. This is where the second machine helped enormously. You have to have the retainer device in the middle first, but then how do you get the ball bearings in? This is where the order of things matter. At this point, I will just do a complete step by step.<br />
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Here are three photos where the red straw shows you where the retainer device should be when the carriage is in a certain position. The ultimate trick is how to get the device in the middle with the ball bearings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduzoS4yyoZ49ETxYL3cuTRPI4slHhbfwPGHV2eS7LC5aMCIvWGznkIqM6jaRcjdxCvfis1LvOEqa65tNiynx7FurOkYqYDfv9RgBHBk2P_arowozAHA5C7eAHPBlV8cUwEWaebkoki38/s1600/blogger-image-840321255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduzoS4yyoZ49ETxYL3cuTRPI4slHhbfwPGHV2eS7LC5aMCIvWGznkIqM6jaRcjdxCvfis1LvOEqa65tNiynx7FurOkYqYDfv9RgBHBk2P_arowozAHA5C7eAHPBlV8cUwEWaebkoki38/s320/blogger-image-840321255.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Disassembling the carriage of an Olivetti Lettera 32:<br />
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1) Remove platen and teal paper carrier from carriage for easier viewing. This could be optional because you can see what you need to do with it on, but a bit of a annoyance in my opinion. And this is the easiest part IMO.<br />
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2) Remove silver margin setter bar. Unhook the carriage drawstring. I hook it to a nearby screw rather than unwinding it.<br />
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3) Remove black "rail stopper" contraption. This is a simple unscrewing but then I had to use some brute force to actually get it out. This is the single reason I won't disassemble it again if I don't need to. After three times, I felt I was pressing my luck and may break this screw.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5h3ADqCWF0-qaAZ5jH_yII7OJy7M6NYbiJs_j3XDqx_M2jJ6jgAOrcbDwi6RgBQoWPHz965QyCjfE9kChixVuJFuwPSBF2-iejSGaS5l-i-vPTYCHF7DS24lBe8z8Wgt2gRvNxufrBGQ/s1600/blogger-image-1708713415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5h3ADqCWF0-qaAZ5jH_yII7OJy7M6NYbiJs_j3XDqx_M2jJ6jgAOrcbDwi6RgBQoWPHz965QyCjfE9kChixVuJFuwPSBF2-iejSGaS5l-i-vPTYCHF7DS24lBe8z8Wgt2gRvNxufrBGQ/s400/blogger-image-1708713415.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture A (it's connected to a few things so note that)</td></tr>
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4) Once the rail stopper is removed, you can slide the carriage in either direction past it's limits and the ball bearings will drop loose. I recommend sliding it to the right if the keyboard is facing north, i.e. the return lever side. (I do so because you should familiarize yourself with this movement for reassembly) You will see the escapement wheel mechanism which you could not do so when the rail stopper was in place. Once you pass it, the ball bearings will drop because the retainer is overextended and beyond the parallel rails.<br />
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Once it's loose, you can lift up the carriage. You can't actually slide the carriage out from either side. There is an arrow like piece of metal that I believe is part of the margin or tab system that will restrict this so you need to lift it up to remove it. This metal arrow pointing up will play a minor part of putting this back together again later so familiarize where it goes, i.e. in the empty horizontal gap on the back of the carriage.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cwoPiQ-Oxc2VsT33SsFGqltRno4EwmuTeZLRNSJ6wDMl9iSQOB52j9lrYxw6xqNZ80KxICXOukNtahPLxJiXnUQ1rQLASTqOyhcw1Ru-F3guNcAg2lOKUCX1JA4gznioH8SM_m5g_Vw/s1600/blogger-image-688281712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cwoPiQ-Oxc2VsT33SsFGqltRno4EwmuTeZLRNSJ6wDMl9iSQOB52j9lrYxw6xqNZ80KxICXOukNtahPLxJiXnUQ1rQLASTqOyhcw1Ru-F3guNcAg2lOKUCX1JA4gznioH8SM_m5g_Vw/s400/blogger-image-688281712.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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5) Once the carriage is off, you should have four ball bearings, two thin ball bearing retainer devices measuring about five inches with a tiny fan wheel in the center. (see picture B below for drawing of retainer).<br />
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Assembling the ball bearings and carriage of an Olivetti Lettera 32:<br />
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1) Place the carriage back on it's rail. Make sure the metal arrow pointing up is safely in the horizontal gap in the back of the carriage.<br />
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2) Place the carriage where the 0 on the measurement bar is directly in line with the type guide. Or as close as you can. This is key to get it right the first time to match factory specs. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZaSGwlKqqHfLXH44E5CUYJOej_v-vbhggZtw5iP7NmU4LHpwa5aGX_AQgOvTRZ9q3jg4nL4sOREsG2iIB_qOz1lb6UR8CGubrvxgsGTkri91NfJS-ZCx_KZwIJn_pOJADUDJ_pHc7m4/s1600/blogger-image-1962162618.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ZaSGwlKqqHfLXH44E5CUYJOej_v-vbhggZtw5iP7NmU4LHpwa5aGX_AQgOvTRZ9q3jg4nL4sOREsG2iIB_qOz1lb6UR8CGubrvxgsGTkri91NfJS-ZCx_KZwIJn_pOJADUDJ_pHc7m4/s400/blogger-image-1962162618.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo angle doesn't show straight alignment</td></tr>
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3) Take one of the bearing retainers and insert it between the rails without using the ball bearings. Let's do the front one first. The first half will be easy, but then you will need to carefully shimmy the second half in because the fan wheel will not notch properly without any bearings in place. The first retainer should also be easier since you can move the carriage to get more room. In this case, move it back so you can slip the thin device in the front rails. Insert it until the retainer end is flush with edge of the rail of the typewriter and not the carriage (see picture B).<br />
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4) Now insert the retainer device into the back rail without the ball bearings. This will be trickier because there is less room. Be careful not to shimmy it too hard and break any of the wheels teeth. I noticed moving the carriage back and forth gently while shimmying helped. Also place the retainer end flush to the edge of the typewriter rail. Remember to never move the carriage this whole time from the 0 alignment with the type guide. This is how you keep the retainer device in the middle of the carriage at all times.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPT-kZUvwCUmSg-UmVbqe0-RXho4eYArQGDyOIx3MqFjPf6VBzo1WxVEWK9hncVbwE3jm-y2NyiVqK2aSb2ijhL-dE59klCBxxm-mFOOlBLTI-mLj4wQ-GczJqKM54dO0NwBLW9KbuHA/s1600/blogger-image--1268164143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPT-kZUvwCUmSg-UmVbqe0-RXho4eYArQGDyOIx3MqFjPf6VBzo1WxVEWK9hncVbwE3jm-y2NyiVqK2aSb2ijhL-dE59klCBxxm-mFOOlBLTI-mLj4wQ-GczJqKM54dO0NwBLW9KbuHA/s400/blogger-image--1268164143.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">picture B ("shimmy" not "jimmy")</td></tr>
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5) Insert the two ball bearings into the left exposing retainer holders (BTW the typewriter keyboard is always facing north in my instructions here). You may need to roll the carriage over two notches to the left to expose it, hence rolling beyond the 0 mark to the negative and unmarked ruler part. Don't worry about rolling it too far because that metal arrow pointing upward will hit the end of the carriage so you won't fall of the rail.<br />
