Postscript: I'm not sure if frequency of typewriter usage or this Olympia is responsible for fewer typos today, but it seems the more I use manual typewriters, the less I have to rely on spellcheck on the computer. Seems Ryan Adney is spot on with his theory that typing on a manual typewriter improves spelling and grammar by heaps (I don't remember the exact number, but I do remember it was heaps!). Apologies for all the dirty machines; I've been cleaning them off and on all day...after photos, of course. Save for the KMM and QDL. They had already been cleaned.
Those are beautiful typewriters. Congratulations! It seems we all have one problem in common: We cannot just have one or even two, the collection seems to grow exponentially. I have the 'get machines faster than they can be cleaned' syndrome also.
ReplyDelete(400th comment! Whoo!) Thank you, Bill! I'm telling you, they're like potato chips. Not only can you not have just one, but you end up with handfuls at a time, haha. That GMFTTCBC Syndrome is bad news. I'll hide from them and peek round the corner to see if the unwashed horde is staring angrily...and then one day I'll decide enough is enough and clean a good majority of them. I always end up regretting those marathon cleanings because I end up with sore muscles from moving machines around. At least it's good exercise!
DeleteBeautiful machines! The Oliver 6 (with wide carriage) is a rarity here in the states, and a fantastic find. That Olympia...my god, is it beautiful. I am so glad you finally have one of your own. And in the two tone cream-burgandy! That is gorgeous. I have been looking at that color scheme of Olympias recently, but wish more of them were SM4's. I already have an SM3, and would like to complete the lineup before I start buying repeats, you know?
ReplyDeleteGreat finds, Anna. Your collection is growing at a great pace and I cannot wait to see what else you come across!
Thank you, Ken! I still have typers coming in this week, and some I'll be picking up in a little over a week. Then I really do need to slow down, if we're going to have any money for Christmas.
DeleteThe Oliver was a really lucky find. It was a relist from an ebayer called Platen after the bidder backed out the first time, and I got it for $49.99 plus shipping. It arrived promptly and packed exceedingly well and I still just can't get over the sheer size of this monster. The keyboard is set up differently, the branding is different, and the proportion is very good for a machine with such a wide platen...but that makes it HUGE! Should prove to be a fun project. Has some odd levers on it that I'm not certain what the purposes are as well.
I'm absolutely adoring that Olympia! The color reminds me of a classic car or motorcycle, and I LOVE those chocolate keys. I understand about the repeats; so far, I don't have any two typers that are exactly alike, which I'm pretty happy about. The downside to that is that i have no parts machines for just in case, either.
Thank you very much! I have some interesting finds coming in soon, and who knows what I'll stumble upon in the wild. I want to build a fort out of all these typer cases with the Ollies as turrets though, haha! If I do it, there will be photos.
*SQUEALLLLL*
ReplyDeleteThey're alll so gorgeous! I'm so so glad that the Olympia turned out fantastic, she's a real beauty :D
AHHHH Me too! Thank you for doing the trade with me! XD You'll LOVE yours when she reaches you!
DeleteAnd thank you! They'll be even prettier clean, hahaha!
I like the two-tone Olympia and I don't have a QDL like that, mine are all from the early 50's.
ReplyDeleteLove the external bell on the big Royal too.
Thank you! All three of them work beautifully, too. I should do a typecast with the 10 next, and the KMM shortly after (it's bell has a housing in the back).
DeleteI was watching an early 50's QDL not long ago, and the power went down just long enough for me to miss the auction. I really like the one I have; those keys I find especially charming.
The two-tone Olympia is quickly becoming a favorite!
Very nice machines and photos! I prefer indirect natural light when shooting my typewriters. Outside is good, too! The SM3 has a nice color combination. A toothbrush and light detergent do wonders on wrinkle finish. Ryan has a tutorial somewhere on his blog.
ReplyDeleteI have a Grey Magic QDL like yours that needs cleaned and a right margin issue tended to. It does the all caps bulletin and belonged to a professor at one point in time.
Ryan is my correspondence partner. Spellcheck and computer keyboards have ruined me.
Thanks Dwayne! I too prefer natural and outdoor lighting while photographing the machines but it isn't always feasible for me, unfortunately. And you would not believe the number I threw away because they came out blurry or otherwise not good enough, haha. I posted some blurry ones as they were all I had left after the cull. Some shots just didn't come out right at all.
DeleteI'll have to go search Ryans's blog for that tutorial. I just purchased some gun cleaning brushes to see what I thought about using them on typers. I have some old, original typewriter brushes, but I don't want to ruin them.
I was lucky in that my QDL really didn't require that much maintenance. I cleaned it, but not deeply like some machines. It just wasn't gunky. It looks like someone really cared for it. Very cool that yours does the all caps bulletin and belonged to a professor! I always appreciate the machines with stories.
