Typewriter Talk / new to the forum

**Posted by brian** 28-7-2013 06:19:41

Hi all,
I've just recently started collecting manual typewriters. I have four in my collection so far. I don't really know the value of any of them, but I love finding such a cool machine at a yard sale for two dollars. I've been buying non-functioning IBM selectrics for a few years now, and taking them apart. i reassemble the pieces into sculpture. The amount of engineering that must have went into making these is unbelievable. it takes me a good 6 hours to fully deconstruct one. hopefully this isn't against typist code, but like i said they weren't working anyway. This is my most recent piece.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.494156193990642.1073741829.405695276170068&type=3

Last edited by brian (28-7-2013 07:08:16)

**Posted by tatte** 28-7-2013 07:17:43

Your art is wonderful, although I can't help but feel sad for the typewriters anyway. Especially if you demolished what appeared to be an old Underwood desktop typewriter. I suppose this'd be the case anyway, whatever you convert into (really cool) art, there will always be collectors who aren't happy about it.

If you take apart typewriters like that Underwood and don't happen to use the keys, I'd suggest selling them forward. I don't know where the jewelry etc makers mostly get their keys but every possibly avoided death of a typewriter is a precious victory.

Do you focus in the non-functioning ones or do you have an actual collection of functioning typewriters that are not in the line of becoming sculptures?

Last edited by tatte (28-7-2013 07:18:28)

**Posted by brian** 28-7-2013 07:32:34

i didn't take apart the underwood. the only ones i take apart are the IBM. there is a typewriter repair shop locally that sells them to me for $10 each. the underwood was to cool to destroy. they don't really have alot of parts in them. there are thousands in the IBM. the guy i get them from has a warehouse full of broken machines.

**Posted by brian** 28-7-2013 07:34:43

and thanks for the compliment! it's kind of an obsession. it isn't fun taking them apart, but reconstruction is tons of fun.

**Posted by Shangas** 28-7-2013 08:11:32

If you are going to pull apart typewriters, please use those which are non-functioning and broken. Functional typewriters are increasingly hard to find. Having them disassembled for no good reason only makes them harder to find and the prices are already super high.

**Posted by brian** 28-7-2013 09:08:28

only non-functioning typwriters are taken apart, and it's a good enough reason for me. he was going to take them to the scrap yard.

**Posted by Uwe** 28-7-2013 13:47:47

Manual or electric, machines that are so-called non-functioning are still of high value to collectors as the parts within those machines are no longer available, and ultimately they will be required to keep the constantly diminishing ranks of functioning machines working. After all, typewriters are a finite commodity.

And what is a non-functioning machine exactly? I've bought quite a few typers that were described as broken, non-working, seized, or in as-is condition, and more often than not, they only required a minor repair or a little basic maintenance to restore them to full functionality. How many typewriters that are destroyed using the justification that they weren't working could have been easily repaired and put back into circulation?

Keychoppers (http://thehackjob.blogspot.ca/2013/05/dont-feed-keychopper.html) are beyond contempt. They covet older, more desirable machines, drive their prices up, and in the end completely destroy them just to fabricate a few trinkets. Worst of all, they can't be bothered to make the usable parts of the machines they've ruined available to those who need them.

Given the number of full key sets I've seen available for sale of late, it looks like the supply of chopped keys has outstripped the demand for key-based junk jewellery. The only hope for collectors, or anyone interested in preserving history, is that this is an early sign that the trend is finally waning.

**Posted by brian** 28-7-2013 16:17:15

all the IBM selectrics i take apart have all been stripped of the most commonly needed parts. i didn't want to piss anyone off. i just thought you all would appreciate the fact that i was reusing something that was otherwise going to become paper clips. i bring typewriters with me to every show for suggestions, and the amount of people that stop to type on them is high. if anything i'm raising awarness for the awesomness of the typewriter. i would be happy to pick a couple IBMs up for anyone that wants one. they cost me ten bucks.

**Posted by Shangas** 28-7-2013 17:27:48

Some busted typewriters are purchased as-is, for decorative purposes. There's an old Remington 16 at a stationery shop in town. It looked like it fell out of a ten-storey window and smashed to pieces in the middle of the street - the case is all bent and banged out of shape. Something like that is almost certainly unsalvagable.

Y'know it occurs to me - Why don't keychoppers simply make their own keys? It's just glass, paper, steel and chrome in tiny little circles. How hard is that to make?

Last edited by Shangas (28-7-2013 17:28:37)

**Posted by ProfessorC30** 30-7-2013 21:28:54

Brian,
The art you are making from the old Selectrics is very cool. I don't know what the other people are fussing about. You aren't destroying a rare or old typewriter. I'm a Selectric collector/hobbyist and even though I use, repair and admire IBM's engineering, I think that recycling these non-working machines is better than seeing them go to the dump.

By IBM's own numbers, over 13,000,000 (thirteen MILLION) Selectrics were made. Disassembling a few for artistic purposes won't really have an impact on the availability of parts machines. There are still many millions out there.

BTW, there are over 2,800 parts in every Selectric, so one machine will provide lots of parts to work with.

Last edited by ProfessorC30 (30-7-2013 21:30:12)