Olivetti Lettera 32 // Cleaning & Oiling // Change Ribbon // Troubleshoot// // 1960-ish

Hey guys!
I am cleaning up and trouble shooting this Olivetti Typewriter, 1960-ish I found several years that this could have been made, none of which match up identically with the one that I have, so I was unable to date it with 100 percent accuracy, the years vary from 1963,1965 & 1966 either way you can use this video to help clean any typewriter, I have Cleaned, oiled, and changed ribbon and performed min r troubleshooting, I hope this helps anyone looking to clean up an old typewriter they have found. Bought or received as a gift!
ps. I Didnt realize until I UPLOADED this that I had been pronouncing the name wrong, I know right, so, I am forever going to hate it, ( But also too lazy to fix it) super sorry!
Check out my Insta: @taylorgrantwrites / taylorgrantwrites

[@ripemangosmdm7997]

Isopropyl alcohol is a bit of a better choice for cleaning type arms. Alcohol and pressurized air. Sewing machine oil is good for certain parts but is rarely needed. A problem with using oil in place of a loosening agent like isopropyl is that it slowly gathers dust or could even land directly on previous build up, over time that build up gets gummed and the oil added to this makes it a wayyyyy harder mess to clean for typewriter maintenance or repair in the future. It may seem good at first, but it is doing more harm than good. Those type bars are spring reliant, tension, pressure and keeping them clean is important, making sure the springs are in good shape, not oiled. Checking and notes is a great idea though, but I just hope others aren't oiling their typewriters..

[@marlonsouza9224]

I was thinking about that the whole time. I was looking to see if anybody has said anything about it. The key rails were not meant to be oiled. This is clearly mentioned in some typewriter manuals.

[@Olga-tw8sw]

Thank you for the advice!

[@jimmypatrick1441]

Agreed. If you don’t add all that oil, you won’t need to clean all that oil off. Just clean it.

[@crstuckey105]

I just acquired an Olivetti 31 and she just needed a little dusting off inside. I used Simple green, Isopropyl alcohol mineral spirits and small compressed air. This video was a great help except for oiling. Vintage typewriter restoration experts say never oil. I gets it gunked up and makes things worse. I have a few other vintage typewriters. I knew nothing so I seeked out someone to show me what to do. Just my FYI Reading all the other comments helped also. Have a blessed day.

[@LetiziaCipriani]

My grandma just gave me her old Olivetti Lettera 32 that she used at work and it's so beautiful I couldn't resist restoring it! Thank you so much for this video, it helped me a lot since I had no idea where to start from

[@franciscondine]

incredibly helpful. until your video, i didn't realize that the two little prongs that hold the ribbon need to be equivalently aligned (to the left of their two settings for the ribbon to turn right, or to the right of their two settings for the ribbon to turn left), otherwise the ribbon wheels won't properly turn. thanks!

[@Doughboy842]

Such a sweet looking typewriter. I'm tempted to buy one again as I used to own one myself.

[@ebersonvagner8825]

Hi Taylor. I'm from Brazil. I just got your video by chance, and once I read "typewriter" of course I would love to watch that hahaha I won an Olivetti Lettera 35 from a friend as a gift. Your video helped me with some adjustments. Now, it's working perfectly and I got back my appreciate for writing !!! I'm a true fan of vintage things !!! Thanks !!! Regards and good writhings for you 🙌🏻

[@infinitymiracle6892]

Thank you so much for the video! My Olivetti Lettera 32 is going to arrive next week! Can’t wait to try cleaning it!

[@richardmcnally2056]

Outstanding. My day just got better. Thank you so much.

[@Olga-tw8sw]

My daughter has just given me an Olivetti Lettera 32 because she wants me to record my life story. She found it in a charity shop. It looks clean and seems to work, but I would like to check it over and oil, just in case, as I do with all my vintage sewing machines. The video is very helpful, thank you!

[@Joilsonday]

What tutorial! Thank you so much for all explanation about how to fix main problems! I have one Olivetti, it worked some years ago, but It need some Oil now. Thanks for sharing this video! You helped me understand the process easy way! Thanks!

[@deblane9092]

Really, really great video. I’m cleaning up an Olivetti Lettera 32 with the cursive font. I looked at many videos and yours was the most informative and the most clearly photographed. I’m putting this video address on the page I’m writing to sell it so people can access your great video. Thank you!!

[@ALCRAN2010]

Does yours say Underwood Lettera also? How does one price one of these? I think I read that they come with serial numbers...

[@deblane9092]

@@ALCRAN2010 It did not say Underwood on the typewriter itself but it did say Underwood on the instruction card. It sold at an online estate auction for $212.00. The sale included the original case that had a functioning zipper, the instruction card, a set of new ribbons (the ribbons on the machine were new also) and two sets of vintage typing paper.

[@deblane9092]

@@ALCRAN2010 The price started at $5 and went to $212 over the 2 week/4 day auction.

