Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Montgomery Wards 1912 Typewriters


Front Cover Detail:  100 years ago, Kansas City was still considered to be part of the West.



Front Cover

Front Cover Detail


Back Cover:  This building is still standing and can be seen from Google Street View

Back Cover Detail:  This tells an interesting story of the expansion of the Montgomery Ward distribution system.
 Now we get to the typewriters.  I am not an expert on these early machines.  As this catalog is somewhat scarce, I wanted to at least get information out on the Typosphere.  The catalog itself is a local Flea Market find and is remarkably good condition for a 100 year old piece of literature.
One page is dedicated to typewriters and supplies.  Other writing supplies fill several additional pages.



Montgomery Ward offered ribbons in several standard colors.  Apparently, re-inking was not an uncommon practice 100 years ago.
 This catalog is huge with a vast array of products.  I will do future posts on writing and photographic supplies.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

ITAM Special Report: The Eight Millionth Remington Typewriter

Well, that was a bold teaser of a headline.  So why is this first photo so shrouded in mystery?

Simple.  My wife reminded me of the basic "Jaws" principle:  you don't bring out the shark until the third reel.  Buckle up.  This post is on a special machine and is going to be longer than the norm.

First Reel

In all honesty, I started writing this post in January.  But here we are in February just in time to celebrate the International Typewriter Appreciation Month (ITAM).  And while Remington didn't invent typewriting, they successfully took it to the mass market.  Celebrating a Remington milestone seems a good way to mark ITAM.  I have been enjoying the Typosphere ITAM posts including the latest school typing project.  Good work, everyone!


So, here sits Remington typewriter number 8,000,000.  How do I know it is the eight millionth Remington typewriter?  Hmm, I have to push that answer off until the third reel.  In the meantime, I'll share some information about the Remington Noiseless 8.

To start with, I know much more about this machine than I otherwise could have thanks to the efforts of The Classic Typewriter Page and Machines of Loving Grace.
http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/remingtonnoiseless8.html
http://www.machinesoflovinggrace.com/rems.htm
For instance, without copies of manuals and overview diagrams, I could not have figured out how to unlock the carriage.  On top of that, I would not have known of the existence of this machine had it not been for these websites.  Thanks for empowering junkies!


The Remington Noiseless 8 is a variation on a theme.  Its companion model, the Noiseless 7, features the same mechanical system in a low slung form factor better suited to portability.  This machine is more about the experience of a larger desktop form and a thorough infusion of Art Deco design.

Courtesy of Richard Polt


Functionally, the Noiseless machines were optimized to deliver a glancing blow to the paper and platen minus the characteristic "clack" that normally accompanies this action.  I've been on the lookout for the right Noiseless 7 or 8 for months in an effort to cope with a schedule variance with my family unit.  I am an insomniac night owl who stays up far later than they.  This generally means no typecasting late at night.

That is until now.  Bwa, ha, ha!



Let's look at some design details.  The typebar mechanism is articulated and includes swinging counterweights which control the final acceleration to the platen.  The end result is freakishly quiet.  I can hear the weights swinging around inside, but can barely hear ink being put down for posterity.

Pulling the hood is a different experience.  One interesting detail is that the Noiseless 8 incorporates cast aluminum in this part of the machine.  That is good both for the complex shape and the sound deadening qualities of the material.  There isn't much to see, as much of the typebar assembly is hidden from view.

This is one of the sound suppressor bars on the inside of a sheet metal panel.

The primary steel shell and back cover feature robust sound deadening inside that would not look out of place in the door panels of a luxury car.  Instead of more typical felt, each large panel has bars glued into place that reduce resonance sound attenuation.  The sheet metal stops acting like a speaker as sound is tamped out and dies.


Aluminum is common enough today that we would be unlikely to see supplier information.  In 1933, aluminum was a big deal.  The underside of the cast top cover features this ALCOA aluminum logo.

This is the underbelly of the typebar pivot assembly.
The patent drawing helps us get a grasp on the mechanism.  It is an intricate design that appears to have more moving parts than the average typewriter.  Richard Polt reports that the original price was $105.  I plugged that into an inflation calculator and came up with a 2012 equivalent of just over $1,800.  These machines were serious investments.

