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Bar-Lock 4. Columbia Typewriter Co., New York, 1892. Charles Spiro, who apprenticed in his father's New York watchmakers shop, invented the gorgeous Bar-Lock. He had previously invented the Columbia index typewriter. The prominent ornate copper shield covers the type-bars that stand vertically behind. To print, the type-bars swing down to the top of the platen. Just before they strike the platen, the type-bars encounter a small semi-circle of metal pins that ensure alignment. Supposedly these pins also reduce the clashing of the type-bars, but they seem to have little if any effect on either matter. Non-the-less this typewriter gets its name from these alignment pins and their function as a “bar lock” for the type-bars. See detail below. This is a “visible” typewriter, allowing you to see the words as you type them; however, you need to sit up quite straight to see over the curved shield. (Photo and caption by Martin Howard/Martin Howard Collection)
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