University of Kansas student finds passion, and a business, in typewriter repair

    Jackson Kurtz (KMBC) -- A University of Kansas student is preserving a piece of the past through his growing typewriter repair business.

Jonathan Swanberg, a math major at KU, owns a collection of up to 75 typewriters.

Some of the machines in his possession date back to the 1890s, including models such as the Reliance, the Hammond, the Imperial and the Oliver.

"Eventually I got known as the typewriter person," Swanberg said.

Swanberg said he does not consider himself the owner of the typewriters.

"When I purchase a typewriter, I don't really consider myself as owning it. I'm now the steward of this machine until it gets passed on to someone else," he said.

One model in his workshop was made in 1893, according to its serial number.

"I think it's important that these machines be preserved, and to that end, that the knowledge of fixing them stays relevant," he said.

Swanberg repairs typewriters for clients as part of a business he launched himself.

"You don't really learn typewriter repair," he said. "You just kind of get used to it."

His work includes cleaning, polishing and replacing worn or broken parts.

"Some of these screws!" he said, laughing during a repair.

Swanberg said many people are surprised when he tells them what he does.

"When I tell people, ‘Oh yeah, I fix typewriters,’ they usually think I'm joking. And then I say, ‘No, I fix typewriters, you know, for clients.’ And then I show them my business card and they're like, ‘Oh, okay.’"

While attending school full time, Swanberg travels weekly from Lawrence to Kansas City to meet with clients, inspect machines, and return home to complete the work.

"This is my best work," he said of one machine. "This is a total restoration. You know, everything came apart, all the paint polished, you know, new felt."

His interest in typewriters began at age 5, when his mother brought one home to use in jewelry making.

"It was something that we'd never seen before," Swanberg said. "It had an interesting smell... and, well, we convinced her not to cut the keys off the typewriter."

"It's all been him," said Jill Swanberg, Jonathan’s mother. "He was the one who took the initiative. When he gets excited about something, he goes really deep. Very proud of him. It's very cool, very unique — just like him."

Each machine presents different challenges.

"Oh, we got it!" Swanberg said during one repair.

"And at the end of the day, you can accomplish such a complex task, and it sits on your desk," he said. "A machine that's beautifully polished, working perfectly — they're always very surprised. And that's very rewarding. I'd say that's the best part of the job."