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22-2-2019 17:47:05  #1


Been through the valley of...

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span.s1 {font-kerning: none}I found “the one.”  The typewriter that brought to an end this affliction of collecting, of gathering.   The one typewriter that showed me that all typewriters are not “paragons of machine.”   This was a 1935 Smith Corona Standard, a “flat top,” and it worked… but also, it didn’t work:  I could type a shopping list, sure, but it would not convey my quick musings; would balk at my demands to put ink to thoughts.   I no longer think in terms of “how many,” but rather I consider only “which can serve.”

30 machines:  Once this seemed barely calming; now I begin to wonder where I might find homes for many of them!
 

 

23-2-2019 12:52:15  #2


Re: Been through the valley of...

Greetings Fragpie

Although I don't understand exactly what you are saying and had to consult my trusted college dictionary to find the true meaning of "paragon" or "paragons of", it sounds to me like you may have had a bit of a paradigm shift after having become upset at one or more of your machines.

Here is where I as a mechanic, am able to look at almost anything mechanical knowing it was built by human hands, so will inherently have flaws in the design, be they major or minor and usually work with them. By your description and explanation, you are working with 83 year old technology which may or may not have been properly serviced. Although I have a few flat-top Smith-Coronas, I haven't serviced or used any of them yet, but in general reading about them, I gather their type action is not a quick as the Smith-Corona Speedline series of typewriters.

I think you will find the general consensus of the typewriter community is to collect or keep the machines that best suit you needs or preferences. It sounds to me that you are more of a user than a collector, so it would make sense for you to have machines that perform properly, are reliable and suit your typing style. When I'm typing on my 1936 Imperial Good Companion, I think of the time period between the two World Wars when people were not in a hurry and had time to think, so type accordingly. One simply can't hurry an old machine like that. On the other hand, my Smith-Corona Secretarial-88 can accept commands faster than I can input them.

Please keep us updated on your thoughts and feelings about your collection. We're all part of a community and like to help each other in any way that we can. All the best,

Sky


We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
 

02-3-2019 22:58:45  #3


Re: Been through the valley of...

Honestly, I'm not even sure exactly what the hell I was on about there... the typewriter's been drinking; not me!

I think that the standard felt new enough that I had expectations!  My Corona 4 needs a slower pace but feels right that way...  Anyway, the flat-top is cleaned up, linkages straightened and reattached (I think someone stuck this typewriter on the end of a pike, once?), and can come out to play once in a while.  My two '46 SC speedlines dominate my typing time, especially with their new platens!  (It is interesting how different those two feel, despite being the same make/model.)

I'm thankful for the wealth of knowledge here-- cheers!

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