1968 Hermes 3000 #3496163

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Dan Johnson (rdj)
Created: 04-16-2014 at 09:41AM
Last Edit: 05-30-2014 at 07:34AM

Description Hunter 3 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

"Vintage CUBIC TEMPO Print HERMES 3000 Manual Portable Typewriter SERVICED"

I don't mind paying a little extra for something like this. True the seller's word, it arrived double-wrapped in bubble wrap (with more packed against the type bars) with a small, hand-written note tucked into the roller advising where in the manual to learn how to unlock the carriage. And he supplied his phone number.

Several things made this compelling. First and most important, it's a Hermes 3000. I had one and love it, despite its missing right platen knob.

Second, I'm becoming a sucker for beautiful typefaces, and this Tempo Cubic[1] is just lovely. It may not be as gorgeous as the Diploma typeface on Brian Brumfield's (BrumTypia) Olivetti-Underwood Editor II[2] (for which there's a Typospherian community donation drive[3] to ship it to John Lavery in Australia), but then, I have a Mac loaded with gorgeous fonts. Having the Cubic on a typewriter is a treat.

Third, it's the only machine I've ever used that has been serviced and adjusted by a trained typewriter repairman. I wanted to experience that to give myself a standard for my own (highly amateur) typewriter restoration efforts. One thing I noticed immediately is that I should go through all of my machines and figure out how to adjust the accuracy of their guide lines so they are all calibrated against each other. Having a choice of typefaces means sometimes wanting to move a page from one machine to another to take advantage of that diversity.

Fourth, here's how you spell "zero risk":

"I am a Professional Typewriter Technician by Trade.  I learned the trade at ACME Typewriter Service In Omaha, Nebraska.  When I am lucky enough to find a top notch machines such as this, I service and sell them here on Ebay.  This machine has been clean, lubricated and tested.  Everything is working as it should....I have sold many typewriters on ebay and I know how to properly pack them for shipping.  I have never had a machine damaged in transit." – krichek (Todd) on eBay

Thank you, Todd!

[Edit: typeface specimen replaced on 21 Apr 2014 after replacing the ribbon.]

[1] I cannot seem to find much of anything about this typeface on the 'net.
[2] http://typewriterdatabase.com/196x-olivettiunderwood-editor-ii.2042.typewriter
[3] Free plug for a worthy cause, imho: http://brumtypia.blogspot.com/2014/04/april-5-2014-any-interest-in-helping.html

Typeface Specimen:

Hunter: Dan Johnson (rdj)

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I have always loved typewriters along with other kinds of well-engineered tools and devices such as slide rules, calculators (particular HP), radios, cameras (particularly Nikons), and microscopes. In addition to appreciating their intrinsic beauty and utility, they represent "things that need to be figured out to be understood". That's how I first learned about computers and programming in the 1970s, by figuring things out for myself. It's activity in which I never seem to tire of engaging.

Although communities have arisen around other collection interests, typewriters have the advantage that those who use them also typically enjoy communicating through words, whether those words are about the machines themselves or their lives, hopes, dreams, or expressions of beauty. There's much to be appreciated here.