User Manual - Late '70s Hermes Baby/ Rocket (French)

It has been a while since I last put up a manual, mainly because I only have non-English ones; they are all in German or French. It seemed hardly worth it since most of my readers are English speakers. Also, most typewriters are fairly straightforward to use and I suppose I have gotten used to finding my way around them without ever referring to the manuals (many of the ones I find come without, as well).

Still, I have benefited greatly from other manuals posted online - what would I have done without Alan Seaver's Remington Portable and Noiseless manuals, without which I was at a loss to even unlock the carriage? I still need to refer to those occasionally - sometimes I take out a machine I haven't used in a while and discover that in the meantime I have forgotten how these little functions work, since they vary from one maker to the other. These days, having acquired a couple of sewing machines, I have a whole new appreciation for how crucial the user manual can be to getting the most out of any machine!

So, a recent reader request for the manual of the last Hermes Baby produced (mainly in Brazil, but also a few in Germany) motivated me to copy and scan this manual. I have shared it on ScribD and embedded the PDF in this post - this is a first for me, so I hope it works for everyone. You should also be able to download and print it if desired.  Hermes Baby User Manual_French

Typewriter Ephemera: Remington Junior/ No. 3 User Manual (German)

 

It is not often that I censor myself for the blog. Anything I think up and type is immediately scanned and posted - after all, typing is hard (and occasionally deafening!) work. Other than the letters I send to fellow typospherians who kindly write to me, pretty much everything I compose on a typewriter ends up here as a typecast. 

This weekend, though, after having spent several hours composing a lengthy essay about my thoughts on copyright infringement and fair use, especially as pertains to a recent incident involving this blog, I re-read my work and thought better of it. Too long, largely unnecessary, and not as positive in spirit as I would like to keep this space. 

So I shall keep that to myself for now and share with you a partial scan of the manual that came with my Remington Junior (hopefully, this qualifies as fair use!). 

 

This manual is actually intended for a Remington Portable No. 3, which my Remington Junior is a variant of, only with fewer features. Although I don't speak German and understand little of it, I absolutely love the old-timey illustration style, which for some reason call to mind the old Home Economics textbooks I looked through as a child.  

 

My own Remington Junior has the decal on the paper table, and the keys are black with white lettering. This No. 3 is exactly like the one I left behind at the flea market a couple of weeks ago (she says, with a twinge of regret). 

 

I did briefly consider getting the No. 3, if only to make up for "deficiencies" in my Junior like the lack of a right-hand carriage release lever, but it hardly seemed worth the trouble of keeping a virtually duplicate machine just for that.  

 

I find the Remington Portables in general to be quite well-made and very nice to write with. I have a No. 1 I have been neglecting for a while, ever since Georg gave it to me last summer, but that is only because I am considering a paint job for it and would like to finish that before showing it off.  

 

Most of these pictures depict a Swiss-German keyboard, a remarkable level of personalization for a machine that was bought in Zurich. 

 

The shop where this was purchased, Anton Waltisbühl & Co. in Zurich, seems to have been a major distributor for Remington Portables in Switzerland. Eight out of ten - that I have seen, including the flea market find - bear the label.

 

I like that even for the German manual, they retain their original English motto for the typing sample: "To save time is to lengthen life", it reads. 

Typewriter Ephemera: Olympia SF User Manual

 

It has been a while since I put up a typewriter manual, so I wanted to share this from the Olympia SF. It pertains to the later, more angular version, but I think the instructions should be applicable for the earlier Splendid-style ones too. I have seen this being asked for on a couple of the forums, but Machines Of Loving Grace, which is my go-to site for typewriter manuals, does not seem to have it. 

  

So that's where the carriage lock is! *Makes mental note to use it next time.* It's never been obvious to me so I'm ashamed to say I've never used it, but I'll try it out and see if it works. Also, time to 'fess up, has anyone ever made use of the convoluted instructions for correcting errors? It has never made much sense to me - doesn't this only say that I should erase the error and type over it? I suppose the instruction is also for using half-spacing to make sure the correction fits in the same space as the original phrase. I must not care about neatness.. I don't mind xxxxing over errors and just going on!

How to justify text using an Olympia SF typewriter! Again, too fussy for me, but this must have been nice to have before the days of word processors. 

I like the sensible advice for taking care of the typewriter, especially pertaining to oiling and cleaning the type slugs. I have not seen kneaded type cleaner before, but I wonder if a modern alternative could be something like plasticine or play-doh... Thoughts?

The proper care and feeding of your Olivetti Lettera 22

Today, there was a bit of a typewriter mystery at the flea market. I came across the case for an Olivetti Lettera DL/ 33 - you know, one of those fancy silver-and-black Letteras that I have coveted for ages. The case was like that of your average Lettera 32, just with silver instead of blue. So, thinking the typewriter could not be far, I combed the seller's stall hunting for it, and... zilch. I actually asked him, what was in this case? But he seemed to have no idea that it had originally been made to contain anything, and he giggled something fierce and said, "Money! And we're keeping it! Hahaha!" Sigh.

