The Keaton Music Typewriter is a rare American typewriter highly sought after by collectors worldwide. Featuring an iconic and fascinating design, it was created to allow the writing of music on standard sheet music. It was patented in 1953, so it is not considered an antique typewriter; however, it is truly unique in its kind.
FUNCTION: The machine is equipped with two independent semicircles of keys: a smaller one, containing fixed musical symbols (treble clef, bass clef, etc.), and a larger one that can be moved up or down using the left index finger, allowing notes to be placed on different staff lines. Unlike a standard typewriter, after printing a note the carriage does not automatically advance to the next position. This was designed to allow multiple notes to be written in the same column, for example in musical scores for instruments such as the piano or organ. Personally, I have always found it fascinating, but after restoring one—at least in terms of its mechanical parts and functionality—I cannot say I hold a particularly positive opinion of it.
The design of the mechanical components leaves much to be desired and, as if that were not enough, the practical execution of the various parts is also of poor quality. The most embarrassing design flaw I encountered concerns the ribbon mechanism: implemented through a simple oscillating plate pivoting at a single point, the system does not allow ribbon advancement for as many as six, sometimes even eight, notes of the upper semicircle. There is also no system that allows quick movement between the staves on the page: each time, the sheet must be loosened and manually shifted up or down, carefully ensuring that the treble clef is aligned with the correct staff line. The construction is economical in every detail: the frame is made of a lightweight alloy cast in zinc molds (zamak). The typing is performed by single-body type hammers hinged on a roughly cast circular frame, which results in noticeable striking inaccuracies. The absence of a rubber layer in the hammer impact area further amplifies these misalignments. The ribbon used is a fixed black type, with spools derived from Remington portable typewriters.
