Mysterious keys (3) : Margin-release

The margins on a typewriter stop you from typing off the edge of the paper. The margins are usually set using a pair of sliders (called margin stops) at the back of the carriage. You would set these taking into account where the paper is loaded and how much space you want either side of the text on the page. Generally, you want a reasonable bit of a margin either side of the text (at least a centimeter) to make your document look a bit more professional and also for ease of handling. Below is one of the margin stops on a WH Smith Grey Fox, notice also a scale for precise measurement!

But what if you needed to override the margin stops? There are occasions when you may need to type in the margins, for example in an academic work with numbered paragraphs for referencing purposes. In this case you use the margin-release key which helps the carriage pop over the limits set by the margin stops. What is written on the margin-release key seems to vary between typewriter manufactures (some just have "M-R" on it). Below is the key on a Silver-Reed SEVENTY, the design is pretty descriptive!

Electric 14

My Mum changed her mind and said i could have the Smith-Corona XE1630 already. The only condition being that if she needs anything typing i have to do it for her. Well that is a condition i am easily willing to accept (and i didn't say which typewriter i would use!) So here it is, typewriter number fourteen in the collection. It works very well actually, though i still don't like the soft keyboard.

I'll CC you in

Nowadays, with computers and printers you can print off as many copies off of a document as you like (paper supply and toner depending of course). However, what about in the days when documents were created on typewriters? If a copy was needed did you have to type the document twice?

No of course not, you used carbon paper. These were sheets of (basically) ink which you inserted between a couple of sheets of paper and then loaded into the typewriter. When the hammer hits the top sheet (through the ribbon) the impact also makes a mark on the bottom sheet. By magic you now have two copies of the document, one to send to the client and the other to languish in a grey filing cabinet.

I bought some carbon paper and had a play with it using my Silver-Reed SEVENTY. I think my copy needs only to be filed in the shredder. Carbon copy paper is not used so much these days with typed documents (though is used elsewhere such as on written order sheets) but the term has survived into the computer age. When you "CC" someone into an e-mail you are "carbon copying" them in. And everyone loves receiving those copies don't they?

Showcase (3) : Adsit Graduate

This is an attractive and light weight portable typewriter from the 1970s, the Adsit Graduate is in fact a product of Smith-Corona as it states on the back of the machine. The typewriter is a British made and locally branded version of the Smith-Corona Corsair. 

The typewriter doesn't work too well unfortunately, a number of hammers get stuck including the letter A which is awkward (especially as you can't even type the word). The typewriter looks to be overall in decent condition though and largely mechanically sound so it may be fixable.

Typing on an Erika 105

Another typing video, this time on my Erika 105 which was made in the German Democratic Republic. 

One day we'll be electric

I found my Mum's last typewriter (well she might buy another though it would be pretty unlikely now) earlier today at her house. One day it will be part of my collection, though not yet as she wants to keep it for now, just in case. 

When i do get my hands on it though it will be a Bob Dylan moment of the collection as the typewriter is a Smith Corona XE1630 and is... gasp... electric! I think it works OK and may give it a try out soon. I don't really like the keyboard though as it is rather soft and quiet. I like loud keyboards (obviously), even my Mac mini has a clicky keyboard that is louder than the Big Bang.

Tagging and videoing

At the weekend i recorded some more videos where i type on the typewriters in my collection. I think everything that can be typed on has now been videoed, these videos will appear here over the next few months. I have also completed the name tags on the typewriters in the collection. Maybe i have been watching too many horror films but it does kind of remind me of a morgue.

Typewriter forensics

Every typewriter is unique. Each model has it's own characteristics, including the typeface of course. Individual typewriters would also gain their own characteristics. A certain letter might become slightly out of alignment compared to the others, spacing might vary a tiny amount. Even the way someone typed was different. This allowed typewriters to be a focus for forensic examiners sometimes in criminal investigation as the typewriter of a suspect could be linked to a crime.

This is illustrated in the decent early 1940s crime drama The Panther's Claw. A man is suspected of being a blackmailer. One of the pieces of evidence the police seek out is an example of typing from the suspect's typewriter so they can compare it against the ransom note. Of course criminals also knew that typewriters could be used to identify them and link them to crimes, in the late 1930s film The League of Frightened Men a suspect manages to prevent a detective from getting a type sample from their machine.

So the moral of this is, if you are intending to commit a crime make sure you use someone else's typewriter!

New ribbon for the Imperial 201

As i said in an earlier post, the latest typewriter to join the collection - a Litton Imperial 201 - mechanically works very well. Or seemed to anyway. The ribbon was completely dead so i couldn't be completely sure as nothing much appeared when typing! Today i received a new ribbon for the typewriter and happily i can report that it types very well indeed. It is also pretty quiet compared to some of the others, especially the way i bang the keys.