I bought the case anyway, as I have a Lettera 22 exactly like the one Algebra Girl up there is holding, and we discarded the case some time back when it started to fall apart. (That, by the way, is from a postcard that J's mum sent to us more than two years ago. Absolutely prescient.)

This reminded me that I've been shirking my ephemera posting duties lately, so here is an instruction manual for the Hispano Olivetti Pluma 22, a typewriter we acquired at the end of last summer and has been already featured on the blog.

 

A soft paintbrush is the recommended tool for cleaning off dust.

 

The proper way to lift off the ribbon cover (oops, I suppose prying it off from the sides was a rather daft idea...).

 

Of course it makes perfect sense to clean the typebars with a rag underneath to collect debris... why didn't I think of it?

Typewriter Ephemera: Swissa Junior Instruction Manual and Warranty

I uncovered an awesome typewriter find at the flea market over the weekend and proudly hauled it home - boy, it has been a long while since my twice-monthly visits bore fruit. However, I have been slacking on putting up typewriter manuals, so it is time to post up the ephemera from this Swissa Junior. My post on the new acquisition will have to wait till later in the week.

Here is the front and back cover, with a sketch of the factory in Murgenthal. The umbrella-like symbol is actually William Tell's bow and arrow - or so I have been told - and it was included on all genuine Swiss-made products.

Getting the typewriter out of the box, freeing it from the base, and rolling in some paper.

 

Margin stops, margin release key, and a lever to unjam the  keys (now I know what that's for!).

 

Spooling in the ribbon, ready to start typing!

Exhaustingly detailed instructions (I can only guess, I don't speak German) on how to get your machine back on the base and lock the carriage for transport - upright only, please.

Anatomy of a Swissa Junior

While this warranty has long expired, of course, it is amusing to see how many caveats would disqualify virtually all typosphere members from redeeming the warranty (even if it was still valid). Example: Rubber parts are excluded (ossified platens being the bane of our existence); bad handling and insufficient packing void the warranty (so any machines purchased from eBay are automatically disqualified); anyone attempting to repair or modify the machine voids the warranty (and we love to tinker!); and the warranty is only valid for the first purchaser (I think this is the final straw, really).

Typewriter Ephemera: Brosette instruction manual

A letter-writing frenzy last night has me temporarily unable to bear the sound of type slugs hitting platen, so tonight will be an ephemera post. This Brosette, which I featured on the blog in July last year, has since found a home with prolific Brosette collector David in Zurich. As he already has several Brosette manuals, David graciously permitted me to keep this manual (which I originally forgot to send him with the typewriter), and share it with you here.

 

The  manual is a simple A4 sheet folded over to make a four-page leaflet, of which this is the first page. Having just started to take an interest in fountain pens, inks, and calligraphy, I am envious of the beautiful penmanship on display here - that is one impressive M, with the B and C close behind.

 

The middle pages are a sea of German words (I assume all the usual instructions for typewriters are covered) with no pretty pictures, so I am omitting them for convenience' sake.  I like this annotated diagram, though, with a bite-shaped cut-out showing where the touch regulator is hidden.

Here, a guarantee card which the owner never bothered to fill in. Good to know I'm not the only one!

For some idea of the Brosette's actual size, here are some pictures of it next to a Hermes Baby, taken last summer:

 



Just a bit deeper, but otherwise the dimensions are very similar.

Typewriter Ephemera: Hermes 3000 brochure (c. 1958)

 

I would imagine this brochure was released by Paillard in 1958, the year that the curvy Hermes 3000 was first introduced, to tout its benefits to potential buyers. We found this with the documentation for a Hermes Media 3, which is basically the 3000 without the red margin indicators. This is actually a one-sheet foldout, and when folded it is half this size lengthwise. So what we are actually seeing here is the front and back page: the front page showing how closely the machine fit into the clamshell-style case, and the back page showing how it is so light it can easily be hoisted up by a wasp-waisted secretary. Hmm. Don't know about that.

A couple of pages in the foldout are designed to be read together, as seen above. The brochure is in French, and the machine pictured actually has a keyboard with a Swiss-French layout. This tells us that Hermes is revolutionizing the "large portable" industry by introducing the most complete portable in its 20 years of operations. The colorful arrows tout some of these revolutionary features, including visible margins in front of the paper, an integrated base, and the three-position ribbon switch that prolongs the life of the ribbon.

Right in the center, a beautiful picture of the Hermes 3000.

Every design element is well-thought out and very deliberate, from the construction of the outer casing (which protects the internal workings from dust) to the length of the carriage return lever (which is also made to fit snugly inside the case when it is closed). In the last image on the left, the case shown is an earlier version that was modeled after the successful design of the Hermes Baby's case: the button on top releases a latch that opens the case. I think this is a rather elegant design (photo here) and I have no idea why they discontinued it! Probably the later version was cheaper to produce...

