Hi there, 
I've found a new typewriter in my vicinity that I was able to pick-up for a low price. 
The fact it was available in my own town (which isn't very large), and is in very good cosmetic condition, made me want to give it a go and try to fix it.

So far, the only problem I've found is that the carriage will not move to the right (i.e. you can't do a carriage return), if you don't press the carriage release.
All other movement works just fine (carriage movement to the left is no problem either). 
What it looks like, is that the main star wheel that the carriage rides on, is stuck. At least, that's what I guess is the problem, because I believe this star wheel should be able to move freely. (I know how to take the carriage off, so I can freely access the star wheel itself, but haven't been able to take a good look at the escapement below it).

Is my assumption correct, and does nayone have any idea on where I should look to loosen this part? Or do you think there's some problem with the escapement that the star wheel won't turn freely clockwise? 

Thanks in advance for your advice/help as always!

Hi there.
So I compared the reverse mechanism on my SM9s to yours. First of all, I have to disappoint and say that my reverse mechanism is very different from yours. You probably have a later version of the SM9 where it's changed.
Here's a video on how it works on my machine:

https://youtu.be/9Ui0dVls9HY

As you can see, the mechanism is different.

But looking at your video again made me notice something. I saw that the ribbon you have installed, has eyelets. I've only ever used ribbons without eyelets as the Olympia machines are made to work without them. Perhaps the eyelet is causing the trouble, and you might try using a ribbon without an eyelets, see if that makes the machines pull harder on the ribbon, tripping the reverse mechanism.
It might not work, but I'd say it's worth a try!

Lettera 32 has a metal shell. All Olivetti portables made beyond the 50s (Lettera and Studio lines) have segment shift. Earlier portables (Studio 42, MP1 Invicta and Ico's) have carriage shift.

As for comparing Lettera to Olympia Traveller de Luxe, I'm not such a fan of the latter. The Olympia Traveller, though extremely sturdy, still has a lot of plastic, and is carriage shifted. The Lettera 22 / 32 looks stunning, has an all metal shell (although some later-day Lettera 32's produced in Spain, Yugoslavia and Mexico have some plastic parts), has a tabulator and is of course, segment shifted. 

As for Lettera 22 and Lettera 32, there are a lot of differences, most of them internally, and it is a matter of preference which you like better. I'm a fan of the Lettera 32, but I an see why some would prefer the Lettera 22 (which feels sturdier, less 'cheap', if you will).

 

Thanks for all your advice.
Sounds like this really is a big job (considering I also need to find replacements if I'm taking these out), so I'll leave the machine as it is for now. It actually works fine, and the platen is 'OK'.

Hi there,

I'm looking for some expertise.
Has anyone encountered the below screws on the right-hand platen knob on the Olivetti Lettera 32 model before? They are not the same as I have on my other Lettera 32 (which is made a year or two before this one), and I can't figure out what to use to open this.
Is it some kind of special Olivetti screw that you can't open unless you have the proper Olivetti tools or am I just too ignorant, and can it be opened with a simple tool.