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1919 Blickensderfer Blick Ninety Serial # E-1194 1919 Blickensderfer Blick Ninety typewriter, Serial # E-1194 Saul Bryan's 1919 Blickensderfer Blick Ninety typewriter. 2023-01-19 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Saul Bryan: 1919 Blickensderfer Blick Ninety Serial # E-1194 This is a great little machine in a friend's (fairly vast) private collection. I want to apologize for the poor type sample - the machine is only partly (and intermittently) working, and as it is not my machine, I can't go messing with it to see if I might improve it. The top part of the sample is in three blocks of lower, upper and figure. The bottom lined part was done earlier, and had some more success with some of the letters. It gives you some idea perhaps, and "it is what it is".

As I understand it, this is a rare machine. And by rare, I mean something like 20 known worldwide? As such, I thought it would be good to record what this one looks like and I have gone to some length to take more interesting shots of various parts of the mechanism. It has some open parts and unusual placement of levers and keys.

Few have typed on this, so I will give you a brief description of my experience. Some of the keys are very sticky, so that slows you right down, but ignoring this, it is fairly light touch. The return lever is very dainty and fine, and twists down to advance the line. The platen roller only rolls one way, it seems you can't go back if you make a mistake on a previous line, which is unusual. The platen rubber may have been replaced in its lifetime, because it still has some give in it. The carriage release is the lever by the left knob. The ribbon reverse is manual, and it is a small black dial on the left hand side, that you push/pull to set the direction.

Apparently you can swap out the whole type basket, probably the mysterious lever above the O key, but I was not game to try it. Note that there is the plate that says "PICA" above the segment slots, presumably to avoid confusion if you have a bunch of these lying around! I was surprised to see the inclusion of tabs, that seems quite an advance feature. Most keytops are good, but some, and particularly on the bottom row to the left, have discoloured badly. I think someone might have tried to clean them with a fluid that got in under the glass. Don't blame me for that one!

Overall, a cute and very likable machine, and rare enough that it should probably be in a museum.

1919 Blickensderfer Blick Ninety #E-1194

Status: Sightings
Hunter: Saul Bryan (Saulysw)
Created: 01-18-2023 at 07:09PM
Last Edit: 01-19-2023 at 09:01PM

Description Hunter 22 Photos 0 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

This is a great little machine in a friend's (fairly vast) private collection. I want to apologize for the poor type sample - the machine is only partly (and intermittently) working, and as it is not my machine, I can't go messing with it to see if I might improve it. The top part of the sample is in three blocks of lower, upper and figure. The bottom lined part was done earlier, and had some more success with some of the letters. It gives you some idea perhaps, and "it is what it is".

As I understand it, this is a rare machine. And by rare, I mean something like 20 known worldwide? As such, I thought it would be good to record what this one looks like and I have gone to some length to take more interesting shots of various parts of the mechanism. It has some open parts and unusual placement of levers and keys.

Few have typed on this, so I will give you a brief description of my experience. Some of the keys are very sticky, so that slows you right down, but ignoring this, it is fairly light touch. The return lever is very dainty and fine, and twists down to advance the line. The platen roller only rolls one way, it seems you can't go back if you make a mistake on a previous line, which is unusual. The platen rubber may have been replaced in its lifetime, because it still has some give in it. The carriage release is the lever by the left knob. The ribbon reverse is manual, and it is a small black dial on the left hand side, that you push/pull to set the direction.

Apparently you can swap out the whole type basket, probably the mysterious lever above the O key, but I was not game to try it. Note that there is the plate that says "PICA" above the segment slots, presumably to avoid confusion if you have a bunch of these lying around! I was surprised to see the inclusion of tabs, that seems quite an advance feature. Most keytops are good, but some, and particularly on the bottom row to the left, have discoloured badly. I think someone might have tried to clean them with a fluid that got in under the glass. Don't blame me for that one!

Overall, a cute and very likable machine, and rare enough that it should probably be in a museum.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:






Remington 12 for scale. Better than a banana?
Remington 12 for scale. Better than a banana?








Note the "PICA" plate
Note the "PICA" plate









Hunter: Saul Bryan (Saulysw)

Saul Bryan's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 290

I live in Sydney, Australia. I've been collecting typewriters since about October 2020.


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