5 Tips for Beginning Typists The Typewriter Revolution with Richard Polt

[@hammill444]

Also, it's a good idea to load 2 pieces of paper at once; it serves to protect the platen

[@loveisall5520]

Richard Polt's work will live for generations--that's how useful it is. 'Cause typewriters were made so well they won't disappear, especially these classics like he's using.

[@stealthmermaid40]

Apostrophe backpace period!!! As a young typist, I have never seen or thought of that one. Thanks!

[@kameronz5283]

WAIT!!! You might not need to use a backspace, depending on your typewriter you might be able to get away with this little trick. Hold down the shift and space simultaneously, then type apostrophe then period, once typed you can release the shift and space keys and continue typing.

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

She is lovely machine..Never seen either.. But IT IS IMPORTANT to put exra paper under paper one types on so the platen don't get ruined . if the platen is smooth the typewriter be quieter :)

[@maj.mp4]

Many thanks! I'm a 16 year old aspiring writer and recently thrifted a typewriter for its quality and my love for beautiful vintage machinery...though I had no clue how to manipulate it. Thankfully your tutorial came in handy and I'm already growing-a-custom to it!

[@sailordeadpool873]

omg me too!!

[@Tthis_Is_Fine]

My history teacher gave me mine I'm also around your age. it's nice as this generation can appreciate the past

[@niteowl1914]

Same here! I spent my birthday money this year to order a beautiful Olympia SM9. I love vintage things (polaroids, flip phones, etc) and I know having a typewriter will be so much better for my writing, by improving focus and spelling, and forcing me to think ahead about what I want to write since I can't delete the sentence in an instant. Typewriters are fun and functional!

[@Pippolife]

buying myself a typewriter for the first time “As a Writer” is really going to be amazing im 14 and totally so exited for this new journey;)🤎 🦋 ah

[@UnknownVentures]

I learned typing on these old typewriters. I used to take a typing course and I still have the certificate.

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

Me too.. But the certificate not framed. The school no longer e xist :(

[@johnhowe50]

Complete nostalgia, brought back memories of learning to type, finding the home keys, placing a screen over the keyboard, (to become proficient at touch typing) and typing "The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy black dog." Gaining a reasonable speed in both typing and Pitman's shorthand and making a mistake in the Royal Society of Arts final examination; instead of typing "Frances Drake was knighted in XXXX" I typed "Frances Drake was knotted in XXXX." and not realising it until I had walked out of the exam room. Still I passed at 40 wpm.

[@jackevans4619]

@@neb4587 I'm the same as you. I'm getting my first typewriter on monday how is yours?

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

I don't use computer because I don't by choice have PC or any gadget. Because people are not used to typewriter it is a bit hard to type with it.. yOou did well at 40wpm!! :) .. I have trouble because I don't live in native country have to use Norwegian typewriter and have few typewriters too.. Do you John have favourite typewriter you use?.. Most people cannot type on few typewriter because the typewriter itself and need one-..

[@eclairzy3400]

knotted??? lmaooooo

[@kindauncool]

+@@ladydawn1973Eternity How'd you… Nevermind.

[@simplyblunder]

@@kindauncool He typed this message on a typewriter and then sent it as a letter to KZbins HQ to have his reply listed.

[@heyyitsultima]

I'm 24 years old, have wanted a typewriter as long as I can remember and finally got an Underwood 1950's Finger Flite Champion. It's in need of some cleaning and of some love, but it's in mostly great condition and I adore it already. I've been watching a lot of videos like these to get myself accustomed to it, as I've never in my life used a typewriter and all I can say is that I am excited to actually get into using it for writing!

[@booktrailers]

I highly recommend his book. Especially if you're new to typewriters.

[@leafy7241]

I got a corona typewriter

[@WoodlandPoetry]

I'm so happy for you. I really prefer typing over keyboarding as they call it. The only thing I really had to get used to again with the typewriter was to skip two spaces instead of one between sentences. Isn't it strange the little things we forget? I hope you are enjoying your new typewriter and that it has brought you as much joy as you anticipated.

[@zaidshah4535]

I was wondering if there was somewhere i could get it for cheap? Like maybe 25$?

