Typewriters

I repaired my first machine

I'm quite proud of myself. Yesterday I picked up a #typewriter that someone was giving away because it wasn't working anymore… and after a little over an hour of working on it, it types again! It's still very dirty, and there are some bars to straighten and other minor adjustments to make, but it works. I've cleaned and adjusted working machines before, but this is the first time I've brought a typewriter “back to life,” and it's really enjoyable.

Actually, the repair was simple; an experienced amateur could have done it in a few minutes, but I learned a lot about ribbon vibrators along the way.

It's (in my opinion) a #Japy P68 (also known by its Swiss name, Patria), sold under license from #Manufrance Typo. If it is indeed originally a P68, then according to the wonderful website https://typewriterdatabase.com/ and its serial number, it dates from 1953.

My only concern is the keyboard; the plastic keycaps are in very poor condition and hurt my fingers when I use them. Otherwise, it's a beautiful little machine, without any extras (there aren't even tabs), very responsive, and it takes almost as much force to type as on a PC keyboard, which is to say, really not much at all!

In the wooden case, whose handle was ingeniously repaired by the previous owner, I found two packs of carbon paper, which alone are worth the trip, and surprisingly, the ribbon is still very moist, almost new.

#typewriters #IndustrialHistory #DIY

@typewriters

This is the first time I've used a Lettera 22, and I can see what the hype is all about. It is a true pleasure to type with this machine. This one is even better than I expected, since it has a Spanish keyboard with n-tildes, accents, and umlauts. The cent/@ key is used for semicolon/colon, so I won't be writing any email addresses with this Lettera.

The serial number is 158503.

If anyone has a catalog of Olivetti typewriters they could share, I am curious about their name for this chrome/silver finish.

In Part 2 of the Austin Typewriter, Ink. conversation, Dr. Richard Polt, The Typewriter Revolution, the talk moves past theory and into how typewriters actually shape the way people think, write, and connect. Starting with a story from one of David’s pop-up type-ins, Polt reflects on the quiet power of shared, analog experiences, then explores the Classic Typewriter Page, the thrill of collecting, teaching with typewriters, and why no single machine or website should ever define the whole community. The conversation naturally drifts into craftsmanship, art, AI, and the future of writing, with Polt making the case that typewriters matter not as nostalgia, but as human-scale tools that slow us down, sharpen attention, and create moments you truly “had to be there” to experience.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/51833206

I used to think typewriting in the 21st century was about being “distraction-free.” But for me, it increasingly is more about being “place-full.”

Received today!

@typewriters

#Typewriter #RichardPolt #TypewriterRevolution #MastoBooks

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/51193796