February 6, 2020 · 5:08 pm

Clipper Makeover

repainted Smith Corona Clipper

Boeing 314 “Clipper”, named after a typewriter!

It’s been years since I repainted a typewriter. I recently sold the last one I repainted, so when I picked up a drab Smith Corona Clipper I decided to have another go at repainting. I had forgotten just how much work it is, and how fussy. I removed all the panels, sanded out the chips and scratches, then filled in the holes with quick body filler, sanded again, then primed and then got down to spraying. Of course I screwed it up right away by missing spots and then adding too much paint to others. You can’t respray this paint unless you wait 24 hours, another mistake I learned about the hard way when the old paint wrinkled. This machine has CLIPPER printed on the back of the paper feed, but the serial number and features are those of a Sterling, series 5A, not 5C. So it’s a Sterling with a Clipper label. I decided to recreate the Clipper logo with the Boeing Clipper, and print my own water slide decals for that and the Smith Corona name. I copied the clipper logo from a photo I found on line and worked up a reasonable facsimile by hand drawing the plane and importing that into MS Publisher. Combined with text and another imported file of a blue line I drew for the waves, I designed my own Clipper logo, which I then printed on clear water slide decal paper.

 

Same thing for the Smith-Corona logo.

I clear coated the lid to protect the decals and reassembled the bodywork. It’s a lovely typewriter, but I’m going to sell it because I have several of these already, and don’t need more of the same. I hope someone will enjoy this little gem. I won’t get enough money for it to justify all the work involved, but it was fun all the same. Also, I learned how to make water slide decals, and made some labels for my guitars.

During the process of hunting down the logo for the Smith Corona Clipper, I learned a lot about the Boeing 314 “Clipper”. Air travel should be like this! Beds and staterooms, dining rooms, lounges, and separate bathrooms for men and women. Air travel has really improved since those days, because now we have gender neutral toilets. Plus we have 50 channels of programs. Back then they had to get up to go eat. Now they bring you the “food”, and it is so delicious.

Boeing only ever made 12 of them, all for Pan Am Airways, but the plane is much larger in legend. Every plane was called a Such and Such Clipper. There are none left. Only typewriters remain…and of course our own Victoria to Seattle Clipper – a fast catamaran that goes from here to Seattle daily. Maybe they will buy this typewriter for the passengers to use!

The Victoria Clipper

sheet of decals

my version of the Clipper logo

my Smith Corona decal

Guitar logos:

 

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February 1, 2020 · 1:05 pm

*Corona*

Just for a minute, forget the virus, the beer, the ring around the moon, and everything else but this: *Corona* the typewriter. There are a multitude of pages about the Corona typewriter, which was a sensation in its day. Now I understand why.

Corona 3 – 1916 – front view

folded position

case with manual (reprint)

The above scans are from the first test pages I typed just as soon as I could get the thing ready. Pretty impressive for 104 years old. I had to hunt around to discover where some of the symbols were, since they were not clear from the keys. The = sign is on the K, but it is indicated with a -. As noted above, the comma is indicated by the “.”, and where they show “,” is actually “-“. I straightened out the off kilter key symbols by pushing the paper discs from the underside of the keys. Several rings just came off, and I pushed them back on. The typebar cushion rest was made of cork and had been damaged, so I removed that and slipped in a piece of heavy wool piano felt. The feet are there, but no longer soft, so I might dig out the hard old rubber and slip in some new grommets that should fit nicely. Aside from that, the front panel of the case needs some repairs to the hinge of leather, and that’s it. Lastly, thanks to Richard Polt again for making all those manuals available. I downloaded the Corona manual, which was extremely useful! I might never have figured out how the ribbon winding system worked without the manual to explain it. I printed a small version to keep in the case where it originally fit, too.

“=” is on the K, and “,” is on the “.” key

rebuilt in Vancouver BC

chrome plated bell! nice chime, too.

bottom of the folding carriage

gears for ribbon winding

case latch and leather handle

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January 28, 2020 · 7:19 pm

Sky The Blue Mouse

It was all due to a typewriter. A fellow came to buy a typewriter for making story books with his daughter. After he left, I was doodling with my watercolours and thought I’d give it a try, so I took out a sheet of paper and drew a picture of a tower from my imagination. I didn’t type on it, but wrote a few words. Then I did another sketch, and another, and soon I had the beginning of a story in pictures; so I abandoned the idea of words altogether and decided to tell the tale in sketches.

Perhaps I should have called this book; Sky – or, The Blue Mouse, following Melville’s Moby Dick – or, The Whale. But it’s too late, as this only occurred to me after I had published. Let there be no confusion, this is nothing like Moby Dick – or, The Whale, except that it involves an animal in the title.

