Category: Typewriters

How I use them and why this legacy technology appeals to me.

From type slugs to steamy tubs: An unexpected journey

L.T. HanlonLeave a comment
Photo of a desktop on which we see a portable Sangean HD Radio, a copy of DX News, a leather memo book cover for Field Notes notebooks, and a curvy-top Hermes 3000 typewriter. In the typewriter is a sheet of paper on which I typed the accompanying column. Here is what's on the paper: Ah, the joys of typewriter maintenance. Picture me, just your average Joe, undertaking the noble task of maintaining my precious Hermes 3000 in pristine glory. Armed with cotton swabs and a spray bottle of 99.9 percent isopropyl alcohol, I was all set to dive into the fiddly, smudgy, inky world of typeslug cleanliness. What I wasn't ready for was the time travel that occurred after the first spray. The moment that acerbic scent of isopropyl alcohol hit my nostrils, my brain went on an impromptu trip down memory lane. Picture this: One moment, I was elbow-deep in the guts of a vintage typewriter, and the next, I was back in the sultry, steamy setting of Denver's Empire Baths. I'd somehow managed to astrally project myself into the midst of a memory of my first visit to the former gay bathhouse. Why, you might ask, did my brain make this leap from cleaning typeslugs to steamy encounters? Here's the explanation. Poppers are recreational inhalants of isobutyl nitrite or related compounds made by reacting isobutyl alcohol with sodium nitrite in dilute sulfuric acid. These aren't exactly household chemicals, but their distinctive scent is oddly reminiscent of alcohol. At the Empire Baths — or any other gay bathhouse — the aroma of poppers infused the humid air, subtly overlaying the scent of damp towels and sweat. Quite the unique olfactory cocktail. It's not a far stretch to say that my nostrils picked up the thread of familiarity between the isopropyl alcohol and those ethereal nitrite wafts from the past. And voila! My brain leaped from typeslugs to steam rooms faster than a pussy pouncing on a laser pointer. But I must cut this blog post short before we digress further into memory and nostalgia. There’s an irresistible siren call from my living room I cannot ignore: a new Chris Pratt movie on Amazon Prime.

Ah, the joys of typewriter maintenance. Picture me, just your average Joe, undertaking the noble task of maintaining my precious Hermes 3000 in pristine glory.

Armed with cotton swabs and a spray bottle of 99 percent isopropyl alcohol, I was all set to dive into the fiddly, smudgy, inky world of typeslug cleanliness.

What I wasn’t ready for was the time travel that occurred after the first spray.

The moment that acerbic scent of isopropyl alcohol hit my nostrils, my brain went on an impromptu trip down memory lane.

Picture this: One moment, I was elbow-deep in the guts of a vintage typewriter, and the next, I was back in the sultry, steamy setting of Denver’s Empire Baths.

I’d somehow managed to astrally project myself into the midst of a memory of my first visit to the former gay bathhouse.

Why, you might ask, did my brain make this leap from cleaning typeslugs to steamy encounters?

Here’s the explanation.

Poppers are recreational inhalants of isobutyl nitrite or related compounds made by reacting isobutyl alcohol with sodium nitrite in dilute sulfuric acid.

These aren’t exactly household chemicals, but their distinctive scent is oddly reminiscent of alcohol.

At the Empire Baths — or any other gay bathhouse — the aroma of poppers infused the humid air, subtly overlaying the scent of damp towels and sweat. Quite the unique olfactory cocktail.

It’s not a far stretch to say that my nostrils picked up the thread of familiarity between the isopropyl alcohol and those ethereal nitrite wafts from the past.

And voila!

My brain leaped from typeslugs to steam rooms faster than a pussy pouncing on a laser pointer.

But I must cut this blog post short before we digress further into memory and nostalgia.

There’s an irresistible siren call from my living room I cannot ignore: a new Chris Pratt movie on Amazon Prime.

Hermes Techno Pica typeface digitized

L.T. Hanlon2 Comments
Digitized version of the Techno Pica typeface on my Hermes 3000 typewriter.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an Italian graphic designer contacted me with a unique request. He wanted to create a digital typeface from the Techno Pica characters on my Hermes 3000 angletop typewriter.

