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Type Talk » One for the Experts (and Everyone else, too) » 04-7-2017 12:00:10

Javi
Replies: 31

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Uwe wrote:

I can think of one collector in particular who has shelves full of typewriters that I have never seen in person before and aren't common in the database - and yet neither of us would describe them as being rare

​My point is that there are far more typewriters that still exist in the world that don't have an internet presence than those that do have one. It's one thing to claim rarity when the actual history of a model along with concrete production numbers is known, but to call something rare just because you've never encountered it before is inaccurate and unnecessarily misleading. 

I must say I´m a bit guilty of that. It´s a bit of being lost in translation, but I may have used the word "rare" a bit freely when what I mean is that a typewriter is not frequent.

For example, a GSA 300 T isn´t as common as an Olivetti Lettera 32. In fact, you´d find way more Smith Premier 10´s than GSA´s anywhere, or waaay more Mignons. Is it rare? For sure it isn´t in the sense that it´s been mass produced in Korea (for a brief period of time), and in addition it´s a so-so machine. But it isn´t frequent, and even if it´s nothing to write home about it´s nice to bump into something that´s not yet another Travel Riter. What I´m not implying is that the GSA or any other non widespread typewriter is rare as in "this 1st model of Crandall is ridiculously rare". Again, the term "raro" in Spanish doesn´t always mean unique.

But yes, If I´d been given a cent each time I´ve seen an Underwood 5 listed as "RARE UNIQUE TYPEWRITER OMG IT´S SO RARE I CAN´T SELL IT ON MY OWN AND I NEED A TWIN BROTHER TO SHARE THE STRESS" I´d be rich. And let´s not talk about the colored Plumas 22. Why the pink one is so expensive? It´s not frequent, right, but 200€? The ivory one is relatively common, but now it´s experiencing a slight skyrocketing because some responsible and informed seller has decided it must be as ridiculously expensive as the pink on

Type Talk » One for the Experts (and Everyone else, too) » 04-7-2017 06:58:26

Javi
Replies: 31

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I think there´s a critical question which MUST be asked both by sellers and buyers:

Does this thing work?

Sounds obvious, but so many times either the seller doesn´t tell or the buyer doesn´t ask (or both). I know things are worth what people are willing to pay for them, and I know everyone is free to put any price tag on anything, but... But. A big but.

Condition defines a good part of the price of a typewriter, and I honestly think there are some lines which roughly define what´s right and wrong when pricing typewriters. If it doesn´t work don´t pretend it´s worth as much as a working one, period. I know I´m not the one to tell anyone how much they should sell a typewriter at or how much you should pay for it, and I´m no authority on the matter. But I´ve seen... things. Unspeakable, disgusting and ludicrous at the same time, and these are usually avoided using your common sense, but not always.

And then there comes something which is even more important than the price tag: telling the truth.

This mainly goes to the seller, and you can´t argue with this one. If you say it works, then it HAS to work. Sometimes the seller honestly thinks it works and then reality is that it doesn´t work at 100%, but ignorance is not the same as a flat-out lie. I see hordes of typewriters in which the only means to assess it is a photo taken with a toaster and no condition is specified. Try asking the seller and see what happens... Most of times there´s no answer, but when a reputed seller says the typewriter works you may be inclined to believe it because there are hundreds of people who say "you can trust this guy". It doesn´t always work, though.

Conclussion: always ask if it works. Then, common sense will help you decide.

Type Talk » Recent Acquisitions Thread » 29-6-2017 11:35:49

Javi
Replies: 2008

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Yes,10 and 12 CPI are the most common sizes, but you can find wildly diferent pitches. I´d say 10 is the most common by far, and 11... I should check. TBH, this is something I´ve never paid the attention it deserves because at first I was totally lost with sizes and typefaces and Pica and Elite and Congress (note the mess) and whatnot, mixing all of them and confusing myself even further.

There´s a nice thread here about that: Sizes

Besides, there´s another thread which has great potential: Typefaces and languages

Fonts and sizes, and if you throw every typewriter´s particularities into the mix you have... a really big mix. No witch has a caludron big enough for sooo many interesting things. This weekend I´ll be on holiday, but next week I´ll look for any potential 11 CPI typewriter at home, or at least something out of the 10 -12 realm.


 

Type Talk » Recent Acquisitions Thread » 29-6-2017 09:41:05

Javi
Replies: 2008

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Wow. You´ve found a little oddity!
Compared to the Montana, what differences can you find? It´s a bit hard to compare those, because Hebrew typewriters work the other way round, but at least the main features can still be compared.

