Sunday, November 06, 2011

NaNoWriMo, Olympia SM3 & First snow!


15 comments:

  1. I admire your ability to jump in front of the rhino and take the charge. Great job on your novel!

    All of ours are in need of heavy editing, I'd figure, so just keep on piling up the words and when the dust settles, we'll figure it all out:)

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  2. SM3/4 Grinding carriage/rough shift: Try replacing the rubber bushes with half inch tap washers or O-rings. Prepare to be amazed.

    SM3/4 fore and aft carriage play: A tale of two screws

    SM 3/4 sticking ribbon vibrator: I recently fixed this problem with a small drop of oil.

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  3. Brrrrrr!!!!!!

    Looks like a good day to stay inside and write. I am also impressed with your productivity.

    I second the advice on the Olympia ribbon vibrator. Selective oiling does wonders with these machines. It could be some old lube is dried up in which case a penetrating light lube does nicely.

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  4. @ deek: thanks for the encouragement -- we could all use it!

    @ Rob Bowker: Mike Clemens had me replace the bushings, which I did. Doesn't seem to help the ribbon problem. I also tried a few drops of light oil on the ribbon vibrator. Still no luck.

    @ Dwayne: I sure wish I could solve this irritating problem! I really like the SM3, but I had to give up on it shortly after posting today.

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  5. I have a Hermes 3000 with the same issue; I think it's the one with epoca typeface. The ribbon stays up after a capital letter. I can't say I've tried the oiling, though, so I'll give that a go and see whether I have better results. I agree; it can be rather aggravating.

    Congratulations on your Nano progress! Looks like you'll reach the goal in plenty of time.

    Snow already, wow. Geneva is pretty good at holding off the 'flakes until rather late in the season, but I remember we had a significant snowstorm on November 30 last year. So that could be us too, sooner rather than later - even though I hope not!

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  6. Just an idle thought: I have an ultra-compact Antares Parva which exhibits the same problem BUT it is nothing to do with the ribbon vibrator. It jams up when it reaches the end of the spool because of tension. It doesn't have automatic ribbon reverse, so the ribbon transport sticks, causing tension ...which prevents the vibrator dropping back. You probably already discounted this, but worth a lateral thought.

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  7. I am always impressed with the typewriter finds people tell about. My first "in the wild" find finally came two weeks ago at at estate sale: a Smith Corona Silent (love the "racing stripes"). It needs cleaning fer shur - may try Clemen's hot soapy typer bath trick with it.

    Good luck on your NaNo-ing! Am not able to do it this year but am seriously considering it for 2012!

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  8. Great write-up. Happy snow typing!

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  9. NEXT DAY: I am going to try oiling the ribbon vibrator again today, and hope for better results. I like this typewriter too much to give up on it just yet!

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  10. your photos inspired me to write a blog entry on winter.

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  11. I love your snow photos, and the views of mountains and conifers are much more inspiring than the fenced-in backyards in my part of the world.

    I hope you are able to find a solution to your Olympia's problems!

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  12. Looks like you and James can have a cold tub out there!

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  13. I love that the Quiet-Riter is noisy! LOL!

    I've always wanted to participate in one of those writing projects, but I'm never disciplined enough. It's the gypsy in me. HAHA!

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  14. One can see how a snowfall changes the look of the outdoors. Very funny to see the bathtub amongst the backdrop of the snow. Good writing to you!

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  15. Perhaps it's a tad too late, but I've found that, with typewriters, as with people, "movement is the best medicine". I've had pretty much the same problems (sticky keys, stuck vibrators, etc.) in some of my machines, particularly the ones that sat unused for long periods of time without a cover, and after some pages of random writing, they usually start working better.

    Of course, it wouldn't hurt taking apart the covers, washing the mechanisms with solvent, and then oil the joints. Could be a good project.

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