1 of 1- giuliablackwood
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Problem with the carriage of an Olympia SM2
Hello! I've bought a typewriter a couple of days ago and it has some problems with the carriage. It is a Olympia SM2 (serial number 140528, it should be of the 50s). First the carriage got stuck and trying to fix it I pressed a tab on the right of the carriage and it made the carriage move. Now the problem is that the carriage does't stay in position. It moves freely (when I move it to the left it comes back from the right) but I can't stop it in the right position on the right, therefore I can't write. I tried to push again the same tab, hoping to bring it back to the "normal" position, but it doesn't work, even if it looks like it makes the carriage stop from moving but only for a short moment. I also noticed that if I push the carriage from the right to the left and press the tab repeatedly sometimes the carriage stops and works (I can press the key and they move normally, but when I reach the end of the line and a bring the carriage back it stars all over again). Do you have any idea of what could be the problem?
Sorry for the bad English, being both a not native English speaker and a newbie in the world of typewriters make it even harder to explain myself.
- skywatcher
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Re: Problem with the carriage of an Olympia SM2
Hi and welcome to Typewriter Talk
By the description of your problem, I'd say the most likely cause is dried oil on the escapement carrier or the carriage release mechanism. Sit in a chair and set the typewriter upside down on your lap with the keys toward you. Now press the carriage release tab, you should see a piece of mechanism that's shielded by a metal guard moving forward and back. This is the escapement carrier which is disengaged when the carriage release tab is depressed. If this is not springing back freely, it will require a little cleaning and very careful oiling.
DO NOT use WD-40 on a typewriter EVER! this product although may seem like a miracle worker, dries into a sticky film that gums everything up solid. Be patient and see what other TT members have to say, Uwe is very knowledgeable on these machines and Typewriterman is the guru of typewriters, he is typewriter repair specialist and has been repairing typewriters for many years.
Sky
We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
- giuliablackwood
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Re: Problem with the carriage of an Olympia SM2
Hi! I've done as you have written, but the escapement carrier comes back immediately when I let go of the carriage tab. Anyway, I have used a little bit of WD-40 (didn't know it was bad for typewriters!), do you have any suggestion on what I can use to clean the oil?
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Thread Starter- Fleetwing
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- From: Hartford, CT USA
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Re: Problem with the carriage of an Olympia SM2
I don't know where you are located, and so am not sure what is available locally for you. But if you can find lighter fluid (also called naphtha here in the USA; Ronsonol is a common brand), that works very well. This is the fluid used to fill cigarette lighters; here it is easily found at convenience stores, pharmacies, and other places where cigarettes are sold. Apply it with a brush for best results, so you can work it into the mechanisms where you applied the WD40.
- Fleetwing
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Re: Problem with the carriage of an Olympia SM2
Regarding your problem, all I can offer is the following: Is the carriage release lever (the lever you pushed, which enables the carriage to move) stuck? If so, it will not allow the escapement to mesh with the carriage, so the carriage will not stay in one place, and will move all the way to the left (that is, to the right margin on the carriage). I realize this is a very obvious thing to check, but I wanted to ask.
- giuliablackwood
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Re: Problem with the carriage of an Olympia SM2
Thank you for the suggestions!
The lever is not stuck, I can push it. But now I've solved the problem, it was somehow connected with the screw in the back. I want to thank you for the help and suggestions anyway 
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Thread Starter