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

Got got good start on one of the best typewriters, so you'll have luck :)

[@nakapaa]

I got myself an Underwood Olivetti Studio 44. Almost Mint condition. I love it! Typing again.

[@ajnabeeanjaan]

I just bought a typewriter a week ago. Olympia Splendid 66 -1963 manufactured. It’s didn’t has exclamation mark, your tip helped me to type that mark. Gratitude for your beautiful video.

[@radio645]

I bought The Typewriter Revolution a couple months ago, really enjoyed the book. I recently purchased 2 typewriters, one online and the other from Facebook marketplace. I'm having fun learning how to type and maintain the typers. Good information in this video.

[@hebneh]

This reminds me of watching kids trying to figure out how to use a dial telephone. A typewriter is equally mysterious to most people now. Watching this is bringing back memories although some of this would require relearning for me now.

[@angielyles]

I just bought my first typewriter today. It's a Smith-Corona Sterling typewriter. And this video was so helpful. Thank you!

[@rbruce63]

Angela Lyles I got that model as a present today! It belonged to my wife’s grandfather! He typed property appraisals with this machine!

[@BlueTaylor88]

Love that Tower President. I just picked up a 1954 Tower Challenger from an antique shop in great condition. Its quickly becoming my favorite of the few I own.

[@MrDavidFitzgerald]

I thought the bell was not necessarily to tell you to start a new line, but to tell you to finish the word you're writing, or to get to a point where the word can be hyphenated correctly. Small point I suppose, but worth bearing in mind.

[@rpolt]

You are right-you don't have to start a new line immediately.

[@roachtoasties]

True. The bell told you that you had about six spaces left to deal with what you had to deal with before pushing the carriage return. There's also a margin-release button to let you go beyond your set margins in case you needed to type an extra character or two beyond what you set to finish things up on that line.

[@hebneh]

Correct. The bell is a warning that you're going to come to a stop soon.

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

In most typewriters the bell just warns you you have 4-7 more characters to use.. You can use the key with 2 arrows (usually to the right side up the keyboard, first raw )if you want to finish a word... The bell really should be the last character but sometimes it is impossible. If I need one more character it is rediculous to do - and continue next raw :P..

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

@@roachtoasties extra margin, the one with 2 arrows... did it exist in older machines too? like before 50's?

[@JenuineAirbrushTan]

This book is an absolute must have for anyone interested in typewriters. Really well done full of great info and feels wonderful to hold. 😊

[@anibalnikov47]

hope typewriters start coming back this 2018, just like turntables. :)

[@kizanadied8142]

anibal vega it’s 2019 and hallelujah the umbrella academy brought it back :)

[@Harry-pt4yo]

You're going to be hoping for a while guys

[@pkrail]

@@neb4587 what kind/model?

[@xb0xisbetter]

Unfortunately, that will likely never happen. At this point, they're more expensive to manufacture than most computers, and less efficient, even if they're really cool. I work in a school district, I still see a few IBM Wheelwriter electronic typewriters around at least, for whatever that's worth. Some still prefer them for niche applications, like library book labels, etc.

[@xb0xisbetter]

@@neb4587 Who, today, is making typewriters and selling them for 30 pounds? We're not talking about going to your local thrift shop and picking up an old Wheelwriter. In the 80s, you could spend $600 just for an IBM keyboard. Their lowest-end computers cost thousands of dollars. Electronic typewriters were still more economical back then. There's a reason that as entire computer setups started to fall well below the $1,000 mark, you stopped seeing so many typewriters. You don't need to spend 1k for a good computer, lol. Not in U.S. dollars, in the U.S. anyway. I built my current gaming rig for $1,000, 5 or more years ago it still plays everything on max settings in 1920x1080, with modest upgrades. We're talking about word processing here. You can do that just fine on a $150, or less, Chromebook. Typewriters, even the more modern electronic ones, have a lot of mechanical parts that will never be more economical to manufacture than a low-end computer that can accomplish the same thing. I guess you could argue that, if you want hard copies, you also need a printer. While that would be somewhat fair, in how many situations does anybody still use hard copies of anything? And you still have the problem that any low-end computer is capable of far more varied tasks than any typewriter ever could be.

