1957 Imperial 66 #6D64054

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 09-28-2019 at 01:19AM
Last Edit: 09-28-2019 at 01:34AM

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Description:

I really like this kind of typewriter. Powerful, reliable, capable of basically everything... But I'm talking about the KIND, not THIS typewriter. I don't like this machine.

Mainly because it doesn't work, and this has been a big letdown. I expected a lot from it and then turns out it's in far worse condition than I anticipated. Well, I guess I'll have to give it a go, I thought... before realizing how terribly complex this typewriter is. Removing the carriage is a piece of cake, sure, but I seriously suspect it's a distracting maneuver by the designers. Every single step after that entangles you in a web of redundancies, interlocked (and unnecesary) parts, complexities and more metal plating than a WW1 dreadnought . Worst of all is the aura of "You still know I can be one of the best typewriters out there, right?" this machine has.

Rob Bowker has a similar machine (see links), and appartently you can take apart the whole thing without the use of a screwdriver. I guess that's some later improvement, because in this case everything is plagued by screws. To remove the back panel you have to take out 8 screws, and in order to take out the type basket... well, I lost count. Apart from that, there seems to be more differences in the model just by looking at it.

So... I don't think I can repair it on my own. Apart from all the mentioned difficulties, this typewriter has spent decades by the sea and that's not good. I hope it likes sitting on a shelf more than typing...

Typeface Specimen:

Links:

• Rob Bowker's 1961 Imperial 66 at the TWDB

Photos:

Someone tried to pluck out the tab bar without taking out the two screws that hold it. They failed.

This is NOT the s/n, or at least it doesn´t match with the real s/n. But it has the same format.

This seems the be the true s/n

I fished out this coin from inside the typewriter. 25 pesetas from the late 70's. Without taking into account inflation, this is the equivalent to 0,15 €.

Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)

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Status: Typewriter Hunter
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The first typewriter I saw was my grandpa´s Olivetti Linea 98 at the office. It was just a curio for me. Then I was given a Nakajima, which I didn´t use and my grandfather took it from me because it was easier to handle than the bulky Linea 98. Now I own that typewriter, and I started a little collection in Valladolid, Spain. The Nakajima, which is "my" typewriter only returned home in 2017, almost 20 years later, when he wanted a better typewriter.

A collection that started small grew into something bigger, a nuisace for my family and a great source of satisfaction for me.