28 Mar 2014

How a bad thing can be a perfect opportunity









The real challenge will be taking this apart. It looks a bit daunting.

[edit] Taking this apart was pretty simple. It's easier than it looks—you just have to find the right screws.

Sent from my new Olivetti Studio 42

10 comments:

  1. A great opportunity for you -- and for the typewriter. Looking forward to the transformation!

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  2. Looks like the keyboard is QWERTY. What's up with that? Anyway, nice find. REPAINT! REPAINT! REPAINT! :-)

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    1. The keys and typeslugs were switched at some point, when the person moved to the United States. The . / ! typeslug was switched for an American style . / . typeslug, too, though the key doesn't show the changes.

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    2. My 1937 Diplomat Elite was changed, similarly, except they swapped out the German umlaut keys with US @$ keys, etc, salvaged from what would appear to be a Remington portable. Part of me wishes it was still QWERTZ, part of me wants to switch it back, but the biggest part of me knows that the story of the machine in its current state is really worth embracing. I would like to think that mine was a war prize, brought back and converted into an everyday typer.
      Cool stuff though. That is going to be a great looking machine when you're done!

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    3. I do wish it still had the ! key. Never really understood the need to have the period and comma without any other symbols in the shifted position, but then I tend to discourage use of the shift lock when writing.

      Your Diplomat is quite a special typewriter in its own way.

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  3. It may not be embossed but it's a very nice name plate. I'd love to find one of these :)

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    1. Maybe your Olivetti streak will continue. :D

      You're right about the nameplate. I like it because it uses a typewriter style typeface. It's the only nameplate that I'm aware of on a typewriter that looks typewritten.

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  4. I think I like the nameplate better than an embossed one.

    Whoever oened it must have sent it to Olivetti to have the changes made. I do nto think type bars can readily be exchanged and changing slugs takes the factory fixture or a very very good machinist.

    I vote for a repaint whether shiny glossy red or black wrinkle paint.

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    Replies
    1. I'm going to assume that a typewriter repair shop did it—I've seen quite a few typewriters with switched keys over the past year. In this case, the y and z are slightly misaligned. The . / ! typeslug was replaced by a more normal American style . / . slug, as well. Of course, I'll look into these in more detail after it gets painted!

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  5. Oh exciting, a 42! Love to read more about this when you're done.

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