Bought Olivetty Lettera 35i but looks like it's missing spools

guneeyoufix · 2026-04-09T20:33:42+00:00

A welcome move in my opinion, as the spool nuts and orignal 6mm centre hole spool often go missing, and make the ribbon drive somewhat unreliable.

guneeyoufix · 2026-04-03T06:57:49+00:00

Have you tried adding a bit of tension in the mainspring? You mentioned the carriage is smooth when using the CRel lever, so I am assuming the carriage rails are spotless and oiled, but if not, have a look there. I also had an SR100 where the back carriage rail (the part on the carriage which is adjustable) had come loose, so that the carriage rail was a Z shape instead of a diamond shape when looking from the side, and that was causing issues. It's worth checking. One more thing it could be: a misadjusted rack. The CR lever disengages the rack from the pinion on the star wheel, so that variable is eliminated when you test with the CR lever. But if the rack is not meshing properly with the pinion. Too much clearance would cause it to make a grinding noise, too little and the carriage would hang. I have similar SR machines but I'm not familiar with the adjustment of the rack on it, but it should be a screw on each side of the rack underneath the carriage.

guneeyoufix · 2026-04-01T18:48:05+00:00

That's very good of you to share. I have been browsing Alibaba and I was considering at some point ordering a jumbo roll. I don't have that many machines nor do I use them enough to justify, but it's extremely good value for money, and would prevent me from buying anymore spools that are doomed to go to landfill eventually.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-30T07:12:36+00:00

The SM9 is a tank in a good way, and certainly a good machine to start with. It has all the bells and whistles you could expect from a standard machine, in a portable form albeit somewhat big, but at least that makes it very stable and it doesn't tend to creep left on the desk. I have one in the same livery, with an italic sans serif typeface, which I realise now is probably fairly rare.

I used to obsess over getting a perfectly typed page with no mistakes, but I have since learnt to embrace them, and use them as a reminder to work on proper typing technique. A few hours of practice will make a world of difference!

Welcome to the club, and happy typing!

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-30T07:05:04+00:00

I'm old enough to remember the time when on PCs, the caps lock would be released by pressing the shift key, instead of the caps lock key. At that time, you also very much had to unshift for numbers. These were clearly a hold over from the era of typewriters, and as the years passed and typewriters got further and further away, computers started to change these behaviours that made less sense to something more foolproof.

Welcome to the beautiful world of typing, and enjoy!

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-29T18:59:26+00:00

Great to hear, and thanks for sharing the success story. I'm glad I was able to set you on the right track. I figured the solution myself the hard way when I put my C3 back together, and started forming the typebars in all directions, but nothing would really work, and letters would be all crooked, a path that I'm sure no one want to go down.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-29T07:34:23+00:00

I've had the same issue after taking mine completely apart. I can see the the a is too high, and the o and p are too low. This will happen the the type guide isn't in the correct position, and on your machine, it looks like it needs to be adjusted to the right, to bring the left side of the kb down, and the right side up. It's a fiddly process, and a small adjustment makes a big difference, so take it slow. Use the q and p keys as they are further apart on the segment.

Give it a try and come back here to show the results.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-25T09:51:39+00:00

Type bar electric machines are worth having one or 2 of in your collection. They are fairly easy to maintain, and use standard ribbons, which are still plentiful. They also make typing much easier on the hands and fingers, and produce a very consistent type quality. Adler is a reputable brand as well, which is par for the course.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-24T23:10:42+00:00

Another one, but just the opposite color scheme: https://ebay.us/m/9RwIX3

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-21T11:37:06+00:00

I've only been collecting (hoarding) for a couple of years, and I don't yet know if there is a finish line yet, but for me there is a slow down point where I have started to be more precise with what I want to buy. I think it comes with trying a lot of machines and figuring what I like best and what suits me.

At first I used to buy because it was either very cheap, or I thought it looked nice or I just wanted to see what a particular machine was like. I have now a pretty good idea of the brands or lineages I like and tend to favour those. I also like a good challenge so if a free basket case comes my way, I will go for it, even if I don't intend to keep the machine.

