How to Use an Olympia SF Typewriter
Olympia SF Video Typewriter Tutorial
Style 1. 1960’s.
Style 2. 1970’s.
The Hidden Carriage Lock on an Olympia Sf…
Your Olympia SF: An Owner's Guide
Congratulations. You now own one of the finest ultra-portable typewriters ever made. Olympia built the SF in West Germany to the same standard as its larger SM machines, then made it slim enough to go anywhere. It was built to be used for a lifetime. Here's how to make sure it is.
Manuals
Here is the manual for the angular 60’s SF.
Here is the manual for the more square 70’s SF (the video below left). Note: The English follows the Japanese part. Below that is a video on the eccentric carriage release.
A Little History
The Olympia SF traces its lineage to one of Germany's great engineering houses. Olympia began as the typewriter division of AEG in the early 1900s. After World War II, the company rebuilt in Wilhelmshaven, West Germany, and by the 1950s it was producing some of the most respected manual typewriters in the world.
Olympia introduced the SF in the mid-1950s as a smaller companion to its celebrated SM portables. The goal was a typewriter light and slim enough to carry anywhere, without giving up the precision Olympia was known for. It succeeded. The SF stayed in production for more than two decades.
Over those years, the SF's look changed with the times. Early machines wore rounded metal bodies in the classic 1950s style. As design moved toward cleaner, more modern lines, Olympia gave the SF a squarer profile and introduced plastic body panels. This 1974 machine comes from that later era. The outer shell changed, but the mechanism underneath stayed true to Olympia's German engineering.
Today, writers prize the SF as one of the best ultra-portables of the golden age: compact, durable, and built to last a lifetime.
Unpacking
Lift the machine from its case by the frame, not by the carriage or the paper rest. Set it on a firm, flat surface. A desk is better than a soft tabletop, because a stable base gives you a cleaner, more even strike.
If the carriage is locked for shipping, release it before you type. We secure every machine so it arrives exactly as it left our bench.
Loading Paper
Pull the paper release lever toward you and slide a sheet behind the platen, the black rubber roller. Push the lever back and turn the platen knob until the paper comes up in front. Pull the release once more to straighten the sheet, then set it back.
A backing sheet behind your page protects the platen and softens the sound. Any spare sheet of paper works.
Your First Session
Type slowly at first. A manual typewriter rewards an even, deliberate stroke rather than a hard one. You don't need to strike the keys forcefully. Let the machine do the work. Within a page or two, your hands will find the rhythm.
The bell rings near the end of each line. Finish your word, then return the carriage with one smooth push of the lever.
The Ribbon
Your SF arrives with a fresh ribbon installed. When the type starts to fade, usually after a few months of regular use, it's time for a new one.
The SF takes the universal ribbons we sell, which come on plastic spools and drop right in. If you'd rather keep the original Olympia metal spools, you can rewind new ribbon onto them by hand. One caution: most common vintage metal spools are slightly too large in diameter for the SF and won't seat properly. Universal spools or the machine's own spools are the way to go.
To replace the ribbon, note how the old one threads through the guides near the typing point and wraps around each spool. Then thread the new one the same way. Take a photo before you remove the old ribbon, and you'll never have to guess.
The ribbon selector lets you switch between the top and bottom halves of a two-color ribbon. It also has a stencil position for cutting mimeograph stencils. If your type suddenly comes out red or blank, check that selector first.
Daily Care
Keep your typewriter covered or in its case when you're not using it. Dust is the slow enemy of every mechanical machine.
Every so often, brush out the typebasket with a soft, dry brush. The typebasket is the fan of letters beneath the keys.
Wipe the body with a soft, dry cloth. Don't use solvents, household cleaners, or polish on the paint.
Keeping it covered will help with the dust.
What Not to Do
Never oil the typebars or the segment, the slotted guide where the typebars rest. Oil attracts dust, and over time dust becomes a paste that slows the action. Your machine was cleaned and adjusted dry, on purpose.
Never spray WD-40 or any lubricant into the machine. When it starts to get slow, blowing dust out of the segment will help. Sometimes some synthetic oil like liquid bearing on other moving parts can help. Only needed every few years.
Don't try to free a stuck key by forcing it. If two typebars jam together, lift the one that rose last gently back into place.
Don't leave the machine in a hot car, a damp basement, or direct sun.
Traveling With It
The SF was made to travel, so take it with you. Lock the carriage, close the case, and carry it level. In a car, set it on the floor rather than the seat, where it can't slide or fall. On a plane, take it as a carry-on1
Steven