Things I've Done Since September

It's been several months since I've updated you, my regular readers, on the happenings in my world. We last talked about the various typings culled from our highly successful Type-In at the ABQ Museum in August of 2025. We also had acquired a lovely Adler J3 typewriter, seen above. I've been wanting to make a comparison video between that German-made medium-size portable and several other German machines, because I've since acquired another Olympia, which we will get to in a moment.



In September I had been having fun with the newly purchased Nakajima WPT-150 daisywheel machine, and this video (above) was the second one I had made about it. I found it useful to document as much as I could about these machines, partly because not that much has been done to document them in video format, and also because they are still in manufacture.



Next, I made a video about securing typewriter cases whose latches are wonky. This has been a recurring problem since I first began collecting. Some portables, like the Olivetti Lettera 22, were well known for their zippers rotting out. Other machines of mine have broken latches or zippers in various states of failure, and up till now I've been using military web belts to secure the cases. But in this video (above) I decided to explore making custom straps for the purpose. I remember seeing, some years ago, nylon strapping with plastic latching buckles available at hardware stores. It turns out these local stores have ceased carrying these components, but I was able to secure the necessary parts from my local REI sporting goods store. As I indicated in the video, I could probably have found a cheaper source of parts online, but I didn't want to wait, so acquired them locally. These straps have turned out to work very nicely for the job, and I will be making and using more of them as needed.



Next up was a fun photography project involving using the screen of my iPad Mini as a digital negative. I took a black and white digital photograph from the tablet and made the image negative. You can do this either via photo editing software (by inverting the tone curve) or more simply by setting the tablet's screen to "smart invert" mode. I display the image full-screen. With the table set in this way (and the device on airplane mode, notifications off and the power saving feature turned off) I proceeded to load some sheets of black and white print paper into a 4x5 sheet film holder and, using my Intrepid camera with Fujinon 135-F/5.6 lens, I photographed the screen of the tablet direct to paper. It's helpful to ensure no glare from artificial lights hits the screen of the tablet while doing this. By simply processing the paper in conventional black and white paper chemistry I ended up with finished 4x5 prints of the image. The beauty of this process is by either toning the negative image digitally, or using colored contrast-control gelatin filters over the camera lens, the print's contrast can be directly controlled. Also, more sophisticated darkroom techiques are possible, such as dodging and/or burning parts of the digital negative image ahead of time, so the process of making the finished silver gelatin print is as simple as expose and develop. More work using this technique is certainly warranted.



Next up was a niftly project that involved making a calendar system that works kind of like an abacus, but instead of beads on rods it uses steel balls in pockets. There's a central set of pockets for the seven days of the week (in blue); two fields (in yellow) for the units and tens digits of the date of the month; and six additional pockets (in white) for storing unused balls. Since making this device I've used it every day and the only issue I've had is knocking the balls off while busy on my studio table. I've now acquired a set of small rare earth magnets and will be making a follow-on version using magnets to hold the balls in place, along with additional pockets for the twelve months of the year (six on the left and six on the right). I have a friend who's seen this device and wants me to make a version for him.



Along with typewriter and other videos I on occasion make these more "arty" pieces, this one about the turkey vultures who blessed us with their presence in the neighborhood this summer, roosting in the tops of some large cedar trees across the street. They've since gone off to warmer climes, but we hope they return next season.



The final Nakajima WPT-150 video was about fixing that nagging problem of the bottoms of some characters printing lighter in tone than the rest. It turned out that by examining the exploded view of the machine in the parts document at the NADIST.COM website I was able to identify the adjustments on the left and right sides of the printing carrier for making this adjustment. The result is that now the machine prints very nicely, as it should.

I also identified the inexpensive six-pack of ribbon cartridges I bought off Amazon as being junk, with poorly manufactured film. But I also identified several sources of good ribbons, both from Amazon and Ribbons Unlimited. This has me confident that I can give this machine plenty of use and be able to keep it in fresh ribbon.

Incidentally, the machine was technically under warranty, so I could have sent it back for that printing problem, but I wanted to learn how to do the adjustment, and of course to document it for others to learn from.



I also made a comparison video between two SCM 6-series electric machines, the Coronet Automatic 12 and the Electra 220. These are very similar machines, the Coronet lacking the power-on lamp, but the Coronet also has the half-line spacing feature. It turns out that many of these SCM electrics were not well documented, so it's up to us owners to document them as best we can. This is especially true of their serial numbers, as Smith-Corona didn't publicize many serial number dates for these machines.

Since making this video I've gifted the Coronet to a friend, who wanted one of these workhorse typers with the energetic automatic carriage return. Jitters, as the brown-toned machine is known by, will be missed; but I have three other SCM electrics in my collection to give me comfort.



One Friday morning while on a neighborhood walk I happened by an estate sale. I returned after breakfast with my car and found this lovely Olympia SM4 in script typeface, for $10! It needed a bit of work, the usual bushings being crushed flat, and a bit of degreasing and cleaning, along with a fresh ribbon, but it types wonderful now.

Being as this is now my fourth German medium-sized portable (the others being the SM3, the Optima Super and the Adler J3) I figure a comparison video will be in my immediate future!

At last weekend's Typewriter Social I showed up with my new SM4, my wife brought the SM3, our friend Kevin brought his SM4 with an international keyboard, and a newcomer brought her SM7, making for a good showing of these well-made German machines. Not to be outdone, two other guests brought their Hermes Rockets!



Fiddling around with the Brother-made Kmart 300 Deluxe 12, I discovered that it (being a JP-7 chassis) has an automatic paragraph indent feature, similar to many of the Olivetti portables. This feature is activated by pressing and holding the margin release while making a carriage return. The carriage on the Brother will stop 5 spaces right of the left margin setting. It was fun discoving this feature, as up till now I'd assumed only the Olivettis (and Olivetti-Underwoods) sported this ability.

I've also been tinkering with the abacus, here are two new abacus videos I've made, they are unlisted right now on YouTube but are accessible through my Abacus Playlist.



This one (above) talks about taking the Chinese 2:5 version and masking off the bottom row of beads (using a piece of cardstock folded for the purpose) to make a novel 2:4 configuration abacus, that has some properties of both the Chinese 2:5 and Japanese 1:4.



Naturally, when I get interested in some subject I fixate on it and this second video (above) is the result, a guide for the newcomer to decide which type of abacus to get in order to learn this ancient skill, the choice being between the modern 1:4 Soroban, the older 1:5 Soroban or the 2:5 Chinese Suan Pan.

I will be publishing these two abacus video this week, so look for them on my main YouTube feed.

I'm also in the process of making a lens review of a new L-mount lens, so look forward to that one also.

Thanks for stopping by and reading!