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6) Once they are in, roll the carriage system to the right slowly. The carriage is officially now in a locked sync position. As you move the carriage past the wheel escapement mechanism, go slowly and the bearings will fall out again to the escapement area once this side of the retainer is exposed. Don't worry, this is normal. We just put in the bearings to move the carriage. This is where the order of things matter. You should now notice that all four of the bearing retainer holders are exposed. Two from the inside from the escapement mechanism, and two from the outside, the end of the rails at the return lever side. You may need to find the right notch to get them all at the same time, but they are all reachable at this point.<br />
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7) Insert all four bearings simultaneously. Hold in place with four fingers. Two from each hand on each side. Press them in and roll to the left and center the carriage. Voila! They're now all in and the retainer device is now in the middle of the carriage, locked in sync. To be safe, lock your carriage lock because if the carriage moves accidentally too far, the bearing can still fall out. If so, just repeat the exercise. Once you install the rail stopper contraption, the bearing retainer device will not over extend past the parallel rails at any point. This is where the 0 measurement alignment is important.<br />
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8) Reassemble the rail stopper, re-attach the drawstring, and test the carriage at both ends. I think you will notice this contraption limits it's movements so the ball bearings stay held in.<br />
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9) Reassemble the rest of the machine such as margin bar, paper carrier, and platen.<br />
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I hope this works for you if you happen to need to take apart the carriage of an Olivetti. I'm sure there can be variations to this method and there may be an easier way. I'd love to know if there is. But I tested this three times and fine tuned it to make sure it was precise and repeatable so I know this at least works. Happy repairs!<br />
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<br />- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-46796360032469297022012-05-08T02:38:00.000-07:002012-05-08T18:47:21.128-07:00Again, More Typewriter Repairs : ( & the mystery springNot sure what happened to my typecast images from yesterday, but here it is again reuploaded.<br />
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My uncorrected typecast:</div>
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<br />- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-65660264421785174842012-05-02T18:48:00.000-07:002012-05-02T22:04:09.480-07:00Grand Prix!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/7126247055_8b1813e357_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7055/7126247055_8b1813e357_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Typebarhead Racing Team.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6980168802/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="HipstaPrint"><img alt="HipstaPrint by soho/prince" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7183/6980168802_a0126c4ea4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starting line</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7194/6980167696_d8e052b6a6_b.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're off!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7244/7126251329_6bf4049f2a_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7244/7126251329_6bf4049f2a_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rounding the bend,</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6980155986_54c961ba02_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7192/6980155986_54c961ba02_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final lap,</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/7126244635_4b295ff5a7_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7200/7126244635_4b295ff5a7_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the checker flag!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Fooling around with the camera and the skyriters this weekend. Taking the analogy too far <br />
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</div>- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-89319818907949878592012-04-29T00:24:00.001-07:002012-04-29T00:24:35.160-07:00Adventures in typewriter restoration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Do you know what typewriter this is? </div>
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Racer? No, it's a Smith-Corona Skyriter, 2Y series. It's was my last few weekend's restoration, or perhaps more accurately, revival project.</div>
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I was toying around with my two different Skyriter models (in the dueling skyriters blog) and thought it necessary to get the third and earliest Skyriter model, the 2Y, to complete the comparison. So out of curiosity, I looked on Craigslist and found one available. I quickly contacted the seller, made an offer and he accepted. The only catch was he was 60 miles away. I decided it was not a problem and headed over that evening after waiting out Los Angeles rush hour traffic. Now is that an obsession or what?</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>My pimped out Skyriter</i></span></td></tr>
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Of course, I didn't really think about it too clearly and after I got there, realized I also had to get back. Two hours and 120 miles. It didn't seem as good of an idea anymore, but like a junkie's addiction, I didn't see that far ahead. </div>
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I found the address and the man greeted me at his driveway after a few lost phone calls. He had the typewriter out ready for me. I took a look. It was in bad shape but I knew it would be. In the ad, it said it needed TLC, but it also said it worked but it didn't. Not really. A few letters I struck didn't reach the platen. I already knew from my first glance the handle was broken and three rubber feet were missing. Did it really matter if it worked or not at this point? 120 miles, empty handed? I think not. I paid the man and got going. There was no point staying or haggling. I knew in the back of my mind when I contacted the seller that this could be a parts machine. I found myself a nearby In and Out Burger and had myself a late dinner before jumping back on the highway. By this point, it was late late in the evening. I would make it back home before midnight.</div>
