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17-3-2013 17:57:25  #1


Olympia Cleaning Kit



Included with an Olympia Splendid 33 that I bought was this neat little cleaning kit. I've used the long brush a few times to brush away dirt from a part, but I honestly don't know what the other tools in the kit would be used for. I'm particularly curious about the two wick-like items with the orange holders, and the metal tool that looks like it would be used to uniformaly space something or clean a specific area.

Anyone have one of these kits or knows what these specific tools would be used for?



 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

22-3-2013 18:30:04  #2


Re: Olympia Cleaning Kit

=14pxThe SM 9 my parents gave to me for Christmas in 1969 came with a cleaning kit in a gray vinyl pouch with a flap that tucked into a strap in the front; that is, one just like yours.
The vinyl pouch contained the following four items: 
     1) a taxicab yellow dusting cloth in the back of the pouch with the Olympia logo silscrened on it (just like yours);
     2) a long brush inserted in a slot on one side of the front of the pouch (just like yours);
     3) a stubbier, wider and stiff brush inserted in a slot on the opposite side of the front of the pouch (just like yours); and
     4) a semi-clear, celluloid eraser shield, inserted in the wide front pocket between the two brushes.

The pamphlet that came with my SM 9 did not mention the cleaning kit but the Operating Instructions that come with an SG 3 N do. Page 15 of those instructionsread as follows:

****************************************************************************************************************
MAINTENANCE

To keep the machine in good order, careful attention is essential. Every SG 3 N is
supplied with a cleaning set comprising a dusting brush, a type brush and a duster
.

The machine should be dusted every morning by means of the dusting brush, for
which purpose the front cover should be removed. For thorough cleaning it is recom-
mended that the carriage be removed every now and then.

The types are brushed by means of the wire brush in the direction of the keyboard;
the front cover and keyboard may be protected by inserting a sheet of paper. If a
plastic type cleaner is used, this should be kneaded lightly before use. Never use a
pointed metal object (needle or office clip) for cleaning out clogged letters (such as o.
e, a); if necessary, a wooden spill may be used.


For occasional cleaning of the platen use only methylated spirits, never petrol as this destroys the
rubber.

After the SG 3 N has been used for typing wax stencils, always pass a sheet of highly
absorbent blotting paper between the platen and the paper holder rollers to remove
any acid residue.

All moving and sliding parts need oiling at infrequent intervals only. Before oiling,
thoroughly clean machine, carefully wiping off any oil residue. Use only thin acid-free
typewriter oil. Segment, typebars, type guide and line space wheel should not be oiled
at all. Apply oil in drops from the point of a needle. Too much oil is harmful. It is also
advisable to have the machine checked and thoroughly cleaned by a type-
writer mechanic at reasonable intervals according to frequency of use.
=14px**************************************************************************************************************
I have no earthly idea what the metal tool is for or what the orange things are.
 

 

22-3-2013 19:58:51  #3


Re: Olympia Cleaning Kit

yukonsam wrote:

Every SG 3 N is supplied with a cleaning set comprising a dusting brush, a type brush and a duster. 

Interesting.It mentions three brushes, or maybe the "duster" is the yellow cloth?

yukonsam wrote:

The types are brushed by means of the wire brush in the direction of the keyboard; 

Neither of the two brushes in my kit are wire, so maybe the SG3 came with a different cleaning kit?

yukonsam wrote:

I have no earthly idea what the metal tool is for or what the orange things are.

Yes, those two items are the main characters in this mystery. However, you've given the idea to start checking Olympia manuals that are available online for mention of cleaning kits. I would think that the metal tool would appear in one of them as part of some maintenance procedure.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
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31-3-2013 03:21:26  #4


Re: Olympia Cleaning Kit

I have one of these kits too! (came with my SM-9)
Mine only has the cloth, 2 brushes, and the eraser shield (as mentioned by yukonsam) .
I love having the original accessories.
I hope we get to find out what those two mystery pieces are!


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31-3-2013 10:39:26  #5


Re: Olympia Cleaning Kit

I've been really paying attention to typewriters being sold with cleaning kits, and it appears that the original Olympia kit only included the items you described. This means that the strange looking forked tool and those two orange 'wick' holders in my kit are not original and must have been added by the original owner of the typewriter.

However, I still want to know what they're for! 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
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31-3-2013 13:30:58  #6


Re: Olympia Cleaning Kit

Does it smell as if the wicks used to be infused with something? Some kind of polish? I'm reaching here...

 

31-3-2013 14:19:07  #7


Re: Olympia Cleaning Kit

Stevetype33 wrote:

Does it smell as if the wicks used to be infused with something? Some kind of polish? I'm reaching here...

"I'm not falling for that ruse," Uwe laughed. "Did you honestly think that I'd go for the old 'smell your wicks' line?" 

Minutes later, Uwe looks around the room to make sure that everyone had left, and then lifts one of the orange shrouded wicks to his nose. Tentatively he takes a sniff, not sure what to expect. "Yeah, just as I thought, it doesn't smell of anything," he says to himself replacing the foreign item in the cleaning kit's case.
 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
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01-4-2013 06:08:37  #8


Re: Olympia Cleaning Kit

Here's mine:
 

Last edited by Amelia (01-4-2013 06:09:19)


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31-5-2013 14:36:39  #9


Re: Olympia Cleaning Kit

I've been repairing typewriters professionally since 1975, and I've never come across the 'wicks' or the 'metal tool' before. BUT I do have a theory !  Could they be the original transport packing pieces fitted by the factory when the machine was new, and retained by a fastidious owner ?  Not sure where the 'metal tool' would fit, but the 'wicks' may have been fitted under the carriage to jam it and prevent it moving in transit.  By the time I started in the trade, this sort of thing was soft plastic, but maybe a decade earlier the function was fulfilled by a wick-like object instead.  The brushes are a short handled dusting brush for removing general dust and fluff from the machine, and a type-cleaning brush for scrubbing the typeface in conjunction with a little methylated spirits (industrial alcohol)

 

31-5-2013 22:25:56  #10


Re: Olympia Cleaning Kit

thetypewriterman wrote:

BUT I do have a theory !  Could they be the original transport packing pieces fitted by the factory when the machine was new, and retained by a fastidious owner ?  Not sure where the 'metal tool' would fit, but the 'wicks' may have been fitted under the carriage to jam it and prevent it moving in transit.

I'd have to double check, but I think the Splendid has a carriage lock; if it does wouldn't having something to jam the carriage be redundant? Or is it to prevent a carriage shift mechanism from moving?

I'll have to take another look at those wicks and the metal tool and see if I can't figure out where on a machine they might be used. When I first saw them I didn't spend too much time thinking about it because I thought someone here would have had experience with them, but there's also the possibility that they weren't originally from a typewriter and the original owner used those items as some-sort of repurposed tool.
 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
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