1 of 1- crispykaz
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Offline - Registered: 08-11-2014
- Posts: 2
Olivetti Lettera 32 margin release feels reversed?
hi!
recently got a typewriter for the first time - like it a lot but am having problems with the margin release.
Following the manual, the MR key if pressed and released should allow the carriage to return to the end, if held it indents 1/2 an inch, and if not pressed it goes to the normal margin. however with mine, if not pressed it goes to the carriage end and only if held does it even hit the margin (which I assume is the 1/2 inch indent).
How is the margin release supposed to work? If anyone has some photos of their margin release mechanism on an OL 32 I'd be really appreciative if you could upload - it feels like I'm trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces at the moment!
- Uwe
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- Registered: 12-3-2013
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Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 margin release feels reversed?
When you type the carriage should stop when it reaches your right margin. After you press and release the margin key you should be able to continue typing past that point. If the carriage isn't stopping at the margin, you need to first confirm that the margin is properly seated, and if it is, it sounds like the margin stop bracket (black flat metal in the middle underneath the margin ruler) isn't returning. Maybe it's mechanically hung up on something, needs cleaning, adjustment, or has a broken or missing spring.
I'm not sure what you mean about indents with respect to the margin release key (its the black one on the left top end of the keyboard); you're not confusing it with the margin release key with the tab key (the red one on the right end of the keyboard) by any chance?
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- RWWGreene
- Platen Punisher
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Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 margin release feels reversed?
On the Olivettis (22,32, Dora, 45, etc.) if you hold down the margin-release key whilst returning the carriage, you get an automatic indent.
- Uwe
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Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 margin release feels reversed?
RWWGreene wrote:
On the Olivettis (22,32, Dora, 45, etc.) if you hold down the margin-release key whilst returning the carriage, you get an automatic indent.
Ah, thanks for clarifying that. I thought he was talking about the right margin, but now it appears that it's actually the left margin that is causing him problems. I know that I've used the margin release to move the left margin automatically as you move the carriage using its release (not sure if it's an offical feature of the machine), but I've never bothered with the indent as it seemed to awkward (I find it far easier, in the case of the 32, to just have a tab stop at my desired indent and use the tab key instead).
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- crispykaz
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Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 margin release feels reversed?
Quick video explaining problem - sorry if my voice is annoying!
At 0:28 I show where the spring was attached.
summary - I've taken the spring off connecting the margin stopper to the floor plate underneath the carriage. I'd love to know where the spring is supposed to be attached/how the system is supposed to work. A picture of that area under the carriage would be an ever bigger bonus 
I think I've figured out how the levers are supposed to work, but I don't know what to fix to make it happen.
Last edited by crispykaz (08-11-2014 22:57:22)
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Thread Starter- KatLondon
- Key Master
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- From: London
- Registered: 11-10-2014
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Re: Olivetti Lettera 32 margin release feels reversed?
Hi Crispykaz, I hope you come back! Thanks for that brilliant video. On my Lettera 32 the margins work fine but the margiin release key is utterly useless. Your video shows me what I think I might be looking for, and I am going to try it. If you do come back (I see you made only two posts), thanks!
And I will update this once I've tried it and seen what worked/didn't. I might see where that spring attaches to. 
