The Corsair picture brings back memories. The first machine I could call "mine" looked just like that one, bought for next to nothing at a garage sale and disposed of (by a parent who actively discouraged my literary ambitions) for even less. In recent months, I have forced myself to resist the temptation to replace it. I may live to regret it.
I found one of these at the thrift once. It proved to be defective, unfixable, and extremely flimsy (I could bend important pieces with one hand). I dismantled it as far as I could and ended up with hundreds of useful springs and screws that have saved my bacon more than once!
I fully expect this machine not to survive this summer's wizarding event (if my young nephews are any indication - they just POUND on the SMC Classic I gave them). But I sure like it and will try to get some letters written on it before I send it off!
Have one of these myself that I'm currently offering up at a local consignment shop. I feel dirty about that.
This is the first machine I ever typed on: my mother had one exactly this color.
Both of my two corsair-era machines have the same issue: the line space selector is nonfunctional and just flops loosely back and forth, stuch in single-space. I'm guessing this must be a common problem since both have the same issue.
@MT: that's a very sad story! Literary ambition should never be squashed.
@Richard: I was expecting worse when I bought this one, and then did some searching on PTF afterwards. "What have I done?" came to mind. Maybe I got lucky?
@Ledeaux: The Classic will probably last a good long while. Dunno about the Profile/Corsair, but short of bending things or forcing parts to move that don't want to, I think it should be able to withstand a few eager hands. I use the benchmark of the BTO as what a truly abused typewriter must experience.
@Duffy: I just tried it, and the lever on my machine is loose, too: there's no distinct "click" into place. I have had some issues with the line space on my Skyriter, too: it may be a weakness of the design. Unlike your machine(s), though, I am able to double space on this machine. At least for the moment...
I've had a, hmm, 'crush' you might say, on these Corsair/Cougar-type SCM typers for a long time now. I'm not expecting them to be among the best small typewriters, but I wondered how you would compare this to a cheap Nakajima or Silver Seiko. (I have versions of each, so I'd use them for my comparison) I'm not swimming in money, so I want to know if it would be a foolish idea to try to search one of these out, regarding quality.
Send me a reply in email, maybe, in case I forget to check back on this post. belandnick (at) yahoo.com
The Corsair picture brings back memories. The first machine I could call "mine" looked just like that one, bought for next to nothing at a garage sale and disposed of (by a parent who actively discouraged my literary ambitions) for even less. In recent months, I have forced myself to resist the temptation to replace it. I may live to regret it.
ReplyDeleteI found one of these at the thrift once. It proved to be defective, unfixable, and extremely flimsy (I could bend important pieces with one hand). I dismantled it as far as I could and ended up with hundreds of useful springs and screws that have saved my bacon more than once!
ReplyDeleteI fully expect this machine not to survive this summer's wizarding event (if my young nephews are any indication - they just POUND on the SMC Classic I gave them). But I sure like it and will try to get some letters written on it before I send it off!
ReplyDeleteHave one of these myself that I'm currently offering up at a local consignment shop. I feel dirty about that.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first machine I ever typed on: my mother had one exactly this color.
Both of my two corsair-era machines have the same issue: the line space selector is nonfunctional and just flops loosely back and forth, stuch in single-space. I'm guessing this must be a common problem since both have the same issue.
@MT: that's a very sad story! Literary ambition should never be squashed.
ReplyDelete@Richard: I was expecting worse when I bought this one, and then did some searching on PTF afterwards. "What have I done?" came to mind. Maybe I got lucky?
@Ledeaux: The Classic will probably last a good long while. Dunno about the Profile/Corsair, but short of bending things or forcing parts to move that don't want to, I think it should be able to withstand a few eager hands. I use the benchmark of the BTO as what a truly abused typewriter must experience.
@Duffy: I just tried it, and the lever on my machine is loose, too: there's no distinct "click" into place. I have had some issues with the line space on my Skyriter, too: it may be a weakness of the design. Unlike your machine(s), though, I am able to double space on this machine. At least for the moment...
I've had a, hmm, 'crush' you might say, on these Corsair/Cougar-type SCM typers for a long time now. I'm not expecting them to be among the best small typewriters, but I wondered how you would compare this to a cheap Nakajima or Silver Seiko. (I have versions of each, so I'd use them for my comparison) I'm not swimming in money, so I want to know if it would be a foolish idea to try to search one of these out, regarding quality.
ReplyDeleteSend me a reply in email, maybe, in case I forget to check back on this post. belandnick (at) yahoo.com