1 | Portable Typewriters » Optima Elite 3 » 08-10-2018 15:43:50 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 3
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I also agree that you should keep it. Aside from its virtues as a high-quality typing machine should you choose to utilize it that way, I think tangible links to our past are rarely so enduring or symbolic like your Optima is. The money you would likely make selling it isn't enough to outweigh what your typewriter represents to your family, IMHO.
Also, it is a very nice-looking typewriter! Would make a great display or conversation piece, if nothing else.
| Off-Topic » The Official Fountain Pen Thread » 28-9-2018 14:47:07 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 44
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Yes, few people understand why I NEED three different shades of blue
It's definitely easy to acquire way more ink than reasonably needed!
But whenever I lend out a fountain pen (I usually let people try) they ignore my instructions on how to hold it, let their fingers slide onto/under the nib, and then wonder why it's leaking everywhere. This may be why people only ask to borrow my pen one time...
| Portable Typewriters » Consumer Reports article on manual typewriters, 1972 » 28-9-2018 14:40:09 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 7
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I too am surprised to see the SF and the Corsair lumped together - having used both I would hardly call it a fair fight!
There are a lot of department store brands on this list - is there any way for us to know which models these are. I assume most are probably made by Smith-Corona? I'm sure a scan of the article would make for interesting reading.
| Off-Topic » The Official Fountain Pen Thread » 27-9-2018 13:01:41 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 44
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I love fountain pens - I take all my school notes with them. My first fountain pen actually provided me with the impetus to re-teach myself to write cursive properly. Like typewriters, they multiply at every opportunity, except no one notices how little space they take up.
My first fountain pen was a sterling Parker 75 I bought for myself off eBay. That pen, and a Cross Townsend, are what I usually alternate between.
But the real fun is picking an ink - people notice ink-stained fingers way more than the pens themselves! I find it's a great way to connect with children in the classroom though, especially ones who haven't had exposure to one before.
| Type Talk » If you could only keep a five typewriters from your collection.... » 27-9-2018 12:53:49 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 38
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This is hard! But I think my top 5 would be:
Olympia SM4 (1958)
Hermes 2000 (1939)
Royal 10 (1919)
Optima Elite 3 (1958)
Olympia SG3 (1968)
There are so many that could be close runners-up, I hope I would never have to actually make this choice!
| Early Typewriters » Recently Acquired Oliver No. 3, Help Requested! » 14-3-2017 20:29:36 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 6
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OliverNo.9 wrote:This is an interesting machine! I've never seen an Oliver with that kind of ribbon transport before! I wonder if it was built that way as a prototype, or modified later on?
Neither had I, until I looked closer at the machine when I went down to pick it up. I'm pretty sure it came from a regular production run, though. If you're interested, in the Recent Acquisitions thread I posted a quick overview of what I discovered during my initial evaluation of the machine, including a link that I found indicating a limited run of Oliver 3 typewriters that mine appears to belong to, produced in Montreal rather than in the US.
mre12ax7 wrote:I would contact Jett Morton.
He is a Oliver expert.
I will certainly look into that! Thank you.
| Early Typewriters » Recently Acquired Oliver No. 3, Help Requested! » 13-3-2017 10:20:02 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 6
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All of the keys are octagonal, with circular indentations on top. The N key top is upside down (why would someone reapply it this way?), but all of the keys look like they've aged uniformly. Not sure how to clean the tops though, as I'm unsure how the printed characters on top would hold up to anything more than a damp cloth.
| Early Typewriters » Recently Acquired Oliver No. 3, Help Requested! » 12-3-2017 13:37:26 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 6
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UPDATE: After more cleaning, I found another plaque on the right rear of the machine, under the type mechanism bars behind the carriage. It says 1827 - is this where Oliver machines have their serial numbers located?
| Early Typewriters » Recently Acquired Oliver No. 3, Help Requested! » 12-3-2017 13:10:15 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 6
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Hello!
So, I recently got myself an Oliver 3, and it's in OK shape, albeit very dirty. But, it seems to have been made by the short-lived Canadian Oliver subsidiary that I didn't know existed until I got the machine home and started looking into what I had just bought.
There's a few differences on the exterior, such as the vertical ribbon spools, that seem to be unique to my machine. The plaque beneath the spacebar reads "Patented in Canada, August 21, 1895 No. 49711, Linotype Co. Montreal". There's no serial number data for Canadian models on the typewriter database; does anyone have a similar machine to which I can compare? I would like to pin down an exact year if possible, out of curiosity. Or if anyone knows anything in general about the machine - there's not much online that I was able to find out.
Any help/input would be appreciated!
Matt
Some photos (sorry for the lousy quality!):
| Type Talk » Recent Acquisitions Thread » 11-3-2017 20:59:43 |
- Ampelmann
- Replies: 1977
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Here are the additional photos:
