Certainly typewriters - using, collecting, servicing - counts as a main hobby. I'm also a photographic dabbler, still maintain a gelatin silver darkroom and make pinhole and refractive lenses box cameras of all sorts, mainly using paper negatives or, more recently, Harman Direct Positive paper (you expose in-camera and process as a darkroom print - develop, stop, fix - and get a one-of-a-king fiber-bases positive print).

More recently I've also been making more videos for YouTube, currently with the Typewriter Video Series.

~Joe

typngon12a wrote:

Old pens, black and white photography using 35mm equipment and twin lens reflex, and of course, typewriters.  I have five typewriters and try to only buy usable, working models that need general upkeep.

Now that's a good way to start out.  What you want to do at this point is to study your typewriters inside, and see just how they work, and what makes the levers and the gears move.  Each make and each machine has something slightly different about it--even two seemingly identical typewriters.  Pretty soon you'll gain a working knowledge of how things should work inside, and you'll be able to effect a few minor repairs.  After doing that for awhile, you'll go onto more major repairs.  Then you can find something really neat that will probably need more than just a dusting off, type bar cleaning, and a new ribbon.  I've bought lots of rust buckets and turned them into typewriters myself for 35 years.  And after awhile, if you play your cards just right, you'll be just like me--with typewriters rolling out of your garage because there isn't any room to put 'em anywhere else!!  Good luck!!
 

Stitch26 wrote:

Hi,

Well apart from fiddling about with anything old and mechanical, I have a somewhat unhealthy interest in anything Cold War related. I studied it at university and my dad flew in the Berlin Airlift, but suspect that my interest comes from growing up in an area surrounded by plenty of USAF bases in Sufffolk.

All the best
Andy

It's a very interesting time in our history.  And there have been lots and lots of typewriters made during the cold war.  If you knew where to look, you could very well find a typewriter that was used by the armed forces during that time.  I myself have a 1947 Remington KMC that has a military background.  I had to change the keys on it because the keys that were on it that I bought were not all complete.  I gave it blank keytops just like typewriters once had in typing classes.  I always amaze people with the "blind bat" whenever I would use it.
 

I knew an old boy once who cobbled together different phones (some even two and three-toned), and he would sell them at the flea market.  He also did the same with vacuum cleaners and MixMaster mixers.  For a long time, I went in with him on typewriters--got my best typewriters from him.  He'd give me four to fix, I'd fix three, he'd sell two, I'd keep or trade one, and keep another for parts for the next go-round.  Did that for years.  Ah, the good old days!!

SquireDante wrote:

Well, I'm a little late to the party. Aside from my recent fascination with typewriters, I read (is that a hobby?), write on my book, cook and bake, sometimes scratch out a tune on a piano, do papery crafts and minor sewing, and enjoy listening to music and obsessing over tv shows/movies. I'm also the resident techie in the family.

Well-rounded there--talent-wise.  About the only way I could be well-rounded would be if I sat one inch away from the table, and ate myself to death until my belly and the table finally touched.