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1921 Molle 3 Serial # 7857 1921 Molle 3 typewriter, Serial # 7857 Maxim Suravegin's 1921 Molle 3 typewriter. 2018-02-07 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Maxim Suravegin: 1921 Molle 3 Serial # 7857 Molle 3 The Molle 3 (there is no Molle 1 or 2) was the invention of jeweller and watch maker John Molle. The story of this machine is one of the sad stories in typewriter history. The Molle 3 is a pleasant and light machine, that was obviously produced for easy repairs.



John Molle repaired watches and typewriters, and his design for a typewriter was clearly influenced by his experiences as a repairman. His prime source of both inspiration and frustration could have been the Smith Premier typewriter. The SP was one of the best typewriters built, but a disaster to repair without special tools.



Like the Smith Premier, the mechanism of the Molle worked with a set of rods and levers. But any attempt to repair or replace one of the rods on the Smith Premier was doomed to fail. Two screws on the keyboard were all that was needed to make the entire system fall apart.



The Molle could be split up in three sections (carriage, keyboard/type-basket and frame) within one minute. And within this one minute each and every part of the machine was brought in plain view, for cleaning or replacing.



Apart from ease of repair, the machine had a carriage that ran on ball bearings, and that could be removed by simply loosening the righ margin stop screw.



Only about 11,000 of these machines are thought to have been built. Several dozens have been traced to private collections.

1921 Molle 3 #7857

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Maxim Suravegin (Gardenmax)
Created: 04-16-2017 at 09:15PM
Last Edit: 02-07-2018 at 09:59PM


Description:

Molle 3 The Molle 3 (there is no Molle 1 or 2) was the invention of jeweller and watch maker John Molle. The story of this machine is one of the sad stories in typewriter history. The Molle 3 is a pleasant and light machine, that was obviously produced for easy repairs.



John Molle repaired watches and typewriters, and his design for a typewriter was clearly influenced by his experiences as a repairman. His prime source of both inspiration and frustration could have been the Smith Premier typewriter. The SP was one of the best typewriters built, but a disaster to repair without special tools.



Like the Smith Premier, the mechanism of the Molle worked with a set of rods and levers. But any attempt to repair or replace one of the rods on the Smith Premier was doomed to fail. Two screws on the keyboard were all that was needed to make the entire system fall apart.



The Molle could be split up in three sections (carriage, keyboard/type-basket and frame) within one minute. And within this one minute each and every part of the machine was brought in plain view, for cleaning or replacing.



Apart from ease of repair, the machine had a carriage that ran on ball bearings, and that could be removed by simply loosening the righ margin stop screw.



Only about 11,000 of these machines are thought to have been built. Several dozens have been traced to private collections.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:



Hunter: Maxim Suravegin (Gardenmax)

Maxim Suravegin's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 10044

Max. Live in Moscow. Russia.
Owner Typewriter Museum in Moscow
Typewriter collector. Father of 7 children, grandfather of 2.
4 dogs, 4 cats.

Start collect typewriters very late in September 2016.

Contact: gardenmax@yandex.ru
max@besttypewriter.com
www.besttypewriter.com
Instagram: Besttypewriters



RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Molle 3 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Molle Serial Number page and the Molle 3 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.