Typewriter Talk / Backing sheets

**Posted by Uwe** 13-4-2016 16:26:16

KatLondon wrote:
I think 'mil' must be only in the US, everywhere else is more or less metric and unfortunately, 'mil' is how most people pronounce mm!

We use "mil" sizing in Canada too even though we switched over to the metric system in the '70s. It's all about context: Anyone discussing sheeting or rolled materials knows that when someone gives a thickness measurement in mils that it's in thousands of an inch. Conversely, if someone is talking about the length of something and states a mil size it's understood that it's in millimeters.

**Posted by colrehogan** 13-4-2016 19:29:49

I have had to use pints, quarts and fluid ounces at work in the last 10 years and I thought it was a pain after learning metric for chemistry.

**Posted by Spazmelda** 14-4-2016 04:48:33

colrehogan wrote:
I have had to use pints, quarts and fluid ounces at work in the last 10 years and I thought it was a pain after learning metric for chemistry.

Ah... I can guess why.

That would be so strange to me. When I was in the lab I worked with volumes in the μl to ml range, sometimes down to nl, and i don't even know how you'd do calculations with those in imperial. It would be bizarre. I used molar as well (moles per liter) and how would you do that in imperial? I'm sure there is a way, but I don't know what it would be.

**Posted by KatLondon** 14-4-2016 05:53:18

Spazmelda we were taught metric when I was 12 - the siren call of the future - my 6th grade teacher was a very global-thinking woman who also used to read us letters from her pen pal in the USSR. I never used it till I came to the UK, and even here they have got a few pockets of imperial measurements left hanging on!

Anyway, I am on eBay UK, looking for mylar sheets. It seems that over here their thickness is measured in microns!! Dear God. Apparently anyway 125 microns = 4.9 mil. So I guess I go with that one; it's still about as thick as 1.5 sheets of paper and no doubt more durable.

**Posted by Spazmelda** 14-4-2016 06:19:37

That sounds right. Hope you like them!

So, right. You guys do have some weird measurements still in common use. Stone comes to mind.

**Posted by KatLondon** 14-4-2016 06:45:31

Aw, who could live without a word for fourteen pounds?

**Posted by JoeV** 14-4-2016 09:56:50

All I know is I'd rather have a liter of beer than a quart of beer.

~Joe

**Posted by KatLondon** 17-4-2016 06:30:22

Okay so all I could get locally was clear acetate; I bought a sheet for 50p. It works better than a sheet of paper, but I'm guessing it has less give in it; it clearly shows the letter impressions in it after typing. At the same time I ordered a pack of five mylar sheets online, and will report back with a comparison when they arrive - which should be tomorrow or the next day.

**Posted by Repartee** 17-4-2016 07:18:17

Neat discussion.

As for backing sheets I simply use another sheet of the same paper, which lasts for maybe 3-5 sheets of typing, which increases my paper cost by 25%. I can live with that - office paper is cheap. I tried some 67 lb "cover stock" as backing but it was too thick and stiff for most machines.

Now onto the off-topic: That's another archaic measure! Motivated solely by this thread I looked it up for the first time in my life, always before being satisfied with the knowledge that 20 lb letter paper was OK for common use. I find it is the weight of 500 sheets of standard size stock. But get this : the "standard" size might vary by paper type and manufacturer! (at least according to the first random website I found) This is whack. It makes me wonder if all office paper manufacturers are honest. How tempting to say "Oh. We use a larger standard size paper than the industry to maintain higher quality standards" The argument is not supposed to make sense.

I can see in paper that weight would be at least as important as thickness: if only thickness counted the unscrupulous would find a way of making puffed paper, like cheap ice cream. Or newsprint, for that matter. Another term that will soon fall into desuetude as there are fewer and fewer printed newspapers, and those that remain are even getting stingy with newsprint, for crying out loud! Welcome to the new world... <CUT>

I also saw an opaque backing sheet on eBay but passed it up as it looked too torn up to use and only would have value to collectors of typewriter paraphernalia. At present the syndrome has not progressed beyond typewriters.

**Posted by Spazmelda** 17-4-2016 08:24:29

The backing sheet I bought was really my first foray outside of the actual machines. I've thought about making a small collection of ribbon tins, neatly mounted and displayed in a shadow box sort of thing, but I don't know if I really NEED to go there, lol.

Well, I do tend to collect ko-rec-type correction film, when I can find some for a good price, but that is to use...

I did accidentaly stumble on a fairly nice, unusual, paper to type on. For some of my pen pals I was wanting to do a long scroll type of letter. The only long 8.5" width paper I could find in a roll was fax paper, and I didn't want to use that. However, we did have a roll of cheap IKEA easel paper, meant for kids to draw on. It is about 24" wide (or maybe 18?). I cut long strips of that and used it as a 'scroll'. It was surprisingly good to type on. I'm not sure what type of paper it is. It is kind of like newsprint, but not as thin and rough. Softer than computer paper and kind of off white.