Take a Letter

"Lois, take a letter. Dear Life Cereal, Where do you get off? Delicious and good for you? Who do you think you are? If you haven't already guessed, I'm speaking ironically and having nothing but good things to say about what you do. Life cereal, do not change a thing. Signed, Peter Griffin. Dictated but not read, Lois read that back to me." - Peter Griffin


It's here. I finally found it in my price range and its now sitting in my closet. A 1956 vintage Royal Quiet Deluxe typewriter in aqua blue ♥

The condition is fabulous considering the low price tag, but before I get to hear the "clickity-clack" of the keys and the "ding" of the carriage, there are a few things I need to do to keep this machine in working order.

1. Clean it. Apparently the world today is using a device called the iPad, so let's just say the layer of dust on the inside is rather thick. I started dusting last night with a can of compressed air, and I also took an old toothbrush to the hammers on the inside to rid them of excess ink.
2. Oil it. This part is a little trickier for me, as I don't want to mess it up. Assuming that I can't use the vegetable oil I use to bake cupcakes, I 'll have to find the right kind to use on typewriters. In addition, I'll have to determine the right amount to use, and where to actually apply it.
3. Fix the kinks. Overall, everything on the Royal is in working order, except for two minor gliches. The space bar gets stuck when the cover is down, and the cover at times does not latch closed. Perhaps the oil will diagnose the problem of the space bar, but if not, I'll be requesting the help of my man friends, before I wind up ripping off the space bar all together.
4. Touch it up. The paint is in great condition, considering that that it is over 50 years old, but there are a few knicks that I want to touch up. My friend, Anthony, works at a car shop, and since he's great with fixing up cars, he gave me a few tips. The only problem is "superfine sandpaper" is all that I can remember. Lo and behold, I will be seeking out the request of my man friends here, as well. I want to get the paint and overall shine to look like I just bought in 1956. Right around the same time of Elvis' first TV appearance on The Dorsey Brother's Stage Show, singing "Shake Rattle & Roll":

My portable writer did come with its original case, however, it did not come with the original manual. Luckily, the power of the Internet and a simple Google search brought me to a downloadable PDF manual. Ironic? Yes. Especially considering I used my lightening fast wireless connection to look up a guide for my 1956 manual typewriter.

Anyway, this small project is something I'm excited to start and get into. Running my fingers across the keys I can't help but wonder who it once belonged to. A writer? A housewife? Or perhaps to a blonde, who worked in an office building sitting in a row with other blondes. Rows and rows of blondes in tight sweaters, typing. Whoever it belonged to then, it now belongs to a strawberry-blonde gal in New Jersey :)

Cj, take a letter...