In Mechanica Antiqua

(Took this lovely shot on Kodak Eltar100 with my Nikon F3)      The dawn of the portable typewriter market was dominated by the quaint, yet popular Corona 3 in 1912.  This machine was the first portable typewriter, designed out of a recognized necessity for typing on the go.  The Corona 3 was a three bank machine with a standard keyboard, and a double shift.  What made it unique, was the fact that the carriage folded down over the keyboard, minimizing its profile and making it easier to transport.  By the time Royal Typewriter entered the portable market in 1926, most people already owned one, as various companies such as Remington and Underwood had long been in production of lightweight machines.  The selling feature of the Royal portable, however, was its functions and color customization.       Weighing in at close to 20 pounds, this machine stretched the boundaries of what we might consider “portable,” yet it w...

I was recently tasked by a friend to repair his 1950 Smith-Corona Silent 5.  The first thing I did when I had this machine in my hands, was to check under the ribbon cover.  The serial code was located on left side of the frame, and after looking through my notes, I was able to easily determine that it was a late 1950 Model.  The serial code was preceded by a “S5,” which told me the kind, but I was able to identify that beforehand with the three parallel lines on either side of the ribbon cover. The machine was defiantly over oiled, but I didn’t have all my tools on hand, all the time in the world, and access to my home workshop.  However, after further examination, I was able to determine that the oil was not hindering any function at the moment, and gave my friend some instruction for cleaning. The semi-colon and the question mark weren’t functional, the vibrator wasn’t working properly, the text was blotchy, and the touch selector was broken.  The mach...

A couple of years ago, the Michaels craft store began to sell a machine made by “We Are Memory Keepers.”  It is the Typecast Typewriter, and it costs about $170. Let me cut to the chase: this machine is awful.  The construction is flimsy and cheap, the action is stiff, and the alignment is the worst ever.  So if you wanna buy it, click below!!! https://www.michaels.com/we-r-memory-keepers-typecast-typewriter-mint/10507749.html I am not alone in my views, as many other enthusiasts share my stance.  This machine gives the typewriter a bad reputation among many people, especially craft people, who enjoy bearing the name “key chopper” for cutting the keys off of machines a hundred years old just to make a piece of jewelry.  When they are done, the rest of the machine is thrown away.  I really truly despise the lack of respect given to these historical artifacts, and the Typecast only seems to mock them, by perpetuating the inaccurate stere...