[@SCW95]

managed to snag one of these from the charity shop for £40; case, brushes and manual all there, all unmarked and in excellent condition (also some OG TippEx which was fun) Apparently the guy who dropped it off said it was broken. Charity shop said it wasn't actually broken when I asked if it worked but they couldn't really demonstrate it for me as they weren't fully sure how to work it themselves, so I took a chance. I had no experience with typewriters but I got it pretty figured out within an hour of just... randomly pulling levers and hitting keys. Just needed a fresh ribbon. think the guy (and the shop) just didn't realise how you unlocked the carriage aha.

[@missmerrily4830]

Lol, amazing how many I've seen for sale or auction online, stating the carriage isn't moving...... I'm pretty sure a lot of those were just locked too! For once it's an advantage to be of advanced years 😃

[@sheen4897]

Just what I needed to maintain my lettera 22 (very similar), thank you!

[@user-qd4bs5pz3z]

thank you for the great video. my wife and daughter are so excited to restore theirs!!!

[@laszlocarreidas9548]

I have 2 of those. Very nice piece of Italian engineering.

[@rancosteel]

I put the typewriter in Shift Lock then press T and Y keys together so they get stuck. It allows for easier access to the ribbon guide.

[@dainocovaiodaino]

Just got the same machine, very nice and usefull video, thanks!

[@elarogers9100]

Thank you this is so helpful I have an Olivetti Lettera 32

[@benvangalen6643]

Very helpful, thank you!

[@emmanuellegrand2203]

Thank you very much for your video!

[@laurentfrancois6419]

I read many time we should NEVER NEVER NEVER use any king of oil or grease on the machines. It's of course the reflex when try to restore a machine, but i understand it's a big common mistake. You can now cleanup the machin with alcool and that it, or use dry carbon something or teflon.

[@Nightwingwwe]

Thanks, you help me a lot.

[@nicholasraiti8977]

Great video! Thx!

[@lxbeeb]

I just bought one today should be coming 2 - 3 weeks from now!!!

[@sibispanickerkazchakaran4247]

How much ?

[@ka-powUSA]

Very useful.

[@Okcunning4606]

Hi! I have the same machine. I have issues with the margins while typing, they are inconsistent line by line. The left margins of my paragraphs don't start in the same place as I move to a new line - any idea what it might be??

[@davidberger6938]

Hi Taylor, I just picked up an Olivetti Lettera 32 here in Austria and your video was incredibly helpful with getting started. Thank you! One question is coming up though: My margin bell does not really make a noise and I would like to fix this. I have looked at the mechanism and I can trigger the bell with my finger by sliding over the central lever. However, the carriage sliding over the same lever does not produce the bell sound. Do you have any ideas how to get the bell to ring once it hits the margin? Thanks so much!

[@DoubleMonoLR]

The metal strip immediately next to the lever can pivot back, if you do that you can clean the spring below. I cleaned mine with circuit cleaner & a q-tip, and it went from no sound at all(unless pushing in particular ways with my finger) to a bell noise(albeit not very loud) in normal operation. If no cleaning helps it could be that the spring has become too loose, or detached(but you should be able to see if that's the case). Personally I think it may be better (for manual typewriters like this) in the long run to just remove all grease etc, rather than adding oil as shown here. Oil seems to pretty much inevitably have dust sticking to it. The main reason for oil on manual typewriters in the distant past seems to have possibly been to prevent rust, but that doesn't seem much of an issue for relatively modern typewriters like these.

[@tanaka6419]

ありがとうございます。大いに助かりました!!

[@All4Vintage]

I have this typewriter, it was my grandads. The case is very ripped and is in bad condition but the typewriters fine, i replaced the ink ribbons. I was wondering if you had any tips for repairing the case?

[@antigoseraros]

Parabéns! Muito linda

[@lulu-gu3qz]

What are the differences between the 22 and 32 version?

[@ademirrufatto6570]

Thanks to anyone who can help, I need to buy this machine ASAP, urgent or give up on the purchase

[@martinkroissenbrunne]

in other videos i heard you shouldnt use oil to fix sticking letters because it will make it more sticky over time - are you shure with your oil implementation? thank u :)

[@oramirez77513]

Oil should never be used in the type basket/segment as it become a dust magnet and will gum up the keys over time (which is why keys are generally stuck or slow to begin with).

[@oramirez77513]

Instead, clean the gaps with mineral spirits and blow out with compressed air.

[@Biyer11]

Hi my Olivetti Lettera 22 has a skipping issue. This happens only when I'm typing very fast, when I'm typing slowing and not forcefully but pronouncedly the skipping doesn't happen at all. I don't want to immediately assume it's an issue with the machine because it could be an issue with me. I am fairly new to typing and this is my first machine, so it could be because I am importing my typing style on the computer keyboard to the typewriter. Another thing is that Olivettis have personal touch adjustment. You can adjust the softness of the touch from 1 to 4. Is it because I'm not being able to align myself with the touch adjustment that the skipping happens? I am asking all this before I take it to the repair store (who will definitely say that it is a problem with the machine).

