forindooruseonly
Member
Typewriters are funny things. Watching my nieces and nephews try to type on mine show just how marginal typewriters have become in today's world. But sometimes, there's nothing that will do the job better. There's also something satisfying about typing on a typewriter. It makes you think about what you are about to say, slows you down and makes you careful to phrase things in a way that is right the first time.
Mechanically, there is much to appreciate about them. I've had a couple of Smith-Coronas for years, and used them frequently, but I've always really, really wanted an IBM Selectric. We had one when I was a kid, and remember being fascinated by the whole mechanical action of the golf ball typehead and seemingly violent way it typed. Now, years later, I have even more admiration for them, as I understand the level of engineering that went into making something like that. And engineering costs. Even today, a good one will run $400 and will need not infrequent adjustments. So, I stuck to my Smith-Coronas.
This Christmas, my girlfriend tried to surprise me with a refurbished Selectric. Sadly, the jokers who sold it did not pack it well, and in the Christmas time madness it got dropped at least once. By the time it got to her house, the box was ripped open on one end and the packing material all fallen out, leaving one very broken machine. She hoped maybe I could get it fixed, but it was beyond repair. So, we looked around for a replacement and learned a few things.
First, very few people work on these anymore. Second, these things actually shipped from the factory bolted to plywood to prevent being damaged in shipping. Third, IBM dealers made more money off the service contracts that were inevitable with them than the actual machine. Fourth, if not used consistently, they gum up and require a deep clean to function properly. Finally, if you just have to have one, find one local enough to where it won't be shipped. In talking to the several shops I contacted, none of them would ship a machine, even if they sold it, because the odds are weighted heavily to it being destroyed in the process.
I finally found one close (which is a relative term) to where I am and promptly bought a basket case. None of that matters, but I did have to take it to another service location to have a number of things fixed and adjusted. Learned that too, test them thoroughly before buying!
But, at the end of the day, I have this big blue beast to type on, and I am really pleased with it. It's an IBM Correcting Selectric II on the larger chassis, generally considered the best of the Selectrics. I have a number of different fonts for it, and the original cover to protect it from dust. Runs perfectly now, all the features work, and the typing is excellent. I just try not to think about how much time/money/effort we've got tied up in this thing
There's a couple of good youtube videos that explain the use of the whiffletree to operate the action, it's all very interesting from a historical and engineering standpoint.
Anyone else a fan of typewriters? I love my computers, but typewriters have their place and it's hard to leave the old machines behind.
Mechanically, there is much to appreciate about them. I've had a couple of Smith-Coronas for years, and used them frequently, but I've always really, really wanted an IBM Selectric. We had one when I was a kid, and remember being fascinated by the whole mechanical action of the golf ball typehead and seemingly violent way it typed. Now, years later, I have even more admiration for them, as I understand the level of engineering that went into making something like that. And engineering costs. Even today, a good one will run $400 and will need not infrequent adjustments. So, I stuck to my Smith-Coronas.
This Christmas, my girlfriend tried to surprise me with a refurbished Selectric. Sadly, the jokers who sold it did not pack it well, and in the Christmas time madness it got dropped at least once. By the time it got to her house, the box was ripped open on one end and the packing material all fallen out, leaving one very broken machine. She hoped maybe I could get it fixed, but it was beyond repair. So, we looked around for a replacement and learned a few things.
First, very few people work on these anymore. Second, these things actually shipped from the factory bolted to plywood to prevent being damaged in shipping. Third, IBM dealers made more money off the service contracts that were inevitable with them than the actual machine. Fourth, if not used consistently, they gum up and require a deep clean to function properly. Finally, if you just have to have one, find one local enough to where it won't be shipped. In talking to the several shops I contacted, none of them would ship a machine, even if they sold it, because the odds are weighted heavily to it being destroyed in the process.
I finally found one close (which is a relative term) to where I am and promptly bought a basket case. None of that matters, but I did have to take it to another service location to have a number of things fixed and adjusted. Learned that too, test them thoroughly before buying!
But, at the end of the day, I have this big blue beast to type on, and I am really pleased with it. It's an IBM Correcting Selectric II on the larger chassis, generally considered the best of the Selectrics. I have a number of different fonts for it, and the original cover to protect it from dust. Runs perfectly now, all the features work, and the typing is excellent. I just try not to think about how much time/money/effort we've got tied up in this thing
There's a couple of good youtube videos that explain the use of the whiffletree to operate the action, it's all very interesting from a historical and engineering standpoint.
Anyone else a fan of typewriters? I love my computers, but typewriters have their place and it's hard to leave the old machines behind.
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