Meme

Edited to make it a little easier to read. Click on the images to make them bigger.

Typosphere, HELP!

Help! Prince Henry is injured!

I was in the middle of typing up my resume on my Royal KMM. I hit the return lever to go to the next line, and all of sudden everything just STOPPED. When I press a key, the type slug won't go any higher than this:

And the space bar doesn't do a thing at all. I tried fiddling with every setting I could find, no luck. I tried flipping the machine over to see if something had come lose, and couldn't find anything. I know from cleaning that occasionally things get jammed up and that Henry really dislikes being upside down (I can sympathize) but this time even that didn't free up whatever is blocked. Can anyone give me a hint as to where to look to find the problem?

ETA: So I sat down with a bowl of Reese's Puffs, determined to fix whatever was wrong with Henry. Flipped him over again, and lo and behold, turning the caps lock on and off while in that position was all it took to fix whatever it was that was wrong. Behold the power of chocolate.

Watch This Space

Currently Reading: The Fire's Stone
Currently Watching: Once Upon a Time

Typecast #7

Okay, so I lied about the knitting content.

It works!! So now I'll just stick the typewriter posts in as scans, and you can skip down to the knitting bits if you so desire. Just click on the images to make them bigger/readable.





Since the ribbons got here about two weeks (!!) before I was expecting them, I don't have a lot to say on the knitting front. There just hasn't been time for much because of the holidays (probably could have finished that sweater front last night if I'd had my knitting at the hospital. Darn). So, even though it's typewriter related and not knitting, here's a kitty fix for you. Hermes love the cover almost as much as I love the typewriter. Now that Henry is working, Hermes decided to get to know him a little better:

I have a new obsession.

Meet Henry.

Henry is a 1945-46 (to the best of my knowledge, based on his serial number) Royal KMM manual typewriter. I’ve been wanting a manual typewriter (or two, or three) for years and years, but I figured that I didn’t need another hobby and that with the prevalence of computers now I wouldn’t be able to find parts for it, and how would I repair it, because really, what’s the use of owning something like a vintage typewriter (or sewing machine, or etc) if you can’t use it from time to time? I’m not saying it would be an every day household item, but there’s just something about using a typewriter than my shiny MacBook Pro just can’t compete with (sorry, George) (Yes, I name everything). Anyway, the problem was solved when I received this little beauty for Christmas.

While I can’t say that I learned to type on a typewriter (I actually think it was either an IBM or Apple circa 1987, because even in elementary school our computers were ten years out of date), most of my early writing was done on an electric typewriter we borrowed on a long-term basis from my grandparents. We had it from the time I was about five until I was around ten, maybe thirteen, when we got our first computer. It was blue, and electric, and my favorite feature was that it had a backspace key and was correctable. I wrote stories and made cards on it, and I also made magazine and newsletters for friends, family, and the kids that my mom babysat. I loved the sound of the keys, and how interactive it was: being able to set up the paper just so, watching the letters hammer onto the paper. As happy as I was to have a computer, I was sad to see the typewriter go.

Right now it seems that all of Henry’s parts are in working order, but he needs a little oil and some cleaning (I about died when mom told me she’d wiped him down with Lysol wipes. The conservator in me had a minor stroke. I really don't understand her love of bleach wipes). So far I’ve cleaning him up a little, but the sodium bicarbonate in water that was recommended by one of the antique typewriter sites left a white film and it takes a lot of rinsing with a drop of dish detergent in water, plus plain water, to get it off.

If anyone is interested in the process, I will be taking notes and keeping track of everything I do.

So far, Hermes even approves, though he hasn't heard how loud the keys are. He's just in love with the cover (I'm thinking I should make one. Something prettier than grey nylon).