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04-1-2019 17:41:04  #1


Newbie - 1947 Smith Corona Sterling

Hello,
Newbie here. I recently purchased a 1952 Smith Corona Silent and love it! Having caught the typewriter bug and loving things from the 40's I purchased a 1947 Smith Corona Sterling. Both are incredible machines! Love the glass keys on the 1947. I did miss the page gauge on the 1947, so I measured where they were on the 1952 and put a tiny dot with a black Sharpie on the chrome roller of the 1947 at the end of the platen and now I have a page gauge! 

Curious to know what people think of the 1947 vs. the 1952 or the 40's vs. 50's models? Both are great machines and I love writing on them.

 

05-1-2019 15:31:02  #2


Re: Newbie - 1947 Smith Corona Sterling

The 5-series models ('49 - '64) were the pinnacle of Smith-Corona portables in terms of overall performance and design.

The 6-series models were perhaps equally, in some cases better, mechanically, but their boxy aesthetics to my eyes is less pleasing. The 3- and 4-series models ('40-'49) subjectively looked much better, but it my experience they don't quite perform to the level of the 5-series models.

In other words, if I could only own one Smith-Corona portable - for occasional typing - it would be a 4-series model. If I wanted it for daily use and was more interested in performance than looks, I'd buy a 5-series. Luckily I don't have to make that decision; buying examples of every model gives you the best of all worlds. 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

05-1-2019 16:57:42  #3


Re: Newbie - 1947 Smith Corona Sterling

Very well put! I’m enjoying typing on both! The font on the 52 is smaller than the 47 which has a larger font, but both are beautiful machines!

     Thread Starter
 

06-1-2019 14:56:07  #4


Re: Newbie - 1947 Smith Corona Sterling

I agree with Uwe.  I also have a 47/48 Silent that is in my opinion the best of all my other portables.  After hours of typing averaging 50 wpm,  the Smith seems the most "fluid" and quiet.  I had the spring motor replaced at a repair shop by a tech with close to 40 years in the biz. Rather than ship me parts, I had him do it plus a Clean Lube  & Adjust .  He spruced it up so nicely you couldn't tell I saved it from a barn.  In his opinion they were among the mechanically easier ones to repair and most durable.  One feature you might discover is that their platens are easy to change. There's a slide over the platen's shaft on the carriage right that's moved back, and with the variable released the platen lifts right out.  A selling point , or gimmick however it's looked at, harder platens where available for jobs requiring lots of stenciling or thick copies.  Maybe you know of or remember the 5 or 6 ply carbon copy forms.

Typewriter type comes in two basic forms as characters per inch. Not really a font,  the 10 cpi is called Pica, (the larger), and 12 cpi is Elite, ( the smaller).  I have not found the reason why for different cpi other than just the way the industry evolved.  There are varieties of typeface in Pica or Elite with names for each, and some with cursive available through the years.

 

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