Monthly Archives: March 2017

March 31, 2017 · 10:26 am

Fastenephemera

Bostich B5

Yesterday I printed a 10 page manual for my guitar amp, downloaded of course since I didn’t have the original. I went to staple it together with my trusty VICTOR stapler, but that failed miserably. Later on I was passing the office junk aisle in a thrift shop (where else) and spotted this old stapler for $4. It looked rugged, my foremost criterion for a stapler, so I purchased it in the hope it would blasted through 10 pages like “butta”. It didn’t disappoint! I began to wonder how old it was. I was shocked to discover, through circuitous web searching, that the basic design dates from 1936!

One other reason to like this stapler is how well it matches old Smith Coronas, dull greyish crinkle paint and all.

Smith Corona Silent Super 1955 – script type

Here’s a US Patent drawing for the same stapler from 1939, filed 1937. This fellow Maynard filed a whole lot of patents, many for staplers, but lots of other stuff. It wouldn’t surprise me if he even designed a typewriter…

Here’s a side view of mine. Dig the background – a vintage George Shearing LP cover. The record itself was awful, but we generally like most of Shearing’s stuff.

The other old item I acquired yesterday was a pink depression glass plate, $2. Someone out there who knows more than I do says this is Federal Windsor button & cane design. Beats me, I like the colour!

pink depression glass plate

Last night I served myself a Peek Frean tea biscuit on this plate, with a beer. Both were delicious!

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Filed under LP's, Staplers, Technology, Thrift shop finds, Typewriters

Tagged as bostich B5 stapler, george shearing, pink depression glass

March 28, 2017 · 3:05 pm

Typewritephemera

This morning I came across an interesting ultra-portable typewriter: a Majestic 700. It is in fact a Smith Corona Corsair/Skywriter/etc, with plastic case and lid; probably the lightest of any machine I’ve seen. I had no camera but the picture above is the same model. This one was made in Canada. Curious about the Majestic brand I searched and discovered most were made by Brother. I also found an interesting old advert from Eaton’s of Canada. Eaton’s carried a good variety of everything made on earth at one time. The copy states that the Majestic case was made of “Cycolac”, a new material then. Among the small portables you could buy a Lettera 22, Hermes Rocket, Underwood 18, or Majestic 700, each for $80. The Majestic 400 however, presumably a Brother JP1, was a mere $55. All machines were available in English or French, Pica or Elite; no mention of script!

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Filed under Thrift shop finds, Typewriters, Vintage advertising

Tagged as eatons of canada, majestic 700 typewriter

March 26, 2017 · 1:03 pm

Thrift Bonanza – c.195x

viewfinder 1955 Asahiflex

Asahiflex IIA – first SLR from Japan

viewfinder 1953 Rolleicord

Rolleicord IV

Smith Corona Silent Super 1955 – script type

the secret 1 key

P.S. here is an OCR attempted scan of the typed page 1 above:

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Filed under Cameras, Technology, Thrift shop finds, Typefaces, Typewriters

Tagged as asahiflex IIa, rolleicord iv, script typeface, smith corona silent super

March 24, 2017 · 3:01 pm

Baby Hummingbirds Feeding

March 24, 2017

1.30 pm – back at the nest waiting for the mother hummingbird. Got the 500mm lens on the camera now. Checked my focus and exposure ten times. Been here 5 minutes. Saw hummingbirds flying here and there but not near the nest. When I arrived I saw a squirrel heading down the trunk of the tree. Did it find the nest? I suppose not, as the nest is intact. Much chirping in the area.

Waiting… waiting… saw two Hairy Woodpeckers and a Red Tailed Hawk. People pass by on the trail, but I just sit here. No one sees the nest, and I don’t point my camera at it.

1.50 pm – the mother has to come soon. How long can she stay away feeding herself? Hold on, she’s over there on a branch. I blink and she’s gone again. Where did she go? She’s on the nest! I missed her fly 15 feet in a blink. Camera up, start clicking.

mother arrives

feed baby #1

baby #1 fed, check around

time for #2 next

feeding baby #2

done and gone in a second

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Filed under Birds, Photography, Wildlife

Tagged as anna's hummingbird, baby hummingbirds feeding

March 22, 2017 · 3:13 pm

Equinoctial Photographic Magazine

Today on the trail I met two chaps observing something through a huge 3′ telescopic lens. I stopped to chat, curious about what they were looking at. It was a hummingbird nest.

hummingbird nest

I looked but didn’t see it at first, thinking it must have been 100 feet away. But it wasn’t – it was close at hand right on top of a bare branch, exposed to the weather. The mother returned and flitted around for a minute or so before a lighting on the branch, whereupon she began feeding the babies. I could see wide open tiny yellowish beaks from where I stood, but there was no sound. The big camera began clicking away and I didn’t want to horn in while watching, so I waited until many pictures had been taken then raised my own camera and focused on the mother. She stopped feeding, looked up and flew away. I did get one picture of her, however.