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06-4-2016 08:50:29  #1


I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

Not sure if here is the right place for this thread, but...



I've just bought a brailler.

I can't read braille, but the machine seemed interesting and the asking price reasonable, so I took a punt. I'm curious to know more – I believe it's an Improved Stainsby-Wayne Braille-Writer, but beyond that, I'm clueless.

A Google search gave very little insight, and its previous owner knows nothing. Can anyone tell me when it was made, how to correctly use it, and roughly how much these things are worth, given its current condition (working, with surface wear)? Not planning to sell it, I'd rather like to know whether I won a bargain or lost a gamble.



There appears to be several serial numbers, one for each component. The main mechanism says "Mk 3" on it, along with a number that reads "G.6814". The metal slate says "A Product of V.L. Martin & Co. Ltd Southall Middx", "For the Royal National Institute for the Blind, London W.L.", and "No M 2833". The paper holder has "I.S.4914" engraved on it.

It was bought in Australia, bundled with over a dozen braille guides that were all dated in the 1960s, plus a copy of "Strong Poison", a detective novel by Dorothy L. Sayers, embossed in Moon Type and which seems to be from the 1930s or so.

It also came with a folding wooden base that looks like it belongs to a different version of the brailler, because the typing mechanism doesn't fit on it. The serial number on the wooden base is "I.S.4884".



Has anyone used one of these before? Absolutely any information you can give me would be well appreciated! Thanks.

 

06-4-2016 12:05:31  #2


Re: I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

I can only comment on its value. Given there are fewer collectors interested in such machines, it probably doesn't have much value in that realm. On the other hand braille typewriters are still being manufactured and sold, so for someone who would want one for practical reasons, it might be worth a few dollars. New braille machines start in the $700 USD range and I've seen some models triple that price, so it would depend on how easy your machine is to use. Can you type quickly and produce copy efficiently, or is its operation cumbersome? 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

06-4-2016 12:30:58  #3


Re: I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

Thanks Uwe. To answer your question: to use this machine is completely and undeniably infuriating.

Of course, I'm being flippant, and I'm sure its competition isn't perfect. But having typed a page of nonsense on it, I have the following observations: not only does one have to lift the entire mechanism off the base and preposition it for each new line (see photo below), but it writes in an inverse operation i.e. right-to-left, and the position of the hands when using the keys is awkward and uncomfortable (as in this YouTube video I just found at around 1:45).

I know little about braille writing, but my understanding is modern braillers have by-and-large overcome these obstacles.



I guess this doesn't bode well for your valuation!

     Thread Starter
 

06-4-2016 14:36:44  #4


Re: I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

tojeem wrote:

...to use this machine is completely and undeniably infuriating. ...and I'm sure its competition isn't perfect.

Well, this is what a brand new $775 brailler looks like. Apparently it can "emboss 25 lines with 42 cells on an 11” x 8 ½ “ sheet of paper," and its manufacturer claims that its "straightforward, easy to use, and with fewer errors compared with using a slate and stylus."

Then there's this $2,200 model that looks like it was lifted off the set of the Jetsons:


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

06-4-2016 16:59:51  #5


Re: I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

This is one kind of typeweriter I would not try to put in my collection, not that I am against braillers, but if I had one, I would be denying someone who really needs one the use of one.  I would end up giving it to the first blind person I see straight away.


Underwood--Speeds the World's Bidness
 

06-4-2016 17:35:43  #6


Re: I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

There might be a difference - and I'm only speculating because I don't know anything about the subject -between braille typewriters meant for a sighted person to create a braille version of a document, and a braille typewriter that can be used by a blind person. 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

06-4-2016 17:59:22  #7


Re: I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

I would be willing to have one of those a sighted person can use to type braille material for a blind person to read--if I were using it to help a blind person.  However, I would need to brush up on my typing because there really isn't a way to correct mistakes and typos with something that writes in texture instead of print.  I would be willing to try if I had an opportunity to do someone some good, though.


Underwood--Speeds the World's Bidness
 

06-4-2016 22:35:36  #8


Re: I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

You're right, and this opens up a moral can of worms.

I must admit, I did have second thoughts before buying it. But I figured, because it's an obsolete design and hard to use, whether anyone would want it for practical purposes is questionable. Unfortunately the lack of information around means it's a grey area.

I'd be interested to hear others' opinions on this. Mostly because I'm feeling guilty about it, but also from an historical perspective - I want to know its place in today's world. And if people are still using this model, then there's no doubt it should be in more capable hands than mine.

     Thread Starter
 

06-4-2016 23:03:11  #9


Re: I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

I am not saying that collectors shouldn't own these instruments.  They have computers now that even the blind can use to communicate with.  I guess I'm a little behind the times, eh?  Well, anyway, if I should get a brailler or a braille typewriter, I would surely let someone who is blind use it free of charge.  I would also help them with it as best I could.  


Underwood--Speeds the World's Bidness
 

07-4-2016 12:13:19  #10


Re: I've just bought one-and-a-half braille writers and a detective novel

tojeem wrote:

I'd be interested to hear others' opinions on this. Mostly because I'm feeling guilty about it,

I think your reasoning is sound. It's obviously an older design, and unlike mechanical typewriters, new machines are still being manufactured and are readily available. You should enjoy it without a hint of guilt, and at the very least, you're a worthy custodian of a piece of history. Maybe the next owner will have a more practical use for it, but at least there will be a next owner: Do you know how many of these were probably tossed in the garbage by someone who either didn't know what it was, or didn't care what it was used for?


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

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