If you're under 50, have you ever used a manual typewriter?

You should also ask if they have ever used rotary dial phone, or a paper road map.

Those are different questions, although of course closely related. Feel free to ask them. This is the one I asked.

Yep, before my school lost money and gradually got rid of all the special programs like wood shop.
I was really lucky to have such a great high school.

I don’t remember much, but we were taught how to roll the paper inside and line it up the right way and stuff like that. Using white out for mistakes and typos as well, although that was probably a cheap shortcut. It taught you not to make mistakes at least.

My grands had one we all used before the house burned. I remember the arms got tangled easily and you had to reach in and fix them.

Well… My grandmother used to have one and I used to play with it by writing letters or just copying a magazine or something, but I never used it for anything serious.

I have an old Smith-Corona here, from the 1950s or 1960s. My granddaughter (now 11) likes to take it out from time to time and play with it.

The funniest part was when she was looking for the <return> key…

My mother bought one for me at a flea market when I was 12. I didn’t use it for school, but I did use it for personal writing projects. I used it for about five years, but I stopped when I got my own computer.

My daughter begged me to get her one.

I considered it too much expense for something she would care about no more than a week.

I’m 54…... :-(

Just missed the cut again….

No. We had an electric typewriter in the 80’s though.

When I was younger, we used an electrical typewriter (that my parents had).

When I was older, I used a manual typewriter (that I had picked up at a thrift store).

So kind of backwards, technology-wise.

I have not. I used an electric one at my grandparents’ house as a kid, but I’ve never used a manual one. I would like to try one some day.

Yes. Is fun when you mash all the keys at once. They get stuck.

Yes. I learned to type on one.

I used one once to make a yard sale sign.

@KRD How in the world would anyone read type that small on a yard sale sign?

@raum, sometimes notices are posted around a neighborhood on poles, similar to how lost pet notices are posted. People see them as they walk by.

@raum We where selling it so I typed on the type writer and then I wrote yard sale with a marker.

Oh that’s cute.

I have played with one for fun. A family member had an old one. Also seen them for sale at Goodwill. Never to actually type out something though.

I like using the old typewriters.

Yes, to type school projects, late 90s.