Have you ever used a typewriter?

[Chalet]

Hey, youngin's.......

When I was a kid I received this typewriter so I could practice at home because we had typing class in 7th grade.

All manual. We used paper correction paper, kind of like the dry correction pens - there was no liquid paper. That's when you placed the slip of paper onto the roller in front of the wrong letter - and you had to hit the same key to white out the wrong letter.

Manual carriage return - that means at the end of the sentence you hit the arm which took you to the next line.

You also had to feed the ink ribbon yourself. A mess.



In high school I got an electric typewriter with a correction ribbon and ink cartridge - thank goodness.



Had things not changed, I would have saved to buy the king of kings, the IBM Selectric. Admins and secretary's couldn't live without them.



I'm wondering if I can still type on one. I wonder if you have never used one and learned on a computer board, could you type on one?

The keys seem so close together.

[McJag]

The keys appear to be in the same place as our keyboards,so I don't think we would have much of a problem. Never have used one & wonder why would anyone now?

[chartreuse]

I recall loving to type on my mom's old electric typewriter as a kid. i learned to type fairly young (age 9, i think) & loved to just pull it out of the closet (actually had to get help with that...that thing was heavy! ) & type away. i still can perfectly remember the exact smell that thing had, the quiet hum it made when turned on, the 'DING!' it made when the carriage returned & sounds of the keys striking. things were made so well back in the day, too...you can just feel the quality in the machinery, when striking the keys. it didn't have a correction ribbon & i loved the challenge of attempting to make no mistakes. there is something very satisfying about typing on an old typewriter to me. i used it well into high school & kind of miss it now that i don't use it.

i occasionally have to use one for work for certain forms. i use a new typewriter & while it's still kind of satisfying, it's just not the same as my mom's old beauty.

who knew typewriter talk could make a girl feel so warm & fuzzy inside.


eta: found a pic of one just like my mom's...

[Laurent]

My mother has an old, gray Royal manual typewriter that works like a charm. I'm not sure where she got it, but she's had it as long as I can remember. She used it regularly up until the early 90s when she bought an electric. Now the Royal just serves as decoration, but it does work. I don't know if you can still buy the ribbon for them anymore.

[HWBL]

Obviously, being the same generation as Chalet, I learned to type on
a typewriter too. And although the electric typewriters with correction
ribbon were a huge improvement, you'd still have to use white-out on
the carbon copies because two letters on top of each other in ink
(the wrong letter and the correction letter) together made a black
square on the carbon copy! Hard to imagine now, with all the easy
on screen corrections pre printing!

[shedevilang]

ah typewritters such fun I hated typing class the old biddy would make me cut my nails and kept clippers in her drawer for that reason

[McJag]

ah typewritters such fun I hated typing class the old biddy would make me cut my nails and kept clippers in her drawer for that reason

I used typing class to flirt with senior boys. Time well spent-OK,not for typing but still...!

[angelais]

I remember specifically in 9th grade we had a typing class. Not business class, but just typing. It was 1984, so thankfully it was electric.

My dad has three or four old antique manual typewriters. But check out the title of this one:

[msdeb]

i have an old clunker typewriter from the 40's, its stored away but it works. we learned to type on electric typewriters. and we too had just typing classes. easiest hour of the school day

[Trixie]

LOL, I have one of those portable Smith Coronas too. Found it in the back of a downstairs closet a few months ago. Tried to sell it at a garage sale for $10. No takers.

I remember those IBM Selectrics too. Now that was a monster machine! Built-in correction ribbon!

[heart_leigh]

A typewriter? What's that?

[Jexxifer]

A typewriter? What's that?

Watch it! I will have to beat you whippersnappers with my cane.

I took typing class in HS too...on a typewriter. I feel so ancient.

[Laurent]

I took typing class in HS too...on a typewriter. I feel so ancient.

Me, too - and that was less than 15 years ago.

Times change quick.

[Novice]

I still have my dad's old type writer. My mom wouldn't let me do typing at school - told me I'd just end up as someone's secretary... since we no used computers for everything it was a really bad idea - but I can type loads faster than she can (she stlll hasn't even had typing lession - idiot!) Despite playing the piano for many years my hands just don't seem strong enough to use it successfully - those office girls must've had manic grips! LOL!
I was relieved when I've had office jobs that used electric typewriters... but I studied computing at school and even those keyboards have come a long way....

Me, too - and that was less than 15 years ago.

Times change quick.

Really? Not "word processing"? That surprises me for some reason.....

[LynnieD]

Oh yea!!

I also took 'Typing' in HS and had a good ole electric typewriter. Man.....that was a long ass time ago.

My Grandmother, who died about 1 1/2 yrs ago had and USED her typewriter until the day she died! She loved it! Still worked and took a beating. She would have never parted with it...