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I should've went straight to bed when I got home, but of course, I didn't. I had to check out the machine more closely. It was one dirty grimy machine. In fact, when I first put it in the car it stank like smoke. I had to stop a few blocks later and remove it from the backseat and put it in the trunk. It was by far the grimiest machine I ever brought home. Oil and grease plastered everything. I never understood why anyone would want their typewriter this way. The internals seemed like they were soaked or sprayed entirely with oil. The machine seemed like it was dripping, but it wasn't because the oil and grease had frozen mid-drip and caked up, forming dropping-like crude all over the bottom and structural skeleton. I struck a few more keys and discovered it was only the left side that didn't strike the platen. It was being obstructed by a metallic arm of some sort. Luckily, I traced the problem to an unhooked spring behind the type bars which pulled this arm back away. It was an easy fix without taking anything apart.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphFr_1H-OlKcGRxKHW3J-4qEMdaN07BteumOEmmIBbYXQqReQZ5xdq5ThCU4k3eZ3D21aQISJK-ZISH-PXzQXdVDdaac4yEZYFXyML0GRaeHHsns9OhpQn3iViS98EBKp5-1vGSVru44/s1600/blogger-image-1958506431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphFr_1H-OlKcGRxKHW3J-4qEMdaN07BteumOEmmIBbYXQqReQZ5xdq5ThCU4k3eZ3D21aQISJK-ZISH-PXzQXdVDdaac4yEZYFXyML0GRaeHHsns9OhpQn3iViS98EBKp5-1vGSVru44/s320/blogger-image-1958506431.jpg" width="320" /></a>So three missing rubber feet, a few dents in the case, a broken handle and a major cleaning. Not bad I thought. I could work with that I guess since I had gained a little confidence with semi-repairing my Underwood. With some experience with my two Skyriters before and a working guide, I easily unscrewed the two screws to take it apart. Everything was fine still until I pulled out the internal skeleton. The felt lying at the bottom was disgusting! Half a century of grease and oil and who knows what else. It was still moist and held a noisome odor. I had to put the machine down and called it a night. Tomorrow, I decided, I would need to give it a major soap bath.<br />
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I didn't get to it the next day, and a few days later, I gave it the promised soap bath. It had worked well when I gave it to the Underwood Golden Touch. Cleaned it right up. But it the mean time, my mind was wondering what I could do with the felt. I knew it had to go. During one of my walks, I spotted a Alfa Romeo convertible parked street-side in my neighborhood. I had to take it's picture, it was too pretty. Forest green with an off-center yellow racing stripe!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8coMAmz_3ZUL5WBR9OlABoyDBlKr5Dow5j5VqUhaeOsKBbRdtP6GUV25kwU909jeNmAerUbCaHC_nWbvoqENyNUcaIReLR95lL84X7wIESkMWdBDfg5gJms9AuPi7HvlpOO7hG8u8DoE/s1600/Romeo+racing+stripe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8coMAmz_3ZUL5WBR9OlABoyDBlKr5Dow5j5VqUhaeOsKBbRdtP6GUV25kwU909jeNmAerUbCaHC_nWbvoqENyNUcaIReLR95lL84X7wIESkMWdBDfg5gJms9AuPi7HvlpOO7hG8u8DoE/s200/Romeo+racing+stripe.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
As I was photographing it, I saw the yellow fan behind the grill and then it came to me. Why not custom paint the Skyriter like this car. A yellow felt underneath would pop out the green keyboard. That became the plan.<br />
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After the soap bath with some rigid scrubbing all around, I let it dry overnight. When I came back the next morning, to my horror, all the type bars were stuck frozen. I forced the bars forward and realized it had all rusted over. I guess they call it flash rust. I didn't notice any rust in prior inspection, but now there were spots all around. Maybe I shouldn't have given such an old machine a soap bath. Now I need to use the bath sparingly and with more prudence. I went to the hardware store and bought rust remover. I brushed it on and rinsed according to instructions. Some of the rust went away but now I was getting sticky keys on more than a handful of type bars. I thought I ruined this one. I didn't really test this machine with paper and ink so I never knew if it worked properly, but one thing I did not want, was to ruin a working machine.</div>
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I was a little upset with myself but I tried my best to resuscitate it. I rinsed off the rust removal and waited another day. Rust came back. I repeated. I believed I had to wait a full day to let all the hidden moisture evaporate. So days started passing. At this time, I started gathering material for the cosmetic surgery. I made my first ever trip to Michael's. I had no idea craft stores could be so big. I collected the yellow felt and two cans of spray paint. I knew the yellow felt would be impractical for a typewriter, but I had to see how it would look. I wanted to replicate the yellow fan behind the grill detail of the convertible. </div>
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I began disassembling parts that would need to be painted. I choice to use the stencil method of spray painting so I had to strategy what colors needed to be applied first and masked. While doing this, I realized I was missing the upper back panel which was also it's name plate - the green plate that says "Skyriter." A which point I decided why not try to stencil letters in also. I came up with the simpler "racer" to test. I was also always a big fan of Le Mans racing stripes and I preferred the double thin off centered ones so I changed that. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nfxF0T-AwDFd3vfJD9MhXrwISiXuyt-ubDTuTG6RkXz6iv_MPX8AhwMmwhS7qvu3zgfCXYg8hAwKMVqBgJK3H1LostW_7hJEZk2nM1nK8mBvJjk1hcnrD0Z0QYInB6hIYAJ1cKZ9dLI/s640/blogger-image-468474477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-nfxF0T-AwDFd3vfJD9MhXrwISiXuyt-ubDTuTG6RkXz6iv_MPX8AhwMmwhS7qvu3zgfCXYg8hAwKMVqBgJK3H1LostW_7hJEZk2nM1nK8mBvJjk1hcnrD0Z0QYInB6hIYAJ1cKZ9dLI/s320/blogger-image-468474477.jpg" width="320" /></a>As I banged out the dents in the case and sanded down chipped areas and the space bar, it occurred to me that I should probably wear a mask. Given the dates of these machines, they probably used lead paint. I didn't have one and didn't want to stop, so I didn't. </div>
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Finally, the rust no longer appeared and I no longer wanted to apply and rinse for fear of triggering more of it. I gave it a little oil to the type bars and it seemed to help. So I gave it some more. More strikers didn't stick. I read online this is one thing you shouldn't do, but what do you do when it's the only thing working? I let it sit, hoping some of the oil would evaporate, but it didn't. I could see the oil turn brown in time, dissolving, I assume, the rust inside. I kept wiping off what I could, hoping I'd get all the excess, but days passed before I finally gave up. It seems like this machine was made or meant to be dripping. At least now I've contained it to one place. The typewriter was back typing and ultimately, that's what I want. I do fear that one day it will conk out on me in the future due to this application, but for now, hooray for the sweating type bars. