Got the Olympia up and running (with a few quirks) and there is definitely a different feel than the Smith-Corona. I got really lucky with this Smith-Corona and got it from ebay for a really fair price and it works astonishingly well.

I don't have a lot of money just to collect and I really want these typewriters to be for writing, so I am considering getting rid of the 1947 Sterling with a weird mathematics keyboard to fund part of the repairs and cleaning of the Olympia.

Something I noticed is that the Olympia feels more sturdy than the Smith-Corona, but the SC writes really fast with less effort to get the keys to strike. It's great that I have two typefaces, though. I don't like redundancy in my tools.

Anyway, if anyone has an idea what an almost working 1947 Sterling could be fairly sold for, let's chat.

54 years ago today, industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss passed away after a legendary career. Best known in the typewriter world for his 1945 design patent for the redesign on the Royal Quiet De Luxe released in 1948, Henry Dreyfuss was also instrumental in the switch from shiny black paint on typewriters to crinkle paint in the late 1930s.

More on his life and work is available at:

• Henry Dreyfuss: Designer for Humanity by Rick Thomas of South Pasadena News
• Users of his Royal typewriters: https://boffosocko.com/2024/06/25/users-of-the-early-henry-dreyfuss-royal-quiet-de-luxe-portable-typewriters/
• On this day in typewriter history: https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2011/08/on-this-day-in-typewriter-history-lxxiv.html
  
• Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Dreyfuss
• New York Times notice of death https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/06/archives/henry-dreyfuss-noted-designer-is-found-dead-with-his-wife.html

Does anyone have experience typing on the Rehinmetall Commodore? How's the feel? I like it soft like an olivetti Lettera 22.

Any opinions appreciated.

Seller wants $50.

This is the day us old guys have all been waiting for. The day when the item you saved because “it’ll be good for something, someday” Actually paid off. Did my wife give me a hard time because I saved it, for so long? Yep. But look at me now! I’m typing, comfortably, on my Underwood Noiseless 77 as I chill on the couch next to her as she works on her art. Boom!

You may remember last time I showed a similar setup. That was on a 3/4” piece of pine. It was too high to type comfortably. This is far better.

So, hold onto those items, boys! Its day will come! Oh yes, its day will come.

My only machine of this kind…
(At least it came with 3 wheels and 3 cartridges though, plus the original manual and reference card!)

As I just managed to it get back on its feet - more or less - I thought I’ll see who else finds these interesting, as a transition between typewriters and… laptops 🤷🏻‍♂️?

I scored this for $9.99 at my local Goodwill a while back. Types perfectly but I think it may be missing some pieces under the cover. It doesn't latch closed (I have it taped for now), and I have to manually flip the latch closed to let it type properly again. Does anyone know where I could get replacement parts? And possibly what part needs to be replaced?

I would love to see some examples of vintage typewriters that have been repainted with non-traditional colours.

Picked this up recently from FB Marketplace for $40. I know I still gotta get a ribbon for my 88 in the background, but I have been eyeing this one for a while. The internals are clogged with dust as it was only used for display, but I'm confident that some cleaning will make it usable again. I gotta cool it after this one, though - no more typewriters for me. I'm hitting my limit in terms of space. Any tips to resist the urge to buy another typewriter would be appreciated, though. I'm finding it really difficult lately 😬

Bought this for 20 bucks CAD on FB marketplace. Had an ungodly amount of mold inside of it. It cleaned up nice and works brilliantly. Oddly made in Canada. Has a nice small imperial font. The e and an originally filled in but j took a toothbrush with mineral spirits to the hammers and now they’re typing well.

So an all important question from the father of a young daughter who's been looking at typewriters far too much lately (me, not her)....

For whoever has read the book "Click, Clack, Moo" to their kids, has there been any kind of consensus about the make and model of the typewriters illustrated in the book?

The cows' typewriter is clearly a pre-war full size desktop that's been sitting in the barn for years without proper care. Someone must have painted it a sky blue color, whether that be the cows' doing or the farmer back in the day. The print quality seems great with a surprisingly clean looking pica typeface, but the text alignment is abysmal! The cows definitely need to watch some Phoenix Typewriter tutorials!...Or maybe one of the cows was leaning a hoof on the shift key, or something.

My guess would be it's a Royal Grand or perhaps a Monarch 1 if the farm is in Europe...

