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1960 Olivetti Lettera 22 Serial # 752481 1960 Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter, Serial # 752481 Paolo Dal Chiele's 1960 Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter. 2020-03-07 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Paolo Dal Chiele: 1960 Olivetti Lettera 22 Serial # 752481 Olivetti Lettera 22 second series with square keys, spanish keyboard, Pica 12 pitch font (although I have some doubts), produced in Italy in 1960.
I decided to speak about this machine after reading the post:
https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-sweet-sweet-sound-of-smooth-typing.html
which describes what appears to be an Olivetti Lettera 22 "crossover", that is, a transition to Lettera 32.
The peculiarity of this particular model is the bag, which - as in the case of the model descibed in the mentioned above mentioned post - anticipate the model that will be used on the Lettera 32. It is interesting first of all to note that this machine was produced in 1960 and that the Lettera 32 was introduced three years later, in 1963.
In reality, looking closely the bag of this Lettera 22 has only the color scheme in common with those of the subsequent Lettera 32. The material used is a fabric coated with polyvinyl resin of greater consistency and thickness and with a larger grain texture than that used on the bags of the Lettera 32. Another significant difference is the zipper, larger in size and divided into two parts with asymmetric front closure, solution that prevent the risk of breaking the tongue when the machine is placed vertically (a very common problem in the Lettera 22 bags). The interior is covered in light beige cloth with two transverse elements intended for fixing sheets and documents.
The adoption of the new bag responds to the same logic that inspired the project of the Lettera 32, namely to create a typewriter that clearly recalled the previous model and offered the user the same "perceived quality", but which allowed a drastic simplification of the production process, replacing the elements made of die-casting with elements in pressed sheet metal and reducing the number of parts, reducing production costs and allowing a further increase in production.
The bag with which an anomalous industrialist like Adriano Olivetti chose to equip the Lettera 22 was in fact not only beautiful and functional, but also refined, being made of a very particular material, the Resinflex. The Resinflex was made with a process patented by the company of the same name and which was used in the fifties and sixties by prestigious architects to make furniture and building covering, and has also been widely used in the automotive sector (e.g. Lancia Aurelia B24 spider) and nautical (all interiors of Riva motorboats are covered in Resintex). From the Resinflex archives it appears that this material was used for a certain period also to make the Remington typewriter bags.
Resinflex is still active in Turin and is evaluating the possibility of starting small-scale production to meet the need for restorers and collectors of period furniture and cars. Who knows? May be they will also have the good idea of making material for the Lettera 22 bags available again ...
Overall, the typewriter is in good conditions, with some wear on the paint but in excellent working conditions. The only problem it had was the ribbon reverse mechanism that, as very often happened in the Lettera 22, was blocked. The cleaning of the ribbon reverse shaft and few drops of oil have been have been enough to bring the machine back to work.

1960 Olivetti Lettera 22 #752481

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Paolo Dal Chiele (pdcox)
Created: 03-07-2020 at 06:31AM
Last Edit: 03-07-2020 at 07:25AM

Description Hunter 9 Photos 1 Like  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

Olivetti Lettera 22 second series with square keys, spanish keyboard, Pica 12 pitch font (although I have some doubts), produced in Italy in 1960.
I decided to speak about this machine after reading the post:
https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-sweet-sweet-sound-of-smooth-typing.html
which describes what appears to be an Olivetti Lettera 22 "crossover", that is, a transition to Lettera 32.
The peculiarity of this particular model is the bag, which - as in the case of the model descibed in the mentioned above mentioned post - anticipate the model that will be used on the Lettera 32. It is interesting first of all to note that this machine was produced in 1960 and that the Lettera 32 was introduced three years later, in 1963.
In reality, looking closely the bag of this Lettera 22 has only the color scheme in common with those of the subsequent Lettera 32. The material used is a fabric coated with polyvinyl resin of greater consistency and thickness and with a larger grain texture than that used on the bags of the Lettera 32. Another significant difference is the zipper, larger in size and divided into two parts with asymmetric front closure, solution that prevent the risk of breaking the tongue when the machine is placed vertically (a very common problem in the Lettera 22 bags). The interior is covered in light beige cloth with two transverse elements intended for fixing sheets and documents.
The adoption of the new bag responds to the same logic that inspired the project of the Lettera 32, namely to create a typewriter that clearly recalled the previous model and offered the user the same "perceived quality", but which allowed a drastic simplification of the production process, replacing the elements made of die-casting with elements in pressed sheet metal and reducing the number of parts, reducing production costs and allowing a further increase in production.
The bag with which an anomalous industrialist like Adriano Olivetti chose to equip the Lettera 22 was in fact not only beautiful and functional, but also refined, being made of a very particular material, the Resinflex. The Resinflex was made with a process patented by the company of the same name and which was used in the fifties and sixties by prestigious architects to make furniture and building covering, and has also been widely used in the automotive sector (e.g. Lancia Aurelia B24 spider) and nautical (all interiors of Riva motorboats are covered in Resintex). From the Resinflex archives it appears that this material was used for a certain period also to make the Remington typewriter bags.
Resinflex is still active in Turin and is evaluating the possibility of starting small-scale production to meet the need for restorers and collectors of period furniture and cars. Who knows? May be they will also have the good idea of making material for the Lettera 22 bags available again ...
Overall, the typewriter is in good conditions, with some wear on the paint but in excellent working conditions. The only problem it had was the ribbon reverse mechanism that, as very often happened in the Lettera 22, was blocked. The cleaning of the ribbon reverse shaft and few drops of oil have been have been enough to bring the machine back to work.

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Hunter: Paolo Dal Chiele (pdcox)

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Interested in historic motoring and vintage cars, I received a typewriter as a bonus when I bought and old off-road car. The previous owner had found somewhere a typewriter produced for the German army and when he sold me the car he gave me the typewriter too. As I learned later, it was a1961 Olympia SM7 Robust..
Of the typewriters I value more character than perfection, the signs that time has left and the stories - or fragments of stories - of those who used them ...


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