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zXHAH4bt6-zFdKBpdabOD5oDicbDW2P9xUv9i2nwDOxq_LIwKcNbbIe3ryt-09eXMzI6Y2Y5EEvWYO1qWteJAMHM9GTotAZS2H-yfLWaXeXhQTWelxDAeTyt65hoTtafP52wA56dA2A/s640/blogger-image--1675160713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zXHAH4bt6-zFdKBpdabOD5oDicbDW2P9xUv9i2nwDOxq_LIwKcNbbIe3ryt-09eXMzI6Y2Y5EEvWYO1qWteJAMHM9GTotAZS2H-yfLWaXeXhQTWelxDAeTyt65hoTtafP52wA56dA2A/s320/blogger-image--1675160713.jpg" width="320" /></a>Spray painting proved harder than I thought. The half-size yellow can was causing me all sorts of problems. Crinkle paint didn't cooperate well either. I didn't have as much a problem with the regular size green can though. I suspect the smaller can had less pressure or throw to the spray so I couldn't cover as much area as I would like. If I sprayed too close or if there was a recess, paint would gather in little pools, creating uneven patches or losing the crinkle altogether. I didn't have a brush handy to try to even it (but I would later discover it wouldn't have worked anyhow). On certain patches I would try recreating the crinkle, but that just made things worse. I had never used spray paint before and quickly discovered it did not work like oil or acrylic artist or house paints. That's my biggest complaint of the paint job, it's uneven and patchy. If I had my chance to do over, I'd hand paint the stripes over rather than have it sprayed as an under-paint.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkp4SRxqXkpoEBheDTqKQeqUsRSxmO9hskRjqSRtuJh11f85UEW1cEB4VBHTsQPhiP4NvQK912x-zZqA53JTo7B1oIxm6WVyKZ9YPTWrf2WUAyvYUaHs-kBzDfexMqami6CUPLiTPkWTg/s640/blogger-image--1824875393.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkp4SRxqXkpoEBheDTqKQeqUsRSxmO9hskRjqSRtuJh11f85UEW1cEB4VBHTsQPhiP4NvQK912x-zZqA53JTo7B1oIxm6WVyKZ9YPTWrf2WUAyvYUaHs-kBzDfexMqami6CUPLiTPkWTg/s200/blogger-image--1824875393.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Of this process, the most rewarding part was finding rubber feet substitutes. I made a couple trips to the hardware store and Home Depot and discovered grommets and bushings. I had no idea they even existed before I visited this section. I bought a few sizes and they worked out. The grommets were perfect from the inside, but they worked more like protecters because they were a millimeter or so thin. I eventually chose to use the bushings because they were more like feet. However, there was about a millimeter gap as you'll see in the photo. I chose to use a rubber washer in between to fill the gap and stop the wobbliness without it. I painted it yellow for kicks.</div>
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When I put the whole thing back together I discovered the bunny ear paper holder was bent out of shape, probably from sitting in it's case for so long without the upper panel. That was an easy re-bend.</div>
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Overall, I liked the concept and effort, but I think I could've done a better paint job. Maybe stripping all the crinkle away to a smooth surface would've helped. I still need to do some touch-up and clean ups. The space bar and ruler I left unpainted for now. The Smith-Corona logo needs a redo (not pictured). I need to sand away more rust on certain areas. I still need to figure out something for the handle. And mechanically there are still some issues with it. Alignment is not great, caps aren't imprinting clearly and it likely needs a new platen. So there's still plenty of work to do, but I'll let it stand as it for a bit. I need the break.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>The Skyriter Racer welcomed into Typebarhead family</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">This is how she types.</span></i></td></tr>
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On the flip side, this project has kept me occupied for a few weeks and lessened my typewriter hunting and ebay trolling. The addiction is taking on new forms!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwyH6UHdifpkuFDkXEJy10bbBGJkwNwOh6MGWxGd5_QmsBSmeGvrEyOG0WLzE9ct-yf8X_BDxEgeGtopwdNPt38c37RXWfUUdlrMAtBNQw3_tTwnv5oWOETqw-YsPl1wymCRN5Gx3yk8/s640/blogger-image-1776913414.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwyH6UHdifpkuFDkXEJy10bbBGJkwNwOh6MGWxGd5_QmsBSmeGvrEyOG0WLzE9ct-yf8X_BDxEgeGtopwdNPt38c37RXWfUUdlrMAtBNQw3_tTwnv5oWOETqw-YsPl1wymCRN5Gx3yk8/s400/blogger-image-1776913414.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-32622713976395125162012-04-26T00:37:00.002-07:002012-04-27T18:25:40.380-07:00Typewriter Review : Dueling Skyriters<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6957820060/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="HipstaPrint"><img alt="HipstaPrint by soho/prince" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7070/6957820060_02aefc931d.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I decided to have a shoot out, or type off, between two different models of the Smith Corona Skywriter. On the right corner, we have a grey skywriter 4Y series. On the left corner, we have a tan skywriter 3Y series. I think both machines were manufactured in the 60s by their serial numbers, but the 3Y is from the 1950s design.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xW6xBvvqUfKHqkaC-UPY8gVzr1Y_BfLPwSZ1AyqxtJFMmb-2qubtfDnS3RpKc3wL-Q_zxokEGSeNlCDFraj9lBNjP0rre7LFvonRNsPO3JccYRgcL0ejHmytF-gJG-DwHl4B60wNPYQ/s1600/blogger-image-2146716102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xW6xBvvqUfKHqkaC-UPY8gVzr1Y_BfLPwSZ1AyqxtJFMmb-2qubtfDnS3RpKc3wL-Q_zxokEGSeNlCDFraj9lBNjP0rre7LFvonRNsPO3JccYRgcL0ejHmytF-gJG-DwHl4B60wNPYQ/s200/blogger-image-2146716102.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxusn5TTGcXsOhqBpFpF9sW5Uy_HGG5L99ZM5BdE4NDNv4SumjFsR5SqFIxx4MipfL1KIms-KSVzUofFbm7_OErLjjVvRxZ_w-oDC5MHuCIrNH_-yZXbjUJW1uSswQvAO5Uku3K3YI0g/s1600/blogger-image-1397164490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxusn5TTGcXsOhqBpFpF9sW5Uy_HGG5L99ZM5BdE4NDNv4SumjFsR5SqFIxx4MipfL1KIms-KSVzUofFbm7_OErLjjVvRxZ_w-oDC5MHuCIrNH_-yZXbjUJW1uSswQvAO5Uku3K3YI0g/s200/blogger-image-1397164490.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqmG7HD8OUnubg-IA0EqHEEeDTXkAoTdVL5I7Zqm3p3cie8zvcppawZPeXZ5_2E7Wl4HU7QSftrMVdx6HjVdSgmVC4_p5nBaozus25M4kEFIoKvRgWnhdM84BcN7yR2KK9bbucpcXxyM/s1600/Skyriter+3y.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhqmG7HD8OUnubg-IA0EqHEEeDTXkAoTdVL5I7Zqm3p3cie8zvcppawZPeXZ5_2E7Wl4HU7QSftrMVdx6HjVdSgmVC4_p5nBaozus25M4kEFIoKvRgWnhdM84BcN7yR2KK9bbucpcXxyM/s320/Skyriter+3y.gif" width="232" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPBEnaR1xsbnvjx0lzXEPqchogxrqx6XD3ZWPmQYcXKCGUKdJd-o2NeV6AK1BPCaGK9g3im_0Pf7YmHTeaG57sRdd5S6VaSiWDTI5UQkDS8WnH3xqHEsL_tB49qH9d6Zenrgb5TYZ3GM/s1600/Skyriter+4y.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPBEnaR1xsbnvjx0lzXEPqchogxrqx6XD3ZWPmQYcXKCGUKdJd-o2NeV6AK1BPCaGK9g3im_0Pf7YmHTeaG57sRdd5S6VaSiWDTI5UQkDS8WnH3xqHEsL_tB49qH9d6Zenrgb5TYZ3GM/s320/Skyriter+4y.gif" width="232" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/7103880805/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="HipstaPrint"><img alt="HipstaPrint by soho/prince" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7103880805_99e797431f.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The 3Y won hands down. It invited me to type more, and I like that quality in a typer. I wouldn't have stopped if I hadn't reached the end of the paper. I can't wait to actually write a few pages on this at a later date. And I did find myself a 2Y, but it was a fixer-upper and it's proven harder than I imagined. I'll post more on that as I figure it out!</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6957799670/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="HipstaPrint"><img alt="HipstaPrint by soho/prince" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7110/6957799670_9e62813168.