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29-7-2021 15:55:19  #1


Olivetti Lettera 32 carriage catching

Hi

First Post here so hello all. Bit of a weird one maybe I just bought this typewriter off ebay and it was stated as functioning correctly.

When I got it out the carriage was moving freely but I typed to the end of the line and tried to return it and it made a loud clunking noise then the carriage would no longer move freely.

On inspection I found that the right margin tab is catching on the rear frame. Looking more closely I found the frame is actually bent inwards and this seems to be the cause of the fouling. I don't know if something has popped loose that was holding it or whether it's taken a knock in transit or what.

Seems a bit strange. See picture below. You can see where it's bent in.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/2X2MBMWoFNJvyjjy6

Any ideas? Can't see any obvious signs of it taking a hit and it was in the case and packed well.

Thanks for your help.

 

29-7-2021 16:07:03  #2


Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 carriage catching

Return it.
There are enough Lettera 32s out there that you shouldn't have to deal with this kind of headache. That is, unless it's an unusual font or in a language you've been searching for. (If it's Icelandic, sell it to me... )
Anyway, that frame has to take a very hard hit to bend. I bought one for $7 knowing it had a bend that was in the front preventing the spacebar from making full travel. It wasn't a hard fix but it took quite a bit of force with my knee on the frame at the bend pushing on it. Since yours is at the back, who knows what else back there is out of true or adjustment. 
Unless you paid $10 for it, send it back.

Phil Forrest
 

 

30-7-2021 07:07:52  #3


Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 carriage catching

Hi, Way. That might have happened in transit and you might have a claim against the carrier, and if that goes through, you can be reimbursed and keep the tw. Sending it back is, well, inefficient no matter who pays for it and you are then on the search all over again.

This is not a bad bend as these things go but will have to be approached carefully. Cast aluminum is difficult to bend without risking sudden breakage. I would not try it by hand. Put a rigid bar across the back (a 2x4 or metal bar) and use a screw-driven tool, like a C-clamp, rather than a big pliers or a hammer, to push the dent out. It won't take long to fix it except that you'll almost certainly have to take the body off to get proper access.

(Another approach, which I do not advocate, would be to just grind away the intruding metal, It wouldn't take much and I doubt it would affect the structure but it would be an ugly wound even if not much visible.)

Do let us know what happens.

Last edited by M. Höhne (30-7-2021 07:08:27)

 

30-7-2021 13:39:04  #4


Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 carriage catching

Hey thanks guys.

Fortunately I've managed to get a refund now without sending it back. The seller was easily to do deal with so no problem just annoying as otherwise it seems to be in great condition.

They assured me they tested it before sending so unless they've overlooked it it must have been dropped during shipping.

Anyway doesn't matter now. I will try to fix it but I can't see it being an easy job! Otherwise I'll just keep it for display and continue the search for another or something else.

Ideally looking for a Smith Corona Electra 120 with manual return but seem to be less common in the UK.

Thanks for your help anyway.

Jack

     Thread Starter
 

01-8-2021 23:23:46  #5


Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 carriage catching

Hi Jack

Are you by chance a boater? Being in the UK and choosing an avatar with the word Wayfarer, you remind me of the boats in which we learned to sail as teenagers. 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)
 

02-8-2021 04:21:26  #6


Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 carriage catching

Hi Sky.

No unfortunately although I love water I don't venture into boats unless absolutely necessary. I have a mild phobia of water deeper than myself.

Wayfarers All is a chapter from The Wind in the Willows and that's where I stole the name.

Last edited by WayfarersAll (02-8-2021 04:21:47)

     Thread Starter
 

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