Need help! Cole Steel Escapement

Good looking machine, seems like a promising typewriter.  Belongs to a friend and we haven't been able to troubleshoot it yet. 

The carriage just moves freely and the escapement doesn't work at all.  The carriage motor is good, but it just slides to the far left on it's own.  I don't even see an escapement gear, so I am not sure how this works or what needs to be adjusted. 

Apparently the machine was working fine until a fall, so something got jostled.  I don't even know where to begin.

Merry Christmas!

A long desired dream typewriter finally useable! 

Much thanks to my folks and JJ Short.  So glad to have this cute little ultra-portable working!

A Stapler!!! and a tour of my writing room...

This is my vintage stapler, an Arrow 210.  I didn't know anything about staplers when I bought it, just that I wanted an old one and this was a good price.  I bought it up the way up to the typewriter gathering at Herman Price's Chestnut Ridge Typewriter Museum.  Incidentally there was a really cool presentation on paper fasteners there and I learned a lot.  This is a pretty typical stapler except that the top comes off for convenient tacking.  There is also a three way anvil for permanent, semi-permanent, and temporary (or splayed) stapling. 

But do any of you have an old school tape dispenser?  I know nothing about this except it is cast iron and would make a great head smashing weapon in the imminent zombie apocalypse. 

My writing desks, comfy recliner for reading, and record player in the corner.  The brass desklamp is vintage, the desk fan is Wal-Mart I think (I saw one like it there recently) but both add perfectly to the look I was shooting for. 

Other side of the room.  Too many typewriters?  Not possible.

My spiffy writing desk I got for free with the condition I should clean all the mold off first.  It took a little bit of elbow grease and some hydrogen peroxide but it wasn't too bad. 

Oh yes, it is one of these desks... :) 

It had a crappy 70s Smith Corona electric in it when I got it.  That machine is now just kinda chillin on my front porch.  The Underwood was a perfectly attractive and fun to use machine that I don't care enough about so that if the desk collapses it will have been less of a loss than other machines I have considered. 

I am sure you saw my wall hangings in the other pics, here are some closer up photos.  Sorry I don't have a large tripod and they are blurry.  From top to bottom, left to right: Royal KMG ad from eBay, boxy-body Hermes 3000 ad from eBay, Smith Corona portable ad from eBay, and WWII era Royal KMM ad from eBay. 

Top to bottom: WWII Royal KMM ad I found in a Saturday Evening Post magazine at an antique store, Royal ad with awesome comic style graphics from the 40s I got on eBay, and WWII Smith Corona ad I found on my own in another Saturday Evening Post. 

Another WWII Smith Corona ad I found. 

Sorry this is blurry, but I don't know about posting other people's words on my blog...  might take better pics one day.  Anyhow from top to bottom these are: a certificate saying my KMM was used in a David Baldacci film called Wish You Well signed by the propmaster who I loaned it to, a personal letter from Tom Hanks typed on a Smith Corona Silent-Super, an award from Virginia Tech signed by now best selling author Edward Falco who was one of my professors, a signed form letter from Dean Koontz, and a letter from Steve Soboroff typed on Ernest Hemingway's Royal.

Robert Messenger, if you are reading this I DO have the awesome poster you gave me at the Chestnut Ridge event and I intend to hang it but until I find work and make some money I won't be able to frame it and put it up.

Why You Should Take Your Typewriter Out

I actually got my camera all ready to go and in its case and then left it on the kitchen table, so here is a poor photo from my flip-phone. 

To learn a little more about this really cool machine and to see better pictures check out: http://typewriterdatabase.com/194x-remington-rand-allnew.1654.typewriter

Are any of you in Lynchburg, Virginia?

Later in the day I met a man named Tom Wood at an antique store about two blocks down the road from the White Hart.  He told me they had moved 80 typewriters this year and even had just sold a Royal Quiet De Luxe that morning.  There was one typewriter in the store, an Adler Universal 200 from the 70s in excellent shape for $35 which makes me think he must be pretty reasonable.  I mentioned I fix machines and he offered to cut me some great deals if I fix a few things for him on my next trip up there!

Most Overrated Typewriter is Still Awesome

I am going to take a LOT of flack for this I bet....

I am NOT attacking people with BMWs or Hermes typewriters.  I actually own six Hermes typewriters at the moment, four of them 3000 models (one is a parts machine though) 

Calling all pretentious D-bags! 

To some people this is heaven, one of these machines is pretty much standard, one is script, one has a techno typeface, and the other has a few custom keys 

To this arrangement we also add a broken later style boxy metal 3000 and an even later plastic bodied one made in Hungary

Changes and Chestnut Ridge Typewriter Gathering

There will be some changes to this blog, it will now be less a showcase and more a personal venue by which I share typewriter or writing related adventures and ideas.  My collection is now being showcased here:
http://typewriterdatabase.com/typewriters.php?hunter_search=281
This is a great website every single one of you should sign up for and post on.

I should note that I was given some gifts at the Chestnut Ridge event, two machine from Richard Polt including the stunning Triumph I did the below post with:
http://typewriterdatabase.com/1948-triumph-norm-6.1460.typewriter
and also a Presentation from Will Davis:
http://typewriterdatabase.com/19xx-imcengadine-presentation.1467.typewriter

It was an awesome event, there is simply too much to recount here and I actually accidentally deleted the few pictures I did take.  Here is a link to maybe the best reporting on the event (or a few):
http://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2013/10/i-thought-id-died-and-gone-to.html

http://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2013/10/lock-me-up-in-west-virginia-and-throw.html
http://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2013/10/odyssey-to-ohio-greatest-typewriter_16.html

Here is my much inferior report:

Photobombing Richard Polt and Robert Messenger and Martin Howard.

Photo credit goes to my buddy JP, you should make sure to see his blog:
http://anythinggoesatvt.blogspot.com/

PS to Richard Polt:  I lowballed you on the Adler Universal; it's still a gift!  But of course I also now have that amazing Triumph and the Princess too...  I really like the Triumph.  A lot.

Rare Japanese Machines Part 2: the Clipper

The link I promised: http://www.machinesoflovinggrace.com/ptf/Halberg.html 

Note the folding down carriage return lever. 

Curious here is the same lever operates the carriage release and also the roller release. 

Inside there are no more clues as to who made this machine, just a guide telling what each part does. 

These thin soft cases don't offer a lot of protection.  I am surprised the machine is in as good shape as it is. 

It even includes the key!

Rare Japanese Typewriters Part 1: The Argyle

It's actually an attractive machine, or would be in better shape.

Here is Will Davis' link as promised:  http://machinesoflovinggrace.com/ptf/japan2.html 

Not sure if those spools are special, I saved the other just in case.

Little bit of rust.... 

My favorite view of the Argyle, I like the chrome strip running along the edge.  Also note the fold down carriage return lever.

More rust, yikes!

The case is in decent shape.  And the zippers work too!