Nine Steps to Follow Before You Buy a Thrift Shop Typewriter

[@MarinaGarrison]

Steps? My steps are 1) OMG there’s a typewriter case over there; 2) open the case - it’s a typewriter!!! 3) is there body damage/missing keys? 4) grab it, pay and run to the car. But in all seriousness, you don’t really need to check the keys. A quick clean can fix them. If one key or space bar advances the carriage you won’t usually have an escapement problem.

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

Hi @MarinaGarrison! Great to meet you. We'll have to disagree on the key check. I've been burned once before by not checking and would rather not go through that again. But very much appreciate everything else you said.

[@TheDaflad]

Just bought an Imperial 50 typewriter last week at a Bric a Brac sale paid £35 (uk sterling) No idea why we bought but myself and my wife fell in love with it. Several hours cleaning and several hours of KZbin videos I’ve managed to strip down, clean and rebuild it and all seems to be in working order 🤞🇬🇧

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

Magnificent! Wishing you all the best with your machine and welcome to our community!

[@OfficialAlexSanoko]

I really do love your videos. Keep it up. Glad to have people like you to convince the younger generation such as myself, to get into older technology that takes my phone away from me. There's nothing better in my opinion. Thank you.

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

Very pleased to hear this is the case, @kn0tch71. And appreciative that you took the time to share it. Wishing you all my best.

[@maxgilfordsmerling3032]

Excellent and thorough checklist. I especially like step nine. I wish I had seen this before my first twenty machines.

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

My pleasure, Max, and so glad you found the video useful. Appreciate you watching and commenting.

[@douglasjackson9058]

Great video! Wonderful advise! I always haggle so much so that now my wife is now haggling. Thanks as always for all the work that goes into the creating of these wonderful videos 😊

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

You're so welcome, Douglas. Always happy to hear from you!

[@someonespadre]

I’ve only seen one typewriter in a thrift store, a Royal electric, $25, passed on it.

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

If it’s not for you, it’s not for you, David. Find the one that’s for you. Curious what region you’re in that they don’t have typewriters in thrift stores. We don’t get them (much) in NYC but they’re often found lurking in small shops throughout the greater metropolitan area (NJ, PA, CT).

[@someonespadre]

@@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco Sacramento County, California. I have 2 from Marketplace sellers, 1 from a Craigslist seller. The Bay Area thrifts are generally better. Got a Monroe Model K from a thrift store for $8.

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

@@someonespadre The Monroe sounds like a real find, David. How does it work?

[@someonespadre]

@@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco perfectly, it was all jammed up but that was just because it has a lock at about the midpoint of a cycle to prevent backing up and if left it’s hard to get it going again, I assume thrift store customers got into that state. A little fiddling and I had it working. Took the carriage and case off (easier than most typewriters), blew the dust out, gave it a drop of sewing machine oil at strategic points and now it works just like it’s new again. The oils used before 1930 were natural so they don’t turn to glue. Since I did that it passes all my testing. It is from the Model T era, built like a steam engine, it is heavy. You earn your answers on that thing, literally crunching the numbers.

[@danieldeary9344]

Great advice. One other thing that that I always consider, since I just buy portables, does it come with a case and how good is the case? I don't store my typewriters on shelves like you and many others do. Cases protect the typewriter and keep it from dust. I will reject a typewriter if the case is really grungy, looks like it was dropped, severely damaged or mistreated. I regard that as a reflection of the previous owner and believe the typewriter had similar treatment. Thats just me although if the price is just $5, I might make an exception. IMHO the best designed cases are Smith Corona cases from the 50's and 60's allegedly built by Samsonite.

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

Daniel, I completely agree. This is wise advice all around, and a good subject for a future video. I resonate with your comment about the Smith-Corona cases. I'm partial to their "holiday" cases, the orange ones, which are almost alarmingly sturdy. I hadn't heard about the Samsonite connection but it seems to make sense at first blush; they were very well-designed. Regarding the case being a reflection of the typewriter's provenance, this is absolutely true. A dropped typewriter is never a good thing case that's been treated poorly is one of the first signs that something like this may have occurred. Thanks for writing, Daniel. Excellent stuff.

