Skip to content
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
Search
Close

L.T. Hanlon

Category: Consumer Products

Using the Hovel pencil sharpener

June 20, 2020 L.T. HanlonLeave a comment
Hovel pencil sharpener.
Typewritten text of the following. GETTING RIGHT TO THE POINT.
I just acquired a Hovel pencil sharpener. It's essentially a small wood plane that you stroke over a pencil's casing and lead. I never was any good at using normal-size planes, so perfecting my Hovel technique is taking a little work. With patience, it's possible to create a longer, sharper point than with most conventional sharpeners. In the photo above, I used a Kum Masterpiece on the yellow Blackwing and the Hovel on the Blackwing 602. Thanks to my pals Andy Pierce and Frank Mariani for letter me know about the Hovel sharpener! Olympia SM7 - Pica No. 12

Check out Frank Mariani’s art, editorial cartoons, and more.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

I love my little brother

June 9, 2020June 9, 2020 L.T. Hanlon2 Comments

For your added enjoyment, this typecast has not been proofread, edited, or fact-checked. Typos and mistakes are Easter eggs. Enjoy!

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

‘Mission: Impossible’ office supplies

June 30, 2019June 30, 2019 L.T. Hanlon1 Comment

Photo of a typewritten page with the following text. Sunday, June 30, 2019. Chicago, USA. Selecting mission specialists. As a kid, one of my favorite TV series was the original Mission: Impossible. I always enjoyed the ritual introduction that included Briggs or Phelps learning of the mission and then choosing his team members. With some notable exceptions they generally selected the same folks. I've always assumed that the photos of those not chosen were in-jokes. I have a similar approach in mind when I buy office supplies, and often ask myself how a pen, pencil, eraser, or other implement will complement my analog outlook and typewriter collection. One relatively recent addition to my IMF team is the Pilot FriXion erasable pen. It works almost like something Barney Collier would come up with. FriXion pens use a special, heat-sensitive ink that can be easily quote erased unquote when rubbed with its dedicated eraser. I placed erase in quotes because the ink doesn't exactly go anywhere. It's still there and, when exposed to a cold environment like in the freezer will return to visibility. This also means that if you leave paper with writing from such a pen in, say, a locked car on a hot day, your class notes could vanish. But only until you toss that notebook in the freezer. Rocketbook makes several notebooks that expand upon this capability magnificently. The company's Wave notebook is erased by putting it in a microwave oven. Its Everlast notebook employs a specially coated paper (or plastic; I’m not exactly sure what it's made of) that allows FriXion ink to be wiped off with a damp microfiber cloth. I used both kinds of notebooks and am pleased with how they work. FriXion pens also perform excellently on regular paper.

JetPens explains how Pilot FriXion pens work. These folks are a great resource for pens, paper, notebooks, and more. You should also give Rocketbook notebooks a try.

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Paper, rubber, imperfection

June 7, 2019 L.T. Hanlon8 Comments

 

Photo of a box of Southworth Businessd 100 Percent Cotton Paper
I really like this Southport 100% Cotton Business Paper. It’s less than $20 on Amazon.

 

Photo of a typewritten page with the following text. Chicago, Friday, June 7, 2019. Just a mixed bag of updates this time. Paper -- I've found a nice  paper with a surface compatible with both typewriters  and hand-writing tools such as pencils, ballpoints, gel points,  and more. Another fun plus is that the paper, Southport, Business 100% Cotton, feels sort of like money after you’ve crumpled  it multiple times. Rubber stamps -- Lately, I’ve enjoyed personalizing my correspondence with rubber stamps. I especially like the Chicago flag stamp I’ve used here. Non-perfection -- A fear of being less than perfect has hamstrung my freelance writing efforts but I’ve put that behind me and am pounding away once more. Nothing can be per fect -- not even this mechanical wonder I 'm typing on right now. Its unique character registration would, in fact, ensure my quick apprehension were I to use this typewriter to create a ransom note!

 

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

When retailers look like jerks

May 29, 2019May 29, 2019 L.T. Hanlon3 Comments

Photo of a typewritten page that contains the following text. Wednesday, May 29, 2019. Chicago, USA. Enough with the mercantile patriotism. I’m glad the holiday weekend is over. I can't begin to tell you how annoyed I get when a retailer declares it will donate X percent of my purchase to (fill in the blank)  This past weekend it was to some Memorial Day—related cause. For crying out, loud, if you really care, don’t place conditions on your philanthropy. If you must, by all means make a public spectacle of your donation, but don't dangle strings. It's in poor taste. Even worse are the retailers whose cashiers are forced to pimp for contributions and won't allow customers to complete a transaction until they select YES or NO on the touchscreen. This always brings up memories of the United Way campaigns at work that required employees to sign and return a form even if they elected not to participate. If the odor of all this smells familiar, it's almost as bad as what's lingering in the opposite armpit: cause—related marketing. To conclude: Lead by example, not by cynically incorporating customer kindness into your fucking marketing plan.

 

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Nicotine notes from Mom

May 12, 2019May 12, 2019 L.T. Hanlon2 Comments

This is a photo of a typewritten page that contains the following test. Sunday, May 12, 2019 . Chicago, USA. Canon Typestar 5. Notes from mother. What sorts of notes do mothers send out their  children today? When I was a child, those notes usually consisted of permission slips, notes excusing kids from  school due to an illness, shopping lists, and the  note that allowed children to buy cigarettes. That's right. At one time not so long ago, many grocers and druggists would sell cigarettes to kids as long as junior presented the cashier with a signed note from a parent authorizing the purchase. (

 

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Come on, folks! RoseArt crayons aren’t that bad

October 22, 2018May 5, 2019 L.T. Hanlon2 Comments

I needed some crayons in a hurry yesterday and my usual convenience store didn’t have Crayolas, so I bought ones from RoseArt.

Yes, RoseArt crayons lack that wonderful Crayola fragrance and they don’t lay down quite as smoothly — but other than that, they seem fine to me.

Others strongly disagree. What’s your opinion?

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Print
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...
Follow L.T. Hanlon on WordPress.com

It’s a big, wide wonderful world

I fully accept Charles Fort’s observation that one measures a circle beginning anywhere.

Ancient Egypt Canon Typestar 5 Cattle Mutilations Chicago Consumer Products Country Music Everything Fortean Phenomena Hermes 3000 Kindle Direct Publishing Marketing, &c Meteorology Movies, TV, Effluvia Newspapers Office Supplies Olympia SM7 Photography Printed Ephemera Publishing Railroads Science Fiction Shortwave Radio Smith-Corona Silent-Super Social Media Stormchasing Technology Travel Typewriters UFOs Unsolved Mysteries

Blogroll

  • Antique Typewriter Collecting by Tony Casillo
  • Codes of the West
  • J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies
  • Jeff Rense
  • Joe Van Cleave
  • Library of Congress — Photos
  • Poems While You Wait
  • Spudart
  • The Classic Typewriter Page
  • The Rt. Rev. Theodore Munk
  • The Untimely Typewriter
  • Typewriter Review

My Flickr Photos

000231320010 copy000231320008 copy000231320003 copy000231320005 copy000231320006 copy000231320001 copy000231300009 copy000231300006+5 Anaglyph000231300002+1 Anaglyph
More Photos
Create a website or blog at WordPress.com
Back to top
Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
    %d bloggers like this: