Lovely site. I’m pretty convinced each navigation link was written on a real typewriter and scanned in, which is really lovely touch if true.
I love finding really niche pages topics like this because finding out what sorts of things are concerns/issues for these folks always fascinates me. And usually there’s a tiny bit of a topic-specific lexicon around it as well, so I enjoyed this from the home page here:
Today, “keychoppers” (those who remove the keys for jewelry and other crafts) are diminishing the number of surviving typewriters at an alarming rate. Someday, machines like these that have been preserved by collectors may be the only ones left.
I’ve seen those “I made this from an old XYZ” crafts pop up on social media before but never considered the devices butchered in the process
I’ll admit, I never would have thought of “keychopping” (first time hearing that) as anything other than artcycling defunct equipment, but this website makes me look at these machines in a new light.
There’s no reason most of these old machines can’t be restored to working order; it’s just a matter finding somebody capable of doing the work if you don’t know how to do it properly yourself. Unfortunately, typewriter repair shops are few and far between in the US.