[GreenKeys] Vintage Military "Mill" Sought

[Richard Knoppow]

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    The Navy had a "mill" version of the Royal Arrow, a medium 
size portable typewriter. Pix of Navy installations also show 
office type machines, they look mostly like Underwood.
    Shipping typewriters is a mess. They must be packed very 
carefully. There are many tales of machines being smashed. While 
a typewriter has an extremely long life they are still rather 
delicate and won't stand dropping or other hard impacts. Office 
machines are harder to pack correctly than portables. I don't 
know if the Navy machines came with cases. I've never seen a case 
so perhaps they didn't.
     If you are going to use the machine the Royal is an easy 
typer. Royal had a patented linkage that has somewhat longer 
travel but slow acceleration of the type bar giving it a very 
easy feel.
     There were machines for both wire telegraph and radio. The 
radio machines have slashed zero while the telegraph machines 
mostly don't.
     There must have been many thousands of these machines built 
but they seem rare on the used market. In general portable 
typewriters are more plentiful than office machines. I think many 
office machines were simply scrapped. A lot of portables (but not 
radio mills) were sold to people who wanted a machine for a 
temporary use, such as while traveling or while being a student 
or for presents to someone. They got used a little and they stuck 
on a shelf in a closed for decades. Often these machines are in 
like new condition especially if in their original carrying cases.
     Most of the time a machine will need only light cleaning and 
perhaps some lubrication.

On 8/16/2021 10:05 AM, Don Cunningam wrote:
> Sorry this is a bit OT, but it is manual, has levers and bars 
> to operate, etc.  I am seeking an old Navy "mill" (manual 
> typewriter with an actual "1" on the top row of keys instead of 
> using lower case L, ALL caps, even if it has shift keys, and a 
> slashed zero on the top row).  I learned Morse Code in Radioman 
> "A" School on one, used it later on the USS Edson (DD-946) and 
> even took my FCC General Class license code test with one as I 
> had much trouble translating how I had learned to using a 
> pencil.  It is NOT as automatic as copying code groups without 
> being able to see what you are typing. I was up to 22wpm + in 
> school, even without the high speed class I couldn't attend, 
> and want to try to get my copy speed back up to use some, and 
> am reaching that old "barrier" with the pencil again. 74yr old 
> hands just aren't as nimble as early 20's ones!!
>
> If anyone knows of one that might need a new home, or sees one 
> in Craig's list, etc, I'd appreciate knowing about it.  I 
> figure many of you may have used one and remember them.
> 73,
> Don, WB5HAK
>

-- 
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
WB6KBL