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In the Spotlight
14-Ton Underwood Vintage Typewriter
by Jaden
Do you love old typewriters like I do?
Check out this giant 14-ton Underwood typewriter from 1930 that I found on Modern Mechanix. This giant typewriter actually functions like a regular sized typewriter.
Where did they get the paper? That’s what I want to know.
What is your favorite typewriter? Did you learn how to type on a typewriter?
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17 Responses to “14-Ton Underwood Vintage Typewriter”
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That’s amazing! Oddly enough, I did learn how to type on a computer. When I was a kid we had this old, old (I’m talking pre-Atari old) computer and a game that dropped letters from the top of the screen (kind of like Tetris). The objective was to hit the letters before they hit the bottom but you couldn’t look at the keyboard. I learned the home row that way.
Then, in jr. high, I took typing and was the speediest one in the class because I had that little head start!
I love the look of old typewriters but I’ll take my computer keyboard any day. Man, I used to hate correcting typos on those things!
MELISSA — Thanks for your cute story. Sounds like a great typing program.
How cool is that!
I love typewriters, and have a (unintentional) collection. It started out that I needed a typewriter for school reports, so “Santa” brought me one in the 70s. Then I inherited my grandmother’s typewriter and also my aunt’s typewriter (which is especially cool because it’s a manual typewriter that allows you to type in both red and black lettering - those two particular colors happen to be my school colors so I was thrilled (at the time) with that revelation.) It doesn’t take much to excite me apparently.
Anyway, now when I go to garage sales and I see a typewriter, I get a physical longing to buy the typewriter and give it a good home. Maybe someday I’ll open up a typewriter museum. lol When I was in high school, my career goal was to be a personal secretary because I loved to type and file so much. I eventually ended up being a librarian, so I still could use those “hobbies” to my advantage.
Still have the typewriters, although my space is limited in my small apartment, so they are temporarily housed in my old “room” at my parents house.
While there is something to be said about the wonderful fonts and the lovely backspace key of computer word processing, I am still a big fan of the clickity-clack of the manual typewriter. Although changing ribbons is something I don’t miss.
Sorry, didn’t mean for my above comment to become a novel.
I didn’t even answer your questions.
Yes, I learned to type on a manual typewriter when I was about 8 or so, and by the time I took typing class Sophomore year in high school, I was pretty fast, albeit I still looked at the keys. When it was mandatory to take a typing class my freshman year in college, I had been typing at work (in the library) for nearly 12 years already. I got a D in that class because even though my speed and accuracy was great, I looked at the keys instead of keeping my head turned toward the left looking at my book. The horror! lol
There I go rambling again. I probably should get more sleep and I’d be much more quiet. lol
I think my brand was… a 1950s/1960s portable Hammond perhaps? It was my favorite, from my aunt. Next time I’m back home at my parents, I will have to confirm and take a picture. As if you are really *that* interested. lol
Did you know there is a “Virtual Typewriter Museum”? http://www.typewritermuseum.org/
I do remember trying to learn to type on a typewriter but I was never able to stick to it. I was also looking for new curse words when I made a mistake while learning on a typewriter. So I did learn something.
After I turned into a software engineer, I was programming a lot and that helped me learn typing on a computer keyboard. And I do not curse as much, thanks to the backspace key :)
PATTY & REEL NINJA — Great stories! You gave me a good smile this morning. I am really enjoying reading everyone’s typewriter experiences — they are all so different.
How about the fancy backspace key that white-out the last letter?! I had that.
My Santa just surprised me with an Underwood from the 30s exactly like the giant — it has red and black ribbon. Am so excited about it! Never had red ribbon before.
PATTY — Please, ramble all you want. I am loving your stories. Thanks for the museum tip!
What a fun topic…something that is remembered rarely.
We had several true antiques, long gone, and I also learned to type on a manual — with my mother’s old (1950s old) typing textbook. I was nine years old when I started…was proficient enough to type everyone’s papers in college (uh, and edit them, too) on the super cool Olivetti that was my h.s. graduation present. THAT got traded in for an IBM “personal” Selectric for grad school. Finally a friend (whose dad worked for IBM!) donated a used computer…and the switch was on.
I once failed a typing test where the min. speed was 45 wpm. After a “second chance” was determined never to type for dollars again unless “Speedy G”…
at my zenith was up to 120 wmp. However, once carpal tunnel set in, I was determined to never again resort to the world of “temp mercenary” who typed for dollars!
Now, only type my own work or freelance writing jobs. I miss the sound, too. There are some darling ancient machines in a thrift shop window over on Avenue A — we visit them from time to time. Maybe one day…
Ah, the red and black ribbons! :-)
MUZZ — Thanks for adding another fantastic typewriter story! Am really loving these. When I posted this, I feared I would be the only person who learned to type on a typewriter… am so glad to see my specie is not extinct.
I learned on a manual typewriter. In order to erase I had to use a small white strip, with some sort of powdery stuff on it. You put the strip onto the page where your error was, backspaced, then struck the same key. Voila! Instant white goop! God help you if you didn’t notice your error right away. It was a struggle and a half to line up the paper just right.
In high school I was SO excited because we got to use ELECTRIC TYPEWRITERS. Whoo-hoo! We had one room with ten computers, and they were only used by the “geeks” in the computer programming class. Those geeks are now ruling the world. I shoulda snagged me one of them twenty years ago. But I digress…
RJ KELLER — That sounds pretty much like my experience. At the dawning of the Internet, only the geeks would ever be caught dead near a computer. We had maybe 2 computers with that green weird font. Can the youngsters even fathom how uncool computers and cell phones were? My mom used to chat on her brick of a cell phone in the car and I was mortified when my classmates would see. What could it be compared to today? Nothing I guess, since the nerdier a person is, the cooler they are now.
What do teens think is uncool now? Anyone know?
Just one more quick comment.
I was reading Tom Hanks’ biography on IMDB just now and it mentions that he, too, collects typewriters. It says he has over 80 of them from around the world.
Wowzers!
PATTY — re the collection of Tom Hanks — How cool! Now that is truly a museum there. He must write, right?
I learned how to type on an “Olivetti” electric typewriter that my mom and I WON for writing a radio jingle for that coolest, modern, RED, typewriter. I still remember the jingle… don’t ask me to sing it.
:)
Re: Tom Hanks typewriter collection/writer?
Yes, I know, for sure, that he writes. He got writing credit for a few things.
from IMDB.com:
1. Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005) (written by)
2. “Band of Brothers” (2001) (mini) TV mini-series (part 1)
3. “From the Earth to the Moon” (1998) (mini) TV mini-series (segments 6, 7, 11, 12)
4. That Thing You Do! (1996) (written by)
So that is cool. Although chances are that they were written on a computer, not one of his typewriters. lol But who knows?
I taught myself on my Mom’s old manual typewriter (vintage ~ 1960).
What can I say? It was summer. I was twelve years old. I was bored.
(Mind you, this was in the era before computers, DVD’s and video games).
A bit late responding to this but here goes….I remember us having my grandmother’s manual trypewriter, but I more or less just played around with it and could only type on it with one finger. I only learned the proper way to type when I started high school. Grant you, I wasn’t the speediest typist (between 50 to 55 wpm I think) but I took typing every year of my high school, including a stenographers course my last year. My typing speed was better than my shorthand speed, eek. I’m not what you would call a naturally fast hand writer, so it can certainly affect ones speed in shorthand. Does anyone even use shorthand anymore?!
In high school I learned on electric typewriters, and I myself owned a Smith Corona. I wouldn’t have a clue what my typing speed would be today, lol.