Type Talk » Recent Acquisitions Thread » 27-6-2017 12:41:54

Javi
Replies: 2008

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Good finds! Those two are remarkably scarce in Spain. I can´t fathom why there are no QDL´s here, or at least not as many as in the USA where they seem to be really common. There are other Royal models around here, but for some reason, not the classic QDL.

As for the Montana... The brand is a bit confusing, because it´s a typewriter made by SIM, who took the Hermes Baby design and then marketed it as Montana. 3 different brands in 1! SIMs, Montanas or any other brand or model by that manufacturer is rare as well in Spain. I´ve seen some SIMs which look a bit like a Klein Conti, but no Montanas at all.

Typewriter Paraphernalia » Canned air alternative » 25-6-2017 14:41:19

Javi
Replies: 6

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I use an "stolen" air compressor. Got it from my father's farm, rescuing it from a shed where it saw no use at all. 2 hp and 50 litres is excessive for typewriters, but with a good nozzle you can regulate the flow and blow new life into a dirty machine.

Canned air is ultra expensive here, provided you can find it (which is hard), so it's never been an option.

Typewriters - Private Sellers Only » WTB: Hermes Rocket/Baby or similar sized portable (BOUGHT) » 21-6-2017 08:48:41

Javi
Replies: 12

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schyllerwade wrote:

Javi-
Regarding workload, that's a good bit of information thanks for throwing that out there. Can you expand I. That a little more though? I mean, in what ways the one is better than the other for heavy usage? Specifically kolibri/gossen
I think at this point I'm leaning away from the rocket/baby haha, unless I happen upon one by chance

Regarding workload, I see it as a coin with two sides. One is how the typewriter deals with pages and pages of continuous typing and the other one is what you experience when typing.

Such small portables (sometimes they´re even called ultra-portables) aren´t designed to endure as much punishment as a standard sized machine, but that´s no excuse to make flimsy or unreliable typewiters. After giving a typewriter a hard day of work, if it feels like it´s going to fall apart or it consistently fails (that is, something doesn´t work right, like skipping, typebars jam or any other malfunction that doesn´t involve the machine needing repairs) then you have a typewritewr which can´t handle heavy workloads. Say hello, over-famous Corona 3!

Of course those are the extremes of what can happen, but as you type you can get hints of something going not quite right inside the machine. The more you use a certain typewriter, the more you get to know its peculiarities so you can better assess how well is it working for you, and that´s the other part: your experience. If the typewriter is forcing you to be worried about it more than about what you´re typing, or if the touch is uncomfortable, or... well, pretty much anything that you perceive that´s nagging and is not your fault, then maybe you´re asking the typewriter too much or the typewriter offers too little.

Now the hard part is finding a balance between all of that, because apart from "objective" features (note the quotes), there´s much, A LOT of personal preference when choosing a typewriter.

The Groma Kolibri is a positively well engineered typewrite

Typewriters - Private Sellers Only » WTB: Hermes Rocket/Baby or similar sized portable (BOUGHT) » 20-6-2017 16:36:59

Javi
Replies: 12

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My order of preference with these models is Groma Kolibri, Gossen Tippa, Hermes Rocket and then the Skyriter which is the only one I've never tried.

The Kolibri better endures "heavy" workloads than the Gossen Tippa, and the Hermes... Well, I guess I've had pretty bad luck with all Hermes in general. After 6 of them, they seem to be crystal cannons. Outstanding performance providing they're alright because they're so fragile, at least compared to most other serious competitors.

Type Talk » What typewriter are you using currently? » 20-6-2017 16:22:49

Javi
Replies: 37

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They' re German. From Dresden, in fact. They still produced typewriters for a few years after WW2, and they went from offering really beautiful machines with large and colorful decals which represented the world to dark, almost featureless monsters which are pretty unique. Wartime machines are notorious for their lack of superfluous features, such as decoration and even functions. Can' t remember exactly which one, but there was a DM (or was it a Juwell?) without backspacer.

Type Talk » What typewriter are you using currently? » 19-6-2017 16:55:25

Javi
Replies: 37

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Now an Urania 8 sits on the desk.

A beast, and a gloomy one. Strong lines, weird black paint which is not really black, missing bell, quite silent, types flawlessly after being brought back to life from a state of broken carriage rails... Not a funny machine like a colorful Olympia Traveller de Luxe, not a serious one like a Torpedo 20, but a dark one.

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