[@roachtoasties]

When I was a kid, we knew all this already from playing with our parents' typewriters. I took two or three typing classes in high school and one in junior high. I did because when I was in junior high/high school, all I heard is I needed to learn how to type before college because professors would expect your assignments to be typed. I was bored to the max by the time I took typing in high school. We had electric typewriters then, so that made us like we were in the space age. ;)

[@anassameanspleasure]

I JUST got my Tower from Sears a couple days ago and your video has been (BY FAR) the most helpful!!! Thank you!!! I’ve subscribed! I was wondering where my number 1 was!

[@davinagibson1665]

Just ordered an Olympia Splendid 33! Excited to receive it; the burgundy coloured keys are gorgeous!

[@kameronz5283]

You don't necessarily need to use a backspace, depending on your typewriter you might be able to get away with this little trick. Hold down the shift and space simultaneously, then type apostrophe then period, once typed you can release the shift and space keys and continue typing.

[@timmundorff2354]

I got that exact Tower machine recently! For some reason it is inspiring me to write on it even though I'm not thrilled with the color scheme...speaks to me somehow, I guess. I'm going to take it to Ken at Cal Typer this week for a touch-up.

[@CrimsonCrime2234]

I have seen and heard so many time in the cartoons they push the level when the bell rang, but for some reason I never think this is actually real. This channel is so good !!!!

[@fevkin]

I like your instruction because it's succinct and to the point. A lot of posters make the mistake of blasting you with too much information and you end up switching off. I've just bought a Corona Smith Super 12 which I guess to be 70s or 80s. It's had one careful owner and I can't wait to get going on it

[@zinzolin14]

I just bought my first typewriter today, I can't wait to get started!

[@sheelachattopadhyay]

That's awesome! I think you'll love it. :) I had to go back to a typewriter to focus on my freelance creative work - my laptop screen was giving me headaches. Ironically, I ended up going with the typewriter model that gave my grandfather trouble when he was younger and it's been working for me just fine. I like the manual typewriters a bit more than the electric ones. Which one did you go with?

[@zinzolin14]

​@@sheelachattopadhyay It's amazing that you're using one your grandfather owned! Kinda funny how it works better for you than him. Maybe it likes you more lol I got a Commodore typewriter, Personal model I think it's called. I got it for $23 but unfortunately it's not working properly. I'm gonna have somebody look at it next week, so hopefully I can get working soon!

[@patrickwall8517]

A couple of other things of note. Most typewriters have set and clear buttons or tabs for setting and clearing tabs. Also some older typewriters don't have a key for numerals 1 and 0, if you encounter this the lower case letter 'i' is used for 1 and the upper case letter 'O' is used for 0.

[@-----REDACTED-----]

I just got myself a Triumph-Adler Gabriele 35 from the 70s and got it working again (keys were sticking). I really enjoy it now!

[@thomaschambers1731]

Great video! Love all the typewriters in the background especially the Oliver 11.

[@yuzuruizumieggy]

I was looking through wpm improvement tips, and came across this after watching a typewriter speedtyping video. Decided to check this out and literally slept through the whole thing as of it was ASMR. Other than that, it's really useful to know about more the typewriter

[@machopolitan1]

Man, I love that deep voice!

[@piratecandy6310]

At the age of 5 i wanted a type writter... i still do... i have a polaroid, a cassette player, my dad has a record player but im planning on buying one soon and now imma need myseld a typewritter

[@ebonyrose7236]

Did you get one

[@andreiconstantinescu5163]

I would add as a very useful tip the rhythm of witch you type in order to avoid entangling. Nice clip, I love the sound of the kees .

[@bertstreb4059]

Finally, thanks for the help im 14 using a brother young elite and travellar de luxe AEG olympia for my sideline job as a sports writer

[@valevimoe1831]

man that Tower was sweet, i'm stuck with an old Remington Rem-Riter :) Wish i had your collection. Keep up the great work :)

[@chriswriter84]

Hi, great video, may I know what type of mat is under the typewriter? What material is it made of? I'm also looking for one to hold typewriters steady when I write.

