Godfrey
somewhat colored
I had one of the Olivetti Letter 22 models for a few years. And did a lot of my college papers using a Smith-Corona portable electric (with manual return) and script typeface. Wish I still had that one; it was delightful to write with.
But my favorite typewriter was a wide carriage IBM Selectric 60. I bought one of those used in the early 1980s and pounded through many reams of paper with it. A delightful keyboard and action, superb speed ...
Ah, real typewriters were so satisfying to 'chunk-chunk-thunk' along with.
G
But my favorite typewriter was a wide carriage IBM Selectric 60. I bought one of those used in the early 1980s and pounded through many reams of paper with it. A delightful keyboard and action, superb speed ...
Ah, real typewriters were so satisfying to 'chunk-chunk-thunk' along with.
G
David Hughes
David Hughes
Yes, and you knew if/when you hit a key and nothing happened...
I guess we had more control and a little more work, just like our old mechanical cameras.
Regards, David
I guess we had more control and a little more work, just like our old mechanical cameras.
Regards, David
KoNickon
Nick Merritt
And it's a lot harder than you think to type something perfectly. Using a computer to compose, which corrects some mistakes automatically and enables editing right up until you print, makes everyone think they're better typists than they really are!
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Oh, that much has always been clear to me. I moved to word processors in the middle '80s and was so relieved ... so much less re-typing, so much more real editing and improving the work! My output word count when I'm in the thick of it is up by 50-60%, but when I look at the uncorrected, unedited output, it's really about the same. Good new is that I don't have to retype all of it...
But it's not as nice an experience as doing the original draft on a thunky-thunky real typewriter. They operate at a more "human" pace, give your mind time to think in between the keystrokes.
G
JoeV
Thin Air, Bright Sun
Now that I've been a manual typist for these last seven or so years, I've often been struck by the similarities between manual typewriters and other manual crafts like manual film photography.
In the case of writing with the intent of outputting to printed text, certainly the interface of computer, software and printer does a neater, quicker, more accurate job. But a manual, especially a portable, dispenses with the intermediaries of computer and software and instead mechanically couples the keyboard directly to a printer mechanism. This has the effect of being similar to other forms of mechanical letterpress, where the qualities of the paper and mechanical imprint all combine to form a typewritten aesthetic.
A photographic analogy would be shooting with direct positive paper, or instant film, with few intermediary steps between pressing the shutter and seeing a print.
In this post-typewriter age, the function of typewriters is no longer to serve as the office workhorse, and so a direct comparison between typing by computer versus typewriter are like comparing apples to oranges. I type letters to people for the same reason people like to receive handwritten letters. It's mechanical, but also handmade.
I do like Godfrey's idea of typewriters operating at a more "human" pace. You can indeed walk away from such a machine for a week, in mid-sentence, and return to take up where you left off.
I like taking portables on journeys, to the beach, the mountains or wherever. No electricity or batteries to bother with. This last winter I wrote a short typecast from atop Delicate Arch in Arches NP, Utah, with the Hermes Rocket, before a raging blizzard rolled in. Crazy, perhaps. But also loads of fun.
~Joe
Typecasting atop Delicate Arch by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr
"At Delicate Arch" by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr
In the case of writing with the intent of outputting to printed text, certainly the interface of computer, software and printer does a neater, quicker, more accurate job. But a manual, especially a portable, dispenses with the intermediaries of computer and software and instead mechanically couples the keyboard directly to a printer mechanism. This has the effect of being similar to other forms of mechanical letterpress, where the qualities of the paper and mechanical imprint all combine to form a typewritten aesthetic.
A photographic analogy would be shooting with direct positive paper, or instant film, with few intermediary steps between pressing the shutter and seeing a print.
In this post-typewriter age, the function of typewriters is no longer to serve as the office workhorse, and so a direct comparison between typing by computer versus typewriter are like comparing apples to oranges. I type letters to people for the same reason people like to receive handwritten letters. It's mechanical, but also handmade.
I do like Godfrey's idea of typewriters operating at a more "human" pace. You can indeed walk away from such a machine for a week, in mid-sentence, and return to take up where you left off.
I like taking portables on journeys, to the beach, the mountains or wherever. No electricity or batteries to bother with. This last winter I wrote a short typecast from atop Delicate Arch in Arches NP, Utah, with the Hermes Rocket, before a raging blizzard rolled in. Crazy, perhaps. But also loads of fun.
~Joe
Typecasting atop Delicate Arch by Joe Van Cleave, on Flickr"At Delicate Arch" by Joe Van Cleave, on FlickrAgiknee
Documentarian
I have one of these. Probably my favorite out of the bunch, and it's believed to be one of the greatest of all time.
Right now, I'm only using the olympia sf delux. Do to its small size and weight. I used to be an avid letter writer in college, and the type writer always came in handy for art projects. Now it sits in my bedroom as a notepad between my partner and I; we pass sweet nothings or to do/reminders to each other, since we have such conflicting schedules.
like film, I like the surprise of what I'm going to get when I get home, rather than a forgettable text in my pocket.
JoeV
Thin Air, Bright Sun
I'm always fascinated to hear how other people use their typewriters. For a while I had a "trunk typer," an older Remington I'd keep in the trunk of my car, winter or summer, just to have with me should the spirit move and I decide some typing is in order. Then a friend was looking to buy one of my machines and that one got shipped off. I should probably move another from my collection out of the closet to the car.
~Joe
~Joe
John E Earley
Tuol Sleng S21-0174
I would have a number of typewriters if my wife would "let" me.
Modern Communications by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr
Underwood Analog Word Processor by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr
Pound those Underwood keys by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr
Modern Communications by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr
Underwood Analog Word Processor by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr
Pound those Underwood keys by JOHN EARLEY, on Flickr
JoeV
Thin Air, Bright Sun
Hermes 3000 on left, chassis from similar Hermes 3000 in middle, Corona 4 to right.
I had acquired the second Hermes 3000 (whose chassis is in the middle) for a very reasonable price. While cleaning and servicing it, I noticed how much smaller the chassis is compared to its plastic body panels. The Corona 4 was included in the above image for a size comparison. Normally clad, the Hermes 3000 is much larger than the old Corona, and is also one of the best typewriters ever made.
That was when I decided I'd just keep the chassis sans clothes, and instead make a custom wooden mounting plate. Hence the "Nekkid-Riter":
I'm currently in the process of making a custom wooden carrying/storage box.
This project reminds me of when it became popular to "chop" motorcycles down to bare minimalism, after WWII, hence the term chopper. This is my chopped typewriter.
~Joe
I had acquired the second Hermes 3000 (whose chassis is in the middle) for a very reasonable price. While cleaning and servicing it, I noticed how much smaller the chassis is compared to its plastic body panels. The Corona 4 was included in the above image for a size comparison. Normally clad, the Hermes 3000 is much larger than the old Corona, and is also one of the best typewriters ever made.
That was when I decided I'd just keep the chassis sans clothes, and instead make a custom wooden mounting plate. Hence the "Nekkid-Riter":
I'm currently in the process of making a custom wooden carrying/storage box.
This project reminds me of when it became popular to "chop" motorcycles down to bare minimalism, after WWII, hence the term chopper. This is my chopped typewriter.
~Joe
Huss
Veteran
Talus
pan sin sal
This is my 1920s Corona. It's a beast to type on. I found a beauty of a typewriter while cleaning out a friends house back in 2008. It's probably from the late 70s. They just gave it to me. Made in Spain. Feels like a Cadillac compared to the Corona.
dee
Well-known
Lovely , but not my type really ... pens and pencils have always been my saviours .
dee
dee
Talus
pan sin sal
I've been journaling for over a decade. I still prefer writing the old fashioned way too.
JoeV
Thin Air, Bright Sun
1937 Corona Standard. Just acquired last week. In immaculate condition, even the rubber platen, rollers and feet. Types like a dream (well .... a dream involving moderately loud clacking sounds).
Okay, can anyone post a corresponding photo of a camera built in that same year (1937)?
~Joe
PS: I did do some cleaning, degreasing and reoiling. And waxed the exterior; you can see the reflection of the glass-topped keys in the panel where the Corona decal is.
Okay, can anyone post a corresponding photo of a camera built in that same year (1937)?
~Joe
PS: I did do some cleaning, degreasing and reoiling. And waxed the exterior; you can see the reflection of the glass-topped keys in the panel where the Corona decal is.
Talus
pan sin sal
Nice Joe! Looks like a beauty.