The hypothesis is that my version of the story isn’t the only possible version. I tried it out on several youngsters, whose versions were surprisingly different from my own. Here is an abridged version:

Sky The Blue Mouse

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January 26, 2020 · 5:18 pm

Super-Duper

fake Superman, with genuine Super-Riter

You may have seen this before – but if not, it’s “Superman” (the fictional one, not the real one), typing on his typewriter – A Remington SUPER-RITER. I bet he had a sore back, because of his arm position. He should have had one of my typewriter shelves, but alas they weren’t around in his time. Here is my Super-Riter:

genuine 1961 Remington Super-Riter

side view, viewers left/stage right

After using this new acquisition, I have to agree that it is SUPER! I’m not keen on big heavy desk models, since they are a pain to move around, and I have nowhere to permanently place one. But I grabbed this big boy from a thrift shop last week, because it called to me. I bent down and typed a few letters on it in the store, and the smooth action was remarkable. I had previously seen one at a church bazaar, and recalled that it was very quiet, smooth and precise. So this time I jumped in and brought it home. It needed a minimal amount of cleaning, but was otherwise in fine shape. There was one niggling problem however: the ribbon selector was erratic. After several sessions on the net, I discovered a very interesting feature of this machine – it folds open! Yes, they called this “fold-a-matic”. Munk, praise be to him, had the instructions for opening the back of the machine up. Polt, too, ever helpful in time of need, provided the service manual. With this combination of precise instructions I  proceeded to open the machine. This is analogous to open heart surgery for typewriters, but typewriters feel no pain and cannot be killed, as far as we know, except by Superman.

open Super-Riter

There are numerous blogs with information on the Super-Riter, but this is the first one to feature an actual open heart operation. Be sure you’re seated and have someone with first aid experience nearby while watching this, unless you’re a doctor. It is shocking! The back opens up with the removal of a few screws. First one removes the platen, however, achieved by flipping two levers and lifting it off. Dead simple. Oops, I didn’t mean to say dead, excuse me.

flip the L shaped lever and lift out the platen (2 of)

Once you remove the screws, the back almost opens by itself. I tilted the back open, exposing the ribbon selector-vibrator parts and performed a minimally invasive procedure known as a selector-ectomy, involving a small screwdriver and some simple but precise adjustments. Then it was time to close, which was as simple as opening, except in reverse order. The biggest risk is losing a screw, which I often do, but this time I got lucky and there were no missing or leftover pieces after reassembly was complete.

hole for screw (centre) to remove for opening. Note the solid steel rails!

view of the main spring and tab mechanism (to the right of the motor)

ribbon selector-vibrator linkage

Super-Riter is back in one piece now and recovering well. It’s a marvelous bit of engineering, and it types with near perfection. The sole downside is the weight, 32 lbs. It’s so heavy that when you get typing, the machine will begin to sway even a solid table due to resonance and its mass. Placed on a heavy table, I imagine it would be heavenly. On a TV tray, extremely risky! Not for card tables this sucker.

with platen out, it’s simple to remove all the rollers too.

 

last but very important – the bottom

Indeed, what more could you want?

in case you need help to change the ribbon – there are still typewriter repairmen – in Montreal!

one last look

In summary – the Remington Super-Riter can best be described as a luxury typewriter, engineered and built to the very best standards, during the glory years of Western Civilization, c. 80-30 BC (Before China). During the early years of that era, men dictated and women typed on these things, that is until Superman came along and lead the way for men to use them without embarrassment. Now, men all over the world covet them and wouldn’t dream of allowing women near their precious machines. Women have moved on, however, so the joke is on men!

P.S.  to find plans for my typewriter shelf click this link:

https://nathanguitars.com/2016/02/26/the-oliver-courier/

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January 24, 2020 · 11:45 am

Django-Burns Day 2020

Django & Robert at work

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January 22, 2020 · 1:49 pm

The Mole – Book Launch

Part Four of the Mates & Men saga

After rescuing his best pal Jerry from kidnappers, Miles wants nothing more than to take up a peaceful life with his love Kyra in the sleepy Greek village of Katsantika. Jerry thinks his globetrotting adventures are behind him, until a troubled PhD student vanishes, and the distraught parents hire Jerry to find him. Jerry’s one time boss Nelthorpe has a problem at MI6 that sends him looking for help from the only person he can trust. He believes the key may lie inside a cell of agents-provocateurs which he believes is the conduit to the mole. When the FBI pounce on an organized crime ring, they need Jerry’s help too, despite not wanting it. Meanwhile, in London, MI6 has an empty flat that will soon have a secret occupant who specializes in cyber-security. This is the tale of THE MOLE, the man Nelthorpe fears, despises, and must uncover before another agent dies.

My latest novel is now available. It takes up where the trilogy Mates and Men ends. It took all of November and some of December to write the first draft on my typewriter (mostly a Smith Corona 5A). Click on the red typewriter (Author Page) in the picture to get to the links for all my books.

I finished the editing a few weeks ago, but then had to draw the illustrations. Here are a couple of sketches from the book:

Miles at the pub, waiting for his contact

Francis at a strip joint

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January 16, 2020 · 7:54 pm

Eyes on the Ground

From season to season the park is constantly changing, but sometime it changes drastically overnight – as it did when we received a foot of snow in a couple of days.

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