Typewriter Talk / A question about the ethics of repainting a machine

**Posted by The Cabin Boy** 13-4-2015 12:41:07

It was not to be.

I went back to the antique shop on Sunday afternoon determined to buy the little Royal that was in such bad condition.

He had sold it for ten bucks.

To a lady who wanted the keys. Just the keys.

No doubt she's going to "craft" the keys into "jewelry." She probably has a cat that's been declawed. You know how they declaw cats? They cut off the cat's toes.

Poor little Royal. Your dismemberment and martyrdom at the hands of a philistine has taught me a valuable lesson. I'll never, ever, hesitate to immediately buy a machine if it catches my fancy.

**Posted by Uwe** 13-4-2015 15:57:48

Another keychopper rears its ugly head and another tragic tale is told.I really though that the tacky trend would have died out by now, but it looks like there's no end in sight.

**Posted by Spazmelda** 13-4-2015 17:14:43

WHO is buying all of this hideous typewriter jewelry?

**Posted by ztyper** 13-4-2015 18:05:36

People who are into old and different jewelry. I'll admit, some of the stuff they make out of them is pretty good looking, but I wish they would just recreate the keys instead of cutting them off. I can see people cutting them off if the machine is not worth the time and effort into saving. But for those machines that can be saved, it's always a pity. Perhaps that's why I bought my Royal KMG off of my brother (for $25!) after I gave it to him. He threatened to cut off the keys and scrap the rest for $75 total and I wouldn't let him do it. And then I made it into one of my favourite typewriters.

I also have a feeling that as long as typewriters are around, but still obsolete to the rest of the world, this horrible trend will continue because it's a curiosity. It's a double edged sword...

**Posted by thetypewriterman** 14-4-2015 14:42:16

I am sure that I came across someone on American e-bay last year who was making reproduction keytops out of wood and selling them. They looked to be printed with an image and then maybe laser-cut. Fine for jewellery making and helped to keep irreplaceable typewriters out of the hands of key-choppers. Almost every typewriter destroyed in this way cannot be replaced. There are NO full-size office manual typewriters being made ANYWHERE in the world now, and only a couple of portable models (not very good by all accounts) being made in China.

**Posted by Uwe** 14-4-2015 15:37:59

There are wooden look-a-likes available on the market. You can see a photo of them in this article: Don't Feed the Keychopper.

**Posted by malole** 14-4-2015 15:41:32

Eurgh! Gah. Sorry that happened right under your nose.
I see more (not many though) immitation typewriter key jewelry being sold/offered on ebay UK and I am pretty sure that the average buyer of this stuff wouldn't know the difference. I've also recently seen a couple of chopped machines being sold next to the chopped keys for "spares or repairs". It's the cheek of such sellers that gets my goat all in a stomping fury!
Better luck next time, and meanwhile, plan your paint-job!

**Posted by JustAnotherGuy** 14-4-2015 19:49:58

Ugh. Losing a machine like that is like a gut punch to the stomach. There's this antique dealer near me that's a total keychopper. Once I was checking out a typewriter and I asked him the price, he said $50 because he was going to chop the keys and that's what they were worth. This guy's been in the business a long while so I assumed it was just a bluff to make me pay $50 for a junky typewriter. A week later, I was checking local listings on eBay for typewriters... there it was, with the distinctive cracked backspace keytop I remembered seeing. One less Royal KMG in the world now because I didn't fork over $50.

I've saved two machines from keychopping before, one a Royal Arrow and the other an Underwood Ace. They were both in great cosmetic shape with only some little adjustments and cleaning to be made before they worked. The Arrow is one of my favorite machines now, and the Ace is awaiting new feet before I'll use it.

**Posted by TypewriterGuy** 10-5-2015 13:41:23

@Spaz, on ebay the keys sell for even less than what the typewriter is worth entirely, broken or not (I think it was like 20 dollars for glass keys)

I remember I went to an antique shop, where I got my first typewriter (a broken Royal KMG), and the guy usually sells his typewriters to key choppers. Its sad to see history become earrings.

A typewriter repair man once told me that if a typewrter is absolutley beyond repair, then its okay to use it for parts and keys. But not if its working! It makes me so sad to see people do that.

Last edited by TypewriterGuy (10-5-2015 13:44:30)

**Posted by Retro-Z** 27-5-2015 19:35:37

The Cabin Boy wrote:
If I wanted to dip-derust the little Royal, how do you get the key tops off so they don't get ruined?

Generally, the accepted method in the past (according to guides from the 30s and 40s I have read) has been to leave the keys on, and keep them above the surface of whatever fluid into which you are dipping the typewriter. However, what chemical are you planning to use for de-rusting? Most of the chemicals which remove oxidation from steel may also remove the finish on other parts/components, so be sure you know what you are doing before you get started.

Don't be so hard on the keychoppers. Let's face it, at this point in time a set of typewriter keys, in the form of jewelry, has more monetary value than the typewriter as a whole. By ALOT! The only thing that will change this is the value and availability of the typewriters. As they get harder to find, and more expensive, keychoppers will eventually find an alternative. Until then, snag all of the nice vintage typewriters you can. They are fairly common and inexpensive right now, but that will change as time goes on.

Last edited by Retro-Z (27-5-2015 19:58:41)