RESTORED TYPEWRITER: 1954 SMITH - CORONA SILENT - In CHROME W/JADE TURBOPLATEN
Item History & Price
.
1954 Smith-Corona Silent-Super in Chrome --
w/ Jade Turboplaten
-- with clean, serviceable case --
It's always fun to come out with a machine somewhat off the beaten path, because it gives me the opportunity to research and present my discoveries. Not so with this boring old Silent-Super. It is only arguably the most famous manufacturer and machine on th...e planet -- and a contender for the best ever made. What fun is that when everybody already knows about it?
Ever wonder why there are so many '50s Smiths still around? 1) In the heyday of the typewriter, a lot of all kinds of machines were made and sold. 2) Smith was the achieved machine of its day. People bought them in droves. 3) Smith-Corona typewriters refuse to die.
This Silent-Super is particularly interesting. Per its serial number, it came out concurrent with the release of the "regular" Silent.
The tabbing capabilities is what set it apart. The regular Silent required manually setting tabs in the back behind theplaten, but only up to six. The Silent-Super enables you to set and clear tabs anywhere along the carriage, as many as you need, with the simple Set/Clear lever to the right of the keyboard. This feature is especially useful if you're formatting for verse, essential if for screenplay.
//
TurboPlaten... ...representswhat I believe platens might have evolved to had the manufacture oftypewriters continued in strength. It's fairly simple to understand(if not so easy to make):1)The original black rubber is removed; 2) the inner steel core iscleaned and polished or painted (this one in Satin Jade); then 3) sheathed in flexible, tight-fitting PVC tubing (not to be confused with PVC pipe); andfinally 4) lathe sanded -- a) to obtain a smooth, uniform surface;and b) to apply low-level heat by which the tubing bonds to the corein perfecting overall cylindricality.Themost important contributor to the speed of a typewriter, beyond theoperator's faculty, is *typebar retraction* -- that is, the rapiditywith which the typebar recoils after it strikes the ribbon and page.The quicker the typebar clears the typeguide, the quicker the nexttypebar can launch.Turboplatenis more pliant and resilient than rubber. That increases its life andthe speed of typebar retraction. It also generates cleaner finishedcopy now and over the long term. It doesn't decompose like rubber.The result is a more responsive typewriter. Turboplaten subtly buteffectively supercharges the functionality of the entire machine.
re.Chrome --
I am a notorious Smith-dandier, andthis one's no exception. It is the real deal. The finish is as amirror.
Electroplated chrome finish, the original long-lasting chrome plating method asapplied to this machine, entails first the chemical removal of thestock (kinda drab) matte finish. All chassis parts are stripped tothe metal, buffed and polished, then chemically underplated in nickelthen copper, to which the chrome chemically bonds -- "becomesone" -- with the metal. There have been other chrome attempts inother forms on other typewriters over the years, none howeversustainable at a warrantable level of production. True chrome, yousee, is neither easy nor cheap. //
Specs--Year:1954Make:L.C. Smith & Corona Typewriter CompanyModel:Silent-SuperSerial#:5T 137 568Type:10-pitch PicaSegment(type basket) ShiftRibbon:1/2" standard (NEW, All-black, Medium Heavy, installed)Factory(Usage) Documentation: Clean scanShipping:Packed, with Case (~23.8 lbs.)DomesticCarrier: FedEx
InternationalCarrier: USPS Priority InternationalInsurance:IncludedHandlingCharges: Get outta here. //
SATISFACTIONGUARANTEED:Forgetthis "as is" bull stuff.Whatevermakes you happy -- repair, replace, refund, re-whatever -- it's on myaccount.Despitethe prepay eBay structure, it shouldn't (ultimately) cost you even anickel to check it out.Thisis a typewriter, a personal tool you'll have for years to come.If, for whatever reason, you don't like it, you're not stuck with it.It'show machines were sold in their first hundred years. It's how I sell'em today.You'rethe buyer. You're the boss. Really. //
OnWriting & TypewritersMYAPPROACH in all this typewriter stuff is as a writer, a teacher and apublisher. I work with young writers (young in experience if notalways in age) throughout the Greater Louisville, Kentucky region.I've learned, both in my own development and through observation, that writing in type fosters the disciplined thinking valued by, andadmired in, the best writers.Iuse the manual typewriter strictly for draft. Because I'm castingeach letter immediately to posterity, i.e. the printed page, I'm lesscavalier with my grammar and word choice, more inclined to take amoment to think through not just what I want to say, but how -- atleast to the next point of punctuation.Forfinish copy there's nothing better than your word processingapplication. Writers once used real scissors and tape to rework theirmanuscripts, the legacy of which remains in your Cut and Pastecommands. Drafting on computer seems easy. You stroke a bunch ofwords, dress 'em out in a nice font and layout, and think you've gota finished piece. A lovely looking sheet of words is not the same asgood writing.Thevillain, posing as your pal, is Mr. Delete Key. How often on acomputer first draft have you overwritten yourself? You know you'vedone it when you reread the piece and wonder where its power went.The power still exists, but it's buried back