Typewriter Resources
Where to Get New Ribbon
Fun & Useful Info
A terrific resource that includes:
Typewriter user manuals
A ist of famous folks and the typewriters they used
Typewriter maintenance info
… and much, much more
A great resource for determining the age of a typewriter. Look up your make, model & serial number to determine when it was made.
There’s also a section wherein typewriter enthusiasts have posted pictures of and information about the typewriters they have collected or have seen in the wild. It’s a fun way to see how models looked through the years.
A book billed as “a typist’s companion for the 21st Century.” It was written by the same man who curates The Classic Typewriter Page mentioned above.
Facebook Groups
Antique Typewriter Maintenance Group
A 2017 film about typewriters and the folks who use them today.
Where to Get Your Platen Recovered
A note on platens:
The platen is the black rubber roller around which the paper wraps, and against which the type bars strike. When they’re new, typewriter platens have a little bit of give to them. Not really soft, but you could perhaps get your thumbnail into them a little bit.
On most typewriters you find today, the rubber of the platen has likely hardened at least a bit. On many typewriters, this may not really make much of a difference as to how they perform. On others, the hard platen can lead to a slightly louder “thwack” of the type bar strike, and perhaps a lighter impression of ink on the paper.
What to do about a hard platen? Often, nothing. My favorite typer has a rock-hard platen, and it works wonderfully regardless. But if you find you want to replicate the “give” of a fresher platen, you can simply add one or two additional backing sheets of paper behind the sheet upon which you’re typing.
Many, many people do & recommend this, and indeed, it was often standard practice even back when these machines were new.
Or, you can send your platen in to JJ Short (info above) to have it recovered with new rubber.