I’ve been thinking about the old Underwood for a while now… knowing it is sitting there in the basement, waiting for me to rescue it.
So, I finally dragged it upstairs and gave it a little dusting. Feels like a visit from an old treasured friend!
I used to just beat the heck out of this when I was a kid. Like, literally beat on it. When I wasn’t typing out random words and sentences, I used to love smashing my fist into the keyboard and watching all the key arms lock up in a knotted mess. It is a testament to how well-built these things are that it survived me as a child.
![](https://i0.wp.com/jjsk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/IMG_20220204_212251_460.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1)
It has earned a good dusting and polishing, and a place of honour on my bookshelf.
Maybe I should look into having a bit of restoration done on it. There is some wearing-off of the lettering, and a crack in the front bar of the frame. Patent information that should be on the back is all worn off. It still has a ribbon reel, though, and all the levers and keys work!
![](https://i0.wp.com/jjsk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Underwood-serial-number-275147.jpg?resize=640%2C569&ssl=1)
The Serial number under the carrigage is 275146.
I’ve looked it up on the Typewriter Database, which has led me to believe it is Model 3 dated 1919.
If anyone has knowledge to share, I’d love to learn more (drop a comment below or shoot me an email).
We figure this came home from work with my grandfather; likely salvaged from the garbage when old machines in the office were replaced with newer models.
Since I’ve opted for a typewriter theme for this website, maybe I should replace the Remington stock photo with this one. I don’t think I’ve ever actually typed on a Remington. I do remember taking typing class in high school on an electric Olivetti that had a rotating ball type head. After that, it was all computer, and unfortunately, I never kept any of those early home computers (circa 1983 or so when we got our first Apple clone with a dot matrix printer, and then I no longer had to worry about my teachers trying to read my handwriting).
![](https://i0.wp.com/jjsk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/underwood-trygon-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&ssl=1)