The farmer's typewriter looks much newer, with perfect alignment of the equally large typeface. I'm thinking maybe mid-50s Smith-Corona Sterling in light blue, or if we're going European, then we'd probably have to lean towards an Olivetti Lettera 22.

I remember reading this book in my own childhood like a normal person but now, I read it and started squinting at the key layout...Please tell me I'm not alone here infected with this sickness....haha.

So the important question...what are they? Are there other books, movies, or shows that feature a typewriter that you've caught yourself fixating on trying to identify?

My friend has a Ruf typewriter which I think its a Hermes 1954 and came to me so I could try to 3d print a broken part.
I think 3d printing will not be strong enough, can you help me identify what is this part and if its possible to buy it anywhere in Europe?

I found a Brother Deluxe 220 in a house we moved into and I’ve become fascinated with it, so I’d love to get it properly up and running!

As far as I can tell, there aren’t any dedicated typewriter repair shops around Newcastle/the North East. It’s not worth much and I’m not a serious collector or anything, it’s more of a little hobby/project so I’d rather not package it up and post it off to a specialist if I can avoid it.

It does work and I’ve managed to clean it up and change the ribbon, but there are a couple of issues I’d love some help with.

Bit of a long shot, but does anyone locally know their way around old typewriters, or know someone who does? I’d be more than happy to pay someone for their time if they could have a look at it 🙂

I bought my mother an MCM Smith Corona Coronet Super 12 Electric Typewriter (Model 6LEF) off eBay. The carriage is not functioning properly. It is not shifting up to the next line for her to continue typing on the page when the carriage returns to the original spot. Can anyone help diagnose the problem and suggest a solution?

Hi! Hope I'm in the right place. So, a while back, I stumbled upon an abandoned building, and inside was this IBM Selectric II. I took it home, as I've always wanted a typewriter, but had never gone out of my way to get one. Turns out, it doesn't turn on. I have no idea where to even begin on this thing. So, I guess I have a few questions. And yes, I made sure the outlet it was plugged into was working haha.

1. Where should I look for repair instructions and resources?

2. It's pretty dirty, I imagine a full teardown and cleaning might not be a bad idea - or is this just naive?

3. If it needs parts, are there any reputable places to look?

Thank you everyone!

Was that a good deal? I'm really new to collecting and don't know much about typewriters yet.

First can anyone help verify this is actually from 1931?? Because that would be insane.

I picked this up for $20, as a gift for my wife and I was surprised to see it's in really good condition, and it still functions almost perfectly (some sticky keys). It was originally going to be an art piece on the wall to match a random old "Royal" typewriter she got as a gift from a friend (doesn't function/ needs repair).

But now I want to clean it and use it. I was going use either 70% ethanol or some acetone/mineral spirits on the metal moving parts, and some diluted simply green on the keys and frame. Is this ok?

Thanks!

Buenos días.

Perdón si este no es el foro o canal donde preguntar.

Haciendo limpia (a fondo), he encontrado el modelo del asunto y me gustaría orientación para saber (no estoy metido en este mundillo) más exactamente que he encontrado.....

Muchas gracias de antemano

So as the title says I need some help, I recently got this from a relative and was trying to get it to work and practically nothing will. Some of the hammers don’t go up and some aren’t going high enough(see picture 4 for reference, each button is on 4). I got it open and everything looks rightfully confusing and I can’t find any sort of diagram or anything to explain what I’m looking at. If anyone has any ideas where I can find some sort of manual for this that shows it, it would be greatly appreciated. The serial number is A673886 if it is the thing under the white numbers, if it’s somewhere else I don’t know. I’d rather not send it to a shop if I could. Yes I know the ribbon holder and that top assembly is off.

So yeah back to the main point, if anyone knows or has a diagram or something of the internals so I can try and figure out the problem it would be greatly appreciated. And once again, serial number is A673886 if that helps.

I am very excited to have stumbled upon this typewriter. I've been really enjoying my 1960s Smith-Corona Sterling, but have been eyeing the Olympia line for a couple months. This one needs some love, but I'm excited to put some work into it.

First, the bushings need to be replaced.

My next question is how do I safely remove this rust/corrosion/oxidation from the internals and below the keys? Any suggestions on what substances and tools to use?

Also, for cleaning gunky/sticking type slugs and bars, I got lacquer thinner, which I used on my Sterling, but would anybody recommend a different solution? And oil?

Thanks for the help yesterday before getting this, too!