First Blog (11/11/13)

YES, and now it is my turn!

For the past few weeks I have spend many hours reading the blogs of other people collecting and using typewriters with pleasure and joy. My YouTube channel has been a great success over the past few years, with the collectors of typewriters and just people that enjoy using those tasteful relics. I have therefor decided that it also is a good idea for me to be doing a blog that people might enjoy. Well...here we go. This is the start of what is going to be a wonderful blogging experience, in my opinion.

I was going to be doing the text on a actual typewriter, but for some reason, Blogger won't allow custom sizes, like the scanner. And the sizes it provides are too small for the text, written on paper and then scanned, to be readable. So I'll type my blogs out like this until I find a good way of doing it appropriately and actually use the typewriter to post my blogs.

But to get to the core of the intension of this post...here is a little background info on me and my typewriter collection.

"Dr. Typewriter" with part of his typewriter museum in view behind him.

- Back in 2009, when on a thrift store visit, while observing 35 mm camera's, my eye caught on a what appeared to be, quite a large object, covered by a ripped cover. I left the camera's for what they were and went to see what it was. What it turned out to be was a 1960s Underwood Standard typewriter. A Underwood Type-master in wonderful used condition. And the irony of it was that it only cost $3.00 at the time, 

Here is a picture of my first ever purchased typewriter. (A bit blurry but pretty clear. You get the idea)

so I took the opportunity before somebody else got there eye on it. And well...right now, it sits under one of my desks, waiting to be used. It currently is out of ink, but the ribbon it was the original ribbon that came with the machine, and was already heavily used at the time, but last year I managed to type 200 pages on what was left of it. The ribbon was falling apart, shredding pieces of carbon ribbon wherever you looked, but there was still ribbon on it so I wanted to continue using it that way. Now...it is pretty dead.

After I bought the typewriter. I took it home with, trying to discover it's features and compare it with my grandfathers typewriter which I have had since his death in 2001. There difference were also pretty significant, as (a teenager) I have never seen another manual typewriter before. (Note that I didn't say just typewriter...but more of that later.

After that, I bought typewriters at a regular pace...from Craigslist, thrift stores, and antique depo's.

And I also have started a writing process whereby I write over 200 pages on a typewriter. I like to write detectives and so I have done. Mystery's have something thrilling, my big inspiration being the 1968-2003 television series "Lieutenant Columbo" my big idol.

Television, newspapers and magazines all have showed interest in my typewriters and writing, and I have been interviewed frequently for what I am doing, and I think it is important to get it out of there. That not all teenagers my age, sit behind a PS4 or Nintendo DS just playing there life away, no...here is one that has a interest in typewriters. And everytime I am doing something public or people come over while I am working behind one, they show a delight of interest.

A bit of a dark picture, but it shows part of my typewriter collection. Underneath the covers are also several machines.

(From left to right)

1st shelf: Royal HH

2nd shelf: Underwood 3 & Remington 12

3rd shelf: L.C. Smith 8(?)& Olympia SG3 (Later model: Bl. Keys)

4th shelf: (2) Olympia Sg1's

5th shelf: Olympia SG3 (Earlier model: Wh. Keys)& Royal KMM

 The desk: Underwood 5 & Oliver 9 & Underwood 5

On stand beside the shelf: Imperial 50

Between desk and shelf: Brother Echelon (#?)

Two more. A Royal HH and a Underwood that goes beside the other HH on the top shelf. Is that Underwood looking good or what?

...and even more. The red case is a dual-tone Royal.

But here is a funny story,

When i lived in Holland, my home-country, i actually had typing class on a typewriter. 20 students working their way through hardset tasks, unbelievable annoying assignments. There were 19 Brother typewriters, purchased recently. (This was the fall of 2005) and another student brought a SCM Electra 120, or something like that. Anways, i remember HATING it, never doing any of the assignments appointed, and always pretending that i was out of ink and therefor couldn't do my homework, which went for once a week there for a while. Anyways, after a half a year, awards were given, and i was the only one that DIDN'T pass the course, in the history of it. Which was about 10 years, so that tells you something.

And now look at me. There is nothing i rather don't do then type, write my novels, collect and restore typewriters.

A image taken by the local newspaper for a article written on September 1st 2012

Here is the link: http://www.nanaimodailynews.com/news/nanaimo-region/julie-chadwick-young-mystery-writer-shuns-technology-while-plying-craft-1.272708

Anyways, here is a little about me. I am very anxious to blow this blogging up, and therefor i hope you have enjoyed this little introduction. 

Thank you for reading.

Dirk (DrTypewriter) Plante