I don't think that I've posted these photos before, but they seem pertinent to this thread. Over a year ago I bought four portables from the same seller in Europe, explained to him the importance of careful packaging, and then held my breath in expectation of their arrival. It was pure coincidence that I happened to be on the front porch the day they were delivered, and was able to watch - in horror - the short, slight man delivering the parcel.  Clearly punching outside of his weight class, the man struggled under their weight and quick stepped his way up the front walk. Then, having barely been able to climb the six steps to the porch, he calmly allowed the box to drop to the concrete from a height of two feet.

Having a good idea what was inside of the package, I was immediately furious; however, I managed to keep my anger to myself reasoning that if the package was that heavy it surely had been dropped many other times along the way, and its weight must have been a sign that the seller had packed the typewriters as promised.

Picking up the box to carry it inside, it felt remarkably similar to lifting my 80 pound (36 kg) Golden Retriever with the exception that the box wasn't struggling in my arms. After saying a small prayer to a lesser-known Norse god who was the protector of mailed items, I began to open the box. It's wrapping, from the outside, seemed over-engineered; there was enough shrink wrap around it to preserve an Egyptian mummy for several millennia, and it made me feel confident that the seller had made good on his word. 

 It only took a few seconds with a box cutter to dispel that lovely notion: Opening the box revealed four portables that had been packed like sardines with nothing but wisps of packing paper and hints of bubble wrap to protect them. Needless to say every machine was damaged, which was a great disappointment. As I began to repair what I could, I found my bitterness tempered by the reality that I had purchased them for a song. And in the end I managed to get each typewriter into working condition. They had received an unnecessary beating, but they were now safe and I have enjoyed using them since then. The cosmetic damage is still there though, scars of their journye, and a constant reminder that having a typewriter shipped is much like visiting a casino: you pay your money, wish for luck, and deal with the cards you're dealt.


Never a good sign: A line space lever poking out the edge of a travel case is much like the sight of a bone poking through the skin of your arm...

KatLondon wrote:

I like the looks of that case on the right...

The blue case? That's actually for the Adler Privat in the bottom photo. 

The four machines included this Triumph Contessa De Luxe from the '70s:


A 1953 Adler Privat:


A 1964 Trimph Tippa 1:


And finally, this 1954 Keller & Knappich Pricess 100, which is the one that had the mangled line space lever poking out the side of its travel case:

Hurrah!

Those linescales are a new one on me too !  Also note the solid steel bail rolls - they are rubber-covered on every other SG1 I have ever seen.

Well, I could be wrong...


Serial # is 7-536988, and it looks very similar to the machine at...

http://typewriterdatabase.com/1960-olympia-sg1.2121.typewriter

...just not as spiffy. Seems to have been manufactured the same year.

By zooming in you can see the major damages...





...as well as some worn and grimy looking paint.  The left hand carriage knob is still tight, rotates the carriage, and the plunger even still works, so I am reluctant to try disassembling the area where it connects with the roller to see what is going on, in case I can't get it back together again. When the machine arrived the right front corner was knocked underneath the space bar, and I am unable to reposition it in a way which consistently keeps it from binding - as I mentioned, two of the screws holding the shell to the frame are missing. I am thinking best thing to do is remove the bottom part of the shell completely - which does not seem that difficult - and straighten it off the frame. Also be a good opportunity to give it a thorough cleaning. I am not certain the frame itself was not slightly distorted from the blow, but hopefully straightening the shell will be enough. Can't be straightened on the frame because it cannot be bent past the elastic limit to get some good old plastic deformation. Which the drop in shipment was able to accomplish! Other than that everything seems to be working with possible exception of dial on the right, which, if it is touch control as I think it is, does not do a thing. The escapement had also gotten stuck - I take it from shock - but once I figured out that the carriage came off and poked at it, something popped back into place and it worked again.

I did notice the aluminum (I believe) rollers and I thought that was a great feature, since they will never rot! Interesting if they went back to rubber later.

Let me know if you would like to see any other views or close ups.