Project Bike - Sears 5-speed

My latest project bike — I love the classic styling and modern graphics on this bike. Bonus that it's green and it's made in Austria (probably by Puch). Trying to decide whether this should be a Fixie conversion or a restore to original? These pictures don't illustrate how much work this bike will need.

After five months of on-and-off work, lots of elbow grease and finding just the right parts, it's complete! 

The restored 5-speed below:

New wheelset, tires, tubes, derauiller (Simplex), new vintage styled seat, recycled cork/rubber grips, new  left brake lever, brake pads and all cables. Ready to hit the street!

“Amper-what?”: the origin of a symbol

For a recent naming assignment we were working on, the “@” symbol and the “&” symbol came up in conversation. I’ve always loved the typographic character of the “and” symbol, known as the ampersand. The symbol is one of the oldest alphabetic abbreviations and dates back to Roman times. It evolved from the Latin word et, which means and. If you’ve ever noticed elaborate (italic) styles of ampersands, the Et letterforms are quite visible in the design. Ampersands were traditionally used for display (larger) work, as opposed to smaller, longer format texts, so the designs were more creative and elaborate. Over time, and with the creation of modern sans-serif styles, the symbol has become simplified and less ornate.

Missy, the mysterious and the mischievous.

Random sketches, drawings and photos of Missy the mysterious feline.

Welcome Spring.

What a beautiful first day of Spring. I observed the bluebirds gathering nesting materials for their new home and cardinals perching on the Coral Bark Japanese Maple (and hanging out in the Wax Myrtles). Here's a couple of illustrations and the photos I took that inspired the drawings. 

Clean lines and color

Art Metal Co. Office chair. ca. 1970? Original upholstery and vinyl piping. I need to do a little more research into this chair and the manufacturer.

The comfort level has been debatable around the office. The place of I found it also has been somewhat  controversial. But I like it. Clean lines, nice geometry, great color and not that uncomfortable!

SE Racing 2009 Lager SS

SE Racing Lager single speed.

Hot or Cold?

1966 Olympia DeLuxe Typewriter

My latest obsession: old typewriters. Specifically, this 1966 Olympia DeLuxe manual typewriter in MINT condition. This beautiful example of German engineering is evident in every keystroke, in every mechanical movement and in every sound that you hear when the metal script letters strike the paper and the roller beneath. Bonus: this typewriter is portable and requires no electricity. The script type that this machine renders is exquisite, especially when examined closely. Which makes me think that a revival of this Olympia DeLuxe Script could be an exciting type project in the very near future. Stay tuned and keep typing!