What follows is a round-up/collection of typewriters I either purchased, used, or simply observed along the way on various wanders.
Assembled for historical reference and personal interest, with annotations and examples where possible.
This machine (brandname obscured by grunge) was purchased in Fort Galle, Sri Lanka in rather rough shape. Cleaned the keys with a toothbrush and solvent, added a new ribbon, attempted to repair the ribbon uptake (with limited success). The machine’s key produced a rather small typeface size making the cleaning of the worn down keys especially important. Banged out journals, letters and poems for a few months before moving on and leaving it behind.
Here’s a sample of the type produced by this machine – as evidenced, a little rough going but the keystrokes felt great and machine size was just right:
Other examples are at: Night lake Diving and a Letter to Ayurvedic Clinic in Galle
This Underwood (above) lives in the lobby of Hotel Zed in Victoria, BC, Canada for use of patrons. Banged out a couple of letters and journal entries while sequestered here for a few days. A nice touch by the quirky hotel who also included a record player and finger-dial telephones in the eclectic atmosphere.
This Olivetti (above) was once a noble workhorse but left in backyard during some times of chaos in a buddy’s life. Now weathered, would take some love to repair. However, the lovely blue coating and elegant design offered me visual joy while working on assembling poetry chapbooks nearby.
These next three typewriters (one above, two below) are really just one typewriter, an olden Gabrielle photographed on three different stays at Hip Inn in Phitsanulok (central) Thailand. This guesthouse was filled with interesting collections and items – from VW models to a Vespa scooter to vintage cigarette packs – and this typewriter sat like a guardian angel outside the room where i stayed each time over 2 years. The machine is unprotected from right sunlight and is clearly deteriorating in a wabi-sabi sorta way.
This typewriter (below) lives at a bar called Manshed in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia. Not sure if it works, tried to make it known that i’d like to take it home and try it but was not able to reach agreement. A fairly basic Brother unit with plastic shroud so not fully intriguing but deserves notable respect nevertheless.
The next two typewriters (below) are obviously not in workable condition but rather displayed at a sorta impromptu museum of curious collections in Fort Galle, Sri Lanka. The area has various courthouses, lawyers offices and similar businesses, along with several shops of typists doing, well, typing for hire. Still. As such, typewriters are valued and well-used.
