Another great video. Just got a Studio 44 myself to add to the collection. Have you tried Magic Erasers to remove scuff marks. They work well but you have to use a very light touch as they are abrasive. Try on an inconspicuous area. Another handy little thing for cleaning very tight spaces are those tiny dental flossers that look like miniature mascara brushes and are available in the dental floss section of every drug store.
Man I wish I could send you my Studio 44. It deserves a good cleaning. I don’t have the tools nor the courage to disassemble my Olivetti. Thanks to one of your prior tutorials I aligned the upper and lower cases to perfection. A couple of letters were a bit stubborn and I had to micro-torque them into its place (a tip from another typewriter tech). I type all my study guides and many other works on this Olivetti; it truly is a beautiful and durable machine. Thanks for what you do sir.
Great video. I found my OIivetti Studio 44 in a recycling store. It was sold for 5€ as a decorative object - with the suitcase. I noticed immediately that the machine actually worked and bought it. Just some basic servicing and now the machine is in a really great shape. It's a pity that objects like this are sold as decoration instead of fixing them. This Olivetti really looks nice and the fact is that Olivetti used a top class designer to design this machine.
I just got a 1961 Studio 44 when we were in Denver a couple weeks ago (Aug. 2024). I didn't; realize when I made "the deal" that it was missing the feet and hardware to hold on the bottom plate. I have a Underwood 21, which is the same machine in a different body style. The 44 was missing the feet and the backspace key top. I removed them from the 21. I kinda like the key tops from the 21, and was thinking of swapping all of the keys on the 44 for those of the 21, kind of a "Franken-Vetti". Does that sound like a bad idea? The missing hardware is some what hard to find, and the 21 isn't one of my favorite machines???
Thank you Joe for such a wonderful walkthrough of the Olivetti Studio 44. I just received this machine and your video will be instrumental in my restoration.
love the studio 44. it's the apex of olivetti design and such a smooth operator, a serious writer's machine. underrated in the realm of olympia and hermes but i think it's a better machine as it wins in price (no contest), design (no contest) and robust mechanical nature. the last is arguable as the 44 doesn't have the hundred complications of a hermes but somehow i've written novels on machines which were bereft of such superfluity.
Thanks for this video, Joe! Luckily I already have a Studio 44 so I won't have to buy a new machine this time. 😅 But I will use this video to guide me as I revisit that machine and clean it more thoroughly!
I'll probably be the lazy fat person I am and since I have no where to work on a typewriter or the tools. I'm off to Cambridge "Typewriter next week. Thanks in advance Tom Furrier.
Great video Joe! I wonder, does the color of the machine have anything to do with manufacturing date, or were there always options in color? That is the first Studio 44 I've seen in that color, though it seems to have been common for the Lettera 22's
Mine was a barn find, it's squeaky clean now, after a lot of work, but I find the action really heavy, even at the lightest tension setting. It's heavier than my Olympia SM9 or Hermes 3000 or Brother or Olympia SF. How do you find the action on your machine?
Great question! Some people like the heavier resume papers, they are great for fancy letter-writing, but are more expensive. I use a wide variety of paper, like the thinner letter writing paper, even newsprint paper (the smooth finish art tablet variety). For taking typewriter ink well, anything that takes fountain pen ink usually also works well on typewriters, like Clairefontaine and similar French-made paper (the French have a history of using fountain pens in primary schools, hence the availability of good fountain pen-friendly French papers). Any paper will work, but some better than others.
@@Joe_VanCleave Thank you! I found your paper video after asking this question! So I might try the Hammermill stuff. But I also like your freewheeling experimental approach. I really like blue paper, and yellow paper, but much of it is very pricey. I will experiment!
My Studio 44 is the best of my small collection. I found it in a flea market store, but it is so clean and flawless, I wonder if it was purchased and unused. MB
Always enjoy your videos Joe. I have also had 5 olivetti machines,but,have sold them all. I'm curious about the round keys on yours and wondering about the type feel compared to the square keyed ones .Is there a big difference??
Interesting question. I think the round-key versions are older, which might mean they're better made. Of my three Letters 22s, I think two were round-key and one was something like tombstone-shaped, if memory serves (but I could be wrong). I don't recall a major difference in feel just based on shape of keys alone, however.
Relubricate is a better term. I recommend firearms lubricant like TriFlow, or sewing machine oil, on the carriage bearing rails, after cleaning and degreasing with alcohol. With typewriters, degreasing -- removing old, hardened lubricants -- is more important than lubrication, as many of the parts were designed to operate with minimal amounts of lubricant; especially the slots of the segment, where the type bar arms pivot, should be oil-free, but degreased completely to prevent sticking. The problem with dousing a typewriter with liberal amounts of oil is that, while it can often make the machine work okay in the short term, the excess oil will attract dust over time, which will gum up the works, and the oil will eventually start to dry out, again becoming gummy. Oiling without first removing the old, hardened lubricants doesn't remove the stickiness, it's just a temporary measure.