[@younkint]

I think Mr. Polt actually sells mats for typewriters. Many things will work though, such as rubber-backed carpet patches, cupboard liners, silicone baking sheets/liners, etc.

[@tanushreebishoi]

I'm new to the concept of touch typing and this is so fascinating 👏 ✨️..I'm such a slow typist- just 10-15 wpm 😂

[@younkint]

Practice. Slow and steady does it -- build accuracy. Speed comes over time. With a manual typewriter, there is a rhythm that develops; it's almost musical. I'd advise you to find videos of old typing lessons and/or books. Your local library may even have the books. I see them often on eBay as well.

[@spideyvs.p4036]

A tip to putting the paper in, put two papers beacause sometimes if you use only one it wil rip the paper.

[@fivestander]

Wow, this is amazing asmr! I love typewriters and this guy is sure passionate and so soft spoken. Only wish the video were longer

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

yeahhhh :(

[@TheWaterbug101]

Your typewriter appears to be in really nice shape and has not been used much over the years. I also have a similar Tower (Sears model) typewriter that I found at a thrift store. It probably was manufactured by Smith Corona since it looks like their Sterling model. The keyboard has a nice feel on the keys.

[@sheelachattopadhyay]

It was made by Smith-Corona.

[@abdelhadiabbas9712]

Deep Thanks 🙏

[@sweetlotusrain]

I just bought a Smith Corona, I'm so excited!!!

[@yuriandropov9011]

How is it?

[@mayurijethwa3949]

azucarcult hi

[@j.d.thompson3505]

Get a good typewriter pad to set it on. I bought one from eBay for $15. I thought that was a little expensive but it saves the rubber feet and dampens the sound too. If your going to leave yours out (like I do) cover it with a towel of some kind to keep the dust out. They are so much fun, you probably won't want to put it back in the case.

[@caelidhg6261]

@@j.d.thompson3505 really? 15 dollars for a used typewriter expensive??? HA... I just spent 90 plus 24 for shipping.... so.... I wish I had been on the ball a few years ago.. I might have gotten a better deal.. prices are going up ! Mine is a Super Sterling......

[@j.d.thompson3505]

@@caelidhg6261 I said $15. 'typewrter pad' to set it on. It makes it quieter and saves the rubber feet.

[@gcsugirl]

Thank you! I randomly bought a type writer from a thrift shop and wanted to learn how to use it. I remember them from my childhood but they were somewhat electronic with a small screen

[@hebneh]

Ha ha! Those electronic typewriters were intermediate machines between electric typewriters and personal computers. I found them very annoying and not useful and I think most people agreed.

[@eh5601]

I just bought an imperial 200 ,because I love writing (and typewriters, obviously) but I just realised that I basically have a constant writers block. Any tips for getting past that?I need to write one more song for my music gcse

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

He types good. Well I got the book :)..I learned to be typist in secretary course early 90's. THE LITTLE finger on left hand should go to the left side of the typewriter and key before to the finger next to it and so forth. Right with righ litle fiinger key before next to little finger and so forth :).. It will take a person FOREVER ty type with just 2 fingers as most do- index finger and one more or other finger :)..

[@alexbeaujon9049]

I just bought a BrotherDelux800T and it’s been working like a dream! Do you have any tips on changing the ink ribbon?

[@joellindholm3727]

Do you have a Remington no.10? I have one and i need tips on to maintain it.

[@jiggermast]

A nice interesting beginners video sir, just out of pure curiosity, are there any manufacturers actually making manual typewriters today?

[@lucinatorres9873]

jiggermast yes, plenty. Many people still use typewriters over computers, so manufacturers began making more again. However, many are still created vintage-looking for the nostalgia factor :)

[@What.iphhhh]

@@lucinatorres9873 can you please name some of them? I'm struggling to find some!

[@sheelachattopadhyay]

Swintec is still making electric typewriters, although they look more modern. You can still find quite a few vintage typewriters through the repair shops, eBay, & Etsy. I got mine & my roommate's through eBay.

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

@@What.iphhhh you can buy new spools(ribbons) from Amazon and American company but no idea about typewriter makers...

[@ladydawn1973Eternity]

@@sheelachattopadhyay only electrical?

