Typewriter Letter Swap

oh man. i remember having a type writer - wish i still did. it was so tempermental though - sometimes it wouldn't work. wahh, now i want one again lol!

Another Awesome Swap! I don't even know who might still have a typewriter. Good reason to ask around. :o)

Grrr. I fondly remembered mine too, even though I looooove how much easier PCs are to use. A friend recently bought a coupla typewriters and she started a fire in me to find one for myself. "Grrr" cuz the last thing I need is more stuff! Apparently, there's a bunch of people who are returning to typewriters. I'm guessing it's like those people who love vinyl (they can have it - big melty scratchy things can't compare to compact portable digital in my opinion), or fountain pens (I'm one of those people - loooove fountain pens and now I have a typewriter to compete for my writing tool of choice - grrrrr again).

I JUST got a 1950s Smith-Corona Skyriter manual portable from eBay and I am DELIGHTED. It is TINY - 12" x 11" x 3" INCLUDING THE HARD METAL CASE!! I can stash it anywhere, unlike my old battleship IBM Selectric. The ribbon was completely dry, so I bought an ink pad (NOT gel ink) and re-inking bottle. I filled and altoids-style box with quarters and pulled the ribbon across the juicy re-inked pad with the altoids box on top to smoosh the ribbon down onto the pad. Seems to be working. If things go well with it for a week or two, I'm gonna splurge on taking it to a local guy for an inspection, cleaning, and tuneup just to be sure it's in tip-top shape.

If you're interested, there seem to be a lot of typewriters out there available for cheap - like, $20. Check eBay and Craig's list and shopgoodwill online. First I'd google or check the phone listings to see if you have a local repair guy, just in case. You should poke around the web to see what kind of machine you'd like. I knew as soon as I saw the skyriter that a small portable non-electric was my dream machine. And it was even better than I dreamed when I opened the box.

I'm not sure if I have 4 or 5 typewriters, but they're all manual and they're all magnificent! I had an IBM Selectric too - a hand-me-down from Dad - and I loved that thing... But I prefer manuals.

Btw, I bought 5 typewriter ribbons pretty cheaply a couple of years ago. They're just black, I think (no red), and they're universal, fitting all (most?) brands/models. Can't r'ber the brand name off hand but can find it for anyone interested. Just email me at philippastone@gmail.com. Not sure if I got them in a shop or online (had both options) but I'd you can't find them in the US I'll try to help you acquire some. :)

Great swap!!

• if you can't find them in the US ... or anywhere else.

I wish I could join this swap! But I don't have a typewriter :( That's a great swap though! Have fun guys!

Oh, I would love to do this one...sadly I do not have a typewriter here. Have a blast though!

yayyyyyy for typewriters! Mine's name is Gustav :) can't wait for this swap!

Awesome idea for a swap, Betsy! I wrote to a couple of my typewriter-afflicted buddies, and I hope they'll join us!

I think we should all post in this comment section about what kind of typewriters we have. I just have one, a 1942-ish Remington Rand "Deluxe Noiseless" I inherited from my father-in-law. It's black, of course, and both ugly & cute. It's a "portable"--a model I'm sure was a favorite of American correspondents (the journalist kind) during WWII. It has a utilitarian but still charming elite font, my favorite character of which is the question mark. I love it so much it takes up precious space on my work table, living right behind my laptop. =laugh=

Fiona

I love to type on my typewriter! All I know about it is that it's an Indus, I don't know which model, it doesn't say on it. It's a small handy traveller's typewriter. It's made for writing in Swedish, so it doesn't have an apostrophe.

I'd be willing to have more than one partner in this, it's so nice to write on a typewriter! And it would be cool to receive more than one letter and compare the fonts.

I am also running a Typewriter PC swap (http://www.swap-bot.com/swap/show/89655) where you would be assigned 3 partners. I have some pre-paid postcards from the 80s that were my grandmother's. They are blank on the front and I plan to type a short letter in that space. @Cityclicker - you might consider joining that swap to see more fonts.

My typewriter, new to me this week, is a 1950s era Smith-Corona Skyriter manual portable. According to what I can find on the web, it was a new model intended for airplane travel - designed to fit under the seat. Some of the quirky things I have noticed are the lack of a number "1" key (you use the letter "l"), and no exclamation point (you type a shift-8 to get an apostrophe, then backspace and type a period).

I mentioned this above, but it's very small (12" x 11" x 3"). The bottom of the typewriter is a hard metal case, and a hard metal top with a plastic handle snaps over the top. I should be able to stash it on a bookshelf, or in a very small space under my desk. And it fits nicely in the workspace on my desk in front of my computer keyboard. It's small enough and light enough that whipping it out for an envelope or another small job won't be a problem at all.