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-40645967080244888612012-04-25T00:14:00.000-07:002012-04-26T21:33:01.420-07:00Typewriter Review: Royal Quiet de Luxe x110<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/7089161971/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0214.JPG"><img alt="IMG_0214.JPG by soho/prince" height="320" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/7089161971_dedce30851.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Rusty, a Royal Quiet de Luxe</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">Since I mentioned Rusty yesterday, I thought I'd introduce him to the Typoshpere. If the Consul 232 was my Garbo, then this is my Bogart, rough and tough. I can't really explain what happened at the estate sale. There were around 200 machines filled in four rooms, most all had fresh ribbons and paper in them from people testing it all weekend. I bounced around all the rooms looking for the perfect typer, but wherever I went, I saw this guy being moved from room to room, table to table, table to floor, corner to corner. No one wanted it and it kept getting shuffled from one place to another as things were being sold in the room. I finally went to it when I found it on the floor after the desk it was on was sold and carried off. It was like that stray dog hiding in a corner at a rescue. I lifted it up on to the table and examined it. The ribbon was missing and the vibrators were rusty. I turned it over and there were some rust spots but nothing that looked like destruction. I tapped all the keys and it seemed to work. Then I decided to find a ribbon and test it out. It typed. There wasn't much time left in the sale so I decided to buy it even though it had no case. I thought the worse case scenario, I could put it on my bookshelf as an ornament. But when I got home I actually really enjoyed typing on it. I could live with the extra help it needed to feed the paper. Of all my typewriters, I have the most bond with this one. Maybe because it sits in my room without a case so I see it everyday. The initials J.D.N. (or J.O.N. ) is carved into the space bar. And there is a Walker's Office Supplies label underneath it based in Fairfield, Iowa. I know I can date the machine with the serial number online, but what gets me the most, is the label's telephone number. It's two digits: 73, which reminds me how old it actually is.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/7089171119/" title="IMG_0184.JPG"><img alt="IMG_0184.JPG by soho/prince" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7089171119_79028356e3.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></span></span></div>
<br />- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-35610179420486811892012-04-23T21:35:00.000-07:002012-04-26T21:33:17.400-07:00Typewriter Review: Consul 232<div style="font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6957826144/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="HipstaPrint"><img alt="HipstaPrint by soho/prince" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7079/6957826144_8af1f2c92c.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;">This is the portable Consul 232, light aqua blue. A purchase I probably shouldn't have made but you can read about it in the typecast. It's definitely eye-candy, the super model of my bunch. I'll include more of a review below.</span><br />
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Firstly, I should type up my criteria for reviews of all my typewriters at one point as a page (I'll work on that). But mainly, I'm looking for the perfect typewriter. Of course this is subjective, so really it's a search for the perfect typewriter for me. I'm not a real collector since I do not look for collectibles of the antique variety which I'll categorize as the pre-war machines (at least not yet), but I'm a journeyman in the vintage type, which I'll categorize as post-war ones. Collecting was really a by-product of this search. The main objective of the search was to get me to write again, write more, and more consistently. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6957817556/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="HipstaPrint"><img alt="HipstaPrint by soho/prince" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/6957817556_9b8f82513d.jpg" width="200" /></a> I had suffered a long writer's block, one that spanned a few years. This was the longest drought I had ever experienced. I thought I needed something to entice me to sit down and write again. When I was at the desk, I could write (mostly), but getting me there and committing the time was getting harder and harder. I had adopted various tricks, mostly all self-deceits, but many of it worked. In 2010, I decided that a typewriter may just be the right "toy" to get me at the desk since a year or two delving into fountain pens seemed to run it's due course. During one odd night of insomnia, I wondered if old Selectrics were still around. I had always wanted one as a child. I checked on Craigslist that night and found one. I emailed the seller and got a response the next morning, and owned it by the afternoon. This idea and the typewriter worked well for me, but then I started wondering about manual typewriters and started looking it up on the internet and ebay. That's how I got hooked and the obsession started.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6955381912/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="HIP_356651755.006173"><img alt="HIP_356651755.006173 by soho/prince" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/6955381912_dc12ed57dd.jpg" width="200" /></a> I like the relationship with a typewriter. It brings me back to how I started writing (or maybe just of my youth) and I had forgotten the interaction one has with the machine. I feel it responding back to me as a writer with it's clacking, as if we are trading bars in music, improvising in jazz. It is tactile and responsive, both I found missing on the computer (and I went through a whole keyboard searching phase also!). When you're on a mental role, and you hear your typer clacking loudly and speedily behind you as if it's chasing you, it gives the writer in me a little excitement and momentum to keep pushing forward at an heightened pace. I forgot about this feeling. I don't get this from a computer. And besides, the computer screen was giving me brutal eyestrain. </div>
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Anyhow, that is a little backstory to my typewriter addiction. Maybe more bits and pieces of my strange writing process and experience will trickle down into this blog, but let's get back to the Consul 232. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/7101453167/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="HIP_356651742.218130"><img alt="HIP_356651742.218130 by soho/prince" height="200" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8155/7101453167_fcc0dd53f4.jpg" width="200" /></a>Yes, it was an "anger" purchase from a lost auction, but I do like the thing. It is in good to great condition. It is very... how do I say this... womanly? The color of course leans that way I think, but it's also very delicate and possesses beautiful curves. It's very compact with a bottom panel which I like so I can type on my lap. The carriage is extremely light. I don't know if it's specific to this model or just to this machine. It's almost disturbingly too light for me because I don't feel any weight with the lever and fear I may swing it too hard to the right and damage the thing. Is it fragile? I'm not sure yet, but it isn't sturdy like the Royals and the Rocket. The keys and the touch is very light. I was very surprised how light it was, but unfortunately it uses carriage shift. Wicked heavy! But let me say, I've discovered I have a very weak or lazy left pinky (or both). Here's where complete research could've saved me some money. I had read on Will Davis' site that Consul were early adaptors of basket shift for their portables so I jumped at the chance for this machine. But since I do not necessarily read in chronological order and finish reading everything completely, I didn't catch the later part where he points out that the ultra portables, which I call the laptops over the desktop portables, used a carriage shift. I only read that after I won the auction as the poor student I am!</div>