[@maartenrijs3]

That's a gorgeous Tower, which is, after all, an SCM silent-super and I notice yours is in pica. My Tower President is the green variety.

[@Queenmom313]

Awesome video! Thank you!

[@emperorpalpatine2531]

I have a Tower Commander typewriter but it doesn’t sound like most typewriters. What I mean is that I hear the mechanical motions instead of the keys striking the platten. This isn’t a concern, but I wonder if there is anything that I could do to make it sound like this one in the video.

[@WriteSign]

I have an Underwood, looks like model 6, typewriter that I really love, but I don't know what these little switches on the front are for. One is vertical with a black dot, silver dot, and red dot that can me toggled to. The other is horizontal with numbers 6 to 0. What could they be for? I have looked high and wide to find a manual or pamphlet but nothing :( Please excuse my inexperience, but this is only my second typewriter and the first doesn't work (never has). Thanks for any info you can give me.

[@rpolt]

The first one selects the upper part of the ribbon (black), lower (red), or no ribbon at all (silver). The other one controls the tension on the keys. Here's a diagram: site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/Underwood1950diagram.jpg - Enjoy!

[@jlg4880]

You need to go even more *old school!* Next, you need a mimeograph to produce the stationary letterheads!

[@jasonrothman8480]

Wow you have a lot of typewriters

[@sarahvanallen7478]

I love Tower typewriters!

[@majorghn]

Have you seen the Qwerkywriter yet? It's a bluetoothe hybrid typewriter that works like a an old style mechanical typewriter. It's made of metal mostly, KZbin has some videos of it.

[@KatHalfaker23]

My husband bought me a typewriter yesterday as a gift. I've been toggling and experimenting. Of course my keyboard classes were all for modern PCs and laptops. I'm not at all used to using so much pressure or the keys being at different heights. I know basic home row form, but I am stumped at how I can possibly apply it to a typewriter like these. I don't want to henpeck but when I try to use all fingers, the letters are too faded or I jam keys against each other. :( Help?

[@pinkcrystaltea3144]

Hi, I have the same typewriter as you. I need help understanding how to make the keys strike the ribbon. They go down pretty fast, but all the keys go up to the same level, not touching the ribbon. Does this mean my keys are locked or I should clean up every key?

[@trainman071]

i just bought a smith corona SE 100 type writer on eBay i am going to use it to type up old style freight bills for art work with carbon and carbon less paper and suggestions? for this project.

[@mikaelsoppa]

What typewriter are you using for the demo in this video?

[@n.e.145]

Is there a trick or something I don't see, that tells me, when I get to the lower end of the page? It often happend, your in the flow typing and the last row is on the very end of the page, since after written about half of a page I can't see how much is left. And in the attempt to keep the form of a standard page I'd like to have the same distance between the end of the paper and the end of the text on every page. Using a Facit 1620

[@-secret_person-4664]

What brand of typewriter are you using in the video?

[@salliexx7631]

Where can I find a typewriter in the uk?

[@f9uw0n4]

From where can I buy affordable vintage typewriter? Plz recommend a website or a vintage type of typewriter.

[@antigoseraros]

Lindas peças! Parabéns

[@vikasjain3558]

RIP Typewriters.. No matter you are not used today but you paved the way for today's keyboards and you will be missed

[@younkint]

I use my typewriter every day. Many others do as well.

[@Melvorgazh]

Hey! I am looking for a portable typewriter that got the @ key. It appears they are only or mainly on QWERTY typewriters. At least I don't recall having seen one @ on an AZERTY typewriter. And where I live, in Belgium the AZERTY is more commun. Do you know any AZERTY typewriter model with that @ key? And do you know when it 1st appeared? Regards. Thomas from Brussels

[@bharathvajvr3782]

Please tell me how to buy I need a lot of similar machine

[@FrankRomerophoto]

Some typewriters don't have a "+" sign, how do you type that?

[@jessicah3450]

I haven't used a typewriter in years, but I hope it will come back to me like riding a bicycle.

[@snarlla]

Great tips and nice video!

