I just purchased an Olivetti Underwood Lettera 31. Under the hood there is no tension thing. Is this normal? It is a clean little machine. Is it the same as a 32?
Hey man, I stole an olivetti valentine from a film set cuz the producer is a bitch and was not paying my fees. I spent 5K INR to get it fixed and now I am trying to get a hang of it. I hope I write my first feature on this. Cool content. See u around
Beautiful, and bravo, absolutely, just say it how YOU want, you are the composer of this galactic symphony of words at war within you. As strange as it sounds, to tell yourself to F Off or Shut Up. Queen said it best right out of the gate, "I want to Break Free". Well said and we'll put Damon, thank you❤!
I found a royal 970 at a thrift store for 20 bucks it needs a little bit of a tune up but its lovely to type on and very fast, though it does weigh like 40 ish pounds and pushing the return key sends the giant heavy carriage back home with enough force to shake the table its sat on It has been named Skađi after a Norse Jotunn/goddess cuz its really big but elegant
Congrats on your find @wanderbolt 9498. I love the big Royals and love, too, the name you've given yours. Wishing you many happy and productive typing sessions.
I have an Olympic electric typewriter that is need or one repair but I don't know the name of the part I need. One of the wires that attaches to a letter key broke. What is the name of that wire and do you have a good place to buy a replacement? thank you!
Hi @ktgaming8713. I don't handle electric typewriters. I only do manuals. However, I'd call Jay or Paul at Gramercy Typewriter here in NYC and ask them to share their expertise. If any vendor can help you, those two can. gramercytypewriter.com/ Hope this helps.
Very nice to hear this out loud. I always suspected this to be true, but its nice to get confirmation. I always tend to overdescribe things in my writing, so this will help
Great to hear from you @Tennisfan4200. I think you'll find that giving readers less will serve both them and you in the long run. Of course, the truth is that prose can be anything, stylistically speaking ... but play with the less-is-more notion and let me know how it works for you. Wishing you all my best.
Oh my god! Came from the other video at your mention and this is incredible! I didn’t even realize what I found I made! I in fact do also have the holiday carrying case! That made me laugh
I bought my first typewriter yesterday (A Smith Corona silent-super, the duplicate invoice it came with says order date is 8/13/59) I purchased it for 60 without even really checking if it was a deal because it felt so right to me, I swear, I looked it over, everything looked perfect and she’s working like a dream, I’m so very happy! Thank you for your video! Very helpful in double checking and solidifying my choice 😊😊
Sounds like you got a fine deal, @alexusrotunno1973. Congratulations! Also, with hopes that it’s helpful, please check out the typewriter profile video I did on the Silent-Super. One of my favorite machines and with good reason. It’s excellent! Cheers!
It’s a great question, @vermontmike9800. All I can say was that, in my case, the answer was yes. The feed rollers had developed flat spots. Changing the platen without changing the feed rollers would have been pointless. The paper would have continued to misfeed when rolling in.
From memory, Battlefield Earth 3000 had me completely bewildered for the first 50 pages until everything fell into place. It been over 30 years since I read it.
Could be, I don't recall reading that one. I think these days I wouldn't wait 50 pages, @anonanon7278. More like five sentences. Publishing standards seem to have shifted, as have attention spans.
I’ve been reading Jon Fosse lately, and this video expressed in precise words what I have been feeling about his writing. Makes me appreciate the craft of good writing even more :)))
I'm so glad to hear it, @jonasomland2336. And I agree: the craft of writing is there to be appreciated, just as any well-wrought craft should be (in my book). Thanks for watching and commenting!
Just picked up one of these for $20 locally. It's pretty dirty, the rubber components are cracked, and the drawband is broken. It all looks fixable, though, so I'm eager to get it working again and looking beautiful.
I play the piano and there is a very similar thing when playing music where thinking gets in the way of the flow and fluidity of the execution of the music. I stumbled on that some years back when I realized when I stopped the internal commentary of my thoughts while playing, the music would flow much better.
Perfectly stated, @ackamack101. Internal commentary and flow are often contradictory to one another. Appreciate you sharing this. And wishing you my best.