@@Joe_VanCleave ah, yes, i meant to refer to when you said to regrease the pinion gear with bearing / gear grease. I would use kroon oil ball gearing grease. Think that sounds suitable... .
Where did you find those small rubber grommets you used for the hole in the bracket? I have looked all over the major hardware stores with no luck. I need it for my Webster xl800 and my SG3
Fantastic. Should you ever get to work on an Olivetti 32, I would be very interested to see how to get the carriage off and back on. I don't know how! Perhaps a nice challenge for a future video ;), it is not yet documented on video. Thanks for all you do, it's really wonderful.
It may be possible to reattach the arm, with some careful machining and tapping a threaded hole into what’s left of the shaft. The problem is the material is soft aluminum alloy. It took me around 5 hours total to service the machine.
@@Joe_VanCleave I was recently gifted an Olivetti Studio 44. The carriage return lever is not completely detached, but is very loose on my machine. I suspect that many other Olivetti carriage return levers are in need of repair. A separate video on this problem and possible solutions would be greatly appreciated. Even closeup views of your broken part would be helpful. I have been unable figure out how to disassemble the carriage return lever from the rest of the machine. Thank you for your time, experience and expertise in producing these many useful videos.
Hey I have an Olivetti Studio 45 I tried to look up the serial number it starts with but no avail. I actually started cleaning the buttons and everything and a lot of the letters and everything work now the space bar works that's a great thing but does the ribbon dry out? The reason I ask is I have a whole spool of ribbon that's on there and it's barely printing but I'm wondering if there's something I can do maybe 🤔
Ribbons do dry out just sitting. Or sometimes the part exposed to air is dry but the ribbon inside the spool may have more wet ink. Ultimately, you may have to replace the ribbon with fresh.
@@Joe_VanCleave thank you for your reply is there a way I can tell if I can still use it or not like I said it's very subtle but it does print is there some type of method maybe with getting it wet again? I'm just wondering cuz like I said I just got this not too long ago at our local thrift store for 6.00.
@@hnfdkh247 People have sprayed WD40 on their spooled ribbon, then let it sit in a closed plastic baggie for a while. If it’s too wet and oily after, wipe it gently with a paper towel. I think it has to sit for days or weeks.
@@Joe_VanCleave thanks I love in a little town in Tennessee and just having a hard time finding a new spool. They said that Walmart sold them through people but I'd have to have it delivered. Just wanted to see if there was something I could do can you explain how to put the ribbon on possibly?
Substantially bigger than a 32. I'd call the 32 a smaller portable, while the 44 is a large portable. Most notably, the 44's size is deep, front-to-back, taking a larger footprint on the desk. Different mechanism on the 44, it has better mechanicals and action than the 32. Though the 44 comes with a case, I'd not consider it a convenient portable, whereas the 32 is certainly easier to carry.
I had a Studio 44 from Spain. I wasn't the biggest fan and after I restored it I sold it. It just seemed too bulky for a full size portable and the return lever had stripped some of the paint off the back of the carriage due to poor design. The lettera 32 and 22 from olivetti are much better machines!
No. The metal shaft that the arm connects to is twisted off. PLA plastic filament would be even weaker. This is a known weakness of these machines, they used aluminum alloy for these parts that should’ve been stronger metal.
Another great video. Just got a Studio 44 myself to add to the collection. Have you tried Magic Erasers to remove scuff marks. They work well but you have to use a very light touch as they are abrasive. Try on an inconspicuous area. Another handy little thing for cleaning very tight spaces are those tiny dental flossers that look like miniature mascara brushes and are available in the dental floss section of every drug store.
Man I wish I could send you my Studio 44. It deserves a good cleaning. I don’t have the tools nor the courage to disassemble my Olivetti. Thanks to one of your prior tutorials I aligned the upper and lower cases to perfection. A couple of letters were a bit stubborn and I had to micro-torque them into its place (a tip from another typewriter tech). I type all my study guides and many other works on this Olivetti; it truly is a beautiful and durable machine. Thanks for what you do sir.
What is microtorquing? Which video did you see?
Great video. I found my OIivetti Studio 44 in a recycling store. It was sold for 5€ as a decorative object - with the suitcase.
I noticed immediately that the machine actually worked and bought it. Just some basic servicing and now the machine is in a really great shape.
It's a pity that objects like this are sold as decoration instead of fixing them.
