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Chris Aldrich

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Musings of a Modern Day Cyberneticist

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Gray enameled 3 hole steel punch sits on an oak library card catalogue next to some pink flowers in a vase and Royal FP typewrtier
Anna Havron recently mentioned that she had a Bates Hummer punch from years back, so it only took a second’s thought to pick up this $3.99 purchase at the local Acts Thrift store when I ran across it on June 28th It was in pretty solid shape with some heavy dust, light pitting on some … Continue reading

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View into the drawer of a metal index card filing cabinet full of tabbed cards and index cards. The section is labeled "Typewriters / Ribbons / Spools" and the tabs are all typewriter related.
How do you keep track of your typewriter collection? Do you keep a simple typewritten list? Do you use a spreadsheet? The Typewriter Database? A period-appropriate card index?  Tags on your machines on the shelves? Via your blog or web page? All of the above? Keep track?!? I enjoy tripping over them all over the … Continue reading

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My commute patterns changed dramatically last year and the Eaton Fire catastrophe has decimated the first half of 2025 for me, so I’m trying to get back to my old Huffduffer habits for more focused content consumption versus doomscrolling. Sadly, it seems the tagging system has been disabled/disappeared? It was one of my favorite discovery … Continue reading

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A red Negroni cocktail on an old fashioned glass next to a brown Royal HH standard typewriter on an executive tanker desk.
Negroni paired with a Royal HHE for tonight’s writing. 

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Longer shot of Rob Reiner with a black suite jacket and matching black baseball hat and a blue outline of a typewriter. In the foreground he's talking to Ebraheim whose back is to us.
In season 4, episode 3 “Scallop” of The Bear (FX, 2025), the inimitable Rob Reiner shows up as a business consultant by the name of Albert Schnurr. In his introduction, he’s wearing a black baseball cap featuring a typewriter. A line drawing/outline, it looks a bit like a Corona 3 to me. It’s definitely not … Continue reading

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Close up of black cast iron 3 hole punch with a silver metal page guage slider and a heavy metal handle.
Swung through the thrift store today and found this fantastic beast. $3.82 was absolutely too little for such a lovely vintage piece. Not sure of the age, but definitely manufactured to last. Twenty minutes of cleaning and a light oiling and it’s almost as new as the day it came off the factory floor. Handles … Continue reading

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Typewriter Repair Costs and Valuation: Professional Shops versus Collectors versus First Time Buyers

Close up of a naked 1952 Royal Quiet De Luxe typewriter seen from an oblique view.
I often see people asking questions about the value of vintage typewriters. Questions like:  Is it really worth $550 to buy a clean, oiled, and adjusted typewriter from a repair shop? What about the cheap typewriters I see for $20-50 on Facebook Marketplace? Are they any “good”? What’s with the dramatic difference in prices? Am … Continue reading Typewriter Repair Costs and Valuation: Professional Shops versus Collectors versus First Time Buyers

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Two typewriters on a wooden bench in front of a large book case. Surrounding it are 7 more standard typewriters of various makes and models
Happy International Typewriter Day!  Today commemorates the date in 1868 when Christopher Latham Sholes was granted a patent for the first commercially successful typewriter. What are you doing to celebrate? I’m writing about the typewriter market to help out beginning collectors.

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Oblique view onto the right side of a yellow and gray bodied 1961 Royal FP typewriter on a wooden surface
Acquired in April 2025 from a bank in Idaho Falls. I spent way more on shipping than the pittance I spent on the machine itself. I had modest hopes that purchasing it as an ex-bank machine that it would have a non-standard typeface and my bet paid off. It was all bonus points that it … Continue reading

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Grey Royal KMG typewriter carriage with typed quote on a white index card which reads: The secret to life is to waste time i ways that you like. ---Jerry Seinfeld

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Tom Hanks’ ingenious custom typewriter covers/mats

A green canvas cover with brown leather trim covers a green metal typewriter on a small wooden desk
We often see typewriter cases and/or simple typewriter covers and people will post photos of how they display typewriters, but I saw a clever method on Saturday at a local type-in in Southern California. Aaron Therol of Typewriter Connection brought along a signed Voss from Tom Hanks’ collection which included a sturdy green canvas typewriter … Continue reading Tom Hanks’ ingenious custom typewriter covers/mats

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The Typewriter You Probably Don’t Want to Buy

Caveat Emptor One of the biggest of the very few companies still manufacturing typewriters in the new millennium is the Shanghai Weilv Mechanism Company.  Sadly, for the hobbyist space looking to get into typewriters, while these are easy to find online, they are notorious for dreadful quality control, lots of plastic, and poor type  alignment. … Continue reading The Typewriter You Probably Don’t Want to Buy

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Typewriter Use and Typewriter Maintenance for Beginning to Intermediate Typists

Analog office set up featuring a stick leg metal desk, a Royal KMG typewriter, a few card index filing cabinets, a typing copy stand, and a paper supply organizer.
Two common questions I hear from those just starting out into the typewriter space are frequently about the basics: How do I use a typewriter? How to take care of typewriters or do basic maintenance? Naturally there is a ton of colloquial advice you’ll receive on these topics from social media and YouTube, but it’s … Continue reading Typewriter Use and Typewriter Maintenance for Beginning to Intermediate Typists

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Why Another Typewriter?

A wire shelving unit on wheels with a variety of 20 typewriters on it. There are four standards and a variety of other portables in a panoply of cases. It sits in a driveway in front of a cinderblock wall.
Recently Paulo philosophically asked me, a typewriter collector, “Why another typewriter? I haven’t been able to find an answer yet.” (My attempt at a translation/synopsis from his Portuguese.) In addition to answers from the collector’s perspective, bonus points for answers that are also directed to answering this question which comes from your significant other who … Continue reading Why Another Typewriter?