This is great! I just got a 1945 Royal KMM that I’ve got working again (still needs more cleaning), but the platen is hard and it’s SO loud. I’m probably not brave enough to try this, but it’s good to know there are DIY options.
Hey I have an Olivetti underwood and when I set the margins with the tabs on the carriage the left goes and when I go to set the right it drags until they are right next to each other. HELP!!!
Hi @OhHowTheTurntablesHaveTurned. I'm not quite sure what the issue is based on what you're describing. Try watching this video, please, it may help: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GBu-moPzQ9s.html If it doesn't, please report back and we'll see what we can do operating over the board here. Thanks for watching and wishing you luck.
Hello thanks for this video. This is my first time using a typewriter: when I type, the ribbons do not seem to turn while typing… so the ink on the page is quite faint. Do you have any advice on how to fix this please? Have a nice day
Hi @manonbaelen1554. This is a fairly common problem on machines that have fallen into disrepair. Or it might be that (I assume) you’re using one of the Olivettis mentioned in this video. Consider: Without conducting an examination of the specific machine in question, I could speculate that the linkage between your escapement and the gears that turn the ribbon spools has disconnected or otherwise been impeded. Or: If you’re using one of the Olivettis mentioned in this video, make sure that you’re using a Group 4 rather than a universally spooled ribbon. Olivetti typewriters were built to work with Group 4 spools. Therefore if you’re using a universal spool, the ribbon likely won’t advance since the ribbon spools don’t fit the machine’s sprockets snugly enough. I hope this helps. Does it? Please let me know. Thanks for watching and checking in.
Hi @RavesForDays. Thanks to the Right Reverend Ted Munk, we have this resource to draw from for Hermes typescript comparisons: munk.org/typecast/2011/04/24/1964-nomda-blue-book-hermes-font-styles/ According to the above information, my Hermes uses a common Hermes Pica typescript. For fun, I ran a type sample through myfonts.com. Unfortunately, it returned 55 possible fonts, several of which didn't (to my eye) look anything like the output of my Hermes. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching and getting in touch!
Hi @vitzbig. In my experience, yes. I have a 1952 Lettera 22 made in Ivrea, Italy. Its touch is a bit mushier (though not unpleasantly so) than the distinctive snap of my Spanish-made Lettera 32 from the mid-1960s. I like them both in their own right, just to be clear.
@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco i used to have a 22 and one thing i didn't like was the fact you couldn't push the keys all the way down because it could jump a space. This snap you talk about, does it mean its a bit stiffer and that you can push it all the way down? I really like ramming the keys down hehe. Btw, thanks for the response!
@@vitzbigMy 32 has a distinctive snap to the action of the keys. My Studio 44 sort of regresses to the aforementioned “mushy” key action of the 22, though I’m fairly certain that was a byproduct of the merger with Underwood and the overall size of the machine. The best way to check this @vitzblg is to get your hands on a 32 and see for yourself!
If it's still working @demonprincess5634, I say: ALL HAIL THE ROYAL PLATEN MAKERS. And keep typing happily, of course... With my best to you for watching and commenting.
Here's a challenge... How do you reassemble the carriage on an Olivetti Lettera Dora or 31? The little ball bearings sit in a cage that appears impossible to mount, even for an octopus. I've searched everywhere and tried everything from cutting up straws that hold them in place to powerful magnets. How did they ever manufacture the carriage in the first place?
Wish I could help you with this @DavidIngrassia, but the honest answer is that I’ve never disassembled or reassembled a Lettera Dora or 31. And of course I don’t want to steer you wrong. Have you tried calling one of the veteran typewriter repair shops? My interior me tells me they will have performed this operation before, many times, and might quickly describe the process over the phone. Please let me know how you fare if you do. And wishing you best of luck.
I use hoppe's 9 gun oil it's thin and works good with my underwood no. 6-12 although it is a heavier desktop unit so may not work for your portable units
Hi @jhondoe3213. I've heard about using gun oil on typewriters and it always seems right to me. Fact is, the early typewriter manufacturers (Remington, LC Smith, etc.) were also gun manufacturers. Typewriters have similar machined tolerances so it stands to reason the lubricants would crossover. I'll give Hoppe's 9 a try, with thanks for your recommendation.
