Typewriter medicine

Off sick from school? Bored of daytime TV? No homework? No problem! Just come on over to Wallingford Typewriter Exchange and we'll sort you out with a loaner.

After trying quite a few different machines, Evie fell upon the Olympia SF with gusto (kid's got great taste) and ended up taking it home. Maybe it was the way I described it as a bit more lady-like than the SM2 she was wrestling with.

I hear she's on her second novel now (mostly in red, as it happens), and hopefully well enough to be back at school.

Now all I need to do is persuade her to bring it back... you see, it isn't my typewriter.

What happens next?

Case closed

Still not a pretty sight, despite an hour's attention with 40 grit AlOx paper.

Robert Messenger's recent post on Bar-Lock portables
Alan Seaver's ode to an evolutionary cul-de-sac

The quick brown fox...

On the strength of Florian's recommendation, I bagged myself some Cold War iron with this Optima. It is quite a distance for me to collect but plans are afoot for a pick-up. Thank (Typewriter) Heavens for godchildren - though technically I'm a supporter rather than a godfather - my accursed atheism gets in the way sometimes. Chocolate keys and the nose of a lazy dog!

Open and shut case

Larry, for short

Photos by request of Bill M. Harsh sunlight not showing the rich tweedy green colour to its best. Very different to the dove grey/green SM3

Plenty of pitted and tarnished chrome but the badge is pristine. It is all about the badge.

Unsuccessful attempt to install Adobe CS... it is still a typewriter, no matter how close you put the mouse.

Lazarus? Larry? It'll do as a name (strictly one-off) until I make a note of the serial number. First look, its appearance is better on-screen than in the flesh (how often do you hear that in the green room).

Apart from blowing away some dust and hair and moth larva cases (and the laying on of hands), I haven't cleaned it. There's tarnish to the brightwork on the carriage, especially the control surfaces. This is just part of the machine's story, like wrinkles. But in comparison to an SM3 in far finer fettle, the key action is a tiny bit on the stiff side. The surface tarnish has affected the segment but it is easing with use. It is impossible to clean the slots and the pivot area of the type arms so I'm tempted to try a miniscule drop of WD40 (a "dry" lube) along the pivots to free them up further - any objections?

Notes

1. The shift and backspace are mossy green, the rest of the keys are black.
2. None of the character keys are sprung - unlike SMs 3 and 4 - though the shift keys are.
3. The return lever sticks up at the end, not down.
4. All sheet metal surfaces of the housing have black felt sound insulation. Therefore it stinks a bit.

There's a group of men in the street in hi-viz jackets digging a hole. They are either looking for Lazarus or fixing my broadband. Hard to tell. Hard hats conceal halos.