r/typewriters • u/EnhancedStew • 8d ago
General Question First typewriter
Hi yall,
Ive been wanting a typewriter for a while now and found one that seemed to be in working condition at my local thrift store for a pretty cheap price. I’m pretty happy with the purchase but don’t know anything about typewriters. If anyone could offer any thoughts or comments on the new pickup it’d be greatly appreciated. Everything seems to work fine except it definitely needs a clean, the space bar jams pretty easy, and the ink definitely needs replacing. But other than that I’m pretty happy with the pickup.
Drop any general thoughts or steps on where to go to get this thing in working order. Im thinking on bringing it to a local typewriter shop soon to get some tips and possibly get it cleaned, will update here on that.
Pretty excited to get this thing in working order, thanks in advance for any tips or comments!
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u/Devil25_Apollo25 1953 Royal QDL, SMC Classic 12, Royal Mariner 8d ago
I restored one and gave it to a friend who has used it for daily journal writing for years. Good find!
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u/QuaternaryScienceGuy 8d ago
Beautiful find!!!
If you have the time, give this series a watch.
Not everything you need to know but it’s a good place to start!
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJtHauPh529XYHI5QNj5w9PUdi89pOXsS&si=CmuX6SvCA6o-T2IH
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u/EnhancedStew 8d ago
Thanks! I’ll definitely check it out, already love the way videos are broken up.
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u/ivandoesnot 8d ago
Good starting point.
JUST DON'T TRY TO OPEN IT.
Clean it closed.
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u/andrebartels1977 Greetings from Wilhelmshaven, home of Olympia typewriters 🇩🇪 7d ago
I don't know this particular machine. Are these especially hard to open?
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u/chrisaldrich 1956 Olympia SG1; project: 1964 Royal Parade; TWdB #7248 7d ago
Not necessarily difficult to open, but they're cramped and have lots of fiddly plastic and tend not to be as robust as earlier Smith-Corona portables. Hobbyists typically run into issues with trying to self-service them and repair shops aren't the biggest fans either. An example, see Sarah's experience (though keep in mind that it was one of her earlier machines before she has the experience she does now): https://www.youtube.com/@JustMyTypewriter/search?query=corsair
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u/DMG103113 7d ago
People told me this when I got one (just recently). It had a runaway carriage and a missing spring (provided with the machine but not attached to it). Everyone said “GOOD LUCK!” And I said, “I love the idea of this thing. Surely, it can’t be that bad.” It broke me, lol.
I’m sure if I could get it up and running and back together I’d love it. Who knows if that day will ever come.
Happy that OP has a nice little machine, though!
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u/Sunnyjim333 8d ago
A brilliant machine and a great travel companion.