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The keys are made of a light plastic with a wrinkles on the surface. I prefer smooth keytops. The alignment is straight and I do prefer a 12 pitch size. It has, however, a rather high pitched clack which I'm not a fan of. It isn't as bad as my Olympia SM 7 which literally pierces my eardrum. However, I'm starting to suspect the cause of such high pitchiness from a hardening platen. Please let me know if my hunch is correct.</div>
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But like I said, she's the looker of my collection. I do like photographing her. In fact, I realized this weekend that I may like photographing my typewriters more than I like typecasting with them. :) </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6943093000/" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_0245.JPG"><img alt="IMG_0245.JPG by soho/prince" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7203/6943093000_e24b2ffd92.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6943093298/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_0246.JPG"><img alt="IMG_0246.JPG by soho/prince" height="200" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7177/6943093298_7c347bca7e.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Here's a comparison of the Consul next to my weathered Royal Quiet de Luxe. The b/w for the design lines and color, well... for color! The blue really pops, doesn't it? His name is Rusty. She's not named yet.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6957823060/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="HipstaPrint"><img alt="HipstaPrint by soho/prince" height="400" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/6957823060_52750ccbf5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a close up with Garbo soft lighting and another for moodiness. There you go, maybe I'll name her Garbo!</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sohoprince/6943093624/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" title="IMG_2008.JPG"><img alt="IMG_2008.JPG by soho/prince" height="640" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/6943093624_de2195ddec.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-69898313195997242602012-04-17T14:46:00.000-07:002012-05-08T18:48:48.438-07:00Adventures in typewriter repair #1: Underwood Golden Touch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZb76SL3meliND3kJhEcQN3CtjyEWRAcKZvEP84JWtfPHN5VPHYPu59n2ePSzwYXR43Tp9xeRBGebL65ApKHBamSUKbs53FeJILmIhOLR4Djhy1H0XkDVCdRlIM76z0GKM-Mo7bY-EoA/s1600/blogger-image-1403013078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZb76SL3meliND3kJhEcQN3CtjyEWRAcKZvEP84JWtfPHN5VPHYPu59n2ePSzwYXR43Tp9xeRBGebL65ApKHBamSUKbs53FeJILmIhOLR4Djhy1H0XkDVCdRlIM76z0GKM-Mo7bY-EoA/s320/blogger-image-1403013078.jpg" width="320" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></a></div>
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My first typewriter repair (kinda). I had reconnected a drawstring once previous on a Hermes Rocket but that didn't count. And this, well, this was only semi fixed. It's an Underwood Golden Touch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fkn1vHmR3Y2hmp778v2e8Ww_LnE2h5N4mBmr8gxEokYhMF4bFlKK0Ee_Bjlx5yoO9emu_KKSM8fYREYvv8dlrOqjc2sPb_xtB-BDN1BKxTvw3OI4Ppt9oxJRDUwEct9aAvwZArdY_NA/s1600/Clunker+Clacker.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6fkn1vHmR3Y2hmp778v2e8Ww_LnE2h5N4mBmr8gxEokYhMF4bFlKK0Ee_Bjlx5yoO9emu_KKSM8fYREYvv8dlrOqjc2sPb_xtB-BDN1BKxTvw3OI4Ppt9oxJRDUwEct9aAvwZArdY_NA/s640/Clunker+Clacker.gif" width="464" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWFms12G81qagWfzIe33YeAbtqvM6oQVnMSukIr5iIWAeW81BNj6yPxWU20oh6jeP-Zuj4hTCO7wQyLk_fqCoYvFe3iGl14yq9LgfLnw88C9ALsrRXKi-DmtK0FqYHgf09itmwhhWStI/s640/blogger-image-2111904452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>This is what I saw once I pried the case open.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWFms12G81qagWfzIe33YeAbtqvM6oQVnMSukIr5iIWAeW81BNj6yPxWU20oh6jeP-Zuj4hTCO7wQyLk_fqCoYvFe3iGl14yq9LgfLnw88C9ALsrRXKi-DmtK0FqYHgf09itmwhhWStI/s1600/blogger-image-2111904452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWFms12G81qagWfzIe33YeAbtqvM6oQVnMSukIr5iIWAeW81BNj6yPxWU20oh6jeP-Zuj4hTCO7wQyLk_fqCoYvFe3iGl14yq9LgfLnw88C9ALsrRXKi-DmtK0FqYHgf09itmwhhWStI/s200/blogger-image-2111904452.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZb76SL3meliND3kJhEcQN3CtjyEWRAcKZvEP84JWtfPHN5VPHYPu59n2ePSzwYXR43Tp9xeRBGebL65ApKHBamSUKbs53FeJILmIhOLR4Djhy1H0XkDVCdRlIM76z0GKM-Mo7bY-EoA/s640/blogger-image-1403013078.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWFms12G81qagWfzIe33YeAbtqvM6oQVnMSukIr5iIWAeW81BNj6yPxWU20oh6jeP-Zuj4hTCO7wQyLk_fqCoYvFe3iGl14yq9LgfLnw88C9ALsrRXKi-DmtK0FqYHgf09itmwhhWStI/s640/blogger-image-2111904452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWFms12G81qagWfzIe33YeAbtqvM6oQVnMSukIr5iIWAeW81BNj6yPxWU20oh6jeP-Zuj4hTCO7wQyLk_fqCoYvFe3iGl14yq9LgfLnw88C9ALsrRXKi-DmtK0FqYHgf09itmwhhWStI/s640/blogger-image-2111904452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><br /></span></a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Half the keys did not strike the platen due to this crooked typebar basket in photo 1. I played detective with a flashlight, turned the typer upside down, and discovered the left side support had been dislodged from it's hole in photos 2 & 3. The 4th photo shows the right side and how it should be. I was able to relodge it back and realigned the basket as seen in 5th photo.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdITHhI_YpHbkTeQM1DnpXYoXm0OqAlsgxB9lXGJhGfVXz-3hMdae2o6P7OAdk-4ZashiO5DrchSsGV2HjQkkdV3yndZ1NYCFYIyDF0BX_z6nXhfSgZetMXXnXEi-_eoB1P840oUUx8y8/s640/blogger-image-1380078766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdITHhI_YpHbkTeQM1DnpXYoXm0OqAlsgxB9lXGJhGfVXz-3hMdae2o6P7OAdk-4ZashiO5DrchSsGV2HjQkkdV3yndZ1NYCFYIyDF0BX_z6nXhfSgZetMXXnXEi-_eoB1P840oUUx8y8/s200/blogger-image-1380078766.jpg" width="200" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVpD9O9tfdILF-kG8FoN0gWkh7u4wJ6NgGfg6TkpETfXaGOO3UnX8sqDbJfwTH5kILnrLgVZ4whEG0zMukbcgHLsKb5YvpTDxZMGgCNpGQo2R3W31zw3lrpHtC43jvqItjZHbyFePSYM/s640/blogger-image--1483553705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVpD9O9tfdILF-kG8FoN0gWkh7u4wJ6NgGfg6TkpETfXaGOO3UnX8sqDbJfwTH5kILnrLgVZ4whEG0zMukbcgHLsKb5YvpTDxZMGgCNpGQo2R3W31zw3lrpHtC43jvqItjZHbyFePSYM/s200/blogger-image--1483553705.