Good bye 2011 and Welcome 2012

...and now it is time to switch to the mode of communication made popular my Mr. Marconi; Straight Key Night starts in a few hours.  Morse Code (CW) the original digital mode.

Typing Pads

One of the groups to which I belong has a thread on typing pads.

I use a shelf liner made like this:

It is a soft rubbery material that works fine in tool boxes, on shelves and I have even used it to hold wood that I was sanding to keep it from slipping on the workbench.  I bought mine at Lowe's and I am sure  other hardware stores sell it as well as dollar stores and grocery stores.

I cut a piece that is 12 inches by 14 inches and use it under any of my machines that slide with a carriage return.

Typing Tips

The booklet

Centerfold

Noiseless Carbon Paper

I have noticed if I can maintain a pressure and rythm that is different than I use on the other machines the a on the Noiseless does not leave a space.  Lighter touch and good rythm.  Now I must practice.

FounntainPen Friendly Target Find

Waterman Ici et La, 1st generation

Ici et La nib

Royal Companion

Original condition when purchased.

Left and right sides are really deteriorated.

Keys looked like the machine was immersed in mud.

Cobwebs

Nearly ready for a bath.

Typeface after the project was completed.

No more mud on the keys, but BACK SPACE got washed off.

New ribbon ready for typing.

Cobwebs no more

This is the machine on my not so tidy work bench.

Finished

The finished result is kind of nice.  The colors chosen do not clash with the original finish.  If I could find decals I would do the entire machine.  The original paint on the machine was so bad that even washing it damaged it.  It cleaned, but the result was like the old latex house paint that was too old and became chalky.  The result was letting the front and rear panels the original finish.  The aluminum housing has some flaws that the gloss paint brought out.  If the flaws were noticed before painting I would have smoothed them out with some auto body glazing.

The platen softened with treatment, but still shows typeface imprints.  This does not deform the print, but if I find a better one or decide to have this one recovered I'm sure the print quality would improve.  For now I use a backing sheet.

Tis the Season

A neat article link I received in an email

Sorry, no typecast.  I need to keep the peace on the home front (I do not have a place to type without awakening the boss, even using my Remington Noiseless.

Here is a link to what turned out to be a very successful social -- type-in at Amherst College.


http://chronicle.com/article/At-Amherst-Clack-Clack/129998/

Here's a link to a radio typecast

 

The this  that starts my post is below.  I posted a short typecast.

http://ai4wm.blogspot.com/2011/12/dust-of-your-straigt-key-straight-key.html

The original digital communication was the Morse Code sent telegraph over wires.  The original digital radio communication was Morse Code over the air using a spark gap transmitter and later the radio.

I moved the typewriter from my workbench to my work table in the house.  Neither area is very neat at the moment, but my workbench is extremely  cluttered.  Presently the workbench is a miniature of my garage and the garage is like Fibber McGee's closet!

Critique of either of my blogs or my blogging is welcome.

Hemisphere writing sample

Waterman Hemisphere Fountain Pen

Hemisphere Deluxe

The Nib

Comparison of the Hemisphere nib with the Laureat nib.  Laureat is in front.

Size comparison of the Hemisphere and laureat.  Hemisphere is in front.

Now if I could only quit making typos and I can get my scanner properly aligned...