gnuyork wrote:

So far. This could change.

Agreed. My list would change once I restore a couple typewriters in my collection to working order. One is a standard/desktop, the other is an electric. That would leave me with the hard choice of parting with one of the above portables. But only in a mad world where people were only allowed to own a maximum of five typewriters!

=16.25pxThis past Sunday, I drove into the wilds of northern Wisconsin to pick up a 1962 Olympia SG 1 De Luxe. Literally down an unpaved, snow-covered road in the middle of a forest, this typewriter had been tucked away in someone's garage. The lady who sold it to me said this SG 1 belonged to her parents, who used it for their tool and die business. After getting this machine back home to a sturdy table, clearing out the cobwebs, mummified spider eggs, and what looked like the remnants of stencil paper from its interior, it was clear to me this Olympia had been taken care of during its life. Almost everything works as it should. The 12-inch carriage glides smoothly. The bell rings. The tabulator functions properly and the paper injector is excessively, ridiculously cool. All of the keys work great (no stickiness), the type slugs hit their mark every time, and the ribbon vibrator flutters like a humming bird. Even the ink on the ribbon still works and is quite dark considering it's been a while since this typewriter was last used. All letters are perfectly aligned on the page. The typeface is standard, elite 12-pitch. The only thing I haven't figured out is how to set the margins. I downloaded the e-manual for the Olympia SG 1 and still can't figure out how to set them. I believe something inside the machine may need to be adjusted. Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated. Also, there is a sticker front and center, which tells me this typewriter was sold/repaired in the hometown of Orson Welles, the man behind Citizen Kane and the infamous 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast. Kind of a nice writerly touch, although I may eventually remove it. I'm just not the biggest fan of stickers. Anyway, I couldn't have asked for a better machine. Simply stunning to type on.



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Hello all,
I'm Gerrit and I live in Iowa City, where I earned a bachelor's degree in English at the University of Iowa. I currently have two typewriters that I use regularly for creative writing; a 1965 Olivetti Lettera 32 and a 1940 Royal Quiet De Luxe. I also have a 1935 Underwood Noiseless 77, which I plan to restore to working order. Anyway, I'm glad there's such a thing as the typosphere and that this board exists. Nice to meet you all!