Well, I decided to look into the one that was "in the basement" in my post above.  I called the lady and she indicated that she would have to look for it; her late husband collected "junk" and one of her sons would have to help find it.  I was thinking that perhaps it might have been one that she used to type up the programs at church when she was secretary there.  I'll have to wait until they find it and contact me.

Ampelmann wrote:

ztyper wrote:

If I don't get at least a typewriter a month, I start going through withdrawal... 

Only problem is, I can't seem to get rid on the ones I don't want, so they just keep coming in!

Yes!  That always seems to be the problem.  Once a typewriter washes up, it never seems to leave.  I always find that I'm reassuring myself that 'Oh, X typewriter needs to stay because of reason Y' even if that wasn't the original plan...

I'm fairly certain that part of it is due to me seeing myself as a curator in some way of these tiny metal pieces of the past - if I get rid of a machine, it's hard to know what sort of life it's being sentenced to.  But if I keep it, I can be certain it will live a happy and useful and cared for life.  Geez, it's a good thing I don't do this with kittens or something, else I'd really be in a spot!

I've got a whole garage FILLED with typewriters.  They breed like rabbits.  I've sold a few, and even scrapped a few carcasses after I've robbed all their parts.  They still keep-a-comin'.  Not as fast as before, but they still keep-a-comin'.  You know, it's been my dream to have an office machine museum somewhere.  I think more people now would be interested.
 

JanetLand wrote:

It's these damn Royal Model Ps -- I can't stop buying them!

I have the same problem with Royal HH machines and Underwood 150s.
 

TypewriterKing wrote:

ztyper wrote:

Hey I've had plenty of dreams about typewriters. I've also have had dreams about school, Palestine, Gandhi, large rats, driving cars without a license, and shooting myself in the foot, so that's a sign of something? Right?

Yeah, sounds like you might want to go easy on the pizza and soda after 6pm.
 

Repartee wrote:

Ampelmann wrote:

An office machine museum would be neat if you could ever get one going.  It's not like there would be a shortage of stock.  Given the right location and proper support, I think it would be successful.  I agree that there's probably more interest in this sort of thing now then there's ever really been before.

If the London Science Museum still has that major collection of British rocks on the second floor they may have an opportunity to create a more popular gallery!

The problem with museum pieces for me is that they are ... museum pieces. You can't write on them.

Maybe it needs to be a different sort of museum.  It could be one where instead of extremely rare pieces NOBODY touches, it could have not-so-valuable ones that EVERYBODY tries out and gets to have fun with.  Maybe some typewriters there's still plenty of for spare parts for after people try them out.  I would use a lot of Royals, Underwoods, Remingtons, and Smith-Coronas, since here in Central Texas, those are the majority brands.  Oh yes, a few Olympias sprinkled around since I do have a number of spares for them as well.  And those things are robust of construction too. 

They once had something out at Baylor University's Mayborn museum where they had typewriters for people to try.  I may start there to see if they need their machines repaired, or even if they need some additional typewriters.  I think it would be educational for people to know what a manual and/or a straight electric (no electronics except the motor) typewriter feels like.  Ahh, the days before the internet came along.