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgJ41S06CtjHV8j8X9-n4YTyZffMRXrH9OHzAeVXj05nJh1ZAut0som-ZUHnawjBBn3DImsYFMeqt8HgwwPtr9wpZhakJv7JjSfu2N4OT8mx8TW1XWMZqJ-0YMCi7epJjWkSJRNWOlqA/s640/blogger-image-1672113129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgJ41S06CtjHV8j8X9-n4YTyZffMRXrH9OHzAeVXj05nJh1ZAut0som-ZUHnawjBBn3DImsYFMeqt8HgwwPtr9wpZhakJv7JjSfu2N4OT8mx8TW1XWMZqJ-0YMCi7epJjWkSJRNWOlqA/s200/blogger-image-1672113129.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFXav0iuMWKJ3q8GmP6niBewqnkOM0Ya3bCsSjwcVVw9W8RxQN59XPvSd8fBSsx-x5nYV8UsWO7Kn51FmTZu7easMWNDoYSFNXRT7m9l3WZ3krcPdmm6vmbsdlKgm2qDgwKPDHn7ugx8/s640/blogger-image-1407842151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFXav0iuMWKJ3q8GmP6niBewqnkOM0Ya3bCsSjwcVVw9W8RxQN59XPvSd8fBSsx-x5nYV8UsWO7Kn51FmTZu7easMWNDoYSFNXRT7m9l3WZ3krcPdmm6vmbsdlKgm2qDgwKPDHn7ugx8/s200/blogger-image-1407842151.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODTbM2yDOZVLah30D5yj0NqBA3793yp3KBH86gS4Ilei8vNj6ZUjVLGZUElrOi29Y6O2FJpgC8Bgj6Rf27e1RCr13p17cqCLQsrsJpCMDycr-zwJQJsdiSwK5Td8_lTkdR0o3Gd0a67E/s640/blogger-image-790903152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjODTbM2yDOZVLah30D5yj0NqBA3793yp3KBH86gS4Ilei8vNj6ZUjVLGZUElrOi29Y6O2FJpgC8Bgj6Rf27e1RCr13p17cqCLQsrsJpCMDycr-zwJQJsdiSwK5Td8_lTkdR0o3Gd0a67E/s200/blogger-image-790903152.jpg" width="200" /></a></span><br />
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The keys now all typed, but the carriage was still scraping and bumping into "things" as it moved. I thought maybe it could be caused by loosened screws within the rail system, or it got unleveled or crooked like the basket was, so I decided to dig deeper and take it apart. The paint job got chipped quite a bit also that I thought it would be easier repainting the whole body rather than retouching. The back upper panel where the paper insert had a crummy red hand-painted-like "Home-Mark" label on it. I didn't really like it so a fresh repaint was called for.<br />
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I thought I'd try giving the machine a soap bath. Here you see it drying next to my new Lexikon 80.</div>
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I went to Home Depot and asked an employee how to strip paint off metal. "What's it for?" The older gentleman asked. I'm trying to restore a typewriter I told him. "A typewriter?" He asked twice as if the first time wasn't enough. He shook his head and lead me to a paint remover, a scrapper, sandpaper, brushes, gloves, paint, etc. I bought all the necessary supplies which ended up costing more than the typer.<br />
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I started stripping the paint and was planning to leave it bare aluminum to see if that would look good before repainting it pearly white like a mini cooper. But I decided to stop mid-way. I kinda liked the beaten up aged look. I figured why not leave it like this for a bit and see how I feel about it. It somewhat fit the machine since I couldn't figure out how to take apart the carriage and as I examined it more, it looked like the rail or carriage had been bent or the ball bearing could be broken cause it felt like the carriage was hitting speed bumps as it moved left to right. The first bump I could figure out was the carriage cover hitting the rail, but the subsequent ones I have no clue. I'm open to any suggestions. I decided to put the machine back together before I forgot how to since I had other new purchases that I wanted to play with.</div>
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I'm still undecided on the final appearance, but the beaten look is growing on me. Right now it only types on the right side of the platen as to avoid the carriage/rail problem on the left. So it works well for my quarter sheet typecasts. I figure if I don't like this, I can finish stripping and sanding it down and eventually repaint it. I got this white Underwood originally to install the usb-ipad connection kit. If I did, it would look like this now.</div>
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</div>- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-3915144681341554882012-04-16T19:44:00.000-07:002012-04-19T00:10:25.456-07:00The big weekIt has been a big week in my typewriter world. I started this blog, purchased two machines from eBay with mixed results, and decided to take one apart in my first attempt to repair a typewriter after it arriving inoperable due to shipping damage and poor packing. <br />
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If that wasn't enough, I descended on an estate sale this weekend at the home of a former typewriter collector and a continuation of the estate sale at his office a month earlier. It was a bit messy and unclean, numerous signs of possible clinical hoarding. Most of his machines here needed some work unlike the ones I saw at his office which seemed to all function and had working ribbons, all 200 or so it seemed. This bunch looked like his to-be repaired batch.<br />
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I could only imagine why this gentleman collected hundreds of typewriters. And I do believe there is a fine line between hoarding and collecting, and he bordered right on that line. I didn't really see myself a collector before, but perhaps it is the byproduct of looking for my perfect typing machine. Since there is no store like Best Buy to try all the models first hand, eBay, yard sales, estate sales, and thrift stores seem like the only means to come across them if you're lucky. It usually takes me a four or five pages in to know if I like that typer or not, so most of my review of the machine happens when I take it home and can sit down quietly with it and clack away.<br />
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I quickly realized this process would take a while and discovered that I really couldn't let the "reviewed" machines go. I kept them around to compare to any newcomers that I may come across. It was fun and I got into it. I also loved physically hunting for typewriters around town over eBay mining (which I do plenty of too). I also enjoyed looking the machine and models up on the internet and discovered numerous scholarly resources which have provided endless joy and instruction. But as I start my first real repair, only having reconnected a carriage drawstring once on a Rocket, I wonder if this old collector did likewise. Perhaps it was his hobby to purchase old typers and fix them back up. The idea appealed to me and maybe this old ghost paid me a visit because I ended up adopting many of his typers, albeit still only a fraction.<br />
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I purchased four on that day. I great haul IMO. Two I had been hunting for a while, a Hermes 3000, and Olivetti 32. Both have rave reviews on the internet of how well they type. I can't wait to give them a real sturdy test now that they are in my possession. But there was one standard typer that caught my eye all morning. It was underneath a table filled with portables and shoved way back against the wall, surrounded by three other heavy standard machines. I had already picked out four and thought I must pass on this. I don't need another standard since I own two. But I had to check it out. I knelt down and pulled this machine from under the table into the dim light that was available. It was a heavy bugger. I examined it. It was fairly dirty and had cosmetic damage. That decides it, I thought. I only buy functioning machines with decent cosmetics. I typed on it and it was a bit sluggish. There was paint discoloration on one side. I rejected it and put it back underneath the table against the wall.<br />
