Corona Sterling #2A 50886

The work on this Corona Sterling Speedline began a while ago; nearly a year as as the original post (http://www.magicmargin.net/2012/04/another-restoration.html) would have it.

This burgundy beauty has been a challenge. The segments were filled with crud and I was able to get the stuff out with carburetor cleaner. I thought everything was fine, but every time I left it overnight the segments would freeze up again. PB blaster didn't help and I got the sinking suspicion that someone previously tried to unfreeze the segments with oil. The oil worked its way deep into the segment block and just would ooze out after I thought I cleaned it out. I eventually got tired of trying and decided to put the machine away and try again at another date.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Typewriters came and went and I didn't get to this one. It wasn't until I started the restoration work–and subsequently was delayed–on the Underwood (see http://www.magicmargin.net/2013/01/restoration-its-messy-business-pt-1.html) that I was reminded that I had this beautiful typewriter that needed to be finished. In fact, it was the picture of Tennessee Williams working on the same machine in black that jogged my memory and pushed me to finish it.

I pulled out the machine, found the body panels, and started to work. As I remembered, the segments were still stiff. I cleaned a bit more using alcohol to dissolve the remaining oil in the segment. So far, so good. The type bars are moving freely in the segment slots and there is no sign that the sluggishness will return.

Fully stocked with features, this is a great typewriter. The parallel action is good and the styling is top-notch. I like the Speedlines with crinkle paint, but the glossy ones are really quite svelte. I would prefer to have the black, but the more I look at the burgundy the more I like it. 

This example is a fairly early one coming from 1938 (as the tables tell me) in good shape. There is a small dent on the ribbon cover, but there isn't any chipping.

One thing unusual about Sterlings from this era is the inconsistent appearance of the paper bail. Some machines, like mine, have a bail. Others have fingers. I can't see a pattern whatsoever. I took a look at machines across the Internet and there was nothing leading to a conclusion.

The bail is a charming little device. When you pull the bail back you come to a stop. Wait a half a moment and the bail will move all the way back. It's a fun little addition.

Before I leave you and get to work on the Underwood, I wanted to offer a few more images of this sterling example of a typewriter:

Happy Birthday, Tennessee

From Wikipedia:

Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983) was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs. His professional career lasted from the mid-1930s until his death in 1983, and saw the creation of many plays that are regarded as classics of the American stage. Williams adapted much of his best known work for the cinema.

Crafting & Typewriter Tchotchkes

Like every typewriter collector I have a drawer filled with typewriter-related ephemera; extra spools, case keys, and ribbon tins. Most of the things in this drawer came as extras stuffed in portable cases. A few were gifts from people who know that I like old stuff. I like all of these things and I want to keep them, but displaying ribbon tins is tricky.

That's when I stumbled on this idea that is really simple for you to make at home. While I am sure that someone has thought of this before, I think my method has the added benefit of being very inexpensive.

First, you'll have to get a few things together.

Supplies

• Roll of adhesive magnetic sheeting ($9.90 for a 18" x 12" roll from Michael's)
• A picture frame with a glass front no larger than the magnetic sheeting ($3.39 from Target)
• Metal tchotchkes for display

 Steps

1. Take apart the frame by removing the backing and the glass. Do be careful with the glass edges. Depending on how inexpensive your frame it, the edges of the glass might be a little knife-like. Discard the superfluous paper printed with the ever-happy family or newlywed couple.
2. Cut a piece of magnetic sheeting the same size as the glass.
3. Clean the glass well and then peel the backing of the magnetic sheeting. Apply to the glass carefully avoiding any bubbles or stray bits of grit. 
4. Reassemble the frame, but in such a way that the magnetic sheet is facing outward. The cutaway below shows what I mean: 

The magnetic sheet should be facing out, the glass under it, and the cardboard backing holding it all in. What you should get it a frame much like the one at the start of this post.

You can adhere keys, ribbon tins, and other interesting bits with ease. If I was more crafty I might have made the magnet facing more decorative, but I like the slat-like look. It would probably look really good in a natural wood frame, but I wanted to match an existing collection of similar frames.

Select-A-Type

It was a dollar on eBay.

 Here is a radical/pi:

Shipping was free. Actually, shipping was a Forever stamp. So that's good.

We are all familiar with Smith-Corona's more popular changeable types, but here is Royal's version. It's not a changeable type as much as a changeable type bar. 

They look completely unused.

I don't have a typewriter that can use these, but I thought they were strange enough to hazard the bid. Further investigation led me to one small clue at the bottom of this advertisement from around 1956.

It reads:

Could these be the interchangeable type bars mentioned in the ad?

The logo on the case is the same that Royal used all through the McBee years especially on the Safari. I am guessing they are from the 50s or 60s. The "Select-A-Type" typeface makes me think 1950s.

My mind also started thinking about why you don't see more early electric typewriters around? In all these years I have maybe seen 5 Royal electrics from the 50s and only one of the colored versions. (I kick myself for not spending the $30 on it.) Where have all the electrics gone?

