It is amazing what you can find Pottering around the Charity Shops,and it is amazing what you can carry on a Bike.I was in the City at the Weekend last and Absentmindedly Popped into the Gorta Shop ,which means Hurt it is the Irish Anti Famine Charity.I spotted this Beauty an Old Mechanical Typewriter from the 1970ties , after some thought and Walking out of the Shop and back in after a few Minutes I bought it after Testing out the Keys.
Two Numbers Keys were a bit sticky and slow to come back up but every other Key was Grand. So I bought it for the Grand Price of € 20 which in GB Pounds would be I suppose about £ 15 so it was for practically nothing. As it was for Charity even if it did not Work properly it was in a good cause.
When I got Home ,I tested it further and the more I typed the more Free the Keys became. So I cleaned it up the best I could, I gave it a Dusting and would not Touch it with Oil of any kind.
I took a few Photo's and went to an Old Typewriter Shop and showed them the Pictures and was able to get Spools with Ribbons. I tried it out in the Machine and had Trouble getting it to Work. The next Day I tried again and after Poking around with it a bit and finding out the Problem was the Attachment under the Spindle needed to be Bent up a Smidgin it eventually started Working Brilliantly. I Weighted it and it was 2 Stone 8 LBS which is 36 Pounds, I had no trouble carrying it Home on the Bikes front Rack. It seems to be a Great Bike for carrying Loads on the front,the Weight seems to be better balanced. I did not need to Change down the Gears from 5 to 2 when going up Hill Home.
So I am delighted with my Organic Typewriter it is totally Mechanical and Pollution Free. I Love anything like this,I get the same Type of Joy I get from Mechanical Watches and Clocks and Steam Engines. It is a German Made Olympia S G 3 Desk Top Typewriter and it is very Quirky , I hope it makes me improve my Spelling as there is no Correction Device on it like Electric Typewriters.
8 comments:
That makes me a bit nostalgic for the feel of "real" keys under my fingertips, and the sound, too. It's a great looking typewriter - hard to believe it's not electric. Too bad you can't do your blog on it, but maybe it will inspire you to write short stories!
Thanks Lynn.I had the same Idea in mind, Writing Stories. My Eyes sometimes gets Blurry looking at this Computer and so this is more Relaxing on the Eyes.
However it is a big Beast of a thing and needs Room for the Carraige going back and Forth so no Room on the Computer Desk. This was all done on a Whim,where most of my Ideas come from.I dont ever seem to Plan anything it is all Spontaneous. It will certainly Teach me to be more carefull how I spell and get it right first time.
Next Project try and get a small Portable Mechanical Typewriter for my Travels. I think they are Great.
Ooh, that brings back memories. I used to have something like that. We had one of those, then we had electric and then wordpressors etc. I went to secretarial school and all I remember are typewriters and that horrible spool things! I hope you got that erasing tape in it. It always runs out when you least expect it!
I did some Typing with it and I am still finding out about it. I dont have Erasing Tape .
I probably will have to get it Checked up ,because sometimes the Ribbon comes out .
But it is Typing allright it is in Synch and everything is working on it. I even wrote a Story with it,which I keep adding to as I go along. It is good practice for me.
I have been told by that Typewriter Shop when I showed them the Pictures of it that it is around 1970 it was made, so it makes it 39 Years Old.Thanks Urbancyclist.
Great find! Olympia made some great typewriters in the 70s (I have a small portable Olympia from that era--it's so compact that the action is very 'tight' and hard on the fingertips. I actually have a small collection of mechanicals. My favorites include a very nice ROYAL from the 30s or 40s and an interesting SMITH CORONA that one of the previous owners had switched out the stamps so that it types in cursive. I love to watch the mechanisms move when I work them!
Hello Jolly Crank. I swotted up on Typewriters on the Net, http//mrtypewriter.com and httpwww//explainthatstuff/typewriter.com and a few others.
Mr Typewriter seems to be very good for Parts and he is in the States as well. He sells Old Reconditioned Typewriters and a lot of them seems to be Portables.Thanks.
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