Typewriter Closet Queens

In Typewriter Video Series Episode 318, Joe discusses those Closet Queens, typewriters that have sat forgotten and little used. It's time to get them out, fix them up, and use them!

[@yyctypewriter]

The candelabra is a nice touch for the baby grand.

[@heroesofthe21stcentury88]

Thanks, Joe, for yet another terrific video. Fun to see your Corona flattop again!

[@copyrightfreevideobyttf]

Me at 0:42 - "Is that the one with the little candle thing?" Joe at 0:52 - puts the little candle thing on the typewriter.

[@PODBOOM]

Yesss. (: I haven't used mine since I got it, basically. Typed up about 5 or 6 poems with it and then put it up, but I do LOVE the Standard 'Flat Top'. The feel of the keys (IMO) is like a Hermes Baby, mixed with like a Royal QDL - it's pretty light, but also firm. My #1 thing, though, is they just look so beautiful - the glass keys and gloss paint is amazing!!!

[@thethriftyfawn]

Awesome job with the cleaning demonstrations Joe! 😊

[@douglasjackson9058]

Another fine video Joe! I love my black and my burgundy flat tops. Always surprised by how smooth and quiet they are. Thanks so much for taking the time to make these videos 😁

[@davidcornillie]

Great to see the flattop back in service. This video is good motivation to open some cases and try out some machines, thanks!.

[@DavidALovingMPF102]

Great video! It's nice to have a story with each typewriter. Maybe some day you'll find Oppenheimer's.

[@drandallesq]

Good advice Joe, and very good cleaning/degreasing demonstration.

[@infinitymiracle6892]

Does anyone have typewriter suggestions? If so, it will be very much appreciated!

[@infinitymiracle6892]

Hello Joe! I am planning on buying more typewriters! I’m deciding to buy a Olivetti Lettera 32. I also see that you have one. Can you pleas make a video on using your Olivetti Lettera 32? If possible, it will be very much appreciated!

[@saulysw]

I have a few machines that have mechanical issues that I have found and put back on the shelf, to sort out “later”. I have a Blue Bird with a faulty backspace, for example. Later can be a long time! This problem is just as bad for me. Closet queen machines, in general, mean they are not right for the collection in some way and should get moved on, in my opinion. If it never gets used, it should go, in other words.

[@VirtualGuth]

I've come to the same conclusion regarding closet queen typewriters. It would be nice to get such machines into the hands of others - those that would actually make good use of them. All the while helping the typewritten renaissance to further grow.

[@DavidALovingMPF102]

Holy crap! you have a lot of typewriter ribbon!

[@someonespadre]

I just acquired one like it, serial number dates it to 1937. In great condition, everything works.

[@someonespadre]

Just pulled it out of the box. Did some typing, I can sort of touch type but two fingers is easier. It smells of WD-40, so that needs to be cleaned up. The only other issue is the bell doesn’t ding, the mechanism hits it, the striker is behind everything back there. My Monroe Model K has the same issue, don’t get a ring, just a clink. The typewriter doesn’t even clink or maybe it’s my hearing, so I keep hitting the margin, 3 or 4 letters on top of each other. I have 32 gallons of compressed air.

[@VirtualGuth]

Now that you have done the needed maintenance, do you feel that this Corona will become a part of your rotation of high-use machines? I've reached the point where a few of my typewriters have become closet queens, but I don't feel that any amount of additional work is going to change this. A couple of these I keep for sentimental reasons, but the others I am working to get into the hands of others who will use them often. By the way, while your presentation skills and production quality have always been very good, this video caused me to pause and reflect upon the fact that you really have been continuing to hone your skills. While the videos created by others sometimes show a lot of growth over time, in your case such growth is more subtle because you were quite good at this to begin with. While you have always come across as being very comfortable with making these videos, this one in particular caused me to realize that you are even more so now. It's always a pleasure Joe. ...Bill from Portland

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Bill: thank you! It’s funny about the struggles that occur behind the scenes when making videos. In this one, my lav mic went to static while shooting the workbench scenes, and I didn’t know until later. So I shot some voice-over clips and dubbed in the audio on top. Regarding the Corona, I was impressed with how soft the touch is, rather Hermes 3000-ish actually. The pica sized typeface may be the only detriment to it being extensively used, but it’ll certainly get more use now.

[@loveisall5520]

Joe--I have a problem that may be peculiar to just me, I don't know. As a guy who's loved typewriters since the early sixties, I went into professional medical typing to get myself through college. I also shot weddings with TLR Rolleis and Mamiyas. After college I owned and operated a small medical typing business for several years before travel took me out of it. As a college student in the seventies who toured the country often by bicycle, I took my Hermes Baby on trips rather like some would take a travel guitar. Unfortunately, over the years my ability to enjoy and use manual typewriters, particularly portables, sort of disappeared. I whipped out one my fifties S-C portables today and it was almost impossible to type a decent line! That's what decades of electrics and electronics do. Am I the only guy out there with this situation? I'm getting my favorite S-C, a Secretarial 300, serviced and tuned up now, 'cause I wonder if I can ever just peck away on a little manual portable again...

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I think it's a learned response. "Keyboarding" versus manual typing are two different skills, using a different mix of muscle and tendon strengths. For me, I started out index-finger typing, just to be able hit the keys with adequate velocity. Then I worked on touch-typing, but noticed my non-dominant left hand made more errors, especially the letter A, which is struck with the weakest finger of the weaker hand (if you're right handed), but it's the 3rd most frequent letter in English. So I began "weird typing" using a touch-typing technique on my right hand and index finger typing with the left. Finally I got the Royal KMM and I was able to touch-type because the shift-lock key is far enough away from the A-key that my left pinkie doesn't interfere. This enabled me to build up enough muscle strength that now I can touch-type on many other machines, with the caveat that small portables will always be more difficult because of cramped keyboards and design compromises in the touch. For me, the speed of thinking is the limiting factor more than the speed of typing, at least when creating direct to the typewriter. Now, if I were doing secretarial transcribing it would be different.

[@anthonybrunotheodd]

The candelabra reminds me of Liberace.

[@mmoderatorul9]

Nice job ! Where did you get the bulk ribbon from ?

[@clarissadoss6513]

Hi joe I’ve watched your videos about thermal typewriters I just got a brother EP45 and can’t figure out how to set margins for the small thermal paper rolls

[@Joe_VanCleave]

Here's the margin-setting procedure from the EP-43 manual: With the machine first turned on, and no typed characters, set the left margin by holding down the 2nd Shift key and use the SPACE BAR or BACKSPACE key to move the print head back and forth until the red indicator lines up with your desired left margin; then press the LM/RM key to store the position. To set the right margin, use the same procedure as the left, except to store the position hold down the CODE key and press the LM/RM key.

[@clarissadoss6513]

@@Joe_VanCleave thanks so much

[@DavidALovingMPF102]

Stay.......COOL!

[@michaelfrisbie7247]

Hey Joe! I've recently been getting into working on typewriters, and I'm curious: how bad of condition can a machine be in before you decide to pass on it? Are there certain issues that are more trouble than they're worth when hunting?

[@Joe_VanCleave]

I’m rather picky, because there are no spare parts for typewriters, other than a “parts machine.” I test out a potential purchase to ensure the basic functions work, keeping in mind that I expect to have to degrease and clean the mechanism.

[@michaelfrisbie7247]

@@Joe_VanCleave Ah, so you don't mess with online purchases, then?

[@Ferran-bf6wz]

👍 Subscrito. Tengo una Olívetti Studio 46.