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.