Tuesday, October 2, 2012

A Visitor, the Grand Old Machine and the Fashionably Late One: Olympia, Erika and Remington


My Erika that I have been waiting on for over two months arrived today. I was a bit surprised to discover a little secret about it...
That's right; she FOLDS! She won't advance for some reason though and I'm trying to figure out what the issue is.

 And now for some photos of the Remington and it's enormous ribbon spools:

The machine isn't particularly large (a little on the tall side) but this ribbon and the spools are positively enormous.

 Enjoy!

 -Anna.
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18 comments:

  1. Scott KOctober 2, 2012 at 10:32 PM

    Oh my! Now I have a sense of scale on that ribbon. Thanks!

    I also LOVE the look of that Olympia. Beautiful!

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    1. A.R.M.S.October 2, 2012 at 10:36 PM

      Thanks Scott! If you ever do a type-in with our friend in the north then you may eve get to see the Olympia in person!

      That ribbon is simply gargantuan, no?

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    2. Scott KOctober 3, 2012 at 1:01 AM

      I intend to at some stage. So, it's heading down here? Lovely!

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    3. A.R.M.S.October 3, 2012 at 2:20 AM

      Indeed it is! Another is added to the Aussie typer brigade!

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  2. teeritzOctober 3, 2012 at 12:58 AM

    I absolutely love the Olympias. My SM3 feels like it was made yesterday. Nice!

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    1. A.R.M.S.October 3, 2012 at 2:21 AM

      It is a really lovely machine. I will definitely have to pick one up at some point!

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  3. maschinengeschriebenOctober 3, 2012 at 5:04 AM

    A folding Erika! Nice find - how does it compare with the Corona 3/Standard Folding?

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    1. A.R.M.S.October 3, 2012 at 5:52 AM

      Thanks! It actually has these little tabs that raise to support the Platen that the Standard Folding doesn't have (haven't been able to handle a Corona 3 so I can't make that comparison, unfortunately). I've been playing with it the better part of the evening, trying to figure it out (Darling figured some of the functions out long before I did!). It's more complex, but the design is more intelligent, too. It's a little wider but not by much, and the shape is very similar. And it looks really great next to my Ollie 9 and Remie 7!

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  4. Karsten PedersenOctober 3, 2012 at 6:15 AM

    I'm very much interested in how the Erika performs. I have a newer one (60's or 70's I think). And the action and feel of it has really grown on me. I really really like it now. Although at first I swore that I had made a mistake buying it.

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    1. A.R.M.S.October 3, 2012 at 7:15 AM

      This little fellow is going to aid me in learning Russian, so my first uses of it are by no means going to be speedy. I have noticed the action is so much different from anything I have. It needs a little oil, but it has the potential to be a very fast little machine.

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  5. notagainOctober 3, 2012 at 6:51 AM

    Sweet! Is that a Congress typeface on the Oly? My Corona 3 sometimes gets stuck and I just lift the carriage about an inch and drop it back down to clear it. It may be one of those design differences you mention.

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    1. A.R.M.S.October 3, 2012 at 8:02 AM

      Indeed it is Congress on the Oly! You know, my husband played with the Erika for about five minutes and figured whatever it was out that was keeping it from advancing. Then he showed me and I completely forgot what he did. You think Corona 3 ribbon will fit it, perchance?

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  6. CameronOctober 3, 2012 at 2:17 PM

    Lovely Oly! (I predict one will be in YOUR future.)

    My SM3 is gray and the finish is chipped, but it's a nice typer, with regular elite typeface. The one you're "typesitting" has a wonderful typeface!

    Is "Congress" another term for "Imperial", or is that another typeface altogether?

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    1. A.R.M.S.October 3, 2012 at 7:41 PM

      Haha, I'm sure one will be in my future!

      Aww yours has character marks! I was surprised when this one arrived; it is one of the most flawless machines I've ever seen. And the typeface is really lovely!

      I'm not really sure if they are the same or different; I'm really new to typeface-ology (hee hee)! Hopefully someone else will jump on who can answer that.

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  7. L CaseyOctober 3, 2012 at 4:33 PM

    A beautiful Olympia! Those SM3's are great machines, and I am so glad that you got to try one out. Of course, it has to be great...it IS Olympia!
    The Erika is great, and I remember seeing it on eBay a while back. I was so very interested until I saw that it had a Russian keyboard. It would just mock me with my inability to use it had I went after it, so I passed. I am glad you got it, that it arrived reasonably safely, and that you will actually have some use for it. It is too neat of a machine to just let sit around. Good luck with the Russian.

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    1. A.R.M.S.October 3, 2012 at 7:46 PM

      I think I'm going to start looking for an SM3 now. I was wondering what all the buzz was about in regards to the Olympias--now I know!

      Russian is admittedly difficult and vexing, especially when you're trying to learn other languages at the same time. I think I'll just focus on the Russian for a while. It is a really darling little machine and to not use it would be a great disservice. Thanks for the well-wishes; I need all the help I can get with the Russian!

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  8. MarkOctober 3, 2012 at 9:01 PM

    Hmmm, wait until you see my Erika... (yours is super cool. Hint, mine isn't a folding Erika)

    Russian is really tough. The grammar is pretty difficult. Give it your full attention and I think you will be fine. When I took it I was very focused on engineering and didn't give it the attention it needed.

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    1. A.R.M.S.October 3, 2012 at 9:05 PM

      You just keep building the anticipation of this machine. The suspense is making me twitch!

      I have a lot of time on my hands, so I think I will be able to give Russian my full attention, but it might be best if I really hit it hard after NaNo. NaNo is going to eat my face for the month of November, to be sure.

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