Everytime I look at the keys on my SM2, I begin thinking how much they look like chocolate. Great machines you have there, Ms Stradivarius. Now I'm giving some serious thought to a late '40s QDL. Damn. I'm gonna have to thin the herd before I get any more machines.
ReplyDeleteAnd isn't it pleasant to type in the sunshine?
Don't those keys look like chocolates though? I think they're just darling. Thank you very much for the compliment! I highly recommend a late 40's QDL; they're styling just can't be beat and they're built like little tanks. I really need to find a case for mine, though. What would you be considering culling in order to add one?
DeleteIt's very pleasant to type in the sunshine! It's nice to get out in the fresh air, under the blue skies and just enjoy the outdoors for a change, instead of being cooped up. Until what little rain and cold weather we do get hits, it's going to become a regular--if not daily--practice.
I have a Hermes 3000 that I just had serviced, but it still skips sometimes if I used the letter 'a'. No rhyme or reason to it. My typewriter repairer has had another look at it, but can't seem to get it working as it should. It's in great cosmetic condition, and it types very nicely (regardless), but with two Olympia SMs and a Remington Quiet-Riter, I think my 1950s typewriter category is pretty full. And that's not counting my circa '58 Groma Kolibri.
DeleteAnd there's a recently purchased Royal Royalite that will have to go. My Lettera 32 and Splendid 99 have the ultra-light portables angle covered.
Besides, as you'd know, these things do take up a bit of space.
That is quite a collection of 50's typers in your stable! I have three small portables I'm not using for various reasons and my own Royalite is one of them. Shift sticks and is a bear to disengage. But it and the other two (Both Coronas, a Skywriter and a Zephyr) take up about as much room as a regular desktop machine, so they'll be projects for rainy days.
DeleteOh yes, the do take up a lot of space indeed. I wasn't planning on having so many wide-carriage desktops, but it just sort of happened. They're almost one and a half of a regular-sized machine! I'm still struggling to find places to put them all, but I did just invest in some shelving, so that will be solved in part.
Thank you for this very Southern California post -- pool & sunshine!
ReplyDeleteYou are awash in a veritable sea of ROYALS, it seems. Many people complain about this brand, skipping merrily along at times, and I admit they do drive me crazy now and again. But the action can't be beat, in my opinion. My Royal 10 has the best action in my collection!
The SM-3 is gorgeous, indeed. Puts my chipped gray one to shame.
And can you believe we were expecting rain? Haha, year right. I wrote part of your ICI correspondence while I was out there, too!
DeleteYou know, despite their issues, I have a soft spot for Royals. My very first typer was a Royal (still need to get her up and running) and since, I have collected another five. They're tied with Olivers, number-wise. Three of those Ollies are nines...and still, they're all different! We do have one Aristocrat that skips, but it seems to behave if you know it's secret typing technique. The 5 is non-functional, but I believe it's fixable. The other Aristocrat needs a ribbon cover, and the Royalite needs something done about that shift, so most are projects in their own rights. The KMM, 10 and QDL work flawlessly however, and it almost makes up for their siblings' fixable faults.
Awwww, I'm sure your gray one is beautiful! Thank you for the compliment, though; Nat has a great eye!
The rate of collection has been increasing on the East Coast as well. I'm getting so many black depression era machines without even looking for them, I'm thinking I need to start looking to the 60s and 70s for some color. (This is how we become collectors, it seems...)
ReplyDeleteYou have a swimming pool, too?
What was that you said about needing some help polishing typewriters?
Haha, I have a recurring color scheme in my collection: black, green and gray. The Olympia is a nice and much needed splash of color! One of the Aristocrats is blue and creme, and the Adler is white. I think I need something in muscle-car purple. The bare aluminum of the Standard Folding stands out, to be sure!
DeleteNot only do we have a pool, but there's also a Jacuzzi. And free cable. And I totally under utilize all of this.
Are you considering your arm twisted yet? ;-)
I do have to say, though, that I appreciate the black of the depression-era machines. That oil-based lacquer never says die. So what have you been amassing recently?
DeleteLet's see. Smith Corona Standard, Royal Companion, Corona #3 (folding), the big Royal KHM, Underwood Leader, Remington Junior. Nothing to complain about, for sure! And you're right, other than the Royal Companion and the Underwood, these machines have black lacquer finishes that will never quit.
ReplyDeleteDon't twist my arm too hard; I'll need it if I'm going to keep polishing. It is getting awfully cold in New England right now. You're OK with me staying through April, right?
That's a lineup that looks dignified in black to be sure! I love the black lacquer; if it's been cared for right though the years, it can be a hundred and twenty and still shine like justice.
ReplyDeleteHaha, as long as you don't mind being in a house that keeps reptiles, feel free! I spent three hours cleaning an Oliver yesterday. I could definitely use some help! :-P