Hi, everyone! I got my first typewriter last night! It’s an Olympia SM5. I’m so excited to learn more about it and typewriters in general🌟 I’ll be using this one for lots of journaling and pen pall-ing. It makes me happy that it’s getting used and not collecting dust somewhere. The person who sold it to me said that I would start feeling sentimental about every typewriter I see and I can already tell that I will. I would love to know what has been typed on my machine over the years 🩷

Just finished reassembling my Noiseless Model 7 after as deep a clean as I can get. It feels very rewarding to get to this point even though the line spacing is still gonna need work. Other than that, all my typewriters are working (still waiting for the ribbon on my 88) and it's been a great summer of typewriters.

(Btw: if anyone has a similar model, please send a picture of the left side of the platten so I can see how the line spacing mechanism is supposed to look. I would highly appreciate that! Thank you in advance if you took the time and trouble to do this.)

I've been typing on a Smith-Corona Sterling from
1964 and had no complaints. Got curious about Olympia and then the first antique store I stopped in had an SM3. Did a simple fix and clean to get it working and it just clicked for me.

Told myself I wouldn't get anything else unless I ran into a fairly priced Hermes 3000 or SM9... Well, next trip to the antique store/flea market I got an SM9 for a very nice price. Cleaned it up and, besides a little bit of wobbly (misaligned) letters, which doesn't bug me really, it works great.

Decided I might want an ultra portable... Long story short I lucked out on the exact model I wanted by Olympia in my area. It works 100% and just needs to be cleaned. Could not be more grateful.

Got it for 30€ from under a pile of dusty stuff. Almost complete teardown to clean.

Hours spent wondering "What side did this lever go again??", more spent wondering "why does this lever not leverage what it needs to lever?"

It's still not perfect, margins don't really marge very well and the keys are on their way out. Maybe I'll come back to it later.

Any one have a manual? Link to a manual?
I have a collection of over 35 typewriters—only two electric like this very recent number. $26! Anyway, love it but want to know more of its functions. And check out that typeface fresh from 1984

Never seen an Oliver typewriter in black, wondering which model is that...

Found in an old Popular Science from December 1918 a nice advert from the Oliver Co.

I first posted here for help restoring my late father-in-law's Royal HH only a couple months ago. Now I've gained a Smith-Corona Sterling and today another Royal HHP! My wife found it in a secondhand shop for $9 and checked it all over - It was mechanically good, every key worked, everything worked, and it even included the cover. We figured $9 was a good buy even if there was a hidden issue, since it could just be a parts machine for the prior Royal, but instead I just finished washing the dirt off of it and it's surprisingly excellent.

But now I have three typewriters...

Anyway, enjoy the Before/After pics of the cleaning. I'm off back to Ribbons Unlimited I guess, since the ribbon that came in it is pretty dried out and I assume there's no way to resuscitate one.

Hey all, I picked up this '38 Royal Magic Margin about 2 years ago and have been using it pretty regularly, especially recently. I've been cleaning it semi-often, replacing ink obviously, and taking running alcohol to the letters sometimes. However, I'm noticing some buildup appearing as smudges on some letters that have small crevasses (like a,h,y,e,v, etc) that I haven't been able to clean on the typewriter. What can I do to clean off the buildup?

Also generally, what can I do to maintain this? I know a lot of the paint is chipped and faded and 2 is hazy/worn, but oh well. I'm more talking mechanically

Good afternoon.

I have recently inherited a Royal KMM typewriter from my late grandmother. It has immense sentimental value for me, as my grandfather attempted to publish several books while he was alive and I recently published my first book.

As the only author in my family, I find it important to keep this artifact and take care of it.

After some research the model I have seems to be from either 1939 or 1940 and the type rest may contain asbestos. Frankly speaking, I do not like asbestos.

Asbestos and my lungs do not get along.

Is there any official documentation concerning this? The type rest does not seem to be cracked or broken so...it seems ok? I also look a lot like rubber and not felt like the photos I have seen of other KMM rests. How do I make sure this is as safe as possible?

Don‘t kill me but I messaged the seller saying I thought she had this priced way too low. It made me think something suspicious was going on… but maybe it was legit. If so, congrats to whoever bought it!

From all the pictures it seems to be in perfect condition. Its going for 291 USD (Im in Brazil, so be aware that everything is usually ultra expensive here)

Appreciate any insights!

The typewriter was shipped in practically like-new condition and was working flawlessly. It was very carefully packed. After just two days in transit, the Shift mechanism is now sticking. What could have caused this?

I recently acquired a Hermes Rocket and there is this string and wheel which I assume help move the carriage and is not attached to anything. The wheel spins freely. What should I do to fix this?

NOT A SALES POST

I have kept this type writer and used it for 15 years. It’s in perfect mechanical condition. I listed it for sale for 200cad since I don’t have the space anymore, but I worry if I am asking too much or too little? What’s your guys opinion?

Click click click for tax 😆

Hello everyone! I've got these nice metal spools and this dried out ribbon. I've been trying to find information on the most simple way to reapply ink to the ribbons and haven't found that.

I essentially just need to know the simplest way to apply the correct type of ink to these ribbons and which tools to use in the process. If anyone has any info let me know!

Thanks as always!

So as far as I have seen this has gone little noticed in this community. I was interested in buying silk ribbons but not happy about paying transport from ribbons unlimited. To my suprise I found a brand (Kores) selling silk ribbons in both black/red and black/black format on DIN spools. They can be got for £17.35 plus amazon shipping in the UK. I've emailed their customer support as their current catalogue says 'ask us for more details about our ribbons'. A catalogue from 2013 goes into more detail. The photos here show the product I was so amazed by and the 2013 catalogue listing. I will update with further details when they get back to me. If they manufacture them in the EU I will be further amazed.

EDIT: Kores was founded in 1887. It is still family owned. Their website states that they started manufacturing typewriter ribbons in 1912.

I got a Rem Blick for cheap and it needs a LOT of work, which I knew going in, but there are almost NO videos or resources. Richard Polt has the manual but it’s 4 pages and doesn’t have the info I need. I don’t even know how to unfold the spacebar. There are loose springs everywhere, I gotta replace the feed roller, I don’t even know how to get it out. I need someone who has one of these beauties to be my guiding light. HELP!

Hi! I just bought an IBM Wheelwriter (huge upgrade from my Coronet super 12).

It's working great, but it makes a loud "squeak" noise when I tab over. I am working on a project where I need to tab on the page often, so it is pretty annoying.

What kind of lubricant would you recommend, and where would I apply it?

I am new to typewriters, only using them for a specific hobby project. Apologies for my ignorance.

I don't get why my typewriter always types off the alignment in that specific line

Always in that line

Always normal in the other lines

What can possibly be the cause for this and how do i fix it? It's an Olympia Regina De Luxe

This was my aunt's typewriter back in the 70s. I don't really know anything about typewriters, so I decided to ask you guys more about it. What kind of ink ribbon and paper should I buy for it? Anyo extra info is also welcome. Thanks in advance!

It is an Erika Model 42, produced in East Germany and exported to Brazil. Its typing action is completely smooth. I have its box and manual, but unfortunately, time has taken its toll on the whole set.

Has anyone see this before or know any of the history? I assume this was to help kids learn to type. Listed on Mercari for $2000!