I have to wonder if that letter planted the seeds of years of neuroses, repression and/or therapy. Either way, I hope Joseph led a fulfilling life. Nice Corona, Nick. I have a Four that types like an old farm tractor.
Yes, I was fooled by the soft tapping of the keys in the opening scene of "Atonement" a couple of years ago. You would think that I, with my film knowledge, would have known that the muted sound of the Corona Four in that film was the result of the Sound Effects crew, not Saorise Ronan tapping away at an 85 year old typewriter. Ahh well...
Still a lovely machine - surprisingly compact for being able to type a regular letter sheet. The documents are again awesome to have with it, very good condition too. Many thanks for posting the scans. Hm, missing mainspring - could be that a jeweler/watchmaker can fit a new spring? (Overhere still some jewelers/watchmakers will do such repairs and have a network amongst them to seek out and share parts.)
Now that I have this Corona, the other will go to somebody else, for a project or for parts. I've had enough with it, honestly. XD
Jewelers seem to be a good source for typewriter-related repairs. I still need to seek one out to repair loose/broken typeslugs on two of my typewriters. Apparently if you find one who will do that job for you, it costs as little as 1/4 as much as a typewriter mechanic would charge.
Nick, first, that's a nice looking example - well done on finding it. But the letter could only have been written to a child from a parent and from that perspective I can see that she's simply trying to use the gift as an extension to his maternal apron strings. Perhaps she's about to become what we now call an "empty nester", bereft of any further direct influence on her son's trajectory. WE know that her work is done and he will chart his own course either because of (or despite) her guidance but that's from our perspective as a child. The flip happens subtly over the years and though it is a clumsily transactional letter, I think there's actually maternal love between those lines.
Since I've had the letter I've tried to figure out how old her son was… initially I thought he was older, but I think he must have been around 12 or 14. Of course I don't know for sure.
I didn't want to get into too much detail about the letter, but I understand what you mean. The letter is a complex mixture of love and control wrapped up in a few clumsy sentences. Of course, being fairly young still, certain things strike me as sinister that I can trace back to my own childhood.
I have never found a Corona that actually works well after all these years.
No need to remove the platen to get rid of the slickness. I would rub some Soft Scrub on it (simply turning it as I go), then follow up with a bit of brake fluid. Usually this makes a big difference, not to the underlying hardness but to the rubberiness and grip of the outermost layer.
Yeah, the #3's aren't really great typers, but what would you expect from such a "little guy", but they're cute as heck, and worth the "look". I also don't find my Corona 4 to be a very good typer either, but they certainly sold enough to stay in business forever almost. Yesterday though, I got my first Corona Standard Flatop from 1935 - that's a great looker, and a much nicer typer than it's older siblings!
I have to wonder if that letter planted the seeds of years of neuroses, repression and/or therapy. Either way, I hope Joseph led a fulfilling life. Nice Corona, Nick. I have a Four that types like an old farm tractor.
ReplyDeleteThat the letter was saved all these years makes me wonder…
DeleteHonestly, I think the 3 is a better machine than the Four, which I never enjoyed using.
Yes, I was fooled by the soft tapping of the keys in the opening scene of "Atonement" a couple of years ago. You would think that I, with my film knowledge, would have known that the muted sound of the Corona Four in that film was the result of the Sound Effects crew, not Saorise Ronan tapping away at an 85 year old typewriter. Ahh well...
ReplyDeletea new platen makes a world of difference on a Corona 4. (:
DeleteStill a lovely machine - surprisingly compact for being able to type a regular letter sheet.
ReplyDeleteThe documents are again awesome to have with it, very good condition too. Many thanks for posting the scans.
Hm, missing mainspring - could be that a jeweler/watchmaker can fit a new spring? (Overhere still some jewelers/watchmakers will do such repairs and have a network amongst them to seek out and share parts.)
Now that I have this Corona, the other will go to somebody else, for a project or for parts. I've had enough with it, honestly. XD
DeleteJewelers seem to be a good source for typewriter-related repairs. I still need to seek one out to repair loose/broken typeslugs on two of my typewriters. Apparently if you find one who will do that job for you, it costs as little as 1/4 as much as a typewriter mechanic would charge.
Nick, first, that's a nice looking example - well done on finding it. But the letter could only have been written to a child from a parent and from that perspective I can see that she's simply trying to use the gift as an extension to his maternal apron strings. Perhaps she's about to become what we now call an "empty nester", bereft of any further direct influence on her son's trajectory. WE know that her work is done and he will chart his own course either because of (or despite) her guidance but that's from our perspective as a child. The flip happens subtly over the years and though it is a clumsily transactional letter, I think there's actually maternal love between those lines.
ReplyDeleteSince I've had the letter I've tried to figure out how old her son was… initially I thought he was older, but I think he must have been around 12 or 14. Of course I don't know for sure.
DeleteI didn't want to get into too much detail about the letter, but I understand what you mean. The letter is a complex mixture of love and control wrapped up in a few clumsy sentences. Of course, being fairly young still, certain things strike me as sinister that I can trace back to my own childhood.
Nice Corona 3. I wonder if the Typospigeon delivers Pigeon Ribbons.
ReplyDeleteFantastic paper with this machine!
ReplyDeleteI have never found a Corona that actually works well after all these years.
No need to remove the platen to get rid of the slickness. I would rub some Soft Scrub on it (simply turning it as I go), then follow up with a bit of brake fluid. Usually this makes a big difference, not to the underlying hardness but to the rubberiness and grip of the outermost layer.
I mean a Corona 3, of course.
DeleteYeah, the #3's aren't really great typers, but what would you expect from such a "little guy", but they're cute as heck, and worth the "look". I also don't find my Corona 4 to be a very good typer either, but they certainly sold enough to stay in business forever almost. Yesterday though, I got my first Corona Standard Flatop from 1935 - that's a great looker, and a much nicer typer than it's older siblings!
ReplyDeleteThat is in really fine shape. I'd say the recipient took care of it - or hardly used it.
ReplyDeleteI quite enjoy using mine.
just got my first folding No. 3 .. after a bit of cleaning it types very well. love it .. got a No. 4 coming in the mail soon.
ReplyDelete