there in that firstcrude draft. Unfortunately that's gone now, commingled with someoverly doctored version of your mighty original idea, courtesy ofyour right-pinky man Mr. Deleter. He's so inviting, so ready to helpyou clear up any "mistake, " that you subject your voice tosome tentative sense of what's right when you don't even know whatthat is. That's why you're writing. Writing is discovery.Mr.Delete-When-In-Doubt lets you believe you can write -- discover --a perfect first draft.Mr.Delete Key is wrong. Nobody writes a perfect first draft. The day youaccept that is the day you enter the zen of the manual typewriter. Itis the most sophisticated *thought* processor created by man. Unlikeanything electronic, you completely animate it. It is thought --released physically, gathered to the sheet, speaking to you, stimulating thought.... It is the extension of the only trueself-propelled machine, your mind. What you produce breaks offinstantly from you, is independent of you. Nobody gets all thatmeta-whatever stuff down exactly right on the first go-'round, despite what Mr. Delete's presence might imply.Awriter is two entities -- writer and editor. The writer worksuncritically in the glory of brain-to-paper discovery. The editor isalways looking for what's wrong. It's important to keep these guysseparate to do their jobs (the delete key is the editor's main tool).The computer gives the illusion of efficiency, where writer andeditor work together. With the mastery of process that may be true, but they're always separate. In the development stage it's best tokeep them separate *and* apart.Writingin type is risky. First you have to make sure you're getting it righttechnically -- you know, think "a, " hit "a." Thenconsider what to say. Then how to say it. What scares people new totyping is that every little part of each process is *on record* -- arecord we subconsciously believe may be used against us in some courtof whatever.Theonly thing prosecuting you is the sheet of paper, and you can enterinto dialogue with that and come out okay, mitigate (if not litigate)your case. Sure there are risks, but the stakes are low -- the costof a sheet of paper; the amortized cost of spent ink over the life ofthe ribbon. You want to add Time to that list, you think. But that'sexactly the one thing that is not wasted. Writing is a record ofthought. Whether or not the record is preserved has no bearing uponthe advances made in thought.Asyou've scrolled through eBay, you've probably seen a copy of that oldbook, "The PC [or Mac] is NOT a Typewriter." How true thatis. Different tools for different jobs.Toprocess words use a computer; to process *thoughts* use a typewriter.Ifyou're a writer without a typewriter, get one today -- from me orwhomever. Make sure it works. If it does -- and if you do -- you willrevolutionize your stuff. That's a guarantee.--Dean Jones, Louisville, Kentucky //
1954 Smith-Corona Silent-Super in Chrome --
w/ Jade Turboplaten
-- with clean, serviceable case --
It's always fun to come out with a machine somewhat off the beaten path, because it gives me the opportunity to research and present my discoveries. Not so with this boring old Silent-Super. It is only arguably the most famous manufacturer and machine on th...e planet -- and a contender for the best ever made. What fun is that when everybody already knows about it?
Ever wonder why there are so many '50s Smiths still around? 1) In the heyday of the typewriter, a lot of all kinds of machines were made and sold. 2) Smith was the achieved machine of its day. People bought them in droves. 3) Smith-Corona typewriters refuse to die.
This Silent-Super is particularly interesting. Per its serial number, it came out concurrent with the release of the "regular" Silent.
The tabbing capabilities is what set it apart. The regular Silent required manually setting tabs in the back behind theplaten, but only up to six. The Silent-Super enables you to set and clear tabs anywhere along the carriage, as many as you need, with the simple Set/Clear lever to the right of the keyboard. This feature is especially useful if you're formatting for verse, essential if for screenplay.
//
TurboPlaten... ...representswhat I believe platens might have evolved to had the manufacture oftypewriters continued in strength. It's fairly simple to understand(if not so easy to make):1)The original black rubber is removed; 2) the inner steel core iscleaned and polished or painted (this one in Satin Jade); then 3) sheathed in flexible, tight-fitting PVC tubing (not to be confused with PVC pipe); andfinally 4) lathe sanded -- a) to obtain a smooth, uniform surface;and b) to apply low-level heat by which the tubing bonds to the corein perfecting overall cylindricality.Themost important contributor to the speed of a typewriter, beyond theoperator's faculty, is *typebar retraction* -- that is, the rapiditywith which the typebar recoils after it strikes the ribbon and page.The quicker the typebar clears the typeguide, the quicker the nexttypebar can launch.Turboplatenis more pliant and resilient than rubber. That increases its life andthe speed of typebar retraction. It also generates cleaner finishedcopy now and over the long term. It doesn't decompose like rubber.The result is a more responsive typewriter. Turboplaten subtly buteffectively supercharges the functionality of the entire machine.
re.Chrome --
I am a notorious Smith-dandier, andthis one's no exception. It is the real deal. The finish is as amirror.