[@s.porter8646]

Im retired navy and wanted to write a book, just got an Olympic traveler, and now off to the publisher

[@jameshearn1932]

How do you unlock the keys. Every time I try to type the keys won't budge. It's like carriage is locked up.

[@x_over_it]

Owh that Tower was to die for so beatiful

[@joshkent4091]

Olympia Typewriters I have the same model! Picked it up at a garage sale for $20. Made me happy to see an enthusiast using it for a video.

[@nguyentanthien5870]

Josh Kent Hallo

[@AlexA-cj5my]

Josh Kent What's the name of this model?

[@Clay_enjoyer]

Olympia Typewriters start a you tube channel

[@johntapp3311]

I know no one asked me, but here's my answer. This is a Tower President--a machine marketed by Sears for Smith-Corona. I own a 1960 model, and it has a very nice touch and print.

[@dylanmcwhirter9844]

I have a smith corona from the Muncie typewriter exchange cape breton Nova Scotia I would love to collect more I need to start writing again

[@Oppps88]

What model Tower typewriter is this? :)

[@ShaikhMaaz.]

So what should I do if I wanna type it in *BOLD*

[@nehaelis8323]

I want a typewriter but it's not available in the market.. Where can I purchase it

[@malgorzatapierzga3684]

Hello, I have just bought beautiful looking like late 60 typewriter named Vertex the luxe, can not forn any info regarding that typewriter. Please do you have any info, Thank you,

[@candlechandeliercards4097]

What brand & model is this typewriter?

[@graceface2364]

Is my typewriter broken? I have an old thrifted smith corona that works perfectly, except for one huge thing. When I type a letter or space, the carriage doesn’t automatically move to the next space, I have to push it. This is causing me to have to type really slowly, one-finger, one letter at a time style. Can anyone help or is my typewriter just broken?

[@memoireantique4520]

Fantastic, nice video and big like

[@pubate1]

Great vid but the camera's movement made me feel dizzy.

[@JimParr-uq7oo]

Somebody needs to do a video about typewriter formatting for writing fiction on a typewriter. I see these youngsters typing dense pages of fiction--no first line indent, no double spacing, and usually an extra carriage return between paragraphs. There is a reason the standard was always double spacing: it's so you can make corrections between the lines. I see them writing like this and I wanna scream, "Wait! There is a better way!"

[@edgewatermark]

Wonderful video!

[@luisaclark1287]

How much is the price of that typewriter? I want to buy

[@thebrosofusa9341]

I Own An Electric Typewriter From Germany And It Works Really Well But It's Running Out Of Ink.If Anyone Knows Where I Could Get Ink Please Let Me Know

[@gpodkolzin]

Thank you for the video. Does anyone if it's possible to find a working IBM Selectra typewriter somewhere?

[@sheelachattopadhyay]

Try eBay - I saw some on there more recently.

[@ethanm9191]

Hiya! I've just purchased a scheidegger type writer and on the right side it has a switch with a + AND - on it. Can't figure out what it does?? Any help haha

[@pkrail]

2 years later... that switch is for your tab setting.. + to add a tab, - to cancel a tab

[@DaliaKhello]

Can I buy one

[@Tthis_Is_Fine]

Very helpful!

[@krankenbank]

What do you do if one spool moves but the other one does not?

[@MartynVHalm-pb3hv]

Is that the Tower Chieftain II or the Commander?

[@bharathvajvr3782]

This machine was whare to bye and how to bye and cost details

[@kalpanathiraiyan2115]

What's the model of this typewriting machine??

[@booktrailers]

Looks like it's a Tower

[@md.tauhidulislam8936]

Bro where I get this model ?

[@sophiarolli5892]

What typewriter are you using in this video?

[@SuperVpower]

Nice video!

[@narendramanirai3440]

How much the price let me know?

[@stephyvandee11]

Hi there, I recently got a Olivetti lettera 22, the space bar doesn't work and I really want to find any help I can to fix it, because I love writing and I really want to use the typewriter, please let me know if anybody can, I will appreciate it so much xx

[@pkrail]

there is a page on facebook called antique typewriter maintenance, someone may be able to help.

[@bmkartsedits2289]

iam an typewriter this saturday iam going to write an exam of lower plz give me some tips