Greetings All

Since being bitten with the typewriter bug, I've written or typed more letters to friends and family than ever before in my life (except maybe when I was dating my wife to be in my collage years). My father-in-law gifted me with his late wife's 1969 Hermes 3000, so I make a point of typing him 3 or 4 letters a year. I use my 1961 (same year I was built) SCM Smith-Corona Skyriter for taking notes at our monthly Fish and Game Association meetings. I'm the club secretary and typing is just a lot quicker and more legible than my hand writing. All the best,

Sky

Hi Selous

Haven't been here for a while, things have been a little crazy as of late, it's the peak of my busy season, however, I'll try to give you a reasonable answer from my point of view. By the content of your post, I'm going to assume you are in England so I will write my post accordingly. Indeed, the Silver Reed travel typewriters are great little units for their era. The W.H. Smith Grey Fox was a Silver Reed as was the Boots PT-400 along with the Royal Signet from the 1970's. Speaking of the 1970's, do you remember what happened to the British currency in 1971? We went from £/s/d tp £•p or to the decimal system. The catch word of the year was "Decimalization" The •D key as I understand it is the decimal key so currence could be written correctly.

Over here in North America, the period or full stop has been used to devide dollars and cents for years, as in: draft beer $4.75 a glass. Prior to 1971 England, a bottle of wine for example would have sold for £5/10/6, (five pounds, ten shillings and sixpence). After 1971, that same price would have been written £5•52½p (five pounds, fifty two and a half new pence). The ½p piece was since discontinued around the time I left England and came to Canada.

 As for what I call the fine fractions (1/8, 3/8, 5/8 & 7/8), the closest I have ever come to any sort of explanation is so those who were interested, could use their typewriter to record the value of stocks and shares. When it comes to the 1/3 and 2/3 fractions, I've got nothing.

One totally random thought just entered my mind, in horse racing, the field was measured out in furlongs or 1/8 miles, who knows? Anyhow, all the best,

Sky

Greetings and Salutations

A couple of years ago, I picked up an IBM Selectric II that was pretty well gummed up with old oil. My wife had said in passing that she wished she would have kept her selectric from the 1980's. I had this one completely serviced at Brentwood Business Systems in Calgary as my Christmas present to my wife. The machine now runs slick and smooth and my wife couldn't stop giggling the first time she typed on it.

Anyhow, I just bought a job lot 15 of assorted elements from eBay. Out of 15 elements, one doesn't fit properly and one has a broken tab. The one that doesn't fit isn't an issue as there were two of that typeface. However, the one with the broken tab is kind of unique as it's Symbol 10. Is it possible to replace a broken tab or the whole cap assembly on one of these elements? Thanks and all the best,

Sky

Hi iMe

Just reading your post on electronic typewriters, I feel that anything up to but not including a dot matrix printer is a typewriter. If you have to change a type element (be that a ball or a wheel) to get a different font, it's a typewriter. I have an Olivetti ET-personal-55 wheel-writer (search Google for images) that I never use. Picked it up at a yard sale for next to nothing so if it can find a new home for the cost of shipping, all the better. PM me if this interests you. All the best,

Sky

Greetings

Here's a thought, find someone who has a laser or water jet cutter and see if they would be able to scan the tab clip then cut from something like a used hacksaw blade or band saw blade of the correct thickness.

?Sky