This 1937 Blue Bird 15A made a safe trip from Staffordshire to Florida. It is my first Blue Bird, which was an internationally marketed Torpedo, making it my second Torpedo. The Ebay seller was receptive to my message about how to ship a typewriter. What a masterful job he did. He even used some glue to seal to box (not my idea). He used an elastic and tape to free the carriage. Then he held the carriage in place with plastic wrap. This protects the escapement. (There’s a YouTube video for this.)

Just yesterday, as I commuted to college, I was stuck behind a bus with a bumpersticker that read “Blue Bird.” Naturally, I also was wearing my porkpie hat, which features a blue feather that I found in the mountains of Colorado. How’s that for synchronicity? 🐦

The typewriter appears to be in brilliant shape. (That means “awesome shape” in American English. 🤓) The carriage moves smoothly. The keys work well. The space bar meets some friction, which I’m sure will be easy to fix.) I’ll do some work tonight.