Hi!
I recently came across a Gabriele 7007L typewriter when we were cleaning out my 96 year old grandmothers apartment. I tried googling the machine to learn more and that lead me to this forum.
I am having a hard time finding information about this machine. Could anyone tell me a little bit about them? There is a video on youtube where a person uses this machine and produces some really nice looking scripts with it, such as bold and underlined text.
The machine i got works fine, but beeps occasionally. I would like to read a manual but the only one i can find online is a german one.
The other posts i found on this forum mentioned the keyboard layout very clearly, so to follow tradition i will say that my machine has a swedish layout. There is also a german U on it (with the dots).
If it is of interest i can post some pictures, but i doubt they will differ much from the ones i saw on this forum already.
Thanks in advance!
Robert K
Gabriele 7007L
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Findecanor
- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
I'm afraid that not many people around here would care about the machine, except for scavenging them for parts: ripping off the high-quality keys and putting them on their computer keyboards.
That is why you found this forum while searching, sadly.
That is why you found this forum while searching, sadly.
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TheInverseKey
- Location: Great White North
- Main mouse: M570
- Favorite switch: Hi-Tek 725 Linear
- DT Pro Member: 0216
- Contact:
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Findecanor
- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- DT Pro Member: 0011
The keycaps on the 7007L in particular are made in durable PBT plastic, printed with dye-sublimation which does not rub off. That is considered to be the highest quality type of keycap.
They also have the same shape and font as keys on Cherry keyboards - which because of the proliferation of Cherry keyboards is pretty popular among enthusiasts. The shape and/or font has even been copied a few times by third party manufacturers.
Some other TA typewriters and computer keyboards have keys in more vibrant colours: in blue and white or green and white, instead manufactured in double-shot moulded ABS.
Replicas of both of these have been made by the German company GMK (who owns the moulds from which those original keys had once been made) but in sets that would fit mechanical computer keyboards.
I would say that because of the existence of replicas (that would fit the whole keyboard, as opposed to a typewriter's set that would fit it only partially), the original keys are not as desirable now as they once have been. But enthusiasts still buy specific models of TA / TA Royal typewriters now and then only for scavenging their keycaps. Meanwhile, there are some other TA typewriters that don't have desirable keycaps.
By all means, do keep your typewriter in working order if you like it. In my opinion, typewriters can be very satisfying to type on.