Hi Steini, thanks for your reply. I am looking for a manual so I can understand the machine better; it seems to work well. I translated the section of the manual which explains what the various levers do but the manual refers to a couple of things which are not labelled on the diagram (although it says 'see diagram 1). I'll work it out . I'll post photos soon - mine looks quite similar to your 50's Commodore but I'm not convinced that I could rely on a Commodore manual (assuming I could find one). It was a great buy, well looked after until it was stored in 1980. I gave it a clean, new ribbon will be fitted soon (the old one is still useable), types very nicely and makes me want to type more - the only thing wrong is that the handle of the case has broken off. I have the handle but I doubt if a repair is worth carrying out. If I find another suitable handle then great, but I don't intend carrying the machine around with me .
I've read up on the history of the company and read reviews of the later KsT's - I'm thinking about putting in a bid for one later today. It's an early 1960's model; strangely enough my wife is quite happy to let me sink steadily deeper in typewriter porn. I keep having discussions with myself because I am very happy with the ones I have but then I see another one....... Thanks again for your advice.

steini wrote:

… I can tell you something, later versions of Rheinmetall KST typewriters were assembled in Canada and rebranded Commodore, they started assembling old models that Rheinmetall (and Consul?) had in Europe with stock parts. Commodore rebranded Rheinmetall KST

Is there any hard evidence for your claim that Commodore assembled typewriters from Rheinmetall parts?

Commodore had a long relationship with Consul, but I wasn't aware that the company built any Rheinmetall machines. Living in Toronto, where Commodore was based, I've never come across a single Rheinmetall-based model. I have around twenty Commodore models in my collection that were made between 1957 and the mid-'70s. The vast majority of those typewriters are Consul-based machines with a few that are rebranded Erika models.

The Commodore typewriter pictured in your link shows a Commodore name, but that's not necessarily a link to Commodore Canada. Commodore is a word used both in German and English, and the model in the photo looks to me like it was just given the name Commodore, perhaps because it was an export model.

If you look at the logo under the Commodore name you can see the Rheinmetall logo, and the wording on the keyboard frame indicates it's a Rheinmetall. The typeface that was used for the Commodore name is not the same as any of the several typefaces that were used by Commodore in Toronto.

If Commodore had produced that typewriter from parts, why would it have not used its own logo and typeface? And why would it still state Rheinmetall on the front of the machine? None of it makes any sense (to me at least). All of the Consul-sourced machines Commodore sold featured its own typeface and logo, not Consul's.

I hope you, or anyone for that matter, can shed some light on this as I've always been intrigued by the Commodore brand and this would be something completely new to me.

 

Yes, but many manufacturers also changed the names of machines to make them more palatable in some markets. It's also known that some import/distribution companies had machines rebadged for their markets. Along those lines it's noteworthy that the "Commodore" Rheinmetall seems to pop up most often in Australia. 

I'm out of here for this topic. Thanks for the advice regarding a manual.