It was fun to dream about the mystery typewriter that I found on Craigslist. The only thing I knew for sure was that it was blue. I liked "Words are Winged" suggestion that it might be a blue Royal Model P from the 30's. I was pretty sure it was not John Lennon's typewriter! I would have been psyched if it was a blue Quiet DeLuxe from the 50's. I even thought about a Lettera 22, those come in that fantastic Olivetti blue. But Ted was right, it turned out to be a blue Brother Charger. The ad did say vintage and not antique after all. But what constitutes antique? A 1966 Mustang is considered an antique but a 1966 Royal is vintage. Where do you draw the line?
But read on, my blue disappointment turned to
excitement when I found this mint condition green Super Sterling!
Nice! Did you get the JP1? According to the Classroom Typewriter Project, Brothers survive classrooms far better than Smith Coronas. They are very student-friendly. (:
ReplyDeleteSuper-Sterlings are great, but you just can't beat a JP1. They're practically indestructible.
ReplyDeleteHi David - Nice to meet you, as it were. I found your blog today while looking for info on how to clean up and old Underwood upright that I bought today at Recycle North in Burlington. (not restore, mind you - that's beyond me). I love old typewriters although I'm not a scholar or expert like you. Still, as a fellow Vermonter I thought I should wave hello and say thanks for your useful blog. Maybe I'll be able to swing by the upcoming "Type in" in Burlington. Oh, and I have one of these typewriters - Super Sterling - I didn't realize that was it's name (it's not here with me at home so I can't go look at it just now). A Goodwill find a couple of years ago...
ReplyDeleteWow, I was in the ReStore today as well but you must have already bought that Underwood. As I remember, it is a nice machine. You will definitely have to lug it to the Type-In. Please feel free to email me if you would like any particular advice on your typewriter. One big tip for anyone bringing a typewriter back to life is to resist the temptation to spray the whole thing with WD-40 as it will collect more dust and become even more gummed up later!
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