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Home » Underwood » Portable 3 Bank » 1929 #210425
1929 Underwood Portable 3 Bank Serial # 210425 1929 Underwood Portable 3 Bank typewriter, Serial # 210425 Ted Snyder's 1929 Underwood Portable 3 Bank typewriter. 2026-03-16 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Ted Snyder: 1929 Underwood Portable 3 Bank Serial # 210425 “The Machine You Will Eventually Carry”
– How to Use the Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter

Features: Elite, carriage shift, faux bois green wood grain lacquer finish

This came to me via craigslist.

There’s something that draws me to using a three-bank typewriter. Maybe it is just the novelty of it. I remember learning about alternative key layouts years ago and wanting to learn them, so this could tie into that desire.

This one is even more special. The green wood grain lacquer finish is gorgeous. And the overall size makes it feel delicate and appear adorable. In many ways, it is the opposite of my massive Royal KMG.

It doesn’t handle thicker paper the way that other machines do. I tried a piece of cotton paper with a backing sheet and the two wouldn’t go through.

The three-bank layout is interesting to use. The lack of number keys and proximity to the keyslugs of the top row of keys took some getting used to. I think it threw off my perception for where the home row is at. The FIG shift is fun to use, and I’m curious as to how many people memorized its layout. There’s also a mistake on mine. One of the FIG keys indicates that it is “:” when it is in fact “_”.

I had thought that with the small size, it would feel like a toy typewriter. Not at all. It is a joy to type on. I’ve yet to have any long typing sessions so I don’t know how tiring it is to use. The need to use the FIG key, though, does slow me down. I use the apostrophe key so much that needing to find it and push FIG to get to it is a strange experience. That FIG key will be the first one I memorize.

I replaced the feet with 3D printed ones from Toronto Typewriter. A couple of the feet that were on it were still soft, interestingly. One of the screws for the spools had been replaced with a green plastic one with a metal thread. I found some old stock spool screws and replaced that one, although I still have it as an interesting artifact. The case has seen better days. I have new feet for it (Toronto Typewriters, again), but one of the metal plates that the top hooks into is missing.

1929 Underwood Portable 3 Bank #210425

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Ted Snyder (tricosene)
Created: 03-16-2026 at 03:07PM
Last Edit: 03-16-2026 at 03:07PM

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Description:

“The Machine You Will Eventually Carry”
– How to Use the Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter

Features: Elite, carriage shift, faux bois green wood grain lacquer finish

This came to me via craigslist.

There’s something that draws me to using a three-bank typewriter. Maybe it is just the novelty of it. I remember learning about alternative key layouts years ago and wanting to learn them, so this could tie into that desire.

This one is even more special. The green wood grain lacquer finish is gorgeous. And the overall size makes it feel delicate and appear adorable. In many ways, it is the opposite of my massive Royal KMG.

It doesn’t handle thicker paper the way that other machines do. I tried a piece of cotton paper with a backing sheet and the two wouldn’t go through.

The three-bank layout is interesting to use. The lack of number keys and proximity to the keyslugs of the top row of keys took some getting used to. I think it threw off my perception for where the home row is at. The FIG shift is fun to use, and I’m curious as to how many people memorized its layout. There’s also a mistake on mine. One of the FIG keys indicates that it is “:” when it is in fact “_”.

I had thought that with the small size, it would feel like a toy typewriter. Not at all. It is a joy to type on. I’ve yet to have any long typing sessions so I don’t know how tiring it is to use. The need to use the FIG key, though, does slow me down. I use the apostrophe key so much that needing to find it and push FIG to get to it is a strange experience. That FIG key will be the first one I memorize.

I replaced the feet with 3D printed ones from Toronto Typewriter. A couple of the feet that were on it were still soft, interestingly. One of the screws for the spools had been replaced with a green plastic one with a metal thread. I found some old stock spool screws and replaced that one, although I still have it as an interesting artifact. The case has seen better days. I have new feet for it (Toronto Typewriters, again), but one of the metal plates that the top hooks into is missing.

Typeface Specimen:

Hunter: Ted Snyder (tricosene)

Ted Snyder's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 23

Back in high school, my dad would bring home one of the office typewriters, a Brother daisy wheel with a built-in word processor, for me to use. That might be my first typewriter. I don't know what happened to it. I bought a Cannon Starwriter afterwards to take to college. Fast forward to 2025, and I started wondering if there could be benefits of using a typewriter in my writing routines.

Little did I know that typewriters have the ability to reproduce. A Remington Quiet Riter led to a Royal KMG and Underwood De Luxe Leader pair, and the process continued. Now I have a dozen.


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