Hello Lau, Thanks for the welcome. I was originally drawn to the looks of the SM9. I had first seen one of these machines for sale on the website of a local store that specializes in film cameras and typewriters. I was actually visiting to look at the camera gear as opposed to the typewriters, but the SM9 really caught my eye. It reminded me of a number of other product designs from that era that I am fond of, in particular the Brunswick Gold Crown pool table that was first released in the early 1960's.

But what really sealed the deal for me was the chance to try out a few different SM9's along with a number of other typewriters, comparing them all with one another. I tried maybe ten machines in total that day and simply preferred the feel of the SM9 machines. The example I chose featured the Senatorial typeface which I liked both for the design itself as well as it's size, being 11 characters per inch.

...Bill

Ok, an introduction!

My interest in typewriters suddenly flared when I got the idea to use this locked-down holiday to write some letters to prisoners; it turns out that a magical cure for anxiety about your own life is, to try an improve other people's lives a little bit.


I love writing by hand (fountain pens are another hobby), but my handwriting is rather, er, challenging.... and just printing out a letter seems a bit impersonal.
So: a typewriter!

I found a very cheap one here locally, a Hema k44 (Olivetti under a Dutch department store's name), and am now waiting semi-patiently for the new ribbon I ordered, meanwhile writing stream-of-consciousness notes in ghostly grey type.


I'm pleasantly surprised at how much muscle memory I still have when it comes to inserting & adjusting paper, and moving various bits around.
It's been at least 30-35 years since I last used a manual typewriter, but apparently it made an impression.


I have exchanged letters with friends here and abroad in the past, and I am looking forward to doing so again - and this time, they might actually be able to decipher them!

I'm Scott and I'm new here. And new to typewriters as a hobby in itself. I was tossed out of typing class in 1953. In 1964, while stationed in the West Indies, I got my hands on a Sears Portable. I was better at spinning yarns than typing them and in about 1982 I jumped ship for a word processor with a delete key.

In about 2002 I bought a broken Olympia SM9 for $6 and packed it around until 2020 when I fixed it. I do most of my brainstorming on this Olympia. Unfortunately, publishers don't like hard copy.

In short, I'm an old man and this the world of typewriters is a delightful sit-down hobby.

Thanks for being here.

BTW...I love my 1968 Olympia SM9 as well.

1-owner machine that I bought only 12 miles from my home.  Owner was only asking $ 40, but I gave more as I did not think she had priced it correctly and I did not want to feel like a chump.

Case was dis-colored and vinyl wrap torn in several places.  I repaired and repainted to give it a new look.
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Started working on IBM Selectrics  in1970 then opened my own business in 1971 and have been going since then. I obtained extensive electronic training in the military in the 60's. Since then I have worked on all kinds of typewriters especially IBM's. Got into computers in the 80's & currently do all kinds of  computer repairs from  building custom computer to networking and much more...  Not a fan of social media but I do enjoy forums and even have my own corvette forum for 20 years now. Still work on the occasional typewriter and people seem to really appreciate having someone that can still repair them, Also have tons of selectric parts. I'd be more than happy to answer any product I have knowledge  about.
Alan