[@daveleitz9107]

ASKING prices on Ebay are ridiculous. If one considers making an Ebay purchase, since local thrift stores may not offer much variety away from the big cities, watch those listings for a couple of weeks before making a bid. It's hard to do that, I know. What you'll notice after a few days is how many typewriters finish with ZERO bids and get relisted, often at the same irrationally high asking price. And folks, we're not talking good machines here. Someone sees that a mint Hermes sold for $300 and they offer a rusty Hermes with bent keys for $300 because of The Name. Meanwhile a beautiful Sears typewriter that's a rebranded Smith Corona may get offered for a low price, and someone who really knows a good deal will grab it before the auction ends, if it has a "buy it now" price that's reasonable. I also think the sweet spot for manual typewriters started with the 1950s and ended in the 1970s. Then they got more plastic parts and cheaper construction. "Do I need another typewriter?" "No." "But if I buy this one and clean it up a bit, I bet I can make a convert to the Inky Order of Typewriter Enthusiasts by finding a suitable home for it!" 😄

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

All very true, Dave. Thanks for contributing this. And yes, I'm in total agreement about the sweet spot for manual typewriters. Most of my "desert island" machines fall into this age range. You're dead on.

[@someonespadre]

I bought a Tower COMMANDER! (like the name) from a Craigslist seller for $40. It looks well used but it’s fun to type on, elite pitch. Mine is very like a 1940s SC Speedline Sterling sold by Sears in 1956. The year after Sears started selling rebranded SC 5 series machines.

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

@@someonespadre I’ve lately been working a lot on my Smith-Corona Skyriter, Sterling, and one of my Silent-Supers. Great machines. Even better when you move around a lot and keep one at various locations. I’m a sucker for a good SC any day. Congrats on yours.

[@someonespadre]

@@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco also have a 1936 Corona Standard flat top, an awesome machine. My impression from limited experience is SCs are the most reliable and easy to fix. The Commander needed a space bar adjustment which I did from KZbin U, now it’s perfect.

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

@@someonespadre I love the Corona flat top! It's been on my list for years, just never encountered one in the wild I was able to trap. Agreed that SCs are reliable. Like an old Chevy. Comfortable. Always starts, always runs, and easy to fix. Good deal, David. Good deal.

[@thethriftyfawn]

So wholesome 😊

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

It beats getting poked in the eye with a pointed stick.

[@thethriftyfawn]

@@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco Lol

[@BradFonseca]

8:06 "I'm a typewriter person!" This is me now. 😅

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

Yes. Good. But remember. Typewriters are secondary to the writing work. It’s the writing work that has to be prioritized. Fiddle with typewriters only after your pages are done!

[@BradFonseca]

@@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco You are correct, of course. I mustn't get distracted....

[@BackupDownloads]

Good afternoon! I have a Model One Remington Rand typewriter that I'm looking to get some new (and extra) ribbons for. Both ribbon spools are still in the machine so I'm just looking for a good ribbon brand. Any recommendations?

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

Hi, BD. Yes, indeed. First, watch my Primer on Typewriter Ribbons and Spools: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYPZgoN_Z7GUnLM Second, (since you say you have the original spools for that machine), purchase a universal (1/2 inch spool) from any good dealer. Amazon and Ebay will each give you many price offerings on ribbons with plastic universal spools. Pick your poison and rethread the spools you have as the video shows. Final step: let us know if you have any problems. Or if you just attain smashing success! Either way, congrats on your Model One. Those are fine machines.