This would not be my blog without an overload of macro photography.  The aesthetic details on this typewriter are really interesting.  The finish on every part is superb with thick chrome and outstanding machining.  The black paint is about as close to pure black as I have seen.  It sucks up light like a stealth fighter.  There is a downside in that every speck of dust shows.

As for the plastic keys, I went to an expert for advice.  Richard Polt states that the Noiseless 7 was known to have utilized plastic keys starting in 1931.  In all likelihood, this 1933 machine came equipped with the keys as shown.  Especially given its history, the plastic keys shall remain unmolested no matter how sexy the chrome and glass keys are!

I'm a sucker for raised paper table logos.

The Art Deco theme carries through to the smallest detail.  This is a knob for a ribbon cover.  It is totally functional as well as decorative and makes winding new ribbon a fairly painless process.

Others have commented on the precision alignment of the type slugs.  Much engineering and quality control went into this mechanism.

Second Reel
 
Welcome to the second reel.  At this point we arrive at a bit of a mystery regarding provenance and history.

You may find this hard to believe, but I bought this machine on ebay.  Really.  I'm still surprised.  The bidding wasn't even that heated because the seller created a somewhat odd description.  As it turns out, I outbid one of the Godfathers of typewriter collecting.  I'll let him comment on the subject if he so chooses.

So here is the problem:  I cannot definitively state its provenance.  However, I can present the available dots that provide a fairly solid, if not entirely provable, back story.

The seller is in New York City and stated that the presentation plaque (mounted in front of the spacebar) had been removed prior to sale and showed that the recipient was the YMCA Typing Club.  The case contained a couple of clues as to where it might have lived for these many years. 

Item 1:   A Remington publication entitled A Brief History of the Typewriter was included in the case.  It talks of one potential New York connection; that being the YMCA Ballard School program that pioneered typing instruction.  This turned out to be a frustrating connection as I could find almost no information on the Ballard School, or even the history of the New York YMCA, online.

 
Fortunately, I have a random collection of ephemera including a Good Housekeeping magazine from 1939 (highly recommended - the ads are hilarious!).  It included an advertising section for summer camps that established the location of the Ballard School of the Y.M.C.A. as being at 610 Lexington Avenue in New York City.

Parenting is much easier when you can ship the little ones off to camp!  From the April, 1939 Good Housekeeping.

Item 2:  Inside the case, there was a decal for plaza typewriter Exchange Co. at 120 East 59th St. in New York City.

Decal on the inside of the case.
 An online map search verified that the two locations are six short blocks apart. Street view shows a vacant lot at 610 Lexington Ave.  An additional search turned up the sorry saga of the Shangri-La Hotel high rise that was to be built on that spot.  That story begins in 2005 with the purchase of the YMCA property and demolition in 2007-2008.  The project failed due to financing issues caused by the collapse of Lehman Brothers.  Photos of the original building and the smoking crater are at

Side note:  Honestly, nerd-o-riffic research was so limited in the era before the World Wide Web.  On the other hand, car engines were less complicated and I could actually rebuild them back then.  Just sayin'.

Interestingly enough, the building had some restoration work prior to it going on the block.  I hope that my employer's masonry cleaners were used in the process.

Again, I cannot without a doubt state where this typewriter came from.  However, if I were in the Remington marketing department, it would seem advantageous for a company milestone to be housed at a location significant to the company history.  The Ballard School site is conveniently close to a typewriter retailer of record and it would have had reason to be liquidated in the last five years.

So there are the dots.  How comfortable do you Typosphereans feel with these connections?

Third Reel

And now we have finally arrived at the third reel and can take a closer look at our mysterious friend.  I promised proof of the milestone eight millionth typewriter status, and proof you shall have.

  
You will just have to pretend that this is as dramatic as a Great White shark jumping onto a boat. For once, I don't need to depend on the Typewriter Serial Number Database to know when this machine was made.

This plaque is a remnant of an era when things were made by hand.  Very satisfying.

Seeing double because I like the color balance of the first photo better.  It's my blog and I'll do what I want to ;)
This is the one vintage machine I own that has an absolutely clear birth date.  We'll add it to the family birthday celebration list.  An art deco layer cake could be a great project for the girls!

Insert drum roll...

And now for the serial number...

