1960 Olympia Splendid 99 #341610

Status: Sightings
Hunter: Paolo Dal Chiele (pdcox)
Created: 04-13-2025 at 08:37AM
Last Edit: 04-14-2025 at 10:49AM

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Description:

This Splendid 99 belongs to my friend Ovidiu who sent it to me for repair.
The main problems were the skipping of spaces during writing and the irregular advancement of the paper.
I spent several hours solving the problems, also because in the meantime others appeared somehow, as we will see, connected to the first ones.
The irregular advancement was due to the fact that the screw that fixes the star wheel of the escapement, which was originally threaded only in the part that protrudes from the frame, had been replaced with a screw with a continuous thread. For this reason the bolt could not have been tightened, and the star wheel therefore had a play that determined its irregular operation. This already confirms that the machine was used very intensively. The problem was solved by replacing the screw with a suitable one.
The problem of the paper dragging was due to the deformation with the use of the two blade springs that press the paper sliding sheet and ensure that the secondary rollers are in contact with the main roller. Although it may seem trivial, this repair is actually quite complicated because to disassemble the roller you have to disassemble the paper deflector, which is a real adventure that I do not recommend to anyone who is not a fan of 20,000-piece puzzles (I am not…).
This problem confirms again that the machine has been used very intensively.
The last and most serious problem occurred when I had to re-tension the main spring: once the necessary tension was reached, the fixing bolt broke cleanly. The failure of the bolt was another confirmation of how hard this poor machine had worked!
Solution: I took a main spring from one of the machines I use for parts, I drilled the piece of bolt that was stuck, I enlarged the hole to 3 mm so that I could insert the threaded screw and I fixed the main spring by adding a locking washer.
Considering that the machine is not intended to be used as intensively as it has been throughout its active life, I have reduced the mainspring tension to the force strictly necessary to ensure the carriage return and regular writing, sacrificing the keyboard lock at the end of the line, which is a function practically superfluous unless it is used by someone who writes without looking at the written text. Considering that the attachment of the mainspring to the frame is one of the few technical details modified by Olympia with the SF, it is likely that they realized that this was a weak point.
Finally, among the “artisanal” repairs there was also the replacement of the anti-noise foam rubber of one of the side panels. These coverings are one of the main problems of the Splendids because they crumble over time (as seen in the other panel) and the residues end up creating problems for the functioning of the various mechanisms.
I have no idea who owned this machine, but it is the machine itself that offers interesting clues.
Whoever bought it in 1960 chose the top model of the Olympia ultraportable range, and this was probably for aesthetic (the beautiful red colour) and functional reasons (colour change and a beautiful and functional coordinated case).
Considering the problems it had, the owner probably used it for professional reasons, preferring it to a portable like the SM7 precisely because of its lightness and portability. It is therefore probable that he used the machine for work, and for work he travelled a lot.
Finally, the wear on the upper part of many keys confirms that it was a woman, being typically due to the wear caused by the impact with the keys of long nails.
Overall, considering the period and the machine, the image that comes to mind is that of the protagonist of the novel The German House by Annette Hess…

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

The star wheel as it was...

On the left the screw that was fixing the star wheel, while on the right is an original broken screw from another Splendid I have, confirming that the problem was not uncommon when the Splendid were used intensively.

The star wheel was unstable, causing the random jumping of spaces.

After the repair.

Carriage "exploded" to have access to the two sheet spings that ensure the contact of the secondary rollers with the platen (on the left).

The broken main spring .

The fixing of the new main spring. Note the locking washer.

The hook that keep the carriage in position

Removal of the carriage. The head of the sliding spheres is visible

Note, note and note again...

The key wear due to the impact with long nails.

Crumbling foam...

...and the repair done by the previous owner.

Closing my eyes and thinking about how the owner of the Splendid 99 could have looked like, the cover of the novel of Annette Hess was the first image that come to my mind... I strongly recommend the book, also because in it typewriters play an important role...

Hommage to the donor machine...

Hunter: Paolo Dal Chiele (pdcox)

Paolo Dal Chiele's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 3035

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 ...