1 of 1- margetower
- New Member
Offline - From: France
- Registered: 02-7-2026
- Posts: 1
Olivetti Lettera 32 typeguide very slow and missing spring !
Hello everyone !
I recently took home my mom's Olivetti Lettera 32. I started by giving it a good clean up, and lost a spring in the process... it was in the bottom of the typewriter since I took off the plate beneath.
Then, I noticed that the typeguide was very slow. So slow in fact, that the letter are not printing on the paper since if misses the ribbon. Do you think it could be related to the missing spring ? Or is it linked to something else ?
I was so disappointed and eager to use this typewriter 
Thank you in advance if you have any knowledge on the subject to share. English is not my first langage so I'm struggling with the typewriter vocabulary, hope it's clear.
Cheers for this amazing forum
Margaux
- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
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- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,703
Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 typeguide very slow and missing spring !
Hello,
Can you post up a photo of the loose spring ?
I can then see if I can find one similar on my Letter 32.
.
- skywatcher
- Moderator
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 750
Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 typeguide very slow and missing spring !
Bonjour Marge,
Si l'anglais n'est pas votre langue maternelle et que vous avez du mal à écrire dans cette langue, voici une suggestion : rédigez votre demande en français avec vos propres mots pour décrire ce que vous voyez, puis utilisez Google Traduction pour traduire votre question en anglais avant de la publier sur le forum. La plupart d'entre nous font preuve de compréhension envers ceux qui s'expriment avec leurs propres mots et parviennent généralement à saisir le message que la personne souhaite faire passer. Essayez cette méthode pour voir ce que cela donne. Sinon, vous pouvez tout simplement poser votre question en français ; certains de nos membres parlent couramment français et, je pense, nous savons tous utiliser Google Traduction. Prenez soin de vous et bonne continuation,
Sky
Hi Marge
If English is not your first language and you struggle with writing English, here's a suggestion. Type your query in French using your words to describe what you see, then use Google Translate to translate your question into English before posting to the forum. Most of us here are quite understanding of people using their own words and can usually figure out what the person posting is trying to get across. Give this a go and see what happens. Or, simply post your question in French. Some of our members are fluent French speakers, and I think we all know how to use Google Translate Take care and 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)
- skywatcher
- Moderator
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 750
Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 typeguide very slow and missing spring !
Bonjour Marg,
Je m'excuse de ne pas avoir répondu plus tôt ; je m'occupe actuellement de ma mère très âgée qui est en train d'être transférée dans une maison de retraite. Pour en revenir à votre question initiale concernant le guide-ruban : j'aurais besoin de vous poser quelques questions sur le fonctionnement de ce guide et sur le ruban lui-même.
Lorsque vous dites que le guide-ruban est très lent, est-ce lors de la montée ou lors de la descente ? S'il est lent à monter, il s'agit d'un problème purement mécanique lié à la tringlerie. S'il est lent à redescendre, cela peut être dû à un ressort.
La lenteur de la montée du guide-ruban (ou mécanisme de levage) peut avoir plusieurs causes. La première chose à vérifier est que le ruban n'est pas trop tendu au niveau du mécanisme de levage. Si le ruban est trop tendu, le mécanisme risque de ne pas avoir assez de force pour le soulever. Ma Lettera 32 est actuellement remisée, je ne peux donc pas l'examiner pour le moment. Toutefois, en observant une Olivetti Lettera DL, je constate que le mécanisme de levage du ruban est à levier plutôt qu'à coulisse. Essayez de retirer le ruban de la machine pour voir si le mécanisme fonctionne correctement sans lui ou s'il reste très lent. J'espère que ces explications sont claires et faciles à comprendre pour vous. Bien à vous,
Sky
Hi Marg
Sorry for not getting back to me sooner, I'm dealing with a very old mother who is being transitioned to a nursing home. Going back to your original question about the ribbon guide. Here's where I need to ask you a few questions about the ribbon guide action and the ribbon itself.
When you say the ribbon guide is very slow, is it slow coming up, or slow going down again? If it's slow going up, that's purely a mechanical linkage. If it's slow going down, that's possibly a spring.
A ribbon guide or lifter being slow going up can be caused by several things. The first thing I would look at is to make sure the ribbon itself isn't tight across the lifter. If the ribbon is tight, the lift mechanism may not be able to lift the ribbon against the ribbon's tightness. My Lettera 32 is in storage, so I can't look at it at the moment. However, looking at an Olivetti Lettera DL. the ribbon lifter is a lever type as opposed to a sliding type. Try taking the ribbon out of the machine and see if the lifter works properly then. I hope this translates into readable and understandable French for you. 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)
