1 of 1- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
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- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,406
1957 Olympia SM3 - QWERTY
Here is my newish (to my home) 1957 Olympia SM3 typewriter.
Lovely elegant grey machine that is original and looks like it left the factory not too long ago.
It is sure a pleasure to use. Carriage-shift is very light after I made some adjustments to the 2 adjustment springs.
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- teeritz
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- Registered: 20-3-2013
- Posts: 37
Re: 1957 Olympia SM3 - QWERTY
Great machines, these Fifties SMs. I have a '51 SM2 and a '54 SM3 and they both have a heavy carriage shift. Any chance you could explain the process of adjusting the springs?
My blog, about typewriters,wristwatches, fountain pens, Bond, and whatever else happens to be polluting my mind at any given time;
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- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
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- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,406
Re: 1957 Olympia SM3 - QWERTY
On the SM3 and on my SM7, move the carriage to one far side and then the other.
You will see an adjustable spring on each side of the machine that allows the tension of the carriage shift to be lightened.
With a spring hook tool, I remove the spring on the top attachment and then screw in the adjustment bolt to which the spring attaches. The more thread stick out above the mounting bracket, the lighter the shift-tension becomes.
If you do not have any spring hook tools, a slender pair of needle-nose pliers would work, too.
See circled areas in the following photos.
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Thread Starter- skywatcher
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 737
Re: 1957 Olympia SM3 - QWERTY
Hi Pete and Teeritz
Looking at my SM-4, it has hexagonal nuts on these adjusting screws. The pictures Pete has posted show what looks like what I would call a channel nut or a saddle nut. My guess is you don't have to unhook the spring. Instead, set the carriage to upper case to reduce tension on the springs, lift the threaded screw up and spin the nut down the screw a few turns. Let the screw back down again making sure the nut saddles the support as pictured and check the shift balance. All the best,
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)
- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
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- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,406
Re: 1957 Olympia SM3 - QWERTY
Sky...you are right about my SM3. Looking at it again, there really was no need for me to detach the spring...silly me. Thanks !
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Thread Starter- skywatcher
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 737
Re: 1957 Olympia SM3 - QWERTY
Hi Pete
As a licensed Red-Seal Heavy-Duty Mechanic, I tend to look at everything from a mechanic's perspective. How is it put together? How does it work? Can it be adjusted, if so, how? Right from first year tech school, we were taught to look with a seeing eye and think with a questioning mind. Our instructor told us that a good mechanic who's worth his or her salt, should be able to examine a piece of equipment and figure out the operating principals of the machine. Guess my mind still works that way. All the best,
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)
