Thanks to Richard Polt, my Blickensderfer 5 now has all of its keys. I put some more work into it today. The carriage slides smoothly. The type wheel responds quickly. Now I need to replace the ink roller. I managed to type a little tonight, but the letters are too faint. Still, this machine is…

I’ve made some progress with my Blickensderfer 5. I dug into some screws and washers left over from a parts machine. Now the line-space advance lever works. The next task is to get the wheel working. It does not always hit the page. Something gets in the way. That said, with some ink applied directly…

Well, I’m happy and sad to say that my typescript has been scanned. Part of the story incorporates collage (by my girlfriend), notations (by a character), and poetry (hers and his). I slipped a lot of forensic elements into the story, too. For example, this shift key on the typewriter does not work when she…

I’ve learned a few things today: 1) Removing a carriage on a Blickensderfer is easy, and 2) The carriage advances with the simple use of a spring and lever. Since the carriage was not sliding smoothly, I knew I had to do some cleaning. I used a brass Brillo pad to clean the rails. I…

Like a lot of collectors, I’ve wanted a Blickensderfer 5 in my collection for quite some time. Sure, there’s always a few on Ebay, but those prices are pretty high. To my surprise, one appeared locally. The seller, like all sellers, based his price on Ebay. This machine, however, is missing three keys. Since this…

A previous customer of mine sent me a message today. She is wondering if I’d part with another typewriter. She previously purchased a Royal KMM from me. It was a great machine, and I’m happy to hear that she is still using it. I mentioned an Underwood Champion with which I’d be willing to part,…

In the Terezin ghetto, Jewish children turned to poetry and art in an attempt to make sense of a world that made no sense. Thousands of children perished. Only a few survived. (Typed on a 1934 Erika M).

As you can see from these photos, the typewriter table was quite the success today. I picked a good spot with plenty of foot traffic. Many students were drawn towards the machines. A few could be converts. One already headed out to buy one. She also typed a story to give to poet Richard Blanco….