KEYBOARD MACHINES
Keyboard typewriters are generally what come to most people's minds
when
they hear 'typewriter.' However, there are many dozens (perhaps
hundreds)
of different styles and kinds. A lot of this came about because early
patents
and vigorous enforcement forced typewriter makers to come up with
different
and more efficient ways to apply letter to paper.
Other designs came about because some inventor in his garage was just
sure
he knew a better way to make the perfect typewriter.
Many of the earlier typewriters were what are called upstrike machines.
The letter (type bar) struck the paper from below, on the underside of
the roller, or platen, so in order to see what was just typed, the
typist
had to raise the carriage or advance the paper. Other styles include
downstrike
models, frontstrike, thrust action and grasshopper action (you'd have
to
see it...).
The early Blickensderfers,
left, used a type wheel that bears a
striking resemblance to the more modern IBM type ball. The Hammonds,
on the other hand, used a removable type shuttle (the Multiplex
and Varityper - pictured at top right- had 2 shuttles) , while
the
old Chicago machines (and variations thereof, like the Munson)
used a type sleeve.
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Updated 07.27.06
