Bremerton Typewriter Company

Bennett Portable Typewriter

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What a piece of junk! On the other hand, I HAD to buy it. Not to re-sell, just to have in the shop. I appreciate the effort it takes to create these mechanical devices all for one function; type, type, type. The Bennett was not the best effort and more of a toy. When you stop by, look up, as most likely I'll hang it from the ceiling for some visual interest. … [Read more...]

Erika 5 Tab portable typewriter

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This fantastic German machine came to the shop shortly after the customer bought it. What a great typewriter! Its key action, for a portable, is so nice. It is missing its top cover, darn it. It just needed a spring, a nut, a good degrease and oiling in all the right places. Types like a dream. … [Read more...]

Working on the railroad

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One of the small rooms in the back of the shop is my machine shop area. It has the typical drill press, a couple small lathes and a table top milling machine. Working in the room kinda drives me nuts every time I go to resurface a platen, use the arbor press to press on new rubber on paper rollers or drill out a broken screw. Mostly the nuts part is that there were (note the past tense) parts typewriters, 4 boxes of Mr. Montgomery's videos of … [Read more...]

Corona 3’s, Lovely Machines

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I had a customer come in and ask for me to keep an eye out for a nice Corona 3 portable typewriter. "Of course", I said. Well, all I really needed to do was walk into the back of the shop. I had been meaning to go through the Corona's for a while so I could cull the parts machines and get them labeled with the dreaded RED tag (parts only).  I pulled them out and started going through them. There is ALWAYS something that needs fixing which is why … [Read more...]

Diana, a Princess and a Royal

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You won't see a Royal Diana very often, so here is one to share. The customer wanted to get it in running order and was on a budget. In good shape, the only major item to work on was the tab set had become maladjusted. It came to me with an indigo blue colored ribbon just torn to shreds. I LOVE that color! I'm going to go on the typosphere and see if I can find one that deep dark lovely blue ink. Most blue ink ribbons out there are cyan, as it … [Read more...]

Montgomery Musings . . .

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Mr. Montgomery was in the shop Friday, March 11, and was in fine spirits. Two years ago the Mayor of Bremerton honored Mr. Montgomery for his decades of community service. I have the plaque on the wall of the shop. Here is what the Mayor said of him: On November 12, 1942, Robert "Bob" Montgomery was invited to join the United States Army by none other than President Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself and so left the Puget Sound to fight in … [Read more...]

Royal Standard 10 from 1919

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This classic Royal Standard typewriter came from the estate sale across the street from the shop. I was helping a customer load a typewriter into their car when a gentleman flagged me down to go look at this wonderful machine. Of course he bought it, and immediately took it upstairs to my shop. Other than rotting feet, it is in damn fine shape. … [Read more...]

Corona 4 Eye Candy from 1928

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Feast your eyes on this little bit of Corona eye candy from 1928. This customer is so lucky to have this bit of history decked out in Mountain Ash Scarlet, contrasting panels in crackle finish black. Nothing wrong with this beauty other than missing the decorative ribbon spool covers. Enjoy! … [Read more...]

Little Typewriter Things

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I love typewriter stuff. I mean all those things that are not specifically typewriters yet are part of our typosphere; typewriter ads, t-shirts, award pins, stationary, pencil sharpeners, even rubber stamps. I was surfing eBay this week and saw these two pins that I just HAD TO HAVE. Enjoy. … [Read more...]

Royal “P” Portable

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This little portable came to me with a ribbon vibrator missing half the goal posts. It was a Christmas gift of the best kind, a typewriter. The customer and I chatted and if I could not find a replacement vibrator from our stock I would repair it. After a studious search through our typewriter hospital, no luck. You can't have a typewriter with the ribbon flopping all over. I matched the gauge of the metal as close as possible, referenced … [Read more...]