 

 The last couple of pages are not as easy to scan together because it's on opposite sides of the same section, so here we go. More elaboration on the advantages of the 3000, together with an annotated diagram.

Finally, this last page shows a diagram of what happens when you type, and also assures buyers that the 3000 facilitates easy maintenance by making it simple to reach the inner workings of the machine just by taking off the carriage (I haven't tried it, though). 

The Swiss have fed off the reputation of their watch industry for centuries, and so the closing words of this brochure are: "As accurate and reliable as a Swiss chronometer."

Typewriter Ephemera: Hermes 2000 Instruction Manual

This manual for a Hermes 2000 typewriter, written in French and produced for the Swiss-French market, came with a mint green Hermes 2000 with leatherette case that we acquired (and subsequently parted ways with) last summer. I did not write down the serial number, but I remember looking it up at some point and finding out it was manufactured in 1956. To refresh your memory, here is the typewriter in question:

  

To save some time and avoid repetition, I am reproducing here the pages of the manual that show the Hermes 2000 pictured. Other mundane instructions, such as how to change the ribbon/ use the space bar will be omitted as they are virtually identical for every typewriter. 

Like the Triumph Tippa manual I shared earlier, the manual for the Hermes 2000 is also in the form of a pamphlet. The front cover, shown above, reproduces the Hermes 2000 logo that is not used on the typewriter above, but appears on this one.

 

The second page goes on at great length about closing and opening the handsome leatherette case that came with the later versions of the Hermes 2000, as well as unlocking the machine for the first time after it leaves the factory.

 

 Here, we get detailed instructions on how to feed in the paper.

 

 Correcting the alignment of the paper

Now, this is interesting - I've never actually tried to make columns and draw lines with my typewriter, but I suppose it's comforting to know I could do so if I needed to.

 

 The "flying margins" that would later appear on the Hermes 3000 with red ribbon indicators are also present on the Hermes 2000 in an earlier version. Using the margins is just as complicated, like tying your shoelaces in the dark. This page also shows the tabulator (oops, all this time I thought it was a touch control regulator), and presents a list of the type styles that were available when this was printed: Economic, Diamant, Elite, Hermes Special, Pica, Large Pica, and Medium Roman. In terms of color, the Hermes 2000 seems to have been available in green only, and the Hermes Baby in gray only.

 A labeled diagram of the machine (with ribbon cover removed)  folds out from the last page of the instruction manual. 

Parts named - in case you ever wanted to know what to call the various typewriter parts in French!

Back page - don't forget to call your agent for a demonstration! 70 keyboard layouts available for all countries!

Typewriter Ephemera: Tippa Manual

One of my goals for 2011 was to post up scans of the manuals I acquired with various typewriters last year. They are mainly in French and German, but I shall put them up anyway just in case the images are helpful and educational, or for my occasional German-speaking visitors. I shall start off with the manual from our earliest Triumph Tippa, which, to refresh your memory, is this one dating from the 50s:

Triumph/Adler (and Hermes as well) produced rather elaborate pamphlet-style manuals for its typewriters, unlike the one page foldouts that other companies like Olivetti favored. At the time this manual was printed, the company was in the habit of using a cartoon bellhop to illustrate the directions. Here is the front and back page:

Werner Leipold, I would imagine, is the original owner of this Tippa, and he must have typed his name on the front page. Note the image of the just-married couple on the back page. I suppose this is meant to emphasize the ubiquity of a typewriter for every household. Or something.

The bellhop makes his first appearance here, bringing you your neatly-cased typewriter with a smart salute. He is standing next to a table of contents that tells you where each subject is addressed in the booklet - keyboard (tastatur), ribbon (farbband), etc. On the next page, he shows you how to release the carriage lock and lifts up the plastic protector in the type basket (keeps the type bars from moving during transport).

Page 4 and 5 illustrate the paper release lever as well as the line spacing mechanism and margin settings.

On pages 6 and 7, Bellhop points out the margin release key and explains backspacing, shifting, and using the shift lock and spacebar.

 Pages 8 and 9 (the middle pages, note the staple) present a full picture of the machine and illustrate the paper support and the ribbon color selector (this model takes a single color ribbon, so the only other option is stencil mode).

Here is a veritable bellhop party on pages 10 and 11, showing you how to get the paper into the machine and line it up properly.

Now, here is how you want to insert the ribbon...

And finally, this large lever here moves up the paper as you type.

I believe this last page is warranty information.


That is it for the Triumph Tippa manual. As the model changed over the years, the Tippa manual retained its pamphlet structure, but the content was modified somewhat, including instructions in multiple languages. I shall show the later ones in due course as well.