Hi @Vermontmike9800. I want to be careful here because I can’t honestly say I’ve tried each and every Hermes implied by your question. However, the models I have tried include both the round top and squared off 1960s Hermes 3000, and no, I found no operational differences. To my mind, the shift to the squared off chassis was cosmetic, and perhaps intended to resonate more fully with design concepts of the moment. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I tried the 30 day challenge and didn't stop. I'm finding that I'm finally relaxing into the process of writing on my typewriter which doesn't interrupt my flow with squiggly lines or word suggestions. Thank you for your encouragement and guidance!
You’re very welcome! (And I know what you mean about squiggly lines and word suggestions. I find it intrusive, don’t you?) Thanks for watching and commenting!
I've been at writing for most of my life, especially the last 15 years, and I've just really come into my voice lately. The biggest problem is finishing a book series, that fans love, that does not fully use my full voice.
Hi @DavidAlistairHayden. I’m curious to know more about this. Is there something about your full voice that you feel is somehow not connecting with readers? Or do you sense that they’re not connecting somehow? My initial thought is that a happy medium can and must exist between the two, and also that you can find it. I appreciate you raising this issue here.
@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco Readers are connecting well with the voice that's in my series. But my voice has developed more in recent years, in a way that doesn't quite match the style of prose I've used. There's a balance there. And I feel I can only push it so far while staying within the series. Some of the short pieces I've written recently have more of a conversational style (more of how I talk and how I grew up talking in Lowe Alabama).
@@DavidAlastairHayden Got it. If it helps any, I think we're supposed to grow as writers and artists. This is a healthy trajectory. In one of the videos I did here, Jack Nicholson talks about how artists can and should embrace their "work of a certain vintage." He defends that work as having been a watermark for where the author was at that moment. It's a snapshot of development, an era like Picasso's Blue Period. Some love it, some hate it but it had to be done so the artist could become more complete down the road. Personally, I'm just happy to hear you're still writing. Congrats on that.
I was a typewriter technician in the early 80s for Electronic typewriter but was trained on mechanical/electric ones too, I really like when videos like this pop up in my RU-vid, it takes me back to very happy time, .. thank you
@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco we have a little game in our house, whenever a typewriter is in a TV show or movie I get asked what it is, I'll say say SG3 or IBM selectric or imperial 66 ....
The Silent-Super that I bought and checking the serial number shows in a google search the 1 button missing and also the ! missing as well. Here's my question, what GSM backing paper do you use, or are you using two sheets of plain printing paper? I watched a video about typing paper and he said, to use 85 to 100 GSM paper to type on and the backing paper should be thin to protect the roller.
The lack of a 1 key and the ! hints to me that you have an older Silent Super. I believe in other messages you said that your model is year 1954, which would fit. I also believe it was the 5T series that began using a full keyboard in either 1956 or 1957. As far as the backing paper is concerned, I don’t have time to geek out on that stuff. I just use plain paper that has already been used many times. For instance, I’ll use a power bill for a backing sheet. I’ll use a paper on which I’ve penciled notes. I’ll use old typescript pages that I no longer need to generate copy. And so on. My interest is not to be a purist but to get to work as quickly as possible.
Hello! I have a 1953 Smith-Corona Silent-Super, I just bought have not touched a typewriter since High School. Does it have a button or lever to release the cover to get to the ribbon, or do you just pull up on the cover like you did in this video?
Hi @ravenshadowz2343. Check out this video I made detailing the Smith-Corona Silent-Super. It should answer all your questions (I hope): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fRmXCAH5TEU.html Quick answer: no button required on a functioning Smith-Corona Silent-Super. Just pop the hood and you'll see the ribbon spools there. Please let me know if this helps and I'm wishing you luck.