Oh! And the back says that it is made in Canada. I haven't checked yet to see if that's where Smith Corona is based, or if it's at all unusual that it's made in Canada.

I named my typewriter too! Beulah - she's a "silent" (really not at all) Corona from the late 1930's. I guess she is a travel typewriter b/c she has a case she snaps into that has a handle. I LOVE HER!!!! What a beautiful birthday gift from my husband! This is a great swap!

Oh how I wish I had a typewriter!!!

I just joined the American Amateur Press Association. I got a typewritten letter back! I couldn't believe it, how awesome! http://www.aapainfo.org/

I have two typewriters, a Royal KMS, http://www.etsy.com/listing/24988596/classic-royal-typewriter-large-carriage

and a Royal Safari (beige sadly not the cool blue one).http://s.ecrater.com/stores/80794/4afcc6b242646_80794n.jpg

I have a Smith-Corona Galaxie 6...I think it is. I'm guessing it's from the 1960s. I got it at a thrift store for 3 dollars! With a working ribbon! I love her, I named her Cosmo. She has a carrying case, with I put stickers all over it. :). I can't wait for this swap!

this is such a great swap idea! i have a type writer that my grandmother bought new for my mother when she was in high-school (1970's) and i was trying to decide whether or not to sign up for this swap when today i was in the Goodwill Outlet (yes, outlet...stuff that is now cheaper because it didn't sell in the goodwill store) and across the warehouse I saw a case. I decided to go over and see what it was and it was a beautiful 1950's Smith-Corona Silent Super portable typewriter. It is in almost perfect condition, but the case is a bit dented. I was so excited! Things in the outlet are sold by the pound, so it's probably not as good of a deal as some other things there, but still at $0.59/lb, it only cost me about $10! A few of the letters are a bit sticky ("e," "o," "u") but i'm going to try to oil them. I can't wait to send type my letter!

The one I've started my letter on is an 'Oliver', a brand I'd not heard of before. All I know about it is that it was bought in Melbourne originally (on eBay in my case), and I can't decide if it's older than the 1920s or could be any newer than the 1940s, so until I can do some research, I'm thinking it's of the '30s or, more likely, the '40s. Anyway, it's giving me grief - needs bits of work here and there - so I'm thinking of switching to an Olivetti from the 1970s I haven't even used yet. My older sis had one and I used to cover that thing! ;)

The one I've started my letter on is an 'Oliver', a brand I'd not heard of before. All I know about it is that it was bought in Melbourne originally (on eBay in my case), and I can't decide if it's older than the 1920s or could be any newer than the 1940s, so until I can do some research, I'm thinking it's of the '30s or, more likely, the '40s. Anyway, it's giving me grief - needs bits of work here and there - so I'm thinking of switching to an Olivetti from the 1970s I haven't even used yet. My older sis had one and I used to cover that thing! ;)

*covet!

I love how this has turned into an awesome thread about our small obsession. We are the biggest, most fabulous kind of geeks I know. :)

I've had two typewriters at places I've worked in the last five years; one required me (as a temp) to type the dozens of FedEx slips that went out every day on a bulky, no charm 80's typewriter (these people also didn't have a website, so obvi had never heard of FedEx's online shipping). The other place never used theirs, but it sat in a corner of the secretary's office and she was super excited whenever I wanted to borrow it for crafting after hours.

I have two Smith-Corona electrics in working order, one cursive, one regular. I recently found an Hermes 3000 portable manual, which I love and is a gorgeous mint green color, but it needs a new ribbon and a serious cleaning and I haven't got the time right now to take care of it. Hopefully soon though -- it's going to be the guest book at my wedding in October, so I need to get working on it in a few weeks.

You're getting married in October? Wow--here's wishing you a fabulous wedding, Melissa! But marriage itself is even better, much better actually, than the wedding itself, in my experience: we've been married for 33 years, and it just keeps getting better...=grin=

So I'm curious: how will that work, having a typewriter as the guest book?

Fi

Fi, we're (hopefully, if the lady ever gets back to me) having the reception in a school, so there will be books and nerdy things galore. I'm thinking the typewriter (or two!) can go on a desk with an assortment of nerdy paper (graph paper, handwriting practice sheets, library due date cards) with instructions for people to leave their well-wishes. I'll add them into a book later. :)

Also: thank you! We're excited about the wedding, but way more excited about being stuck with each other for the rest of our lives. :)

that is such an awesome guest book idea!!!

That is!

I very much enjoyed receiving my letter. And it was so EASY to read compared to the usual handwritten letters (which I love, don't get me wrong).

I have created three more typewriter letter swaps: one for June, one for July, and one for August. I'll create more if people sign up for these. Thanks, everyone, for playing!