This Olivetti really looks nice and the fact is that Olivetti used a top class designer to design this machine.
I just got a 1961 Studio 44 when we were in Denver a couple weeks ago (Aug. 2024). I didn't; realize when I made "the deal" that it was missing the feet and hardware to hold on the bottom plate. I have a Underwood 21, which is the same machine in a different body style. The 44 was missing the feet and the backspace key top. I removed them from the 21. I kinda like the key tops from the 21, and was thinking of swapping all of the keys on the 44 for those of the 21, kind of a "Franken-Vetti". Does that sound like a bad idea? The missing hardware is some what hard to find, and the 21 isn't one of my favorite machines???
Sure, why not?! I’d advise installing the 44 key tops on the 21 at least so it’s usable, then maybe find a buyer for the 21.
Thank you Joe for such a wonderful walkthrough of the Olivetti Studio 44. I just received this machine and your video will be instrumental in my restoration.
That's a huge spool of ink ribbon you have there! Whete does ome obtain such a huge one?
Baco Ribbon & Supply. Look up their number and call them, they don’t do Internet orders.
love the studio 44. it's the apex of olivetti design and such a smooth operator, a serious writer's machine. underrated in the realm of olympia and hermes but i think it's a better machine as it wins in price (no contest), design (no contest) and robust mechanical nature. the last is arguable as the 44 doesn't have the hundred complications of a hermes but somehow i've written novels on machines which were bereft of such superfluity.
Thanks for this video, Joe! Luckily I already have a Studio 44 so I won't have to buy a new machine this time. 😅 But I will use this video to guide me as I revisit that machine and clean it more thoroughly!
I'll probably be the lazy fat person I am and since I have no where to work on a typewriter or the tools. I'm off to Cambridge "Typewriter next week. Thanks in advance Tom Furrier.
Great video Joe! I wonder, does the color of the machine have anything to do with manufacturing date, or were there always options in color? That is the first Studio 44 I've seen in that color, though it seems to have been common for the Lettera 22's
Here in Italy I've seen this very machine in only two colour options: this one and a light blue-waterish colour.
@@agricolturadimontagna2.0 a
For how much can I sell this type writer?
It was either this one, the 32, or another that Stephen King wrote the shining on.☺️
I love my Olivetti studio 44 it was the first one I got last year for my 12 birthday party
It’s a very nice machine though👍👍
Why notjust remove the platen?
Great video! Thanks! I find these really helpful!
Mine was a barn find, it's squeaky clean now, after a lot of work, but I find the action really heavy, even at the lightest tension setting. It's heavier than my Olympia SM9 or Hermes 3000 or Brother or Olympia SF. How do you find the action on your machine?
Mine’s pretty light , actually.
Hi Joe, what paper do you recommend for a typewriter? Thanks in advance.
Great question! Some people like the heavier resume papers, they are great for fancy letter-writing, but are more expensive. I use a wide variety of paper, like the thinner letter writing paper, even newsprint paper (the smooth finish art tablet variety). For taking typewriter ink well, anything that takes fountain pen ink usually also works well on typewriters, like Clairefontaine and similar French-made paper (the French have a history of using fountain pens in primary schools, hence the availability of good fountain pen-friendly French papers). Any paper will work, but some better than others.
@@Joe_VanCleave Thank you! I found your paper video after asking this question! So I might try the Hammermill stuff. But I also like your freewheeling experimental approach. I really like blue paper, and yellow paper, but much of it is very pricey. I will experiment!
I have a Studio 44 and I use it as my daily driver: it's awesome!
In Italy there was a version called "Olivetti Studio 44 L" and was almost the same as your previous Olivetti-Underwood 21.
My Studio 44 is the best of my small collection. I found it in a flea market store, but it is so clean and flawless, I wonder if it was purchased and unused. MB
One of the great typewriters!!
Is missing the ruler on the carriage on the bottom I think, I don’t know if it is an early model Ron not but mine have it
Always enjoy your videos Joe. I have also had 5 olivetti machines,but,have sold them all. I'm curious about the round keys on yours and wondering about the type feel compared to the square keyed ones .Is there a big difference??
Interesting question. I think the round-key versions are older, which might mean they're better made. Of my three Letters 22s, I think two were round-key and one was something like tombstone-shaped, if memory serves (but I could be wrong). I don't recall a major difference in feel just based on shape of keys alone, however.
thank you for the detail
When you say "regrease", what grease is recommendable?
Relubricate is a better term. I recommend firearms lubricant like TriFlow, or sewing machine oil, on the carriage bearing rails, after cleaning and degreasing with alcohol. With typewriters, degreasing -- removing old, hardened lubricants -- is more important than lubrication, as many of the parts were designed to operate with minimal amounts of lubricant; especially the slots of the segment, where the type bar arms pivot, should be oil-free, but degreased completely to prevent sticking.