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Restored 1951 Remington Super-Riter Standard Typewriter

Angle down on a 1951 Remington Super-Riter standard typewriter in a military green crinkle paint with green plastic keys. It sits on a round wooden bistro table in a porch setting.
Earlier this week I started stripping down my recently acquired 1951 Remington Super-Riter typewriter. The machine’s serial number puts it into the 15th month of production of the Super-Riter which replaced the storied Remington 17 and the Remington KMC. Features of the Remington Super-Riter A nearby manual for the Super-Riter can be found in the … Continue reading Restored 1951 Remington Super-Riter Standard Typewriter

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Game: Name that naked typewriter

A typewriter stripped down with all the exterior panels, keys, and identifying portions removed. We only see the internal mechanical portions remaining.
Just for fun, let’s see who can come closest to a make, model and year for this lovely typewriter I’ve got on the bench this week for restoration. Please, no more than two guesses per player.  Answer to be posted Friday.

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The Rules for Typewriter Club

Two Royal Quiet De Luxe typewriters sitting on top of a library card catalog at angles to each other. One on the left is black with grey trim while the other is gray with chrome trim.
  The first rule of Typewriter club is do not oil the segment. The second rule of Typewriter club is DO NOT OIL THE SEGMENT. Do not ask the value of a typewriter. They are all invaluable. The only rare typewriter is a an unloved typewriter. Always talk about typewriter club. Every chance you get. … Continue reading The Rules for Typewriter Club

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Typed index card in blue ink which reads 2025-05-23 Tonight's typewriter pairing is a 1949 Royal Quiet De Luxe and a shot of Aberlour Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (12 years old). Both are solid classics with strength. The light peaty aroma of the Scotch matches pretty well with the scents of machine oil, ink, paper and light must of the typewri ter. Both are great choices separately. Together they seem a brilliant way to start a long weekend.

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Angle down from just above a paper organizer. We can see a variety of blank paper types and sizes filed into the angled slots . In the very back we see a paint chip brush for dusting a typewriter as well as a couple different eraser shields for typing and error correction.
In an effort to slowly improve my analog office proficiency and productivity, I have heeded Lenore Fenton’s advice to have all my supplies organized at my fingertips. Toward that end I’ve picked up this excellent paper organizer for the top desk drawer of my executive tanker desk. This mid-century marvel is perfect for storing a … Continue reading

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What are the “Rules of Typewriter Club”?

Two rows of four typewriters each lined up on opposite sides of a table.
In the vein of Fight Club, what would the rules of Typewriter Club be? What are the commonly known rules that typewriter users and collectors know that the uninitiated should be aware of? I’ll kick things off with a frequent admonishment: The first rule of Typewriter Club: Don’t “lubricate” the segment with WD-40. The second … Continue reading What are the “Rules of Typewriter Club”?

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Front view of a light gray 1966 Underwood Touch-Master Five standard typewriter
Acquired used at a second hand store for the As-Seen-On-TV price of $19.99 and in stunning condition. It’ll need a clean, but this is in almost perfect cosmetic condition. It’s my first Underwood and technically also my first Olivetti as it was manufactured after the merger. The touch and speed are truly stunning and may … Continue reading

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Yellow Royal FP typewriter on a wooden table next to some index card notes and a crystal glass containing a Negroni.
Spent some time tonight typing up notes from the type-in on Saturday for the typosphere. Should have a post about it all soon.

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Yellow Royal FP on a dining room table next to a blue vase full of yellow flowers. In the background we see a book case with some books and ceramics on it. A framed yellowed map hangs on the wall in the background.
Spring flowers next to the 1961 Royal FP typewriter.

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A 196X Remington Streamliner typewriter viewed from the front.
Acquired 2024-09-04. In generally good shape. The case is in exceptional shape given that these usually aren’t extant or have been shattered into pieces. There is one piece broken off, but it came with the machine and should be able to be fused back onto the case. Came without the hubs or covers. It’s slightly more … Continue reading

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Two typewriters on a wooden bench in front of a large book case. Surrounding it are 7 more standard typewriters of various makes and models
My current collection of 9 standard typewriters clocks in at 289.6 pounds (131.6 kg). Which one(s) should I take to the type-in at Vromans Bookstore this Saturday, May 10th at 1:00pm? Which machines are you bringing? Front row (left to right): ’51 Remington Super-Riter, ’56 Remington Standard, ’55 Royal HH, ’58 Royal FP (gray, 16″ … Continue reading

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Typed index card in blue and green ink that reads: You're invited to a Type-In! / Saturday, May 10, 2025 / 1:00 PM onwards / Vroman's Bookstore / 695 E. Colorado Blvd., / Pasadena, CA 91101 / Typewriters Optional / Bring a Friend for an afternoon of fun / Details and RSVP / https://boffosocko.com/type-in/

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Card Indexes in Wedding Crashers

Card Indexes in Wedding Crashers
While watching Wedding Crashers (2005, New Line), I noticed that John Beckwith (portrayed by Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) both have multiple card indexes in their offices in the movie. One can’t help but wondering if their work leverages one of the variety of card index filing systems? Were they commonplacers? Zettelkasten users? … Continue reading Card Indexes in Wedding Crashers

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Frontal view of 1960 Smith-Corona Skyriter typewriter. It has a cream colored keys with a brown spacebar and a silver name plate with the brand written on it. The front left "chin" of the machine has a small dent with some paint missing.
Acquired for a song and a dance on 2025-04-14; Seems to be in relatively solid shape; nothing huge out of place; need a full COA, but seems fully restorable; the case is a bit dirty and has a light smell, but should be cleanable; came with the original manual and warranty card stub. The dried … Continue reading