"Boswell", the 1956 Smith-Corona Skyriter
Found on Ebay for about $17 plus shipping, “Boswell” has become my go-to typewriter for addressing envelopes. He’s always next to my desk (or on it) when I need to address an envelope, and envelopes seem to feed well in him, so He usually gets the job when it comes up. He’s also a smooth typin’ machine, and one of the two ultra-portables I’m using during Nanowrimo ’10. I go with Boswell when I’m in the mood for long-throw Smith-Corona action, while Nick Charles (’56 Empire Aristocrat) gets the nod when I’m in the mood for short-throw Hermes action in an ultra-portible. It’s been about 50/50 so far this Nano, I like them both for different reasons.
If I have any complaint at all about this Skyriter, it’s the vestigial carriage return lever. I suppose it’s because this particular model came with a tight-fitting metal lid, and a full-length return lever just wouldn’t fit in the lid. My guess is only the Skyriters that came with pleatherette suitcases instead of the form-fitting lid were outfitted with the big, shiny return levers. *sigh*
But that’s it, really. There’s nothing else about this machine that I’d change. It’s a sweet little typing machine and it gets used quite a lot.
Type sample from 1956 Smith-Corona Skyriter
(I didn’t get the ’64 Skyriter. I’ve since heard that they’re flimsier than the 50’s ones)