This is the only serial number on the chassis.  Can you believe the whole typewriter shell had been lovingly hand washed and waxed not 12 hours before this photo was taken?  This is my Deco Dust Magnet.
I uploaded the entire photo set, outtakes included, to my Fotki site at
http://public.fotki.com/coyotesareus/remington-noiseless/

A Brief Word on Manufacturing History

I happened across a record of the Remington-Noiseless manufacturing facility in Middletown, Connecticut where the Noiseless machines were built.  This has more information than you would possibly want to know. http://www.middletownplanning.com/documents/RemingtonRand_Middletown.pdf

Remington Noiseless Typewriter Company, ca. 1924-1928  Source linked above.
Presumably, this was the site for manufacturing portables and office machines.  This plant originally produced bicycles and later horseless carriages.  The Noiseless Typewriter Company was organized in 1909 and began production at this site in November of that year.  Production continued here after the formation of the Remington-Noiseless Typewriter Corporation in 1922.  The facility was in continuous operation until 1937 when it was closed for several years after the result of labor unrest.

This latter detail is interesting in the context of labor issues involved in the production of modern communications technology.  Recently, Apple has received criticism for outsourcing production overseas and utilizing a manufacturing partner with a mixed record of employment practices.  There have been fatalities and employees are known to work double shifts to get our wonderful devices out the door.

Labor unrest and management reactions took a different form in the early 1900s.  This Remington factory reportedly used inexpensive immigrant labor.  In 1936, 1,200 workers went on strike.  Much like the famed Ford factory labor dispute, this action triggered a wave of violence that ultimately resulted in the National Guard being called in to restore order.  James Rand was indicted under the Byrnes Act and was acquitted in 1937.

This is one of those deals where I was not particularly pleased to learn about history.  Does my machine have blood on its keys?  The truth is, most of us would be surprised about the labor and materials that go into the tools of our industrial culture.  After thinking this through, I came to the following conclusion:  Regardless of the human sweat and toil that went into making this Noiseless typewriter, the fact that it has been preserved and will be well used is a manifestation of respect for the people who made it.

The Hong Kong Action Movie Ending


 I feel very fortunate to have this typewriter in my possession.  It is both functional and unique.  I recently blogged on a unique chrome and faux wood Royal Portable.  I have some interesting and hard to find typefaces in my stable as well.  So, what are the chances of topping this find?  Slim to none.  And that is OK.  The acquisition phase inevitably winds down.

I can now focus on getting the rhythm of this machine down as it will be my night typing companion for years to come.  Tips and tricks on lubing and tuning this beast are, as always, appreciated.

Thanks for reading, and a Happy ITAM to all!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

The B-47s and a Cold War Interlude

That incredibly helpful  hint narrows it down to a 60 year period.
 I spotted this great remnant from the Cold War at a local antique mall.  I had to do a little Wikipedia and web searching to determine the make of these bombers.  These B-47s predated the B-52.  The result of early post-WWII research, they were designed to drop atomic bombs on Russia.

The societal and economic impact of defense operations on small cities is significant.  But finding a phone book with this cover art surprised me.

There wasn't much in Topeka, Kansas in 1963.  Forbes Field was formerly a Strategic Air Command base and later home to horizontal silo ICBMs.  I love this action shot.  Good to know that our nuclear bombers could be scrambled in a hurry.  I'm glad they were never used for their intended purpose.




Up in the air over Wichita, Kansas.  Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Having grown up in the era of Mutually Assured Destruction, I have an odd fascination with the mechanics behind the Cold War and still love aviation history.  My wife's cousin interned at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum while working on his Doctorate in the history of technology.  I was more than a little jealous.

The B-47 was produced in Wichita, Kansas.  Up until last month, Boeing was a major presence in Kansas.  It recently repaid the efforts of our Congressional delegation and the Brownback administration to land a lucrative refueling tanker deal by announcing their departure next year.  Basically, the politicians were pwned by the corporation.

B-47s on the Flight Line.  Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
Editorial Comment:  Done well, vintage black and white film photography was just gorgeous!

Wrong era, but I still love this graphic from Jordanoff's Illustrated Aviation Dictionary



Friday, January 27, 2012

These aren't the Droids you are looking for.


