Member-only story
Restoring the Past at TB Writers Plus
Deconstructing the carriage of a 1912 Smith Premier No. 10 in his garage, Trevor Brumfield jimmies out the near-fossilized platen with screwdrivers and a mechanic’s ingenuity. He’s wearing a wool newsboy cap and a starchy button-up advertising his east Dayton typewriter repair shop, TB Writers Plus. It opened for business in January 2023, barely a year after Trevor bought his first manual Royal. But Trevor says he goes 110 percent on almost everything, converting his enthusiasms into obsessions, so this progression seems par for the course.
In the garage alone sits roughly 50 typewriters in various states of disrepair. Thirty were picked up at an estate sale that week, while 300 are rumored to be occupying the crevices of his house. A quick walkthrough from the kitchen to the basement to the storage/bedrooms confirms those numbers.
Trevor’s never dealt with the No. 10 before, but that doesn’t stop him from finding the throughline. Most typewriters have keys, feed rollers, knobs, levers, spools, and decals, though it takes a greaser’s mind to understand how it’s all put together. Trevor’s working knowledge of automobiles (his daytime gig) ostensibly translates well. He’s preparing his recent overhaul for sale, starting with the early-twentieth-century device in front of him before moving on to the rest of the Underwoods, Remingtons, and LC Smiths for…
