How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life

Finding Mr. Montgomery’s shop required determination. No sign marked the building; no indication that inside, five floors up, a master craftsman was keeping alive skills that predated the computer age. You took an elevator that groaned. When the doors opened, you knew immediately you were in the right place: a 1916 Royal Model 10 typewriter stood guard outside an open door, and the air smelled like oil.

I love pieces like these. Showing the craft, the getting up every day and plugging away at something, a thing you so admire. This one in particular reminds me of a time I visited a fella somewhere in Amsterdam, who repaired record players. Thorens, to be specific, and specialised in the type I have at home. Very kind, very skilled.

My thanks to Thomas, for sharing it.