Is it a note-taking station? Is it a decoration only? Is it your regular journal? Is it a shopping list maker? Is it on display or tucked away?
I use mine to quickly write down ideas, so that I don’t get distracted by other things on a computer or have to wait for a computer to boot up. Other than that it’s a conversation piece and a decoration.
Edit, I forgot to include, I have a Royal like the one below. It was the cheapest one at the antique store, and it has worked perfectly for the 10+ years I’ve owned it.
Ransom notes
I’m more a fan of cutting up magazines myself. It’s not often you get an excuse for some crafts when you’re busy kidnapping heirs and taunting detectives.
Is it Sunday Craftnernoon already?
Oh no
I use mine to work on my novella at starbucks
Hey, it’s you! I think I punched you in the face once
Can you be more specific?
September 13, 2:57pm
I have my mom’s old Smith Corona electric typewriter, possibly from the 1960s, but I haven’t researched it deeply yet. It comes with a hard suitcase with a 3-digit combination lock, and a novelty dust cover that says “Typewriter!” in a bold font. My mom died in 1987, and I just took it. Last used in 1998 when my mother in law borrowed it, and it caused a fight because she died unexpectedly and her estate executor wanted to sell it, not believing it to be mine. He was under the impression it was an antique he could get good money for, but I stole it back. Last appraisal was mid 2000s, and in new working condition, I could MAYBE sell it for $30. But it’s one of the few scant possessions I have of my moms, so I keep it.
It’s gotta be worth a lot more than that since it has the power to kill people.
I’m still alive, though. I used it a lot as a teen to write some of my first works of fiction, school reports, and so on. But yeah, that did occur to me. My mother died from suicide and my mother in law from medical malpractice, so they aren’t related. Still… superstitions are the worst stitions.
No, they’re super!
If you give the typewriter to someone else, either they’ll die or you will …
Wait, how much did you use that typewriter before your mother passed?
She switched to some “Sharp” (the brand) model that had a single-line LCD screen that you typed and when done, it would print the entire line at once. This made it easy to “backspace” typos before it was on paper. So she loaned me the Smith Corona. I think I used it for 2-3 years before she died.
New theory: the typewriter is in love with you, and will kill its owners in order to stay with you.
Yeah, at that point it’s not about the dollar value.
I own an IBM Selectic II, dual pitch, with the extra wide platen. I bought it, spent a long time diagnosing it and cleaning it before it ran properly.
I use it for one specific thing: letter writing. I’m an Aspie and can’t always convey my emotions and thoughts properly, but I sure as hell can write. But not actually write with a pen, my handwriting is horrible.
When I want to say something heartfelt to someone else, I break out nice stationary, high quality paper, and one of my good typing elements, and I type it. I do have corrective tape, but my typing accuracy is pretty low, so I have to slow down. That extra effort is noticable: the type is sharper and blacker than any inkjet or laser printer, the paper is heavyweight and feels good in the hand… It almost commands respect from the reader, to pay attention to something like that.
I used it most recently to write my mother, to thank her for some things she helped me with, but didn’t turn out. I knew she felt her effort was wasted or misplaced, buty words of reassurance didn’t reach her. So I wrote a letter and sent it her way. Even though we’re still in the same town, I mailed it. That made a difference to her, and I know she held onto it… Better than any email, or throwaway text message, and imo better than any printed document composed neatly with a word processor.
I think it’s something special.
For those interested, I know a typewriter repairman who fixed up over a thousand typewriters. Super nice dude, and he does have an Etsy shop for those interested: https://www.etsy.com/shop/WorkingTypewriters
Hey cool! Seems like a good time to bring that up.
I have a Rheinmetall one from around the 30s that only half-works. It spends most of its days in the attic and only gets brought out to show people once in a while. I used it as a prop for a short film once, so I guess that was my favorite use for it.
I had a great old typewriter I’d found at a yard sale decades ago and which was purely decorative, but my absolute favorite use for it was when I gave it to an old friend who had just helped me move apartments. That person was really happy to have it, and being able to gift it with gratitude fulfilled me far more than owning the thing ever had.
Okay, that is nice and all, but what does your friend use it for??
Unknown to OP, it has now changed 11 hands over the years. Also unknown to OP, it is coming back to them as this year’s Christmas present. OP is going to be very happy about it.
TIS A CIRCLE OF LIFE~ !!!
Writing.
I got mine as a joke. Grandma gave it to me I repaired it and then made few asignments.
But I used it few times just as curiosity. Lab protocols cant be easily writen on it. With PC you have all these nice tools like ChemSketch, leaving space and drawing by hand is inconvinient.
I have an underwood typewriter that I fixed and used for the guest book at my wedding. It sits as a decoration now as there’s not much use to it.
I do love that font though.
My mum owns an old Olivetti that seems to be a collectors item nowadays. Our mutual favourite (and only) use for it is to notify each other when we stumble across one for sale and how much it goes for. They seem to be in the area of €80-150 so not quite the family heirloom.
Edit; Oh wow. Haven’t checked prices for few years. Seems they are selling tenfold now.
we have an old manual that’s used occasionally as a prop or ‘instrument’ in local productions and concerts by schools, community groups, etc.
If I remember right I have a royal quiet deluxe, I use it for notes I don’t want a digital record of like medical or other personal notes. Also every once in a while I’ll make a wall decoration, people seem to love them.
A recent one I made because someone left a paint brush I loaned them in a bit of paint.
Wow, that’s so cool! You turned an accident into something that looks like it was purposely made that way.
There is a special novelty in a mechanically typed page.
Thanks, you can tell it really got under my skin because I bothered to center my type, I don’t like centering my type. It’s a bitch to center type, lol
But yeah very novel right now, like the other comment mentions choice of stationary, I like using cotton paper. Really leaves an impression.
Come to think of it, how do you go about centering on a manual typewriter?
I get my lines character count, tab to center (or -10, -20 tab) then backspace to the right count. If I think it’ll make it look cleaner I sometimes mix a double space in or ignore punctuation marks from my count, I don’t mind them hanging past the rest like I would an M.
PS I thought I remembered messing it up right after I started and sure enough if you look at line three of that picture it’s pretty out there lol
How is writing something 9n a typewriter quicker than your phone?
Well, for starters, you don’t type “9n” by accident.
I mean, I might. But it takes white out or starting over to fix it
My phone has notifications that distract from the idea I had, and I can use all my fingers on the typewriter rather than 2 thumbs.
Downsides are a lack of autocorrect and too much noise if anyone is sleeping.
