Kentucky Typer

Moving Locations!

Hello.  I've moved my blog/website from Typepad to Wordpress.  The url has remained the same but you may need to update your RSS feeds.

www.kytyper.com 

My J. Herbin Wax Seal

Margin Release on My Olympia Typewriter - Update

First of all, let me say THANK YOU for all the assistance I received from the typosphere on my last blog post about this Olympia typewriter.  It means a lot when people take the time to respond and even create a video (thanks Scott!).

I've still not been able to make the margin release work.  I made another quick video to help explain what I think the issue might be.  Take a look.

 

If you have more ideas on what I might do to repair this, I'd love to hear them!

Late Night Writing

Margin Release on my Olympia Typewriter

A few weeks ago, I bought what should have been an Olympia SM9 in excellent shape.  I've been wanting a SM9 after owning a SM3 and really enjoying that particular typewriter.  I've been looking for one and ran across what I thought was going to be a great example of this particular machine.  After all, the photos looked great!  However, when it arrived at my house, it was in less than ideal condition.  As is often the case, the packing job was very poorly done and as a result, I had a typer that looked like it had been dropped.  The typewriter was only secured on one side inside of its case and therefore was banging around.  Let's just say I was not a very happy person when I surveyed the damage.  

Somehow, we've managed to get the typer back in working order all but for the margin release.  I'd really like to get that working and wanted to get some help from you typewriter repair experts out there.   

Take a look at this video.

 

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Real Mail & a Personal Update

 

You know what this is?

 

 

Yes, that's correct - it's REAL MAIL! (and with my name on it!)

I cannot adequately express how much I enjoy seeing envelopes like these in my mailbox.  Those are SO MUCH more interesting than the usual characters that I find there:  credit card offers, utility bills, etc.  By far, the best part of the typosphere has been the correspondence that I've struck up with a few of its members.  It's been great fun.  (BTW, I mailed off replies to both letters already).  I'm always happy to correspond with folks so feel free to send me a letter to the above address and I promise that you will get a reply!

I've had time for letter writing mostly because I've been trying to recover from some pretty severe bronchitis.  I've had two bouts of it back to back, four rounds of antibiotics all over the last two months.  The local pharmacy and doctor are loving me these days.

That's it for now.  I have some new typewriter purchases on the way to me so stay tuned to see what turns up next!

 

 

 

AMC Typewriter Instruction Manual

I thought I'd scan the instruction manual for my AMC typewriter and post it in case anyone may be looking for one.

The AMC SK-24 Typewriter - My Latest Purchase!

 

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 I received this via the USPS yesterday.  By the looks of the box, it's a miracle that it made it from Missouri to Kentucky without being badly damaged.  However, I was lucky that only the ribbon cover had come loose.  

A few initial observations on this machine:

1. It's built like a Sherman tank.  It is heavy.  It seems very, very solid.  I believe those German engineers were serious about building a product that would last.
2. It's not a machine you'd necessarily want to pack around a lot.  It's a "portable" but only barely so.  I was a bit surprised by the size of the case when I first saw it.  It has a pretty large footprint and dwarfs my Olympia SM-3 (which it is sitting by at the moment).
3. It has smooth lines.  It's hard not to like the look of this machine.  With it's rounded edges, smooth paint finish, and chrome, it's a real beauty.  That may be the largest carriage return lever I've ever seen.  You can't miss it!
4. This particular machine appears to be in really good condition.  The only problem I've noticed so far is that the ribbon vibrator seemed like it was sticking a bit and after some cleaning with denatured alcohol, it is working fine.  Actually, I think the whole machine is dry and needs some cleaning, use and lubrication.  I think the more it is used, the better it will function.

Will Davis has some nice information on this machine and its counterpart, the Alpina.  I think this was a good find.  What say ye?

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