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15-7-2018 08:40:21  #151


Re: SG Owners Club

I forgot to ask: Does the SG1 have a reputation for an unusually heavy key action?

I know mine has a massive carriage but I wouldn't have thought that should make the keys heavier. The adjuster knob seems to work well. Setting 1 is much lighter than setting 8. And on setting one, the spring it is attached to is not under any tension, so I'm pretty sure there isn't a fault. All they keys return very quickly as well, I can type very fast on it, I just need to apply a pressure I can't sustain without getting tired fingers.

The lightest setting is heavier than any of my other typewriters. I've just received a very tatty, filthy SM2 (possibly, not sure what it is, I may ask for ID help on another thread) and they keys that aren't jammed are a delight to use. Very light and snappy. I would have hoped that the SG1 could, in theory, have the same light touch, but is that not what people find?

 

16-7-2018 06:46:39  #152


Re: SG Owners Club

Yes, I find it straining to type on the SG1 for a longer time. I once wrote a ten-page (A4) letter on it, and I wasn't able to do that in one go since my fingers got tired (even on the lightest setting). From all of the typewriters I have tried, however, the SG1 most definitely has the clearest and most professional looking print, and that was why I wanted to write that long document on exactly that machine. It's also my only working typewriter with an Elite font size.

A machine with a similar strain to the fingers is my Continental 100. The key has to be pressed down over a pretty large distance, and the shift key is really straining (which is especially bad for German, where all nouns are started with a capitalised letter).

 

16-7-2018 16:21:51  #153


Re: SG Owners Club

A well-maintained SG1 should have a light, concise touch. I can type with a SG1 all day long without any issues, and I actually prefer it to any portable model for regular use. Those who are not accustomed to using a typewriter, and have spent years clicking away on the plastic keys of a computer keyboard, might find that it takes a little while to get used to the keyboard of a machine that uses mechanical linkages to hammer an impression on a page.   


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

17-7-2018 09:40:16  #154


Re: SG Owners Club

I can type pretty long on most of my other (portable) typewriters, just not on this SG1. I have to say, this SG1 has been heavily used and its platen is as hard as rock. The bell only works if it has a good day, and the right margin is most often simply ignored (except for the edge of the carriage, of course). The foam that should lower the sound at the inside has completely come off.

At some point, I need to get it properly serviced, but I expect this to be costy and I don't know of a typewriter repairman anywhere near I live.

 

17-7-2018 13:06:50  #155


Re: SG Owners Club

Uwe wrote:

A well-maintained SG1 should have a light, concise touch. I can type with a SG1 all day long without any issues, and I actually prefer it to any portable model for regular use.

Is there anything I should focus on, maintenance wise, to give it a light touch? If I manually lift any of the slugs to the ribbon and let go, they fall back quickly, so I'm not sure I will make any significant gains cleaning in the segment area. Is there anywhere else that might give me noticeable gains?

Though I have to say, having just acquired a Royal HH last night and falling in love with it for both the typing action and the lovely clean, big font (and nice soft platen) I decided to try the SG1 again. I was expecting to find the typing harder, but really, while the action feels quite different, the pressure required to guarantee good results on both was roughly the same.

Still, if I could get the SG1 anything like as light and snappy as my SM3 or Lettera 32, I'd be very happy.

I do actually want a typewriter for a specific project, but still haven't decided which one to use. Whatever I decide, I need to stick with the same one once I start. In some ways it would be nice to use the SG1 for old time's sake, so I'm prepared to do a bit of maintenance on it.

 

17-7-2018 13:11:33  #156


Re: SG Owners Club

sirius wrote:

I can type pretty long on most of my other (portable) typewriters, just not on this SG1. I have to say, this SG1 has been heavily used and its platen is as hard as rock. The bell only works if it has a good day, and the right margin is most often simply ignored (except for the edge of the carriage, of course). The foam that should lower the sound at the inside has completely come off.

At some point, I need to get it properly serviced, but I expect this to be costy and I don't know of a typewriter repairman anywhere near I live.

That reminds me there is still one issue with mine - once I have pressed margin release, they stay released until I take the entire carriage off and put it back on again! I guess this may be a simple fix. It seems with typewriters a lot of the fixes are quite simple to do, but working them out is the hard bit!

So far in terms of lightness of touch and the speed with which I can reliably type, it's either the SM3 or the Lettera 32 for me.

I've just fixed up an incredibly dirty and siezed SM3 and am quite pleased with myself. The only issue with it is the rock hard platen, so I've got some Mylar sheets and various other tricks on order - if they work out then I have a feeling I'll be using the SM3 over the SG1. The action is just wonderful.

 

14-10-2018 08:20:01  #157


Re: SG Owners Club

I am about 2 hours from rejoining the SG owners club. I had an SG3 but just could not warm to its cold, clinical appearance. I passed it along to a young lady who is getting a lot of  enjoyment from it. I'v been on the lookout for a locally available SG1 at a reasonable price for the better part of a year, and finally success!

 

14-10-2018 14:49:19  #158


Re: SG Owners Club

Hopefully it's in good nick. Photos and details once you get the chance!


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

08-12-2018 12:49:21  #159


Re: SG Owners Club

Finally getting to posting photos. Mechanically it needed only a few minor type alignment adjustments and a good cleaning. The keycaps were horribly pitted and I smoothed them slightly with fine sandpaper then filled the pits with a clear acrylic finish.  Like many SG1s the paint was badly faded from its original green and there was some light damage to the sheet metal, especially along the back, so I decided to repaint as best I could. Here are both before and after:


 

08-12-2018 16:48:11  #160


Re: SG Owners Club

Neglected to mention 11cpi and manufactured in 1955

 

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