I had the same issue with my first typewriter, a Hema one which is made by Olivetti (very similar to an Underwood... 319 ?).

I used 2 small stick-on bits of velcro on the plastic back, and use them to attach a bit of cardboard (a spare tarot card - tarot decks are smaller to collect, but not necessarily cheaper than typewriters!) on it.

I've also put another 2 small bits of velcro on the inside of the cover, so I can remove the card and stick it there when storing the typewriter.

Thank you skywatcher!

Yes, European brands are much easier to find here - especially when it comes to standards!

In the past couple of weeks, I've aquired two Olympia SM3s (one with a Qwertz keyboard, in excellent condition - although it has a tendency to smudge ink underneath the line that you're typing, wich I should look into - and one Qwerty, which was filthy and quite worn).
They both handle cardstock much better than the Hema / Olivetti and the Vendex / Erika I started out with.
You need to do some coaxing in the beginning, but if the postcards aren't too sturdy, it works ok.

However, they both have the Elite typeface, which is lovely of course, but I kind of wanted a sturdy machine with Pica, too....



So, today my gorgeous, beautiful, wonderful Adler Universal arrived!

Shopping for standards is a bit of a challenge if you don't drive - I was fully prepared to pick it up by train, but the woman selling it had to be in the area (-ish) anyway and she was kind enough to drop it off.

I love it!!
I had asked her for the dimensions, to make sure it would fit on a desk (or rather, the slightly lower table I use to type on), and it wasn't as gargantuan as I had feared.
Really, when it comes to desk real estate, it takes up less space than a compuer screen, keyboard and mouse together, or than a large laptop I think - it just has more bulk in the middle.

Although, of course, desktop computers and laptops don't have bits that move sideways and knock over things on your desk when you type...

It *is* heavy, perhaps 12 or 15 kilo or so?
But absolutely not too heavy to carry for a little while.


It was quite dirty, the keys would descent in graceful slow motion when you typed, so I've spent most of the day cleaning it up.
(PSA: if you use one of those cans that have a thin nozzle that you stick into the hole, make sure that you hold onto it when you spray! Otherwise it will disappear into the innards of your machine...)


There is a tiny bit of wear on the front,

I've recently started Postcrossing, and I would really like to use a typewriter to write on the cards.

Some of the thinner cards I've managed to get into a portable typewriter, and of course I could type on a large, white sticker of just a piece of paper, and glue that on the card.


Still: I would love to find a typewriter that is able to handle regular postcards!

Would any of the Standard machines be able to do that?


I can find several Olympia SG-3s for sale around here, at very reasonable prices - but unfortunately, for some reason they all seem to be wide carriage, or even super-wide carriage machines...

The idea of finding a place for any kind of Standard is rather daunting already, let alone a wide-carriage one!


There is also a Halda around that looks gorgeous, but I can't find much information about those.

Yesterday, I bought a Vendex V 1000 (which, if I'm not mistaken, is a re-branded Erika 42).

It had been in the attick for years; works perfectly, even the ribbon still had some life in it (although I did replace it), but there was some dust and general grime on it.

I've used compressed air to blow out as much as possible, and I've cleaned the shell and the keys with a very slightly damp cloth (moistened with water containing half a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid per liter).


But, to clean it more and to make typing more comfortable, I'd really like to get it off the bottom of the case....
Is that even possible?

The rim of the case bottom is in the way, so I can't really see much, but the machine seems to be pretty firmly bolted to it.
There are no buttons, levers or clips that I can find that release it.

Uwe wrote:

The answer to the question really depends on whether or not a person is a touch typist. If you hunt and peck or single-finger dab, it won't matter as much where the keys are located, but for a touch typist it can be a nightmare to relocate a single letter.
 
I learned to touch type on a QWERTY, but I do own a lot of QWERTZ keyboards and find it only takes a couple of minutes to make the switch from QWERTY. I would never hesitate to buy a machine with either layout.

On the other hand, I only have a couple of AZERTY models, and for good reason because I really can't use them. I suppose that with enough time and practice I could adapt to those at well, but it's not worth the effort to me; I'd rather pass on the AZERTY model and wait for a more familiar keyboard to come along.

 

Thank you!

Yes, I suspect Azerty would be a bit *too* different.