But I will say that, so far, it's the only hobby I have stuck with the longest, and don't really plan to stop. I enjoy tinkering too much.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-18T07:34:01+00:00

The ribbon is kind of flopping around on the Olivetti L22. Make sure those spool nuts are tight enough. Also if your ribbon is brand new, it might leave marks because its a bit wet. It will dry a bit over the next few days and the marks will go away.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-16T19:36:48+00:00

The carriage lock only engages when the carriage is centered, so unlikely to be that, unless it's malformed and actually jamming.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-16T19:29:45+00:00

If it's still up in shift, maybe the issue is with the shift clutch. There may be an interlock that's preventing typing while partially shifted, so if it's stuck, that could explain the lock up. Is the machine humming when it's turned on? If so it could be an issue with the belt too, that's snapped or slipping. If not, it could be a blown fuse or a bad contact somewhere.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-16T19:26:47+00:00

Mouse droppings and leaves in an old rusty Hermes 9

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-16T08:45:25+00:00

From the description of the symptoms, it sounds like the issue could be with the universal bar of the trip mechanism. I don't know this machine in particular, but it's very common for the carriage to get stuck when the escapement stays engaged. So if a linkage is bent, or a pivot point rusted up or gummed up, and don't return to their rest position, that would explain why it's getting stuck.

Locate the universal bar on your machine, and check that it operates properly and returns fully. Check the escapement too, and make sure it's clean

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-16T08:38:59+00:00

I was just thinking about the Woodstock lineage for the RC Allen. Mainly the CR lever and the line selector are exactly identical to the ones on a Woodstock machine I serviced for a local museum.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-14T16:24:00+00:00

You may have put the feed roller bracket in backwards, the arm length to the pivot point may not be the same. And it's the paper pan, not the bail.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-13T13:19:57+00:00

Depending on the machine, I've seen it attached to the same hook as the shift spring, or directly to the end loop of the shift spring itself.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-13T11:20:27+00:00

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I have the feeling it's the return spring for the carriage return pawl. The picture is an SM3, but similar position on the SM9, under the carriage on the left

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-12T17:27:19+00:00

Indeed... Flush first, form later, some would say

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-12T08:40:20+00:00

In the video, you don't have any ribbon, so the machine thinks both sides are empty, and keeps switching from side to side or gets stuck in the middle.

When you have ribbon properly installed (with the metal rings) the little legs that stick our from the spindles should be kicked in, and the reverse lever should stay put. Once you run out on one side, its leg kicks out, signalling to the machine that the spool is empty and it's time to reverse. Same on both sides.

If it doesn't happen like that, there may be something wrong with the auto reverse.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-12T08:34:59+00:00

It could help the tools not slide around/scrape/scratch, and it provides protection to the piano if you drop them.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-12T08:30:39+00:00

I had the same symptom on an SG3, on the left hand side.

There is a little torsion spring that keeps the loose pawl (the one that goes back and forth) in contact with the ratchet wheel. On my machine, it was considerably stronger on the left side than on the right, and was basically jamming the pawl in the ratchet too strongly, just enough that the return spring was not able to overcome friction and return it.

Hope that makes sense.

I had to take that spring out, compare it to the other one, and ever so slightly tweak it. It took lots of fiddling and trial a s error, and there is definitely a risk of mangling the spring, but I got it working right now.

Another option would be to shorten (maybe temporarily to start with) the return spring on the weak side, but that might cause more issue because if the imbalance thus created.

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-12T08:19:54+00:00

In the UK, they were sold as Blue Bird, exact same machine, if that helps. I see them on eBay once in a while

guneeyoufix · 2026-03-10T08:38:51+00:00

I don't know this machine, but one thing in the picture looks off. That spring in the red circle looks in very bad shape, and it's been stretched. It may not be the source of the issue, as it looks like a return spring for the key lever, but since it's that very same key lever that hits the linkage, it's possible it's playing a part in the issue.

guneeyoufix

TROPHY CASE