- beak
- Key Master
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
Excellent! The postage from Australia to me here in Australia is normally twice what you paid in total - somewhat envious of that!
Sincerely,
beak.
- Fleetwing
- Typewriter Talk Vet
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- From: Hartford, CT USA
- Registered: 30-6-2015
- Posts: 1,006
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
SM3 with a German keyboard -- I am envious. (And the price including shipping is amazingly good -- you must not be too far from Germany.)
- I.den
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Netherlands
- Registered: 12-6-2016
- Posts: 67
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
Indeed, I live in the Netherlands, which is neighbouring Germany. Shipping from there to here costs around 20 EUR, and germany Ebay has alot of good machines for sale, for relatively low prices. Usually, the sellers don't post shipping charges to my country, but I send them a PM in German, asking whether they'd be prepared to send it to me. They are usually extremely friendly, helpful, and are just happy someone's interested, I suppose.
- Fleetwing
- Typewriter Talk Vet
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- From: Hartford, CT USA
- Registered: 30-6-2015
- Posts: 1,006
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
You are fortunate! I think you will find on this forum a number of horror stories about damage to typewriters from shipping. It's very easy (at least here in the US) for shipping charges to come close to the cost of the typewriter itself -- and that doesn't include the shipper's cost of materials to pack the typewriter carefully (which many are reluctant to do).
- I.den
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Netherlands
- Registered: 12-6-2016
- Posts: 67
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
Oh I am no stranger to those horror stories.
Finding quality European made machines (Olivettis, Olympia's, Continentals etc.) is easy here. But once you start looking for nice American made machines (Remingtons, Royals, Smith Corona's), they are hard to find. I've had a total number of five machines flown in from the states so far, two of which (a Royal QDL and a Skyriter) were not packaged properly, and were quite seriously damaged on the way in... And like you say, those machines cost more to ship than what I paid for the machines itself.
- DanS
- Platen Punisher
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- From: New Virginia, IA
- Registered: 18-10-2017
- Posts: 68
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
What a nice color! I bought an SM-3 last week. Gray ...
One question about your Olympia. Up where the type faces strike the ribbon, is the ribbon threaded through the 2 loops backwards or is it correct? My ribbon is threaded through the loops opposite to the way yours is.
- I.den
- Platen Punisher
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- From: Netherlands
- Registered: 12-6-2016
- Posts: 67
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
Hi Dan,
I think mine is threaded correctly.
Another example from my SM2:
But be careful, some (later) models from Olympia have a different set-up. An example from my SM5:
- Fleetwing
- Typewriter Talk Vet
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- From: Hartford, CT USA
- Registered: 30-6-2015
- Posts: 1,006
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
Two newest acquisitions, for a total of $40 -- an SG1 and an Underwood SX-150. Had to drive a fair distance, on a rainy night, but worth it.
The Olympia actually has the paper support! But it is pretty dirty otherwise -- many of the keys stick. I'm wondering if the guy used WD-40 on them, because the sides of the typebars have a brown goo on them. It will take a bit of work to get it working fully. The seller had also put in a "new" ribbon -- I think he'd had it for a long time because typing tends to shred holes in it. The platen is pretty hard, but I didn't think it was that hard. It may be a machine for which I'll have to use a backing sheet.
The Underwood was even filthier, but it's cleaning up well. And surprisingly, all the keys work smoothly. The spacebar did not work at all, but I've got that fixed (machine took a knock on the bottom). The margin release button did not return, but I adjusted the spring tension for that key and it works fine now. Each key on this machine seems to have its own spring tensioner -- amazing. The bell remains elusive -- can't get it to ring. Not sure just what I need to adjust. Anyone with experience dealing with this model? Somewhat of a surprise, it also appears the SX-150 (mine is 1955) uses a Remington-type "spoolless" ribbon; the spooled version that fits the Touchmaster and the later SX-150s impedes the rotation of the ribbon when the cover is closed.
- Uwe
- Moderator
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- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,408
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
Fleetwing wrote:
The seller had also put in a "new" ribbon -- I think he'd had it for a long time because typing tends to shred holes in it. The platen is pretty hard, but I didn't think it was that hard. It may be a machine for which I'll have to use a backing sheet.
It's more likely that the ribbon advance is not working, or not working consistently. "Dirty" SG1s, in my experience, often have seized ribbon advance mechanisms that only require a thorough cleaning with mineral spirits to repair.
And you should always use a backing sheet... 
The vast majority of platens out there are hardened to the point that they shouldn't be used and a backing sheet (or two, or three) can at least help to slightly mitigate the damage being caused to a slug face.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- •
Thread Starter- Fleetwing
- Typewriter Talk Vet
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- From: Hartford, CT USA
- Registered: 30-6-2015
- Posts: 1,006
Re: Recent Acquisitions Thread
I know, I know....