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I left the sale and came home to give the newly bought machines a cursory clean. I was happy to obtain two on my wish list. But after surfing the internet in the last month, I had discovered a machine I had never seen before on Richard P's Writing Ball, the Lexikon 80. I thought it was beautiful and it immediately rose to become my dream machine since I had gotten into desktop standards this year. So it killed me that I walked away.<br />
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I slept on it and the next morning I decided that I should go back and see if it was still there. If I was spending the time repairing a clunker right now, why not try on one that you like. I seem to be enjoying the process so far. Besides, if it was still there, then it was meant to be. And low and behold, it was. I didn't think I would find this machine so quickly having only learned about it last month, but serendipity struck again. I've had a few such occurrences ever since I started hunting for typewriters which I'll blog about another time. I'm very happy I got this machine. It's one of my pride and joys now, but it needs quite a bit of work still, but hopefully I'll be ready for it when I get to it!<br />
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</tbody></table>- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-36723608006076348582012-04-11T23:38:00.000-07:002012-04-11T23:40:24.604-07:00The ebay disappointmentI thought I'd squeeze a last hour blog before the end of the day.<br />
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I received two boxes today at my doorstep. What a surprise because I was expecting them to come later. And two at the same time. Double surprise! But my excitement was quickly dashed away. I opened up the first box and it was a complete mess. I knew it would be bad news. When I picked it up, I could hearing banging inside the box. I opened the box and saw the typewriter case wrapped with one thin layer of 1mm bubble wrap. I knew it wasn't going to be good, but I was hoping otherwise. I pulled it out and the corner of the case was a little crushed and I had a hard time getting it open. When I finally did, the ribbon lid had swung open (culprit of the banging) and the spools popped out, entangling the ribbon all around the keys. It took me a while to unstring it from the keyboard. I was quite surprised how knotted it could get.<br />
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Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. Too depressed to talk about it more. There were many many issues with it. I forgot this was why I stopped buying typewriters on ebay because sellers didn't know how to pack them and ignored polite reminders of how to do it.<br />
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Then I opened my second box which was packed even more poorly but it was in a stronger box. It barely had any padding and the case was a soft cover. However, nothing happened to this typewriter! Fortunately this was the more valuable of the two so I got lucky, if you can call it that. One out of two!<br />
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It's probably a good thing 'cause this will slow my obsessive browsing on ebay and stop my online buying for a while. The last time this happened was in September of last year, I vowed never to buy typewriters on ebay. I may have to resort back to that rule. It's such a crap shoot to begin with if you're not dealing with a reputable seller of typewriters or a seller with a modicum of care and accountability and then the shipping compounds the issue. Too many variables!<br />
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<br />- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-21399028147922808352012-04-10T20:27:00.000-07:002013-04-10T16:39:42.350-07:00IBM Selectric Typeball Fonts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I decided today to inventory my IBM Selectric type elements and scan them for display here so I have a reference to what each type looks like so I don't need to keep changing them to see. Maybe it'll be useful for others searching for what some of them look like. If anyone has any to share and would like to add the image or url here, please let me know. It might be informative to create a centralized source for Selectric Fonts if there isn't one already online. I'm sure some book or brochure has them all but I've haven't found it yet.</div>
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It was good I went through the batch because I discovered some damaged and chipped and some yellow ones for Selectric III's in there also. I think my alignment is also off on my typer since it seems to be cutting off the bottoms of letters occasionally.</div>
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<b>Update</b>: After posting I decided to do a little research on the Selectric. It's funny I never did it when I first purchased it. I bought it so I could use it and it didn't even occur to me to look it up on the internet. I wasn't a typebarhead yet. That came after getting my manual typerwriters.</div>
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I did find a few useful sites. One displayed some of the typefaces, another was a great general resource, and the third interesting find was about the Selectric Composer which I had known nothing about. I've included the links below for anyone interested and who like the scour the internet. (Part of the purpose of this blog is for me to keep my typewriter bookmarks in one place. I manage them horribly).</div>
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<a href="http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/selectric/index.html" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">IBM Selectric Typewriter Resource Page</span></a><br />
<a href="http://selectric.org/selectric/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">More Selectric typeface fonts</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.ibmcomposer.org/" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;">About the IBM Composer, a desktop typesetter</span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://munk.org/typecast/2011/04/25/1964-nomda-blue-book-ibm-font-styles/">1964 NOMDA Blue Book: IBM Font Styles provided by Munk</a> </span></div>
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- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6279309419524234879.post-24668404355239349312012-04-09T17:29:00.000-07:002012-04-10T20:27:00.597-07:00Welcome to my first typecast!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Sherman (I need to take a better photo)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoREg3YI_1bGx38Dn8zcKD9nBztObP0d_I0BJhbp1gUmoo05g4wC1-nxTs8DaD32wSMz-oNaz27jjiyIVNNZSmn_sNS1yn5_HzAx0NHWMuJ4o_hTT-imjYLkBE73INCXBE1_GxSurnbU/s1600/Artisan+12.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoREg3YI_1bGx38Dn8zcKD9nBztObP0d_I0BJhbp1gUmoo05g4wC1-nxTs8DaD32wSMz-oNaz27jjiyIVNNZSmn_sNS1yn5_HzAx0NHWMuJ4o_hTT-imjYLkBE73INCXBE1_GxSurnbU/s1600/Artisan+12.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selectric II, Artisan 12</td></tr>
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</div>- a typebarheadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12582684370284561165noreply@blogger.com2