Sunday, March 13, 2016

Lulled into a Digital Lullaby...

The date of my last blog post probably corresponds eerily closely with the date the I put together my storefront page on Facebook.

In contradiction to my agreement with the Typewriter Revolution principles, I allowed the surreal (immediate digital gratification) to overcome my commitment to the real (the analog).

It is difficult to have a foot firmly planted in both lands - carry on a full time job that demands way more than 5 days a week and 8 hours a day, AND be a father, a husband, and a friend, AND my fledgling typewriter repair business that I carry on alone (sorry "& Sons" I am calling you out in public!).

Add to this all my desire to push myself and my capabilities constantly, with experimentation, learning new skills, reading, buying and using new and exciting equipment... And there is just no time left in the day for the Internet.

There are so many excellent blogs out there, and I don't have time to read them. :( I love the Typosphere and those in it, and so my lack of posting or commenting , or calling or whatever, is simply a reflection of how stupidly complex and busy life is from day to day.

All that to say that until I can find a way to cross-post to Facebook and to Blogger, Facebook is going to get the first cut of my attention, purely because it is easy. Blogger and typecasting takes time and thought, both of which I shamefully admit to having very little of these days.

Don't give up on Brumtypia ... I'll try to make his work.


Sunday, May 3, 2015

May 3, 2015 - A Typecast From the Olivetti Lexikon 80



A small sample of the influx of machines from the past couple of months...

Olivetti Lexikon 80 (thanks to a typeOsphere benefactor!)

A wonderful, 1 owner, *early* Smith-Corona Galaxie is glorious orange!


Another 1-owner machine, purchased new in the 1950s. I love the gray & maroon of this Olympia SM-3.

Traded for this 1940's Royal Aristocrat, and it is held in high esteem! These are great machines.

A pretty rare find in Ohio - a QWERTZ keyboard Torpedo desktop typer.

A Vari-Typer that a customer traded to me for service. I like those kinds of deals!

Another rare find in Ohio, a very French (they told us this 3 times on the body) AMC in lovely 2-tone.

A very early Underwood 3-bank typer that I have had ZERO time to work on. :-(

Sears & Roebuck 2-tone green Remington 2 (variant). One of 70,000.

The super-cool Underwood tripod case. I love this thing!

Monday, March 2, 2015

March 2, 2015 - Replica Knob Update #2

While not perfect, my pragmatic perfectionism(TM) says "this is good enough" - at least as a starting point. :-)

I am exceptionally pleased at how the knob texture is perfect!




March 2, 2015 - Replica Platen Knob Update # 1

Work calls, so I must make this update hastily.

Let me first note that this is a journey. It is a journey that I am not alone on, the TypeOsphere is riding shotgun with me, and I am sharing what I learn and accomplish, right along with my failures, so that some other enterprising soul might skip the mistakes and forge ahead.

Last night I made my first-ever replica knob casting, and this is what popped out when I was done:
I am pretty sure that I know what I did wrong (see that rough texture on the top of the knob on the right?), and I know what I need to do to correct it.

All things considered, I am super happy with the result, and a gentleman in the UK is going to be pretty happy too, once I get this  fully sorted.

More to come!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

October 28, 2014 - Nirvana or Nerdvana? A typewriter gathering to drown the senses

Words cannot do last weekend justice, so pictures will have to suffice...

It began like this:


This was in the middle:





























And ended like this:

For your own personalized trip to Nerdirvana, go here and follow the breadcrumbs: http://www.hpricecpa.com/typewriters.html