Intrigued, I agreed to help. I typed each character onto paper, took a photograph, and sent it to him via email.Within a short time, the designer had created the typeface. It was an exact replica of the Hermes 3000’s Techno Pica, now digitized and ready for use on any digital platform. Remember that this result is a somewhat ephemeral typeface, since it represented the combination of typeslug cleanliness, ink ribbon saturation, paper characteristics, and the force I used in striking the Hermes 3000’s keys.

Eager to try it out, I loaded the Techno Pica typeface into my Mac. used the new typeface on a Kindle Vella cover. The digital typeface worked perfectly, maintaining the character and nostalgia of the original.

Unfortunately, I lost the designer’s contact information. I don’t remember his name, but his work lives on. He took the unique typeface of a vintage typewriter and made it available for modern uses, and I’m grateful for his work. He immortalized the unique typeface of my Hermes 3000, and for that, I owe him thanks. If he sees this, I hope he’ll contact me so I can give him proper credit here for his fine work.

Durante la pandemia di COVID-19, un grafico italiano mi ha contattato con una richiesta unica. Voleva creare un carattere tipografico digitale dai caratteri Techno Pica sulla mia macchina da scrivere Hermes 3000 angletop.

Incuriosito, ho accettato di aiutare. Ho digitato ogni carattere su carta, ho scattato una fotografia e gliel’ho inviata via e-mail.

In breve tempo, il designer aveva creato il carattere tipografico.

Era una replica esatta del Techno Pica di Hermes 3000, ora digitalizzato e pronto per l’uso su qualsiasi piattaforma digitale. Ricorda che questo risultato è un carattere tipografico in qualche modo effimero, poiché rappresentava la combinazione di pulizia del typelug, saturazione del nastro inchiostrato, caratteristiche della carta e la forza che ho usato per colpire i tasti dell’Hermes 3000.

Ansioso di provarlo, ho caricato il carattere tipografico Techno Pica nel mio Mac. ha utilizzato il nuovo carattere tipografico su una copertina di Kindle Vella. Il carattere tipografico digitale ha funzionato perfettamente, mantenendo il carattere e la nostalgia dell’originale.

Sfortunatamente, ho perso le informazioni di contatto del designer. Non ricordo il suo nome, ma il suo lavoro sopravvive. Ha preso il carattere unico di una macchina da scrivere vintage e lo ha reso disponibile per usi moderni. Nonostante abbia perso le sue informazioni di contatto, sono grato per il suo lavoro. Ha immortalato il carattere unico del mio Hermes 3000, e per questo gli devo grazie. E se vede questo, spero che mi contatterà in modo da potergli dare il giusto merito qui per il suo ottimo lavoro.

Bits of tid that make life interesting

L.T. Hanlon4 Comments

Photo of letter from 3M to a woman who worked at New Jersey Bell. Beneath it is the 3M facility that sent the letter. Below that is a photo of what once was New Jersey Bell's office's, where the recipient worked.
TOP: Photo of envelope from 3M to a woman who worked at New Jersey Bell. MIDDLE: The 3M facility in St. Paul, Minnesota, that sent the letter. BOTTOM: A building in Jersey City, New Jersey, that once housed New Jersey Bell’s offices, where the recipient worked.

Here's the letter from 3M that included a sample of a special paper used to clean typewriter type slugs.
Here’s the letter from 3M that included a sample of a special paper used to clean typewriter type slugs.

Here's the cleaning paper ready to be used in the Hermes 3000. The little piece of paper at right also was in the typewriter case; it has information about the kind of typewriter ribbon the owners needs to buy.
The cleaning paper stands ready to be used in the Hermes 3000. The little piece of paper at right also was in the typewriter case; it has information about the kind of typewriter ribbon the owner needs to buy.

At left is the back side of that little piece of paper. It has an add for Green Cross Pharmacy in Morristown, New Jersey. The pharmacy used to occupy the building with the "Boutique 161" sign.
At left is the backside of that little piece of paper. It’s an ad for Green Cross Pharmacy in Morristown, New Jersey. The pharmacy used to occupy the building with the “Boutique 161” sign.

Before purchasing the Hermes 3000 for Allied, its owner might have considered getting a machine from Smith's Office Machines & Equipment Inc. A coin-operated laundry now stands on the site.
Before purchasing the Hermes 3000 at Allied, its owner might have considered getting a machine from Smith’s Office Machines & Equipment Inc. in East Orange, New Jersey. A coin-operated laundry now stands on the site.