Typewriter Hades ...

[Sinifar]

Okay< I am an old fart. I still use one of these things -- typewriter. Mainly for Ham Traffic net / transcribing the code into something somebody can read, and writing my reception reports for SW broadcasters. NOW the problem ....

My Smith Corona Corsair, which I have for ages finally is in the final stages of dying. Lots of things wrong on this old machine from ribbons which won't feed right, to funny jumping of the carriage, to ... well you get the idea. It was either time for a new machine or repair this one. YOU try to find anybody today, who fixes these things! Well there is another answer -- E Bay ....

So I go looking for a "new" typewriter. Only problem is they haven't been made in a good 25 + years. So most of these have been sitting around accumulating dust and dirt in somebody's garage, attic, basement, or just in the back of a closet. ALL will need a good cleaning, and definitely a new ribbon. Now to pick one of the thousands out on line ....

I am looking for something like I got - a Corsair. Finally find one for something I want to pay -- $25.00. Won the auction and got the unit in here. Well it is a Corsair, but ... somebody tried to get the sticking keys to work by giving the unit a bath in oil. The whole thing is covered in the stuff, including the platen. Nothing like well oiled rubber to deal with. Then the line spacing unit does not hold tightly and the line floats. Another ribbon feed problem. Basically I bought what I had plus more problems. Tried to fix this unit up -- forget it. Tossed it out. Next unit.

This one turned out to be a Corsair 700. Gold in color, yup a plastic unit like the last, with more features! Like an erasure table, a power spacer, and a neat de-jam key which not only blows the stuck keys back but back spaces. This one turned out to be a winner. not only does it work like it is supposed to, no keys sticking, everything works, and all I had to do was give it a quick cleaning and a light oil job, and change out the ribbon.

NOW one would think that finding a ribbon on line would be easy! HA! -- First this is the end of the Smith line, and these units take a different spool, which is 1 1/2 inches in diameter, not 2 inches like "regular" spools. Now find a black - red ribbon for the unit. Well I ordered one out, and it came in -- as dry as the original one which came with the unit. GRRRRR ... Tried another outfit. This one came in so wet, you had better handle it with gloves on or you will end up with black - red hands fast.

Got into the 700, threaded the vibrator, and had at it. Now the thing works like it is brand new, out of the box.

Morale of the story? You can never know from what they say on line about anything you buy which is used. It is a crap shoot and good luck. i had hit snake eyes with the first unit and was only about about $45.00 shipping included -- the second one cost me $85.00 shipping included. SO spend the while nickle and get something which looks good, you understand and have the ability to fix small problems, because there are always small problems with these units.

The 700 needed a shot of tuner cleaner to get the keys unstuck, and a shot of typewriter oil on the escapement to work right. MINOR problems, which I expected to see. the ribbon thing was another surprise. One would think if they are selling the things they are somewhat "fresh" that is recently inked..... not so as it turns out. Find somebody who is making the things and they should cost about $15.00 for a ribbon. That $4.50 i paid for the other one should have told me that it was junk from the start.

Just my experience in a recent trip thru E-Bay hell.

Sinifar

[billdeserthills]

I too use a typewriter, and it is getting harder to find a working manual machine, all the time. The ribbons I buy that are made out of polyester don't last long, as the keys constantly punch holes through them. Last time I wound up spending extra on ribbons made from cotton, and found that they work the same and are likely made from polyester as well.
I did get a decent red & black ribbon, but I wound up putting that in my shop typewriter. I never use the red color on the road anyhow, I wonder how people with printers can keep them working in a van?

[cledry]

I'm actually not surprised you both still use typewriters.

[jeffmoss26]

My dad uses my late grandmother's IBM Selectric to write checks!

[ltdbjd]

I'm willing to bet lots of people on the forum have never used a typewriter. Use carbon paper, or a ditto machine because there weren't any copiers. Or had to get up to change the channel on a TV with a dial - the VHF dial, not the UHF dial, to get to the 7 or 8 channels that were available. Listen to a record because there were no CD's or MP3s. Etc.

When my daughters were about 12 and 14, they got into a "budget" version car. They literally had no idea how to roll down the window. When we told them, they couldn't stop laughing. They were amazed you had to reach across the car to roll the other window down. There was no window button, just a hand crank.

Sigh ....

[Squelchtone]

There's still a typewriter repair shop near me in Amherst Mass that fixes and sells older gear. I think it's popular with the college / hipster crowd who type their school papers on a luggable typewriter while sitting at the local cafe. I miss typing on one, if I'm ever at a yard sale and I see one, chances are I'll buy it out of nostalgia.

=)

Squelchtone

[jeffmoss26]

I collect and repair old phones along with locks, we have a rotary phone in our family room - it's a Western Electric 302 if anyone is familiar.
I always get a kick out of family friends/cousins who have no idea how to dial it : )

[GWiens2001]

I collect and repair old phones along with locks, we have a rotary phone in our family room - it's a Western Electric 302 if anyone is familiar.
I always get a kick out of family friends/cousins who have no idea how to dial it : )

Did not know the modern telephone exchanges could still handle the rotary 'click' dialing. Cool.

Gordon

[jeffmoss26]

Gordon...we have phone service through the cable company, and pulse dialing (the industry term) still works

[kwoswalt99-]

When my daughters were about 12 and 14, they got into a "budget" version car. They literally had no idea how to roll down the window. When we told them, they couldn't stop laughing. They were amazed you had to reach across the car to roll the other window down. There was no window button, just a hand crank.

Sigh ....

Hand crank windows.... Pshhh, my car only has AM radio.

[cledry]

When my daughters were about 12 and 14, they got into a "budget" version car. They literally had no idea how to roll down the window. When we told them, they couldn't stop laughing. They were amazed you had to reach across the car to roll the other window down. There was no window button, just a hand crank.

Sigh ....

Hand crank windows.... Pshhh, my car only has AM radio.

One of my cars came radio delete and heater delete!

[Robotnik]

I'm relatively young (30), but didn't own a computer until college - had a Woodstock typewriter for high school papers - and I grew up with a black & white TV with tuner knobs...I guess growing up poor sets you back a generation or so as far as tech goes .

Though I got rid of my hand-crank window/AM radio/no AC/stick shift car a couple years ago, so...moving on up!

[billdeserthills]

I'm actually not surprised you both still use typewriters.

Back when I was a gun dealer I typed the entries in my bound book, until the ATF told me the must all be written in ink, by hand. I had to begin writing legibly, which was a real drag. I only use a typewriter now because nobody can read my handwriting. It looks more professional, as well

When I was a kid we always watched black & white TV, my Dad was too cheap to buy a color TV, and every night he would ask me to change the channel, I knew I would be the channel changer for the evening if I didn't get out of there, so after the first change I went to my room and read my books, while my brother got stuck changing the channel all night long. My parents just started buying satellite TV last year, Dad still changes the channel all the time, nobody can stand to watch TV while he has the remote!

[Jacob Morgan]

Picked up a Hermes Rocket for next to nothing about ten years ago at a junk store. Portable, made in Switzerland. The wife was able to find a new ribbon at a mom and pop office supply store.

Use it for forms and envelopes. The kids think it is great fun, push a key and it shows up on the paper without Microsoft arguing with you.

Reader's Digest put out some how-to repair books books a number of years ago and they have chapters on repairing typewriters. I've seen them at used bookstores.

[cledry]

Even my late mum switched to a word processor in her 70s and then a computer back in the dot matrix days at age 83. If she can do it so can you. LOL

Please don't tell me you still use space and depth keys, and paper code books!