What is there to say, but maybe this, Ian, if you walk down that street, and you see no one, there's a story there too. Yes, there are far more stories than there will ever be weiters to write them all, even the vaukt of ideas I have, I'll never write them all, so I pick and choose, I usually stick with the ones that just seem to stick around. My ideas come to me by 1 of 2 ways, either from curiosity in what woukd happen if I stick people in a certain kind of situation or almost like the story is a floating Ghost and it floats right through me and I get the beginning middle and end all at once no questions asked and I love it when that 2 way happens, although it does, I just wish it was like that all the time, but I think theres something to be said about curiosity discovery stories, more creative work is involved thab the channeling method, but as cool as that is, it wont always put bread on the table if you know what I mean....its not a reliable way to create a story. I had a 14 year dry spell, not like a block, it wasn't that I didn't know what to weite I did, I had stories, I just didn't want to write, had no energy or desire to do so. But then I started up again just in 2023 in fact and I think the dry spell had helped, so maybe your creative mind and spirit just needed a break. Perhaps there are different kinds of dry spells why not their are different kinds of people. Sorry Damon Im late, I too have been finishing up a book, I'm on the back end of the Andes as I like to put it when 85k words has arrived. Trying to close it up within 15k....aiming for 94k the sweet spot. Guess it depends on what you're writing and for what I am working on I really don't think the powers to be like it going over 100k in fact uts probably not supposed to even go over 95k lol so 94k the only sweet spot lol. Hope this finds everyone well, and just keep going something has gotta give baby, and that will restart the fires of passion to fuel the creative mind, and bring forth the multi roads of dreams and story!
Two observations: Genre and length expectations are set by the publishing community. Yes, these expectations can be broken ... any convention can be broken (I had this conversation just recently with a prospective client) ... but we'd better know why we're breaking them first plus the risks incurred by doing so if we hope to meet market demands. I'm all for breaking conventions-that's a hallmark of inimitable work. But the execution must be damn good-better than damn good-to warrant any departure. Point Two: Stephen King once likened finding stories to walking on a beach and seeing some peculiar object sticking up from the sand. To paraphrase, he said his job as a storyteller, the reason he gets paid, is to sink to his knees beside this artifact and dig it out ... no matter what shape it eventually takes, no matter its eventual size or level of complexity. If that tiny chunk of something sticking up from the sand catches our attention sufficient to beckon us over ... well, we must dig and dig and dig while the waves keep rolling, the clouds scuttle by, and the rest of the world just waddles along. Being a writer is all about living in writer's time. This in itself sometimes feels like a Herculean feat. Your comment reminded me of these points, @dadtype2339. I wish you a fine journey on the back end of the Andes.
@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco Thank, you Damon, I'm sorry for the late response, I've been lost on a very dark and painful island. My condition worsened and I have degraded into Stage 4 of my disease Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, and in a sick way I feel vindicated by the fact that in stage 4, the condition begins to show itself, people can now finally see where I've been hurting, and it looks awful, but having gone nearly 10 years without a real clear indication of what or even where I was feeling like I was hurting and if I'm honest now having spent nearly the entire month of May in bed, I can at least show why. It's been awful, remembering when I use to hike 10 miles with 100 lbs of logging chain in a backpack, only to now have to use a walker and barely make 10 feet to the bathroom, but I give it hell and I keep fighting, I'm a warrior. I'm just starting now, to walk without the aid of the walker, so there is hope through the pain tunnel. I haven't felt like writing, because of the pain but I also know that I will mend and recover. It's of such levels of evil pain, that I'm actually terrified inside. Doing all I can to keep the door of 10+ pain shut and closed so as to not open it and step through or get pulled in. I got that beautiful '59 Hermes 3000 typewriter for my birthday, and I've not been able to use it, breaks my heart among other things. Just need prayers and thoughts for wellness, need to be able to walk and drive as well as sit and write. A little walking and a little sitting and BAM I'm back to bed in pain level 10 to the 100th power. There's a monster behind that door. Recovery has been slow, but beneficial. So, that's where I've been, thankfully with new medication I've finally come down to a pain level 6 and 7, way better than staying in 9 and 10 for 2 weeks. Today, Friday the 24th, I'm happy to say pain is a strong 6, it's starting off to be a good day, although still stuck in bed, and I don't feel like writing, I can say this might be a tear free day. Like That Baby Shampoo, how it reads "No more Tears!" We're gonna do our best damn it! I can now write about a character who wake up (if he even went to sleep that is) everyday in pain. My observation is unhinged. I hope this day finds you well, it's Friday and I pray it's a good day for us all!