[@dadtype2339]

Did you just say The Wreck of the Hesperus Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Thought I was the only one to dive into the greats, pun intended...shame he brought his daughter for company lol. Sorry, awesome peom/story, alway considered more of a story than a poem just my interpretation of it, a lesson on pride. Holds hints of Moby Dick I think, or Really I should say Moby Dick has hints of The Wreck of the Hesperus as it came out first like 1839 and Moby was what 1850s? Going yo Google it brb... 1840 Wreck 1851 Moby So I wasn't too far off. Yeah man that's great, my favorite is Homer's Odyssey. The fact that was written long before the printing press amazes me. He jotted it down during a time of stone tablets was the new tech, God can you imagine having yhat today, your channel, how lol would it have been changed Today we'll be restoring these old chisel and hammer and take a look at Sandstone is it softer than lime??? Lol I'm sort of joking, I know they had paper to write on in the 8th Century, Egyptians were writing on... can't think of their paper... papaya something lol not the fruit. My favorite, one of my most favorite is Book or chapter 9 when Odysseus meets the Cruel Cyclops and how he goes about dealing with him didn't want to give away any spoilers. Damon if you're ever down South to New Bern North Carolina, lots of books hold our scenery, a kind of magic is down here, anyway, I'll gladly buy you lunch and coffee! We have some of the best civil war areas and odd little cemeteries just off the side of the highway lol its nuts you'd be driving along and right there at an exit of the highway is a small cemetery...hi everybody! I'm originally from CA, the land of confusion, so much better here, nearly 10 years and Im still not used to seeing stop lights in the middle of a highway. Anyway I've sent you a message in messenger so you can see I'm not a total loon...and not the coin from Canada. Cheers and greetings from NC!

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

If I'm ever headed down that way, @dadtype2339, I'll let you know well ahead of time. With thanks in advance for the (typically) generous invitation! And yes to the Odyssey. And the Iliad, while we're at it. More heroes should win hecatombs and tripods after pissing off the gods!

[@dadtype2339]

@@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco ❤️ You Sir, have been promoted to dinner how's that for typical! Actually I can do better than that.... I'm actually looking into starting a "Type In" out here in Eastern NC, it might be a while, but I get that together and with enough time in advance, I'd extend an invitation to host you and other content creators like Joe Van Cleave, been talking to him about it, I know some other Content Creators as well, but for out here beautiful Eastern NC, would help promo the channels, business, CRPS awareness, and good ol' fashion social network, fun event. How's that for typical? Until then, Coffee, Lunch and Dinner lol😊👍 It will be a while, as I'm wrapping up some legal things, but there needs to be a "Type In" out here. Perhaps Nicholas Sparks will join, he doesn't live far from me. I'll keep you posted if interested. I had sent you a PM back when I was concerned for you long absence, when the light on a "Type In" plan begins to rise, I'll send another Private Message, email, or call you. A "Type In" would be great for the area, help promote your channel and other content creators, as well as spread Awareness for COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME which I have, and I want to help people who have it. My channel is about being a Stepdad with CRPS and helping others with it support, creativity and writing. Trying to keep our chins up, we're in this together. Thanks for reading. 👍

[@_landro_1092]

Music, ping, ding ... do you woosh try to communicate a ring message or are ping you woosh just dingledangle fiddeling around ping with click the video tackatacka editing and pling sound effect ping software you bell just purchased?

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

Yes.

[@lanceroparaca1413]

Can you make a video on the Olivetti Valentine?

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

Hi Lance. Short answer is no. I don’t have a Valentine. I’ll keep an eye out for one!

[@bizboomer]

Great content. The music is distracting.

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

I’ll try to tone it down in future videos, Gary. Thanks for watching.

[@SherriStover-p6o]

Make. Sure. It. Turns. On. types. On. Paper. I. Got. A. brothers. I. A. second. Hand. Store. it. Turned. On. ,got. Ink. For. It, and. Then. it. wouldn't. Type. On. Paper

[@TheWriteStuffPro-DamonDiMarco]

This, @sherristover-p6o, is one of the many reasons I only use vintage manual machines. Key word being manual. Wishing you all the best with your work.