My Olympia SM9 deluxe had been having vibrator problems.  It would not let the ribbon go down to it's bottom position when I typed. The words on each line stayed partially covered.  I tried everything and had a 50% improvement.  My wife suggested I take the ribbon out and run a piece of scratchy material she works with called tule (sp?)  between the vibrator and the metal piece in front of it.  With the material folded over about five times and run through for a few minutes, it emerged dirty and ink covered.  The problem is now fixed and the vibrator works fine raising and lowering the ribbon perfectly.
  she buys the material at craft stores and makes pot scrubbers from it.

   I found an Olympia SG1 for $125.00 at a local antique store.  There is an Olympia SM3 deluxe for the same price. I love the SM3 that I have now and am considering a 2nd.  The SG1 is older, looks bulbous, and once it is set-up I doubt I could ever move it. A lot of people here seem to praise the SG1, but I don't know, it looks bulbous and clunky compared to the SM deluxe series.

  My Olympia SM3 has been completely obscuring every 4th or fifth letter. Just when I get my speed up, it's like the slug hits a thick ink spot and the letter is indecipherable.  I 'm  using a new ribbon I purchased recently, plastic spools and nylon, and changed the old one out.  On a hunch I went back to the original spools that came with the typewriter, put the new ribbon on those, and put them back on the machine, and.... problem solved. Has anyone else encountered this ?

Very nice idea.  As a child I went to bed listening to my dad type up his stencils for his history classes the next day.  The tap-tap-tap of the keys lulled me to sleep many a night. In college we had no computers and the typewriter was essential. Oh the hours of typing on my Smith-Corona.  Jumped right to computers, used them for the last 25 years and suddenly realized what my life was missing.  No more computers, just 4 Olympia SM deluxes and two Underwoods.  Letters when I wish to correspond and a journal done in type.

Thanks again.  I will try it this afternoon.  Maybe this time I will have found the solution.