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My blood is continually boiled by the evil concept of key-chopping. When I was researching my rusty keytop issue, I came across an inexpensive way for chopper needing keys for their stupid cufflinks (or whatever) to get something good enough without destroying a possible fully functional typewriter.
For a lousy $6, one could get 16 keys:
Tim Holtz Idea-Ology Typewriter Keys
Do they not know this?
One typewriter fan here on this forum has used these to replace actual keys that were chopped.
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Scabs the Keychopper is every freakin'-where--like flies when you're trying to eat. Not only is he destructive, he is dumb.
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I once saw someone selling rings with typewriter keys mounted on at an ethical market. Oh, the delicious irony. Sometimes, people don't realize how irreplaceable each machine is.
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Someone remarked to me that nobody would part out an antique unless the parts were worth more than the whole. So I look at the gradual upward trend of typewriter prices with mixed emotions: fewer "Look at the beauty I got for almost nothing!" moments, but fewer machines destroyed for "repurposing".
Even then there will probably be some market segment that believes that only genuine typewriter key jewelry are aphrodisiacs.
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I've mentioned it before, but the world of vintage fountain pens suffers from morons in the same way.
Idiot not knowing how to mend a rare vintage pen (which often requires no more than internal cleaning) assumes it is therefore as disposable as a Biro and wrenches off the nib to sell for a few dollars of scrap gold.
The cleaned pen, possibly with a new ink sack costing $5 which you can get easily, often worth many hundreds of dollars - and occasionally thousands!
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Im sure many of us remember that horrible youtube video, and the guy explained after he chopped the keys off, HE SOLD THE REST FOR SCRAP!!!!!
RIP 1 Royal #10 and 1 Royal KMG