I made a big mistake.  I forgot we were in the depths of Winter when I posted the sad tale of Annabelle the bear in the "Princess Doesn't Live Here Anymore" post.  I've decided to change up the order of scheduled posts in order to bring you, kind reader, something relentlessly cheerful.  And what could be more cheerful than toys?

Maybe bootleg toys?  Or, wait for it... bootleg Star Wars toys!

Being prototypical Nerds, we are, not surprisingly, Star Wars fans.  I say that in the best way, as in having watched the films in the theater and seen the lost Luke-hanging-with-his-worthless-friends-at Toshi-station footage at a small Con in 1981.  In our world, we can still remember the matte outlines around the Tie fighters and distinctly remember Han shooting first.  Greedo didn't stand a chance.  By the way, Han never stepped on Jabba's tail and Darth Vader distinctly does not cry out in anguish.

Alright, we are militant, purist Nerds.  Guilty as charged.

Star Wars brought a lot of cool things into the Nerd underground.  The whole concept of fully functional robotic servants and spies was pretty awesome.  Of course one of the fundamental principles of economics is that success breeds success.  Sometimes that takes shape in one of my favorite things:  bootleg toys.

Behold the madness that is Hong Kong bootleg Star Wars toys!  Creating bootlegs is easy.  Making them memorably strange takes a bit more effort and a pinch of creative insanity.

Step 1:  Copy basic forms from a popular film.
Step 2:  Rummage through the molds of knockoff toys your company has already made.
Step 3:  Mix and mutate!

The image below comes from a Hong Kong toy trade show catalog from the early 1980s.  I was fortunate to snag three years worth of these on ebay a couple of years ago.



Following the "mix and mutate" principle (which I just made up), the cleaver toymaker combined the body of a knockoff Horikawa rotating robot with a brand new stormtrooperish head.  This toy was actually made (more below).

On the other hand, I have never seen any evidence that the funky R2-D2 ripoff was actually distributed.  Remember that the purpose of a trade show is to get people to buy your stuff and put it in a private labeled box on a shelf.  Some concepts don't make it that far and R2 appears to be a lost toy.  Too bad- the chest guns might have come in handy on the first Death Star.

Below, we have evidence of another lost toy.  I wish this one had been made.  The body is a mishmash of semi-bootleg design.  While the form emulates Japanese toys of the '60s, I can't pin down one in specific.  This combination in black with a stormtrooper head is pure genius!


The Silver Warrior (left) and Super Astronaut (right) are among the favorite toys in my collection.  The mechanical systems are pretty poor and none can be expected to walk and rotate, but they look great.






I've been fortunate enough to find these at a decent price.  Many of the Japanese tin and plastic robots are scarce and valuable.  Increasingly, collectors have turned their attention to the Taiwan and Hong Kong robots of the late '60s through early '80s.  Prices have gone up and Star Wars is always a strong draw.

If you interested in the wild world of robot toys, you can find more on my Fotki site at
http://public.fotki.com/coyotesareus/robot-toys/

I'll leave you with some insanely fun box art.  By the mid '70s, many toys had transitioned to window box or photographed front panel boxes.  These were packed in something resembling classic Japanese robot boxes with a creative twist.

You only think you are hallucinating.


I love the Death Star style moon on this panel.  The mixture of photography and hand done graphics is only a little over the top.  It reminds me of 'zine art.

If you think this looks crazy, check out the box art collection for Horikawa toys on the Alphadrome site at danefield.com.
Just because one space toy is never enough...
"These aren't the droids we're looking for.  Move along!"

Update, March, 2011:  Thanks to the joys of traffic monitoring on the Blogger platform, I tracked back to a great blog featuring other variations on this Star Wars rip-off theme.  Go here to see the ultra-cool gloss black variation of the Silver Warrior:
http://strangestarwars.blogspot.com/2011/04/galaxy-warrior-robot-toy.html


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Princess Doesn't Live Here Anymore (A Bummer Typecast)

 My wife and I were out for a walk around the neighborhood and encountered a sorry sight by the curb.  This would fall in the "abandoned" category.
Typed on the Hermes Media 3


I felt sorry for this stuffed animal.
This little bear is the saddest thing I've seen in a long time.  She was face down in the gutter, but I thought she deserved to see the sun before her long journey to the landfill.  Our neighborhood is prowled by Jawas, so there is always a slim chance that someone picked up Anabelle and took her home.