You are not logged in. Would you like to login or register?



01-8-2022 18:26:16  #1


Torpedo 18 Question...

This machine (on sale at Etsy) seems to be a Torpedo 18 from 1950 - 1952 or so.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1262484809/sale-remington-de-luxe-typewriter?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=torpedo+typewriter&ref=sc_gallery-1-6&pro=1&frs=1&plkey=d8b908c985a9e29a48c552c5dd57d703f2e58c9c%3A1262484809

Paint is probably a redo...

But is the decal on the paper table just a fantasy ?

Seller on Etsy from the Netherlands is stating Remington was making these, already, in 1952 or so, in the Netherlands.

I did not think that happened until the early part of the 1960's.

Anyone have any thoughts...?
.

 

 

03-8-2022 11:10:26  #2


Re: Torpedo 18 Question...

I'm not a Torpedo expert, but it all seems legit to me. Remington bought Torpedo in 1932, and since (I think) Torpedo went under in 1964, it's unlikely that was when the Remington brand first appeared on them. 

Torpedo model names and branding was changed for various markets. You'll find Torpedo typewriters with Bluebird, Harrod, Dynacord, Regent, and of course Remington badges; however, I recall having read that the Regent variant was actually assembled from parts by Imperial Typewriter (similar to what Commodore did). 

Given that this typewriter has a QWERTY keyboard and has a $ key, it makes sense that it would have been branded as a Remington. 

The photo is low-res, so it's difficult to comment on the paint. It's possible that it's been updated, but the colour is period-correct and not a typical choice of contemporary re-painters who often make discordant colour choices. I have a '47 Triumph Perfekt that is the exact same colour.


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

04-8-2022 07:17:04  #3


Re: Torpedo 18 Question...

Thanks Uwe...I had forgotten Remington came into Torpedo so early. 

When the seller stated it was made in the Netherlands, I concluded it was in the mid-1960's when the "Made in Holland" label shows up on the back of the Remington/Torpedo machines.

I wish the photos on the Etsy site were better to work with.  Would love to see a better close up of the decals on the paper tray to see if they have any signs of wear or peeling on the edges.

This seller has lots of re-paints offered on his Etsy store and even quiet a few in this "crandberry" color...so I was just surmising this machine, too, was a re-paint.  But they do state the paint on this machine is factory original...

     Thread Starter
 

04-8-2022 16:35:49  #4


Re: Torpedo 18 Question...

Pete E. wrote:

When the seller stated it was made in the Netherlands, I concluded it was in the mid-1960's when the "Made in Holland" label shows up on the back of the Remington/Torpedo machines.

I don't know the history of sticker use for Torpedo models, but I took a look at the listing for this typewriter and didn't notice a "Made in" sticker on the back of it. Actually, none of my Torpedo typewriters have a sticker there and I've always assumed they all came from the original factory near Frankfurt, Germany.

Pete E. wrote:

Would love to see a better close up of the decals on the paper tray to see if they have any signs of wear or peeling on the edges.



Is it a decal, or paint? From your first photo I thought it was the same type of metal badge used on Remington Riter models, but in the above photo looks like paint to me. 

Pete E. wrote:

...so I was just surmising this machine, too, was a re-paint.  But they do state the paint on this machine is factory original...

I like the colour, and I have a few German portables from the '40s-'50s that feature a rusty-red palette. The Optima Elite and Olympia SM below are two examples:


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

04-8-2022 18:15:29  #5


Re: Torpedo 18 Question...

Here are a few more of the Etsy seller's use of a cranberry color on other makes of typewriters :
.
makes of machines.
.
 

     Thread Starter
 

05-8-2022 10:25:54  #6


Re: Torpedo 18 Question...

Those are unfortunate paint jobs; the Tippa in particular is a real eyesore. And it makes one question the seller's claim that the Remington de Luxe paint is original. 

Looking at the Torpedo 18a models listed in the Database, I found two that had the rusty-red paint that I'm familiar with. One is an earlier model, and the other from the same period of the seller's machine. However, given the extreme effect camera settings can have on the appearance of a colour, I wouldn't want to conclude anything from these photos. The only thing it does prove is that Torpedo did produce machines with that colourway, unlike that horrendous looking Olympia SM-7.



If I was considering buying this typewriter, which I wouldn't because of its obscene price, I would research this model in greater detail. I don't know enough about Torpedo history and the claim that it was made in the Netherlands doesn't jive with what I recall reading. I am under the impression that Remington closed the factory in Germany ca. 1964, moved parts of it to the Netherlands, and then began producing the more common Remington portables there. Based on that I would then assume the Remington 18a variant was made in Germany.

At the very least I would throw the seller a number of questions in the hope that I'd learn something new about the Torpedo production history.


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

05-8-2022 10:48:17  #7


Re: Torpedo 18 Question...

The other idea I had about the stencil on the machine in the opening post...maybe the lettering was cut-out of white glossy vinyl with one of those "Cricut" cutting machines that take inputs from computer lettering programs and you can do all sorts of artistic things with sheets of vinyl (peel & stick kind).
 

     Thread Starter
 

08-8-2022 08:43:33  #8


Re: Torpedo 18 Question...

Hi Uwe,

Here are some "Made In" Torpedo 18b's.  I think lots of them were not Factory-labeled but some do loose a label with a repaint.
.

 

     Thread Starter
 

08-8-2022 08:53:59  #9


Re: Torpedo 18 Question...

And my 1964 Torpedo still made in West Germany got a marking, too :
.

     Thread Starter
 

08-8-2022 13:25:13  #10


Re: Torpedo 18 Question...

The branding on the back of your machine only reinforces my belief that the Etsy seller's claims are erroneous. The paint could very well be original, but I'd like to see his proof that it was made in the Netherlands.


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

Board footera

 

Powered by Boardhost. Create a Free Forum