If anyone has some ideas as to what machine could use these interchangeable type bars, I would be interested in hearing from you. 

Updated Insurgency Image

Looking at the old image, I noticed there was a little halo of white around the outer black circle. I corrected this problem and it has made all the difference when the logo is on a dark background. So, please take it if you like.

4th Time Around

There must be something in the sunshine that makes this dry and dusty town a nexus for typewriter fans. The luck of the sun...or maybe the Irish was with us because the 4th Phoenix Type-In and Typewriter Round-Up had a record crowd. For softies like me there was an additional "awwww" factor with Jeremiah (10 years old) who had seen the type-in during a rerun of Bill Geist's typewriter story, begged his mom to go, and was committed to "stay to the end."

For Christmas he received a Sear Citation in an ice-white color scheme. It's a great machine and he seemed immensely proud to show it off to other collectors. He had a great time going around and trying out new and different typewriters. He was even lucky enough to go home with another machine in tow; a nice Lettera 32.

The regular mugs were there; Bill Wahl, Theodore, Tori, Brian, Robert, Matt, &c. But there were more than a few new faces including, Alexander, a teen collector who brought his Remington Quiet-Riter to show off.

In terms of typers that stole the show my Royal KMG with italic type was warmly received, but it was Bill Wahl's prewar Olympia desktop standard machine that caught my eye. Yowser! Talk about shiny.

Here are the pics:

This time the event seemed more private. There were no reporters there; just fans of the typewriter. I hope everyone had fun. Ted will be scanning in the sheets from the typewriters so keep an eye out on munk.org/typecast .

See You Today at the Type-In

NBC Filming

A crew from NBC was here today taking a few shots and interviewing some of my students about the typewriters. I have to say the two girls and two boys they interviewed were articulate and very impressive. I snapped this quick pic of the camera and lights. Whenever I find out the air date, I'll let you know.

Unfettered Eager Minds

Even with all the excitement over the 4th Phoenix Type-In, the CTP is still chugging along nicely. It's been a while since I have posted with updated information about the benefit of a typewriter in a classroom setting.

I've done stuff with spelling, and student opinions, but I thought it might be a hoot to look at output as an outcome. I have never subscribed to the "more is better" camp of thought. There is, however, a chance that typewritten output can be an evaluative component of student "on-typewriter" performance vis-a-vis handwritten activities.

I decided to take four random journal prompts from my class that has the highest typewriter user to student ratio; 2:3 for Period 2. I then set about counting the average number of words written by both hand and typewriter. The results were interesting:

Typewriters (students who typewrite their journals) were producing more words per journal than handwriters. Typing for composition is definitely faster than handwriting, but is it that much faster? Taking into account that my students are not touch typists and have a non-standard typing styles--owing to the prevalence to two-thumb typing--I find that the result is skewed in favor of something other than speed.

Speed, however, is a powerful metric. Typewriting allows ideas to be placed on paper at a rate commensurate with a thought process. Handwriting can slow things down although that might be a honorable intention in and of itself. Speed (as if speed and quanity equaled quality) was a major justification for kids using typewriters made by Royal, and other manufacturers, during period advertising.

Most of the research that supported the claims by Royal in this kind of advertising were conducted by two researchers; Ben Wood of Columbia and Frank Freeman of the University of Chicago. In 1929, funded by the typewriter industry, Wood and Freeman deployed thousands of typewriters in classrooms across the nation. 15,000 students and over 400 teachers were involved in the study. It was widespread and far-reaching and, ultimately, the results were positive. Wood and Freeman concluded that gains in all areas were measurable by the Standford Achievement Test and that spelling was a significant component of that.

"There is fairly consistent evidence that the typewriter's influence of spelling is more favorable than on any other subject tested in the Stanford Achievement Test" (Wood and Freeman, 1932).

The Classroom Typewriter Project data proved Wood and Feeman correct.

The only other reason for the data in the chart above might be a fun little indicator that made its debut appearance in the first typewriter survey I gave my students. The statment was; "Using a typewriter imparts more meaning to my writing." If a writer thinks that the act of typewriting is special, there would be an interest in fulfilling that preconceived notion and writing more. And in the case of a classroom filled with teenagers a lack of material is the greatest detriment to quality revision.

Type-In Geekery

The New Times Jackalope Ranch was kind enough to give the Phoenix Type-In scene another accolade in a recent post.

Justified!

ITAM is over, but it seems like Type-In season has just begun:

There is also this thing in Phoenix:

But back to the blog post. In my eternal quest for full typewriter justification, I found this little snippet:

The way that the attachment works is a mystery. From the description is seems that you note the number of spaces that remain on the line after typing. Some sort of pointer and ruler help you do this. In retyping, a knob s allows you to set the number of spaces to drop into the line to fully justify it. Maybe its something that fiddles with the spacer mechanism. The possibilities are very interesting. Maybe this is something that can be replicated if I channel my inner Thomas Edison.