Front view of a wide carriage white bodied 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter with gray keys sitting on a library card catalog
Acquired 1971 Olympia SG-3 Standard Typewriter with a Story Book Typeface (Olympia Werke AG)
Body serial number: 7-2663226
Carriage serial number: 8-2710434
Custom Basic Writing No. 67 typeface; 6 CPI (4.2 m/m), 3 lines/inch
Body cover in Saturn White with Slate Gray bottom shell.
An observant friend knew I was looking for either an Olympia SG-1 or an SG-3 typewriter and got an SG-3 for me for my birthday on July 8th. It arrived on Friday the 11th.  Naturally I was excited to open it up, but I was even more surprised to discover that it was hiding a relatively rare typeface, particularly for an Olympia. (The sender confirmed they had no idea about the typeface, they were just trying to snag an SG-3 for me.)

Basic Writing No. 67 Typeface

None of the Olympia typeface catalogs I’ve ever seen include this particular typeface. The closest I’ve seen to a match for it is the Basic Writing No. 67 (6 CPI) which was available as a custom order for Smith-Corona machines in the 60s onward. The 1964 NOMDA Blue Book includes it as does the Smith-Corona Typestyles catalog from 1968. Slug/foundry marks I’ve seen for the Smith-Coronas have a “29” on them while mine reads “2985”. I’m suspecting the 29s have something in common via the foundry while the 85 might be indicative of the length of the rule on the carriage.

In comparing exemplars, I’m reasonably certain that they’re identical due to the nature of the distinctive numbers 4, 9, the letter t and the sharply angled connectors on the u and the n.

White 4x6 inch index card with a typesemple from a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter with a large 6 CPI Basic Writing No. 67 typeface

While it was surely a custom order, Olympia apparently did it often enough that they bothered to have Perspex carriage rules custom made for the size. The rule on the back of this one has a “42” in the left rear corner which was surely an internal indicator for a  4.2m/m typeface. (4.2 m/m = 25.4 mm/inch x 1 inch/6 characters). It’s common on most Olympias for their rules to be either stamped or marked with the rule size like this most likely to ensure the correct rules were put onto the appropriate typewriters during manufacturing and assembly.

Close up of the number 42 on a Perspex rule on the carriage of a 6 CPI 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter

This particular machine has a very wide 15 inch platen and the rule only measures up to 85 characters! For type this large, you’re sure to want wider paper to actually fit something on it. As a comparison, my 1977 Olympia SG-3 with a shorter 13″ platen has a rule that measures up to 145 characters. That machine is also marked with a 21 in the left corner to indicate that it’s 2.1 m/m or 12 pitch (elite) machine.

Close up view of the 15" wide platen and carriage of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter. Of note, the Perspex ruler only measures up to 85 characters. On the left hand side is the number 42 indicating the internal Olympia rule number.

Because of the large format typeface, this machine does not accommodate bichrome ribbon like most SG-3s. As a result, the ribbon color selector on the left side of the keyboard which would typically be labeled blue, white, red (from top to bottom) is labeled white, white, blue. I’ve spooled it up with a new monochrome black ribbon on universal spools. Though it’s from the early 70s when it was more common, this machine also has a 1/! key to better differentiate the numeral 1 and the lower case letter L.

Close up of the left side of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter with a 6 CPI Basic Writing No. 67 typeface. We notice that the ribbon selector only has color on the "blue" slot and the other two slots are both white. (Typically the top one would be red.)
The custom modified ribbon color selector on the SG-3 keyboard.

To show just how large this typeface really is, I’m including a sample of it along side of the standard Royal pica and elite typefaces.