Speaking of Tom Furrier, he wants to retire in June and sell the shop to someone who is very interested in keeping the shop going. Call him if you want to work on typewriters and help people like me who are lazy and ignorant about the upkeep and maintenance of these wonderful machines.
I'm very pleased to be thought of this way, @bonzomcduffy8336. But the truth is, I'm a writer and actor by trade ... a writer and actor who loves typewriters, true, but who also has deadlines to meet. My attempting to run another business do justice to Mr. Furrier's incredible work and legacy.
@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco No worries. It's a shout out to anyone for a man who is not only a legend but also a pillar of the typewriter community of the Northeast. He asked me to put the word out to anyone at all interested. If you have lotsa stuff going on it's perfectly understandable.
@@bonzomcduffy8336 Understood. Full disclosure, I’ve never met Tom but I’ve always wanted to. His shop is a legend. I wonder if he’s reached out to Paul and Jay at Gramercy Typewriter here in NYC. They, too, are legends and perhaps looking to expand their business to another city here on the Northeast Coast.
@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco No idea. If you don't live near Boston or the Northeast and unless you have to there would be no reason to meet Tom but he sure is a nice guy if you do some acting up here in the Northeast stop in sometime. He's fun to talk to and very kind to the less than mechanically inclined like me.
@@bonzomcduffy8336 Oh, I don't know ... I'm actually at a point where I'd love to make a field trip to see a good typewriter shop. If only there weren't so many deadlines. I bet Tom's as kind as he seems in the videos I've watched. Fixing typewriters and patience apparently walk hand-in-hand. It sure taught me a thing or two about life. Cheers to you, @bonzomcduffy8336.
I wanted to thank you fir this. Absolutely inctedible that you answered me directly like this. AND I take all your points and suggestions. Its true tha I am/was frustrated because I couldnt settle on an idea . Years ago I wrote a play that was put on at university..the idea came from a short news bulletin...I got up typed the play very quicklly and it won the competition and was put on. Everyone expected great things of me but the expectation killed my creativity ...life took over I didnt write (painted instead) ... Now older and with more free time I am trying to wake that part up again, but the habit of 'trying' brought frustration back. I will take on board what you advise .. thank so much ! came accross you because I bought my first vintage typewriter (Olympia SM3) anyway I will now subscribe to you all the best from England
@iancognito6920, please allow me to thank you. I was very impressed by the directness of your question. Also grateful by the opportunity it presented. Often, I feel like these videos are as much about reminding myself what i've learned as they are about sharing that with our community. Being human, I tend to have moments of doubt. Your question recalled for me that the stories are always out there, waiting for us to fulfill them. On another note, it seems your career and mine began the same way. A quick play scribbled in haste that everyone loved, and after that ... nothing. If I could venture this piece of advice: stop focusing on expectations (yours or anyone else's). Write another play. Write a shitty play rather than a "good" play. Do this deliberately. You might just surprise yourself. Wishing you all my best.
