Big and Little

While I place the finishing touches on the next installment of the Underwood restoration, I wanted to share two photos. These machines are contemporaneous to each other and share many stylistic choices. I like both of them for their sober gravitas.

This weekend has been very difficult. The final deadlines for yearbook came around the mountain and I had to spend a few longer nights going over pages. My yearbook kids are nice, but they can sometimes miss the small details. That means that I get the singular pleasure of going over every page to make sure that there is nothing amiss. The up-shot is that my brain is tired right now.

Oscar, You Are Fantastic

Mondays are always a little blah. My Monday became far less blah when one of my former students stopped by. He had something he found that he wanted to give to me.

The racy stripe was a giveaway.

It's a beautiful machine.

It's a litte dirty with eraser shavings and such, but it works well.

And getting a gift from a student is really nice. So, Oscar you are fantastic. Thank you!

I have not posted as much as I have wanted, but there are still many days left in ITAM. There have also been some interesting developments on the Underwood in the restoration series.

4th Phoenix Type-In

I am happy to announce that the date for the 4th Phoenix Type-In and Round-Up has been set. Again, Lux has kindly allowed us to host our event at thier famous "farmhouse" table.

Bill Whal from the Mesa Typewriter Exchange will be on-hand to diagnose youe typewriter woes and offer some sage advice.

I also wanted to use this post to soft-launch a new side-business of mine: Type the Knot. If you want to know more about this visit http://www.typetheknot.com The site is still in formation, but I wanted to share none-the-less.

Typewriter Restoration: It's a Messy Business Pt. 2

This is the second part of a multi-part post about the restoration of an Underwood Universal.

The last time I wrote about this Underwood I felt like it might just be an easy job. I could clean it and be on my way, but the typewriter gods do not look favorably on my enterprise. After looking a little closer I noticed that something was very much amiss with the 3/4 and slash key. You can see the problem below:

I don't know what happened but the entire coordinating linkage is not here. As you can see from this picture it causes the keytop to be "out of alignment" with the other keys. By "out of alignment" I mean completely akimbo. Moreover, the spring is missing on this lever. I have some spares and that will be a fun repair.

In addition to the dodgy 3/4 and slash key, the 'B' is in a similar state, but not nearly as extreme as the former. This linkage is missing a spring as well. We'll get into that repair very soon.

The rubber feet are missing. This is going to be a big problem. The rubber feet on the front had a hole through the center to allow for corresponding pegs to hold the front of the machine with friction. The rear feet seem fairly normal. I will have to find (or craft) something that would work.

 

This Universal features the Champion keytops that were more comfortable than the glass key variety. Some of the lettering is pretty grimy, and some of it is gone entirely. I would like to fill in the missing paint and probably replace the white lettering on all the keys.

Finally, I look at these decals and I can see how significantly they have flaked. The one on the paper table is particularly bad, but the touch control Touch Tuning is pretty crummy. I can tough them up using a gold pen, but I am on the hunt for gold foil decal paper and a special process. We'll see if there is anything I can find that might make these decals look close to original.

As for this Universal according to Ted's new Typewriter Database (http://www.typewriterdatabase.com) this machine was made between 1936 and 1937. Of course, the deco lines give it away instantly. 

The Universal was one of two new typewriters in the Typemaster line. A more enclosed case made for a safer machine and  reduced dust problems. The more enclosed machine also allowed for an increase in the sound-deadening material; a claim made in period advertising.

On a final note, the difference between a Champion and a Universal in these 1937 models? It's the paint and a tabulator. Universals are crinkle paint with no tabulator. Champions are gloss paint with a tabulator. Interesting, no?

Restoration: It's a Messy Business Pt. 1

Restoration is one of the fun things about collecting typewriters. You can take something that is a little rough and make it shine. I recently obtained an Underwood Universal and while it looks like it's in descent shape, I think it can look a little better.

In a series of posts I am going to take you step-by-step through the restoration process that I use to make this typewriter look awesome.

Let's start by looking at this particular Underwood Universal:

Part of the challenge for this restoration is the decal touch-up. I have a few new techniques I am going to try. I look forward to sharing all my tips and secrets with everyone in the Typosphere.

Next: Evaluation

Click, Clack, Moo: Typewriters at Play

Before the holiday I received an email from a co-worker about a special event hosted by the ASCC (Association for Supportive Child Care). The ASCC provides support to childcare providers and parents in Arizona. Yearly, the ASCC hosts a special event called Children at Play. A reception is held where children can participate in various activities related to a children's play produced by a local children's theater. Following the reception the children have a chance to view the play. This year, the play is based on a modern classic; "Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type."

If you have never read Doreen Cronin's Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type you are missing out on a really sweet children's story. Farmer Brown's cows find an old typewriter in the barn. Shortly after that missives listing various demands are found tacked to the barn door. Hilarity ensues.

I went to the web site to find out more about the event. As I read I started to think. I thought it would be nice to offer ASCC the use of several of my typewriters for their event. That is if they wanted them. I sent an email message and got a call right away. I guess the ASCC had been looking for typewriters, but were unable to find any to use. Well, I told them that I have more than a few typewriters and I would be happy to lend them. They accepted and now I have to gather a selection of typewriters that little kids can use. If anyone has any suggestions, please leave them in the comments below.

If you live in the valley and have kids this might be a fun family activity. More importantly, it will be a wonderful way of introducing young people to the exciting world of manual typewriters.

More information form the ASCC web site (click on the pic below to be taken to the site):

The Association for Supportive Child Care invites you to join us for our Annual Children at Play! Event, Saturday, February 2, 2013.

The Tempe Center for the Arts provides a picturesque backdrop as children and adults engage in a day of play. The event begins with a children’s reception featuring story telling, face-painting, science and crafts, close encounters with gentle animal friends – and much more!

Following the reception, families will enjoy an adaptation of the children's story,
"Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type," performed by Childsplay.

Proceeds from this event benefit the programs of the Association for Supportive Child Care which continue our mission to enhance the quality of care for Arizona's children.

TYPEWRITERS ∩ BOATS

The intersection of a Venn Diagram that contains the sets "TYPEWRITERS" and "BOATS" would contain the following images:

By way of Rob