Typing samples of Basic Writing No. 67, Royal pica typeface, and Royal elite typeface which are progressively smaller on the page

Condition

The typewriter itself is in reasonable condition for its age. Someone has obviously left it in a somewhat humid environment where it was neglected for a few decades. The spacious area underneath the carriage had the cobwebs and skeletons of at least four nice sized spiders. Some of the metal pieces inside have some surface rust that will need to be mitigated. I’ve wiped off the exterior shell and given the interior a preliminary blow out with the air compressor. I’ve oiled the carriage rails lightly, and I’ve put a new ribbon into it and the alignment seems reasonable, though I’m sure to make an adjustment or two when I get to giving it a full clean, oil, and adjust. The carriage has something slightly out of alignment as it binds at about the midpoint, but I’m sure I’ll find it when I’ve stripped it down for a full clean.

In the meanwhile, it’s in good enough condition for general use.

Photo Gallery

Hero shot of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter sitting on a library card catalog.

Angle on the left side of a white 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter

View down onto a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter with the white main body shell removed. We see lots of dirt, dust, and some rust spots on various components.

Close up of some of the rusted controls on the ribbon reverse of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter

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Chris Aldrich

I'm a biomedical and electrical engineer with interests in information theory, complexity, evolution, genetics, signal processing, IndieWeb, theoretical mathematics, and big history. I'm also a talent manager-producer-publisher in the entertainment industry with expertise in representation, distribution, finance, production, content delivery, and new media.

7 thoughts on “”

  1. @chrisaldrich Nice score!

    When I worked in TV news back in the late 70s the reporters all had SG-3s with a 6cpi typeface. They typed the news story copy onto a multi-part form. One copy was taped together with the other story copies to form a teleprompter roll which was fed into a camera. The news anchor and the producer got their own copies. The anchor could read off the desk copy if the prompter went down.

  2. As a result, the ribbon color selector on
    the left side of the keyboard which would
    typically be labeled blue, white, red (from
    top to bottom) is labeled white, white,
    blue

    That’s interesting! Is there a difference in use between the two white positions, or are they two identical stencil modes?

    1. They both seem to work the same way (i.e. not at all) and as if it were two separate stencil settings. The ribbon vibrator only moves for the bottom blue setting.

  3. Tonight I spent about three hours disassembling and cleaning the carriage portion of my 1971 Olympia SG-3. I really love the fact that flipping two levers inside the shell allows the entire carriage to lift up and off for easier servicing.
    The grinding/sticking I was originally getting mid-carriage was due to a piece of the right carriage cover being bent back and over itself. Removing it and forming it back remedied the situation fairly quickly. I cleaned and treated the rear body panels which show signs of rust developing underneath the paint. (Rust on other portions of the machine indicate it was kept in a less-than-ideal location for years.)

    Just as I was nearing completion, the draw band managed to slip off its mount and the mainspring’s unwinding broke the draw band at the metal attachment to the carriage. It took a while to remove the old material, form the cleat open, reseat the draw band and then close it back up. Fortunately re-tensioning the mainspring was pretty simple and straightforward.

    The platen action is now so smooth that with the variable lever in the open position, the entire platen will spin freely in a way I’ve never seen a typewriter manage before. Sadly it shows that the right platen knob has a small eccentricity, though it’s so minor I think I’ll leave it alone for now.

    In cleaning it, I also noticed that the carriage return arm apparently used to be chromed, but it was done so badly it’s all been peeled off at this point. As a result, the return arm has a galvanized appearance which isn’t ideal. I’ll have to consider some options to improve it in the future.

    The toughest part of the operation was the insane amount of degreaser (acetone tonight) it took to clean off the margin rail to get the margin sets to work properly. I have a feeling that someone managed to get Scotch tape stuck up underneath the left margin set, and it took 20 minutes to flush it all out. Now they’re as smooth as butter. I really appreciate the easy-to-use form factor of these margin sets.

  4. On Wednesday the 6th, I finished up most of the rest of the clean/oil/adjust of my new (to me) 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter. The carriage was probably more involved than the main body, though the main body seems to have made the most difference to have been cleaned out.
    Surely there will be a few subtle adjustments I’ll continue to make as I use it over the coming days and put it thought its paces, but it’s definitely ready for prime time use now.

