Rheinmetall KsT Glossy Black Script Typewriter (1956)

This is a typewriter I've been wanting to share on the blog for some time now, so I'm excited that I finally got around to it today. I like almost everything about it - Rheinmetall, like Voss and Alpina, is more of a "collector's typewriter" than a "writer's typewriter", so it is nice to have it as a showpiece that is also perfectly functional if I so choose. However, primarily due to that carriage shift, it is not as finger- and wrist-friendly as your average Hermes 3000 or Olivetti Lettera 32. Here are some pictures:

 

It was just about impossible to take a head-on picture without having my mug reflected in the glossy ribbon cover, so this was as close as I got. 

 

This was straight out of the box, before I cleaned it, if you can believe it. It's always a great feeling to get a machine from someone who obviously cared a lot about it. There was the usual grime/ eraser shavings sticking to grease on the interior, but a few minutes with some cotton swabs took care of that. 

I like the ornate paper supports on these old machines. I looked up the serial number on this one and it's dated 1956. Which makes me think that perhaps I purchased this from the son of the original owner, because otherwise he would be very old indeed to be carrying large boxes to the post office!

Here's a look at the script/ cursive typeface, lightly tinged with green from the ribbon (which didn't show up so well in the typecast, sorry). I wish I knew where to procure these colored ribbons! They're a treat to use. 

 

Here is the case, which is made of wood covered in leatherette fabric, and is in good condition considering its age. The bottom is a board on which the machine is fastened, and then the top closes over. I wish these old cases were more streamlined... I imagine once the typewriter is in the case, there is still quite a bit of room, unlike the almost-hermetic fit of the Hermes 3000.

Oh, finally, a look at that impressive packaging job:

 

I saved the Styrofoam pieces and I'm using them to pack a Hermes 3000 that I'm sending overseas. Fingers crossed that the padding works its magic a second time!

Typecast: Unfinished business

Hermes Baby Marbled Grey Portable Typewriter (1940s)

So, fall is here and I seem to be letting my love of US TV shows (Parenthood! The Good Wife! Community! etc...) interrupt my typewriting fervor. I started with these shows when they debuted last year, and now I feel an obligation to the shows' characters to keep watching. For someone who doesn't have an actual television, I can't even pretend to be a TV snob with all the online watching I do. This has upsides and downsides: the negative being that I am not typecasting as often as I should be; the positive being that I am now thinking about something else besides "typewriters!", and my groaning IKEA shelves can take a breather. Relentless acquisition phase over.

That said, there are a few lovely machines from this summer that I haven't yet presented on this blog, so I shall start off with a marbled grey Hermes Baby (smooth finish, not crinkly paint):

 

I spotted this baby at the local flea market sometime in late May, but I passed it right by because I thought I had enough typewriters (ha. There were only like, six, at the time.).  Thereafter, I saw this very machine on Mike Clemens' blog, and after encountering one depressing crinkled gray Hermes Baby after the other, I began reminiscing fondly after this one, the one that got away.

 

It seemed to be gone for good, though. We made cycling to the flea market part of our weekend routine, but no dice. After three months, when I was no longer looking, I happened to walk past that same seller's stall and spotted the elusive typewriter. The case was closed and partially buried under some old crockery; if I hadn't been looking out for it, it is doubtful I would have found it. 

 

But find it I did, and there was much rejoicing. After negotiating a fair price with the seller, I hoisted my prize into my backpack  and rode back home to clean it up. Having already decimated a couple of painted logos with my overly keen scrubbing, I was extra-cautious with this one. It still suffered a bit, though, but overall looks fairly decent. 

 

This is a rather interesting machine - or, to be more specific, interesting paint finish. It looks like someone scratched it with a thousand little keys, and yet it is all very deliberate. It's odd at first, but it grows on one. I've seen a few Babys with this finish up for sale here and there, but they are far outnumbered by their dull gray counterparts. Not exactly common, that's for sure. The case matches, of course:

The label from the Hermes agent in Geneva that sold it, A. Strachan on the Boulevard du Theatre, remains. It's a nice bit of ephemera. A phone book search of the exact address reveals that Monsieur Strachan is long gone, of course, and the building houses a couple of real estate agents.

Here's a font sample (pica typeface):