TypewriterKing wrote:

It looks to me like it is a KMC, but the top looks like it came off of a Super-Riter.
 

There was a transition model between the KMC and Super-Riter that was only in production for a few years, I think between '50 and '53, and this destroyed machine looks to have been an example of one. The ribbon cover no longer had the bottom extruded lip that late '40s KMC models had, but it wasn't the same shape as those used on the Super-Riter (later Super-Riter models had a chrome strip on the bottom lip of their ribbon covers). 

I've seen some sources refer to these as the "EJ model" to make a clear distinction between them and the KMC, but I'm not convinced that's an accurate model name given the 'E' in a Remington prefix usually designates machines that were made in England. It is possible these standards were only made in England (which would explain why I've never seen one in my area), and were end-of-line machines being manufactured and sold until the factory switched over to Super-Riter production.

Regardless, the bottom line is it makes the destruction of this typewriter all the worse. They didn't needlessly crush a standard KMC or a Super-Riter, but one that relatively rare when compared to those two models. 

The accent sounded Finnish to me. Would it be more likely that a English Remington would end up in Finland versus one made elsewhere? Probably, but in terms of identifying a model it's really nothing more than circumstantial evidence.

ztyper wrote:

Someone in school showed this to me, and I nearly knocked the lights clear out of them. But I have to admit, some part of me enjoyed this because sometimes I just wanted to crush my Remington KMC too. To be honest, I would prefer this, over someone cutting off the keys, and throwing away the rest. Because either way, the machine would be rendered useless to us, and at least with this, it's "for the pursuit of science" or some made up reason like that. (though it just mostly makes me sad... Rest in Many Pieces 194X Remington KMC   We are thankful for many years of unwavering, faithful service. )

Yes, for the pursuit of science. There is a technique for examining the inner structure of an ants' nest by casting it in metal. Molten bronze or similar is poured into the top and enters all the tiny little corridors and solidifies. The whole things is dug out of the ground and the dirt carefully brushed away to reveal the structure of the nest. Naturally this destroys the ants, and in the video I saw the practitioner mentioned not making the decision to sacrifice the ants lightly. Personally, I think the whole thing is just a 12 year old's idea of a really cool science project which somehow survived into the mind of an adult able to assemble the resources to fulfill his childhood fantasy.

Crushing a typewriter is certainly less heinous than key-chopping - as you point out the entire typewriter is definitely destroyed rather than leaving a mutilated carcass, which seems more respectful the same way destroying a US flag completely by burning is more respectful that cutting out the stars and sewing them on clothing as decorations. And it is hardly likely to grow into a fad where hundreds or thousands of machines are destroyed.

I am still sad about the nice Royal 10 I saw on eBay which appeared about a week later as the keys only. 

We typewriter connoiseurs feel bad when a typewriter is being abused because an extension of who we are and what we are about is being abused at the same time--much like the TV connoiseur feels the roundhouse kick "in pure Chuck Norris-esque fashion."  Keychoppers exist because they believe (or know) there is a market for the keys they harvest, and it is a relatively fast way to make a few bucks.  This is done strictly for profit, no matter how nice or not so nice the keys are.  As for the video, it is vandalism in a sense, in that it affects the sensibilities and sensitivities of the typewriter collector.  But the ones crushing the typewriter after all are the final owners of said typewriter, so they decided they would make a public statement with it.  They do not understand where we come from--only what we can get in the here and now.

Something I see in typewriters (and maybe I´m nuts) is that they establish a bond between the machine itself and the owner. Maybe office typewriters are mere tools, but home typewriters are not disposable like plastic cutlery. You use them for years, and sometimes they are even inherited. Some of my typewriters are not "mine", I just store them. They belong to the people who have used it for decades and even if they have decided to sell them, the previous owners have left part of themselves on these machines. I even have a typewriter which has been used to write a poetry book, and IMVHO that gives that machine its own entity.

I want to think this is not that nonsensical. Some people stick to a watch for many years, and they´re more than just a trinket to know what time is it. Typewriters are writing junk, yes, but I bet they´re not the same as a gas meter, no matter how useful it is.