Electroplated chrome finish, the original long-lasting chrome plating method asapplied to this machine, entails first the chemical removal of thestock (kinda drab) matte finish. All chassis parts are stripped tothe metal, buffed and polished, then chemically underplated in nickelthen copper, to which the chrome chemically bonds -- "becomesone" -- with the metal. There have been other chrome attempts inother forms on other typewriters over the years, none howeversustainable at a warrantable level of production. True chrome, yousee, is neither easy nor cheap. //
Specs--Year:1954Make:L.C. Smith & Corona Typewriter CompanyModel:Silent-SuperSerial#:5T 137 568Type:10-pitch PicaSegment(type basket) ShiftRibbon:1/2" standard (NEW, All-black, Medium Heavy, installed)Factory(Usage) Documentation: Clean scanShipping:Packed, with Case (~23.8 lbs.)DomesticCarrier: FedEx
InternationalCarrier: USPS Priority InternationalInsurance:IncludedHandlingCharges: Get outta here. //
SATISFACTIONGUARANTEED:Forgetthis "as is" bull stuff.Whatevermakes you happy -- repair, replace, refund, re-whatever -- it's on myaccount.Despitethe prepay eBay structure, it shouldn't (ultimately) cost you even anickel to check it out.Thisis a typewriter, a personal tool you'll have for years to come.If, for whatever reason, you don't like it, you're not stuck with it.It'show machines were sold in their first hundred years. It's how I sell'em today.You'rethe buyer. You're the boss. Really. //
OnWriting & TypewritersMYAPPROACH in all this typewriter stuff is as a writer, a teacher and apublisher. I work with young writers (young in experience if notalways in age) throughout the Greater Louisville, Kentucky region.I've learned, both in my own development and through observation, that writing in type fosters the disciplined thinking valued by, andadmired in, the best writers.Iuse the manual typewriter strictly for draft. Because I'm castingeach letter immediately to posterity, i.e. the printed page, I'm lesscavalier with my grammar and word choice, more inclined to take amoment to think through not just what I want to say, but how -- atleast to the next point of punctuation.Forfinish copy there's nothing better than your word processingapplication. Writers once used real scissors and tape to rework theirmanuscripts, the legacy of which remains in your Cut and Pastecommands. Drafting on computer seems easy. You stroke a bunch ofwords, dress 'em out in a nice font and layout, and think you've gota finished piece. A lovely looking sheet of words is not the same asgood writing.Thevillain, posing as your pal, is Mr. Delete Key. How often on acomputer first draft have you overwritten yourself? You know you'vedone it when you reread the piece and wonder where its power went.The power still exists, but it's buried back there in that firstcrude draft. Unfortunately that's gone now, commingled with someoverly doctored version of your mighty original idea, courtesy ofyour right-pinky man Mr. Deleter. He's so inviting, so ready to helpyou clear up any "mistake, " that you subject your voice tosome tentative sense of what's right when you don't even know whatthat is. That's why you're writing. Writing is discovery.Mr.Delete-When-In-Doubt lets you believe you can write -- discover --a perfect first draft.Mr.Delete Key is wrong. Nobody writes a perfect first draft. The day youaccept that is the day you enter the zen of the manual typewriter. Itis the most sophisticated *thought* processor created by man. Unlikeanything electronic, you completely animate it. It is thought --released physically, gathered to the sheet, speaking to you, stimulating thought.... It is the extension of the only trueself-propelled machine, your mind. What you produce breaks offinstantly from you, is independent of you. Nobody gets all thatmeta-whatever stuff down exactly right on the first go-'round, despite what Mr. Delete's presence might imply.Awriter is two entities -- writer and editor. The writer worksuncritically in the glory of brain-to-paper discovery. The editor isalways looking for what's wrong. It's important to keep these guysseparate to do their jobs (the delete key is the editor's main tool).The computer gives the illusion of efficiency, where writer andeditor work together. With the mastery of process that may be true, but they're always separate. In the development stage it's best tokeep them separate *and* apart.Writingin type is risky. First you have to make sure you're getting it righttechnically -- you know, think "a, " hit "a." Thenconsider what to say. Then how to say it. What scares people new totyping is that every little part of each process is *on record* -- arecord we subconsciously believe may be used against us in some courtof whatever.Theonly thing prosecuting you is the sheet of paper, and you can enterinto dialogue with that and come out okay, mitigate (if not litigate)your case. Sure there are risks, but the stakes are low -- the costof a sheet of paper; the amortized cost of spent ink over the life ofthe ribbon. You want to add Time to that list, you think. But that'sexactly the one thing that is not wasted. Writing is a record ofthought. Whether or not the record is preserved has no bearing uponthe advances made in thought.Asyou've scrolled through eBay, you've probably seen a copy of that oldbook, "The PC [or Mac] is NOT a Typewriter." How true thatis. Different tools for different jobs.Toprocess words use a computer; to process *thoughts* use a typewriter.Ifyou're a writer without a typewriter, get one today -- from me orwhomever. Make sure it works. If it does -- and if you do -- you willrevolutionize your stuff. That's a guarantee.--Dean Jones, Louisville, Kentucky //