The problem with dousing a typewriter with liberal amounts of oil is that, while it can often make the machine work okay in the short term, the excess oil will attract dust over time, which will gum up the works, and the oil will eventually start to dry out, again becoming gummy. Oiling without first removing the old, hardened lubricants doesn't remove the stickiness, it's just a temporary measure.
@@Joe_VanCleave ah, yes, i meant to refer to when you said to regrease the pinion gear with bearing / gear grease. I would use kroon oil ball gearing grease. Think that sounds suitable... .
Where did you find those small rubber grommets you used for the hole in the bracket? I have looked all over the major hardware stores with no luck. I need it for my Webster xl800 and my SG3
They came in a pack of various sized grommets from Tru Value, I think.
Thank you very much. Was that Olivetti the one you and Kevin picked up? I
@@johnnydangerous8067 Yes!
👍
Where donyou get those eyelets? And what is the tool called you use to punch in the eyelet?
I get them at craft stores, like Michaels or Hobby Lobby here in the States, in the sewing section. The tool is an eyelet crimper.
Fantastic. Should you ever get to work on an Olivetti 32, I would be very interested to see how to get the carriage off and back on. I don't know how! Perhaps a nice challenge for a future video ;), it is not yet documented on video. Thanks for all you do, it's really wonderful.
Would it be possible to re-attach the lever? Excluding filming, how long did you take cleaning / restoring this, roughly? Thanks and regards.
It may be possible to reattach the arm, with some careful machining and tapping a threaded hole into what’s left of the shaft. The problem is the material is soft aluminum alloy.
It took me around 5 hours total to service the machine.
@@Joe_VanCleave I was recently gifted an Olivetti Studio 44. The carriage return lever is not completely detached, but is very loose on my machine. I suspect that many other Olivetti carriage return levers are in need of repair.
A separate video on this problem and possible solutions would be greatly appreciated. Even closeup views of your broken part would be helpful. I have been unable figure out how to disassemble the carriage return lever from the rest of the machine.
Thank you for your time, experience and expertise in producing these many useful videos.
Hey I have an Olivetti Studio 45 I tried to look up the serial number it starts with but no avail. I actually started cleaning the buttons and everything and a lot of the letters and everything work now the space bar works that's a great thing but does the ribbon dry out? The reason I ask is I have a whole spool of ribbon that's on there and it's barely printing but I'm wondering if there's something I can do maybe 🤔
Ribbons do dry out just sitting. Or sometimes the part exposed to air is dry but the ribbon inside the spool may have more wet ink. Ultimately, you may have to replace the ribbon with fresh.
@@Joe_VanCleave thank you for your reply is there a way I can tell if I can still use it or not like I said it's very subtle but it does print is there some type of method maybe with getting it wet again? I'm just wondering cuz like I said I just got this not too long ago at our local thrift store for 6.00.
@@hnfdkh247 People have sprayed WD40 on their spooled ribbon, then let it sit in a closed plastic baggie for a while. If it’s too wet and oily after, wipe it gently with a paper towel. I think it has to sit for days or weeks.
@@Joe_VanCleave thanks I love in a little town in Tennessee and just having a hard time finding a new spool. They said that Walmart sold them through people but I'd have to have it delivered. Just wanted to see if there was something I could do can you explain how to put the ribbon on possibly?
@@hnfdkh247 ua-cam.com/video/Blb8soDh6jU/v-deo.htmlsi=wIv0WeDiycLwx32C
How do you compare this model to an olivetti 32?
Substantially bigger than a 32. I'd call the 32 a smaller portable, while the 44 is a large portable. Most notably, the 44's size is deep, front-to-back, taking a larger footprint on the desk. Different mechanism on the 44, it has better mechanicals and action than the 32. Though the 44 comes with a case, I'd not consider it a convenient portable, whereas the 32 is certainly easier to carry.
@@Joe_VanCleave ah, so mostly dimensional differences. I reckon quality is similar?
@@buildyear86 I think the 44 quality is better than the 32.
@@Joe_VanCleave interesting as the lettera 32 was made later. Thanks! Will take into consideration!
I had a Studio 44 from Spain. I wasn't the biggest fan and after I restored it I sold it. It just seemed too bulky for a full size portable and the return lever had stripped some of the paint off the back of the carriage due to poor design. The lettera 32 and 22 from olivetti are much better machines!
I wonder if you could 3D print another carriage return?
No. The metal shaft that the arm connects to is twisted off. PLA plastic filament would be even weaker. This is a known weakness of these machines, they used aluminum alloy for these parts that should’ve been stronger metal.