April 11, 2014 - Unleash Your Inner Writer with a Typewriter! (Ala WORDEO)

http://wordeo.com/w/691f0cad41364d3b99f67dcfe8d698f2

Just messing around with this app, developed by a customer.... Basically using multimedia to convey short messages. Cute concept.

April 10, 2014 - Taking the Woodstock 5 for a Test Drive

1931 Woodstock 5 - Serial #N320977

http://totallyyourtype.blogspot.com

April 7, 2014 : Fundraiser to ship John Lavery's typewriter To Australia

https://www.youcaring.com/other/help-ship-john-lavery-s-machine/160870

April 5, 2014 - Any interest in helping ship a machine for John Lavery?

I have a machine that John Lavery has been looking for, for quite some time - an Olivetti-Underwood Editor II with the unique Diploma Typeface.

John used to be a technician for Olivetti-Underwood, and this machine has a special meaning for him.

You can feast your eyes on the machine with which he would like to be reunited:
http://typewriterdatabase.com/196x-olivettiunderwood-editor-ii.2042.typewriter

The problem is that the machine is in the USA and John is in Australia. Shipping a 40-50 pound package between these two points is obscenely expensive .... Almost 3 times the value of the machine, or *starting* at $450 US for shipping by sea. IT IS SIMPLY INSANE. The best option I saw for air service was about $600. I can hardly believe how much this costs, but it is what it is.

Would some folks in the typosphere be willing to pitch in some cash to help defer the cost of shipping, so that I can get this machine to John? John has been a stalwart in the larger, global typosphere, and I would really like to see this machine in his hands.

I am dropping my sale price for him, by $50, and I am willing to put $25 toward shipping ($75 total). If 20 people would pitch in $15, raising $300 - I think that between my $25 and John, we could cover the rest.

**UPDATE 4/6/2014 ** fundraiser link, via YouCaring.

I can start a fund raiser campaign, and if we can spread the word - once we hit a predetermined target,  it will end, and I'll ship the machine.

Thoughts? Crazy money, huh?!

--
Brian

April 3, 2014 - The New Typewriter Embargo or "Wow, we really need to sell some machines!"

April 2, 2014 - Call for Help - 1933(?) Continental Model 35(?) Is Wonked

We stumbled upon this beauty yesterday (along with a Smith Premier 2 - another post, for sure), and it is darned near pristine. The innards glisten as if just lofted from its shipping container from the factory. The typeslugs are pretty much SPOTLESS. The paint, immaculate! However, as you can see in the picture above, its type bars are "sprung."

To quote the man from whence this machine was purchased, "Hmmm. It wasn't like that when it came here." Yeah, great, sparky!

I have fixed this issue with a Hermes Rocket, by adjusting bent linkages, but I poured over this machine for hours last night and could not for the life of me figure out what ails it.

In the following two photos, you can see the "sprung" bars. One of the main clues, is if you press back on one - they all go back. I looked and pressed, and pressed and looked, and flipped and turned, and peered and poked, and guessed, and scratched, and hurrrumphed and exhorted, I almost cursed - but that wouldn't help! :-) I traced the stresses back and forth and looked for commonalities and adjustment points that might be the trick - but to no avail.

I could not (cannot) crack the code on this one. Please HELP if you know how to fix this - or to whom I should send this machine, because it's over my head, apparently!

April 1, 2014 - Ultra-Rare Oliver 0 PrintType Machine Acquired!

Found in the recesses of Thomas Oliver's private library, the proto-type Oliver PrintType machine.