Back To The Fix It Shop

An antique Olympia...

...and an antique Royal

I'm headed back to The Fix It Shop (I was just there early last month). I had two of my manual typewriters fixed then; now, I have another one, a much older one, in need of repair.

I visited a relative's place over the weekend for dinner, and part of the talk went around how expensive original ink and toner cartridges are for today's printers. One guest said he thinks that it's a marketing ploy by the printer manufacturers: price the units really cheap, but then make the real money on the ink. Even compatible cartridges and bottomless ink systems aren't as cheap or reliable as they used to be, others said. So I shared with them how I sometimes still use manual typewriters, which must've sparked the host's mind because she suddenly remembered that she owned more than one typewriter, unused and put aside.

She had them brought out, and suddenly before me sat a really old manual Olympia, even much older than mine. I think it's a certifiable antique! Her other machines were electrics, Brothers. They had stopped using the electrics because for some reason, whenever they typed certain letter or number combinations, the user would get a serious electric jolt (I had to stifle a laugh when I heard this). "Why did you stop using the Olympia?" I asked. They said that it just got forgotten, and I agreed with her when the host said that it is easier to use printers and word processors.

In any case, I offered to bring the Olympia to The Fix It Shop, just to see if it can be refurbished and brought back to working condition. The ribbon's ink had dried up, some keys stick, and rolling paper into place is not easy (the sheet snags somewhere on the inside, on the right, and even tears sometimes). But the ribbon catches still turn, and there are no broken or missing keys. If the cost isn't too high (ribbons cost less than P25.00, it's the spare parts and labor that might cost more), I'll have it repaired for my relative.

"Retro cool," someone remarked. "It's like wearing Chucks."

After bringing the Olympia home, it struck me how close in appearance it looked to the old Royal typewriters the faculty and administrative staff used in my old high school. Now if the Olympia is old, the Royals are even older. Luckily, I have pictures of both, so you can see this for yourselves. You can tell the Royal is the more antique machine because the keys are flatter and more rounded, and have this circle of silver steel around each. I remember seeing typewriters like these being used as props in old, black and white movies that are set in World War II or are about detectives/gangsters in the 1950's and 1960's.

My relative also inquired if the Brothers could be repaired, but I said that the manual one might have more hope. But hey, no harm in asking for a repair-quote, if she really wants to have her machines brought back to life.

I think it is cool, bringing these old writing machines back into service. :)