    While it functions much better now, its action isn’t nearly as fast as some of my other standards. Somehow it manages to be more ponderous, though some of it may be the tremendous size of the 6 CPI typeface. Maybe increasing the tension on the mainspring will help out here, particularly with the oversized platen.

    While I love having a larger face typewriter, I can already tell that I’m likely not going to be using this one as frequently as I do my elite and pica machines with more traditional typeface sizes. It sure is fun using it though. I can tell it’ll be a hit at the next local type-in.

    I’m including some revised photos of it to compare with the previous “before” photos.

    Vintage office scene featuring a large white 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter sits on a vintage steel desk with a glass top. Next to it is a drawer from a wooden card catalog. In the background is a barrister bookcase and several card indexes.Vintage office scene featuring a large white 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter sits on a vintage steel desk with a glass top. Next to it is a drawer from a wooden card catalog. In the background is a barrister bookcase and several card indexes.

    Frontal view of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter on a vintage green steel desk. The main body is in white while the plastic keys are in slate gray with white lettering and the carriage is also in slate gray painted metal.Frontal view of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter on a vintage green steel desk. The main body is in white while the plastic keys are in slate gray with white lettering and the carriage is also in slate gray painted metal.

    Oblique angle from the left of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter Oblique angle from the left of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter

    Desk level view of the left side of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter with a white top cover and a slate gray bottom.Desk level view of the left side of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter with a white top cover and a slate gray bottom.

    Angle down on the left side of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter featuring the oversized carriage and a dull metal carriage return leverAngle down on the left side of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter featuring the oversized carriage and a dull metal carriage return lever

    Oblique view of the left rear corner of the carriage on a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter Oblique view of the left rear corner of the carriage on a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter

    Table level view of the rear of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter. We see a white placard with the Olympia logo on it.Table level view of the rear of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter. We see a white placard with the Olympia logo on it.

    Oblique view of the rear right side of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter featuring the carriage.Oblique view of the rear right side of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter featuring the carriage.

    Desk level view of the right side of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter. On the end of the carriage we see (from left to right) the platen knob, the carriage release button, and an all tab clear leverDesk level view of the right side of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter. On the end of the carriage we see (from left to right) the platen knob, the carriage release button, and an all tab clear lever

    Oblique angle onto the front right corner of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter which has a small orange plastic logo on the right side of the satellite white machine cover.Oblique angle onto the front right corner of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter which has a small orange plastic logo on the right side of the satellite white machine cover.

    Close up of the left side of the paper table ruler and the paper bail ruler of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter which features the number 42.Close up of the left side of the paper table ruler and the paper bail ruler of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter which features the number 42.

    A view into the basket of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter featuring an uncommonly large custom typeface on the typeslugs.A view into the basket of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter featuring an uncommonly large custom typeface on the typeslugs.

    View from behind a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter into the typebasket with the body cover removed and then onto the gray plastic keyed keyboard.View from behind a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter into the typebasket with the body cover removed and then onto the gray plastic keyed keyboard.
    Close up of a san serifed typeface on the slugs of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter Close up of a san serifed typeface on the slugs of a 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter The custom 6 CPI Basic Writing No. 67 typeface.
    Full frontal view of a topless 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter Full frontal view of a topless 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter

    Close up of a topless 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter featuring a mottled metal bar under the clear and tab buttons. We also see some rehabilitated rusty metal links inside the machine.Close up of a topless 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter featuring a mottled metal bar under the clear and tab buttons. We also see some rehabilitated rusty metal links inside the machine.

    View of the gray plastic keys from the right side of a topless 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter. We get to see some of the intricate mechanisms of the typebars and keylevers inside the machine.View of the gray plastic keys from the right side of a topless 1971 Olympia SG-3 standard typewriter. We get to see some of the intricate mechanisms of the typebars and keylevers inside the machine.

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