Typewriter Day 2012- I Didn't Get Up To Much, Besides Work.

*Special thanks to that swell dame I married who took the pictures. I had to crop out my shiny, hairless scalp, which accounts for the tight shots of my hands working the keys.

Happy Typewriter Day, folks, and thanks for reading!

What's This Guy So Happy About? - A Magazine Ad With a Typewriter In It.

The ad as it appears on page 61 of US GQ magazine, May 2012.

Yeah, I too can do the typewriter-and-wristwatch schtick. Just not as well as a team of photographers and stylists.

The Typewriter Collection No. 11- Olympia Splendid 99, circa 1965 (?) EDIT- 17/6/12: Could be a 1960. (Thanks, Rob B!)

EDIT: Actually, I don't have an Olympia SM4. I have a SM2 and a SM3. What was I thinking?

The paint-work is still intact on the ribbon vibrator coverplate. The platen is in wonderful condition. I can't help but wonder if this was used much over the years. You can see the scars on the coverplate where the typebars have struck it, suggesting that this machine has had some usage, but overall, it's in pretty good shape.

I haven't figured out the colour of this thing yet. Very dark blue in some lighting, very dark grey in others.

The platen knobs are intact without any hairline cracks or chips. Man, I still can't figure out the colour of this thing!
Of course, my crappy photos aren't helping.

Another typewriter with a low Groma Kolibriesque profile. Very flat, very light. This machine has satisfied my urge for something like a Hermes Baby Rocket or Empire Aristocrat.
Looking at this typewriter now, it almost seems like Olympia took the SM2 design and starved it down to 'heroin-chic supermodel' proportions. Much like the way that a Porsche 911 has always looked to me like a Volkwagen Beetle that went on an extreme weight-loss program.

The typeslugs are pretty clean, but could probably do with a light brush-off. Lower-case 'e', I'm looking at you.

The margin adjustments are very similar to those on my Groma Kolibri. It's a pretty efficient system.