I Give Away Such Nice Typewriters

When my older daughter saw the Smith-Corona Sterling that I gave my younger daughter, she asked for a typewriter of her own.  I went back on the hunt but finding a vintage typewriter is not always that easy.  I went back to the thrift shop where I had found the Sterling again and again and found nothing.  I checked Craigslist religiously and found nothing until one day, after weeks of checking, I saw a woman's local ad for a typewriter.  This was the first item the woman had ever put on Craigslist and her phone was already ringing.  I said I could stop by that evening and picked up this nice Remington 5 Streamlined.  I didn't know how lucky I was!  I knew nothing of glass keys and pre-WWII portables and this little baby had everything.  It was in very good shape except the case was a little worn.  The woman explained to me that it had belonged to her mother and that she and her brothers and sisters had played with it as kids.  I fixed up the case with some contact cement and a cotter pin for a hinge part.  The typewriter itself cleaned up very nicely with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser - a new must have for my typewriter repair kit.  Now the gloss black paint shined.  The only problem was that the carriage return bell did not ring.  I could see the mechanism that was meant to trip the bell ringer, but it did not seem to have enough spring left.  I took a spring out of an old ballpoint click pen and hooked it up to the ringer and heard the sweet sound of the little bell.  Now that I have learned a lot more about collecting portables, I know how lucky I was to find this gem.  And the price?  Just $40!