Okay I'm sorry I know I'm adding another comment and that most people just put them in replies under their original comment but I am sorry this deserves its own spot. I am very happy to announce.. yesterday for my birthday party there was a ginormous box on the table, and upon opening it clearing the styrofoam and bubble wrap there at the bottom was the very unique unmistakable seafoam green strange like cast metal looking case that texture and that unmistakable handle that green apple colored handle, I immediately started to freak out. I couldn't remember what I said but my wife hasn't recorded and it was a bunch of OH WOW!!! And of course it was hard to tell people I know what it was because of the case not that I somehow had peaked at the gift people that don't collect typewriters don't understand that their cases are very unique to what they are... And then I said however if I open this up and find that it's a bunch of socks I'm leaving. And so with that I am happy to announce that I am the proud owner of not socks thankfully, but a 1960s Hermes typewriter a curve body. It's the one where it does not have the holes on the sides of the space bar for the lid to attach. According to the typewriter database this is the trailing end of 1959 beginning of 1960s. Well my guess is my serial number is between the two years. I should probably figure out how to document it there. It works perfectly it has maintenance slips repair slips and a killer Page turning thrilling manual instructions. Lol... What an incredible machine to work on I absolutely can see why it's considered the world's finest typewriter. I have never typed on anything so nice, I mean at one time, long time ago, when I was younger, I do remember seeing one in an antique store for like $80.00 and typing on it, but I don't recall what it felt like then... This is otherworldly, it's like riding in a limo made of butter that was built by cloud people. And I mean clouds that have hands people. Imagine yourself slipping down a slip and slide that's full of nothing but oil and it's laying on top of a field of marshmallows it's that smooth. It's as smooth as the blink of an eye. And now having owned a few old typewriters of the Vintage era this is my oldest typewriter but I can tell you for its age and time this was a very futuristic typewriter it was very high-tech for its day and age. On a funny note I tried to tell my in-laws both of which were typist, I said you guys want to try this it's amazing the world's finest typewriter here, I got no honey we've typed before, As they walk on past, I thought to myself but it's the world's finest typewriter have you ever typed on the world's finest typewriter before.... yeah they were gone. I don't know about you but somebody says the world's finest anything that demands some freaking attention... Anyway, there it is very happy owner now, and I swear I heard the song "At Last" by Etta James in my ear when I opened it up. Although I'm a stepfather, I don't have any biological children myself, but if I were to have one, seeing it at birth and holding the child for the first time in my arms, this must be what it's like when holding this typewriter. 😂 Good Great Monday Morning!❤
Somewhere in all this, @dadtype2339, lies confirmation of the fact that what we ask for, we receive. Congratulations on your new machine. May it serve your writing well!
@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco I keep waking up looking at it thinking it will disappear, I still can't believe I own one. I did a quick cleaning of the type bars as I was so excited to try it out, it's such an easy machine to use that between Sunday night and now Tuesday evening when I last used it, I cranked out 44 pages and my hands are not hamburger meat lol. And then I discovered that if I slowed down, which I did for the last 12 pages I really enjoyed the machine and felt it speaking to me, Take your time, enjoy the creativity. It just beckons one to write on it. Course when I opened it no one understood why I was on the edge with tears building in my eyes. Overwhelming and so thankful to see seafoam green lol. I'm working enjoying the creativity. And getting that story off to the Editor. Thank you Damon. 👍
@@dadtype2339 Whatever I did (I did nothing) is yours to enjoy. Congrats again, @dadtype2339. BTW, I sent a discount offer for the Break Your Story course to your email. Did you receive it? Many happy returns!
My 1973 Erika Daro mod. 41 also has four options for the ribbon selector. Perhaps the East Germans copied it from the Hermes, or did some other typewriters have this option before them?
It's very possible, @JJ3E. I've heard of other German brands aping this functionality ... like Optima, or so I believe one viewer mentioned. (Optima was a spinoff Olympia brand. Post-WWII, some Olympia engineers snuck over the Berlin wall and started their own operation. Litigation followed over who owned the Olympia name. An interesting history. I'm digressing.) Another viewer pointed out that the Hermes 3000 gold color selection setting causes the hammers to strike in the center of the ribbon, thus increasing ink output by approximately 50%. Sounds about right to me. Who started this practice? That's beyond my ability to say. My bottom line would be this: if you need to milk more ink from your ribbons, use that center-fire setting and ... as always (this is the most important thing to remember) ... keep writing!
@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco Interesting, I did not know that about Optima! And yes, I figured that I can make a single color ribbon last a lot longer with the middle setting on my Erika! Also, incidentally, soon after I wrote my original comment, I heard someone mention on another Hermes 3000 video, that Olympia was the first one to make a four color selector. No idea if true, but he seemed to know what he was talking about.
@@3AMJH It's a great question. I don't know either but I'd say it's distinctly possible. Olympia made awesome machines that were very forward-thinking in their own way (I'm fixating now on how each key on an Olympia SM3 is spring-loaded to draw it back down to center ... amazing.) I wouldn't put it past them to have been the first to come up with a four-color selector. Notably, Hermes is a Swiss company. I have a German friend who grew up in Switzerland. Says the cultural crossovers are ... well, they're immense.
