by Richard Polt | Jan 21, 2026 | Smith-Corona
No, not the typewriter—me!These words were typed by my father on an aerogram that he mailed from Spain to his parents. Hey, I was a newborn, and he was honest! There is no doubt that this machine typed this message—the deformed “r” is a perfect match.On a...
by Richard Polt | Apr 20, 2025 | safari, Smith-Corona
I attended a conference in Bloomington, Indiana this weekend. On the way there, I stopped at two midsized antique malls, which had zero typewriters. On the way back, I stopped at the creatively named Exit 76 Antique Mall in Edinburgh, Indiana—but everything there was...
by Richard Polt | Jun 11, 2021 | Olivetti, Smith-Corona
The ribbon is found under a cover that swings up and forward.The top part of the plastic shell is a bit tricky to get off.The way the mechanism works is less than obvious.A couple of months ago I bought this Lexikon 82 on eBay and was frustrated to discover that...
by Richard Polt | Jun 13, 2020 | Smith-Corona
The Smith-Corona Zephyr, introduced in 1938, was the company’s response to the Hermes Baby — a light, compact typewriter that could easily be taken on a trip. The design was a success, especially in its postwar incarnation as the Skyriter. The basic mechanism...
by Richard Polt | Feb 23, 2019 | repair, Smith-Corona
It was exciting to get a request to make a “house call” for typewriter repair this morning at the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati—a dramatic building designed by Zaha Hadid. Upstairs, an installation by artist Calcagno “Cal”...
by Richard Polt | Jan 21, 2019 | electric, Smith-Corona
I suppose I should have taken a “before” picture of this machine that came in for service at Urban Legend Typewriters. It was simply covered in grime and hair. Nauseating! Plus, I am not immediately attracted to ’70s design, so my initial reaction...
