Typewriting

Note the obligatory typo!

Recently, I acquired an old Olivetti Lettera 32 typewriter. I don't know what it was that got me thinking about one, but I found myself bidding for them on eBay when I was home for my wedding in February. I was eventually successful (back in the UK - I don't know what I was thinking, it was never going to fit in my suitcase along with everything else!) and got one for a good price, complete in its original case, with original instructions and care kit. I purchased a new ink ribbon for it, very carefully installed the new ribbon and off I went, carefully inspecting each of the little function levers and trying out old school typing. I have found the actual keys need to be pushed almost like piano keys, and my lazy flat hand approach to typing (from laptop keyboards I think) no longer cuts it.

The noise it makes feels so substantial and almost musical in a chaotic machinery type way. I have always found the sound of typewriters very appealing. I am one of those annoying people who hasn't turned off the type noise on her iphone, and I have a vague memory of being able to have a typewriter sound effect on something like ICQ when I was a teenager? I find the noise incredibly cathartic and loud ringing an indication of what I am creating. Although, I don't know how people typed all day on them, I guess you would end up with very sore, and eventually very strong fingers. I whole 'no delete' things must have been a bit annoying, but then again, people would have had the opportunity to 'paint' with white out (or tipex for my English friends) - another creative pursuit.

I love the shape of the typewriter itself - its whole look is very retro cool. Perhaps its all the MadMen I have been watching that is attracting me to this style, as I have definitely seen a shift in the types of fabrics I have been purchasing and using in recent projects. I even started to embroider typewriters on my pillowcases! I can't wait to try out my Olivetti on a few paper / printing projects I have in mind. One includes typing on old library cards, I have taken inspiration from this wonderful book, Handmade Hello's, from my letterpress hero's at Hello,Lucky!

The next think I want to do is clean it up and get it looking like new again - its not in bad shape but could do with a bit of dusting and I think the actually little letter stamps could do with a clean. The instructions suggest typewriter cleaning fluid, but I don't know how much of that stuff is still kicking around that hasn't expired. Will see how I go! Here is to some hand-typed love letters and maybe even my first novel!

*Cue Murder, She Wrote theme music please.