Underwood Diplomat

This Underwood Diplomat Portable Typewriter was a bit of a puzzle for me. While there have been typewriters labeled Diplomat, they were very different than this machine. In this video, I explain the puzzle and my conclusions. The Diplomat is a fun little typer. Enjoy.

[@Lexig76]

I have an Underwood Leader that looks very similar to this model. Of course, it’s missing a lot of the features you mentioned, but this video did help me understand my typewriter a little better. Thank you!

[@altongansky]

You are welcome. Thanks for writing.

[@douglasjackson9058]

Looks like a different bird for sure. Love the return arm. Keys look similar to my underwood fingerflite. Very comfortable typewriter. Thanks again for taking the time to create these videos. Grid bless you.

[@altongansky]

That's for comment, Douglas.

[@altongansky]

You're welcome. Thank you for writing.

[@j.d.thompson3505]

Very lovely. I recently purchased a similar Underwood typewriter case that was locked from a Thrift shop for $20. I could tell by the weight that the machine was obviously inside but I had no way to unlock it. None of my keys worked even though I was sure that one would, I was sadly mistaken. I called a locksmith to come to the house and that cost me another $20. When the case was opened there was another locked box inside. Once again I had no key that would work so for another fee, the locksmith opened the second box and to my sad surprise, it was full of Underwood typewriter case keys! Apparently, it was the box they kept the keys in at the Underwood manufacturing facility. So I have about 1500 of them which unfortunately have rusted and stuck together in a solid mass over time. Now, here's the strange part; both boxes, inside and out are also completely covered in cat hair. Like you, I had quite a job cleaning the whole mess up. So much fun though!

[@altongansky]

j.d. thompson Thanks for sharing this. This is the funniest story I’ve ever read. I’m still laughing. You made my night.

[@captainkeyboard1007]

I never knew that Underwood made a typewriter called the Diplomat. The typewriter in the video looks very nice. When I was 12 years-old, I learned typewriting on an antique Underwood typewriter. Since then, I could only work on a job which has a typewriter or like keyboard on the premises. You have a nice collection of typewriters. I wish you Happy Keyboarding!

[@altongansky]

It was common for typewriter companies to rebrand some of their models to be sold in select department stores. They often made a few design changes to make the machines unique (paint choices, etc). Thanks for writing.

[@buetang]

Hi Alton, curious if you still own this machine? Thanks!

[@TypewriterMinutes]

Nice review. I’ve never seen a Diplomat like that. Is the color caramel? In some light it looks darker.

[@altongansky]

TypewriterMinutes It’s a putty gray.

[@altongansky]

Thanks for writing, James. Glad you enjoyed the videos. I try to keep my videos shorter than that but fail often. I appreciate your comments. I too learned to type in the 9th grade and complained about it often. "I will never need to know how to type." Yep, I was that shortsighted. I've written a ton of books so, you know, I was probably wrong back then.

[@captainkeyboard1007]

@@altongansky A long video can be better than no video at all. I enjoy watching shows about typewriters and computers. Typewriting, which is now keyboarding, is my best skill. Nowadays, I may not have much use for a typewriter, since I am able to do a lot more on a microcomputer and a color laser printer with a scanner. However, a typewriter would still be good for me to have.