Serial Number: J732492 from October 1945
Pica typeface
This got delivered on the 21st, but I hadn’t had a chance to take a look at it until today. It’s not in terrible cosmetic shape, but has definitely been collecting dust and cob webs for a few decades. It seems to be in reasonable mechanical shape. There is a sticky key or two that will need either some cleaning and/or forming. The carriage is going to need some serious cleaning and possible adjustment to slide cleanly. The mainspring probably needs some tightening, but I won’t be able to tell properly until the machine is cleaned up. Some of the internal felt portions will also need some re-gluing. Beyond this, this 80 year old typewriter should come roaring back to life sometime soon. (The recent Eaton Fire means it may take a bit longer to address the underlying issues as my tools and “shop” are quarantined / uninhabitable.)
I’ve uploaded a few “before” photos for general identification, but will update in the near future with some better ones post-cleaning and adjustment.
@chrisaldrich It’s like you are running a typewriter rescue. Good work restoring these and giving them new life, otherwise they might end up in the trash.
@chrisaldrich I’ve been reading Henry James’ final 3 novels; the first was published in 1902. Some people think their style was affected by James’ practice of dictating them to a hired typist. At first I thought typewriters must have been pretty new-fangled at that time, but from what I’ve read they became common in offices from the 1880s onward, and were well established, in more or less their current form, by the time James was using them. I thought of you when I did this inquiry! What’s your oldest typewriter?
@chrisaldrich Woah! Looks like a beast of a typewriter. I bet it will be a sweet typer once you get it cleaned up.
@JohnBrady I feel like I’ve come across a few references about people’s processes changing due to technology which sit in a similar vein.
My oldest typewriter is a Weimar era British-badged Orga Privat from circa 1928-1931.
@bradenslen But for the “rescue” portion to work in analogy to cats, let’s say, I need to be finding them all new homes. Instead I’m turning into the crazy “cat lady”… fortunately they don’t require any kitty litter.
@chrisaldrich All the rooms of the house need at least 3 – 4 typewriters displayed for decor purposes. Even better if they work.
Generally I might agree with this, but what do I do with the other 20+ typewriters?!
Given the damage and mess of the soot and ash in our house, I’m really glad that I only had two typewriters out for display on January 7th. To give you an idea, here’s a post-fire photo of the 1941 Corona Standard that I had finished cleaning and polishing in late December. You can see the level of soot where I wiped off a portion of the hood. I can only imagine if I’d had 24 of them out for “display”!