Monday, August 23, 2010

Olivetti Lexikon 80

36 comments:

  1. I've always admired the look of these without ever actually acquiring one. It's much more fluid than the Diaspron 82 I restored a couple of years ago.

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  2. In my opinion, once you get hold of this machine (and the Lettera 22) you really appreciate the subtlety and beauty of Marcello Nizzoli's design. He also designed the Diaspron, which in my opinion is a weird failure -- the Edsel of typewriters!

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  3. That picture...that picture is something.

    I may swoon.

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  4. Richard, is that 'museum' of typewriters in your office at Xavier? Holy moly I need to take a trip by there.

    By the way, nice desk lamp, where did you get that?

    Mike

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  5. Thanks, Mike. Yes, it's my Xavier office, and you are welcome to come by! When I hosted the "Midwest Typefest 2010" this June, part of it was a visit to my little museum. I hope to repeat something like that next summer.

    I don't recall where I got the lamp. These Deco gooseneck lamps are not hard to find in antique malls.

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  6. The machines... the Kierkegaard... the ultimate office?

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  7. Hi everyone,

    I have had a lexicon 80 in my possession for a while now and am looking to sell it. Does anyone have any advice on how to get it accurately valued and where to sell it. I initially thought ebay but wanted to offer it to the typewriter collecting community or Marcello Nizzoli fans first.

    any advice would be much appreciated

    p.s. I am UK based

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  8. James, I don't think foreign buyers will be willing to pay the very expensive shipping from the UK, and in the UK these typewriters are not as unusual as in the US. So I would not expect to get a lot of money. Try putting it on ebay.co.uk and simply see what happens.

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  9. he i also have the Same Machine may some body tell me that how can i get good price of it.

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  10. HI, i also have a lexicon 80 i would like to sell..

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    Replies
    1. My advice to all typewriter sellers is to put the machine on a local classified site (such as Craigslist) or, if you're willing to pack and ship carefully, put it on eBay.

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  11. Hi Richard,

    I have found a Lexicon 80 in the corner of an old office, it was covered in grime, dust,nicotine and tar...

    Brought it to the one shop in Vienna where you should go to get the beauties back into almost mint condition... it will cost as much as a week holiday at the sea side, but the joy writing with it should last way longer... :)

    Can't wait to get my hands on the Lexicon 80....

    Do you have any ideas where to get copies (pdf, xeroxes, real copies, almost any format will do the trick) for the Lexicon 80?

    Thanks in advance
    Rob from Vienna

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    1. Hi Rob,

      Congratulations, I think you'll enjoy this fine typewriter.

      I don't know a source for an instruction manual. But you can discover a lot simply by playing with all the controls, as long as you don't force anything. Don't neglect the tension adjuster, located under the ribbon cover on the right. The shop that restored your typewriter should also be able to provide you with advice.

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    2. Good afternoon,
      I own many typewriters including a Lexikon and with a little patience I managed to find an original copy of the Instructions for Use in Italian, which are indeed very rare. If it would be useful for lovers of this model I could photograph them and create a pdf. Please let me know.
      Greetings from Padua (Italy),
      Luca

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    3. Grazie, Luca! Yes, that would be helpful. I can add them to my collection of online instruction manuals. You may email a PDF to me at polt@xavier.edu.

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    4. Ciao Richard,
      I know your collection of manuals: very useful for all typewriter enthusiasts!
      I quickly made a pdf with my mobile phone, but in the meantime it's already something...
      I'll send it now.

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  12. I bought an old house a few years back. Found an Olivetti Lexikon 80 in mint condition in the barn. Where can I find the serial number on my new found typewriter?

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    1. If you pull off the ribbon cover you should find the serial number stamped near the right ribbon. Congratulations on your find.

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  13. Thank you :) The serial number is 2495887, but I can't find it on this list. Any ideas what that's about?

    http://typewriterdatabase.com/olivetti.56.typewriter-serial-number-database

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    1. It's possible that it was made in 1952, the last year listed, or that (as I suspect) production of this model continued for a few years afterwards and we just don't have data.

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    2. Aah, so -53 or -54 is the likeliest year? What about the platen - it's much wider on the one I found than on the picture. Is that a detail that changed at some point or did they make two sizes all along?

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    3. I suspect that several carriage lengths were always available.

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  14. Hello: I have an old lexicon 80 and I want to disassemble the cabinet and the carriage to clean and lubricate it.

    Do you know if there is a manual with the proper instructions? Do you know how to do it? I remember that it was a very simple operation but know, I've forget it.

    Thank you for advance.

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    1. I do not have a user's manual, but yes, it's easy. To remove the carriage just remove two screws from the black plate underneath the carriage. (The regular screws, not the strange looking ones.) Then I think the shell can be removed easily from the body of the machine. When you take off the ribbon cover you will see two screws that need to be removed, and that may be all.

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    2. Thank you so much. I did remove the cabinet and the carriage 30 years ago but I forgot it.

      I've seen the Browker's weblink and it's very easy. Thank you again.

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  15. Can you pls tell me what year my Lexicon 80 serial number 88517 was made in.
    Thank you

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    1. Hi, It might be 1957, but it's a bit hard to interpret the serial data (here). Most of these numbers are only for Olivettis made in Ivrea, Italy, but the company had a number of other factories around the world. The date I'm giving you is for a model listed as "Lexikon," not "Lexikon 80."

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  16. Hi (asking for an artistic vintage/typewriter obsessed teen daughter who's fallen in love with an Olivetti Lexikon 80)
    Saw one for sale locally but when I tried to feed paper in, it would not "catch" and feed round the roll. Worried this might be a fault... but can you tell me if there is one of the many buttons that I can adjust that would fix this issue as I can't find a manual on,one and looks from comments above as if I may be searching in vain.
    Thanks. Yours hopefully

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    1. Hi Sal, I approve of your daughter's obsession, of course. On the right end of the carriage there is a lever you push back, as I recall, to open the paper release. (This moves the small feed rollers away from the big roller, or platen, to allow the paper to move freely.) It might be that this lever needs to be CLOSED (moved toward you) so that the paper will catch. Or it might be that the paper won't go in properly unless you OPEN the lever, slip the paper in, then close the lever to grip it. However, on most typewriters that are clean and working properly, paper should go right in when the paper release is closed. Hope this helps!

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  17. Problem solved! Found an old scrap of sticky label deep down on the roller. It came out with some paper that I fed through, and now works fine. Thank you so much for your help!

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  18. Hi, I've just invested in one of these beauties from a car boot sale. All works (or will work after some TLC) well but (and forgive my lack of technical terms) the thread that runs from the coiled spring in order to make the carriage move on had completely detached itself. I have the thread and I've worked out how to hook it onto the spring, but I can't see where to attach the other end. I hope this makes sense! Can you advise me?

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    1. Yes, it makes sense. This is usually called the pull cord. I'll check my Lexikon when I'm back at the office in a couple of days, and follow up. Feel free to e-mail me at polt@xavier.edu.

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  19. Hi all!

    I've got a Lexikon 80, according to the cover. However I cannot find any serial number near the right ribbon. Only on the bottom: M2-A4 44-12-21.

    Any ideas?

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