[@DoubleMonoLR]

Are you sure you're not accidentally bumping other keys?, personally I found it easy to accidentally hit the space bar. I'm definitely not used to using a typewriter though.

[@corygiesbrecht5423]

Did you figure it out? I find with manual typewriters is when I type too soft it skips. This is fixed by a quick firm down stroke of my finger (like a sharp peck). I practise this. Also the surface that the typewriter is on needs to be at at a height to accommodate this, of it is sitting too high it is hard to make that accurate stroke.

[@audrilovita5678]

I don’t know if you’ll see this but I need help :( I have an underwood olivetti studio 44 and I am attempting to change the ribbon..... but I can’t remove the ribbon.......

[@Bigbluemarblee]

Hi! So I looked it up to see if the mechanisms are the same and it looks identical if not very similar to the ones on the machine I have- were you able to get the metal screw things off the top? The ribbon won’t come off if those are tightened. If those will not come off and they are possible rusted or damaged in another way you may have to try with a crescent wrench but that may damage the threading on the outside and may interfere with the ribbon staying on in the future let me know If you were able to get those silver screws off right on top of the ribbon and then I’ll see if there’s anything else I know! Haha hope this helps!

[@brettmanuel3440]

Great video thank you! I have a 31 but I can’t find where the serial number is … do you know where it is on your 32? Might give me a hint as to where to find mine.

[@banoffepie7]

I have a 22, and the serial is above the ribbon spool on the right (I had to move the carriage across to see it). I don’t know if it will be the same, but hope this helps! Also it’s worth checking the space under the carriage on both sides.

[@neothezero]

HI! Just wondering what type of ribbon this typwriter takes? I just scored a typewriter if this sort (Olivetti Lettera 32) from my grandmother, its ribbon is spent and I want to get it working! This video was amazingly instructional, so thank you so very much for this video. I will be referring back to this many times, for sure!

[@neothezero]

.

[@anonymouslakernerd7214]

Do the same tips apply to the Olivetti Lettera 22?

[@Thatsaspicymemeball]

I would imagine most of the cleaning

[@wildflowerjunkjournalsbyle3620]

Hi there, I snagged myself one of these yesterday from an op shop... woohoo! I need to buy a new ribbon for it but my first question is can I use any type of oil or does it have to be a machinery type oil? and my other question is that the little elbow isn't lifting the ribbon when I type so the letters are hitting directly onto the paper above the ribbon... What could be the cause if this and how could I fix it? TIA

[@michaelbliss5330]

One possibility I can think of.... If the ribbon-color select lever is in the middle position, between red & black, the little ribbon lifter arm won't lift the ribbon. I believe that the color select lever is over on the right-hand side of the keyboard... But I'm not 100% sure.

[@hugogutierrez2849]

I have a funny problem with this model, got it recently and everything seems to work very nicely and its pretty clean already. The only problem is that the return carriage (the silver stick) when i put it back to the right to make a new line...is in the same line everytime. Like the paper doesn't move up while you writte a line after line. Its not the drawband itself because the space, the tab, the back button, all the letters during the line works and doesn't get stuck, and go to left and right with no problem, it just do not go up while you writte (which is the less practical thing ever in a apparently perfect condition typewritting). Any idea or video of how could i fix that? The silver stick in the left only has one spring and doesnt look very tense and i though maybe doesnt have enough strenght to put the papper up but i don't know how should i solve it

[@SCW95]

sorry this was a month ago so you might be sorted.. not to state the obvious but have you adjusted the lever which lets you chose between 0,1,2 and 3 spaces between lines? or looked for a problem there?

[@hugogutierrez2849]

@@SCW95 the problem is that the spring is loose. The spring that it's fixed with the silver stick when you run from one line to another one. But I didn't find any video of how to fix this particular problem with the tiny spring

[@ademirrufatto6570]

Need help. Hello, let's see if you can help me? I intend to buy an Olivetti Lettera 22 machine that I saw in a newsstand here in Brazil, I believe it is 1963. It's pretty dirty but it looks good to me. The letter C is missing from the keyboard and I hadn't even noticed this lever that makes the spacing between the lines, but it's missing, but the roller is not locked and the keys don't stack. She's on tape and apparently working. I've never had a typewriter and I don't even know how to use it, is it possible to use the typewriter without this lever that has 4 spacing and neutral (zero) positions? I want to use the machine in a simple way, train typing only. It is being sold for a very cheap price and whoever is selling it doesn't understand about it either. These machines are getting rare around here and their price for both repair, maintenance and parts are very expensive. Someone else will buy it, even to use it as decoration and I'll miss the chance to get a good deal.

[@Marlene4377]

What could be wrong if the ribb is threaded properly but the real doesn't move when typing. Love your video. ❤️

[@Bigbluemarblee]

Without looking at it, I would think that the mechanism that moves the ribbon itself isn't working properly, I would double check all the mechanics at the , 6:35 mark and i would focus my attention there, you should be able to see by moving those pieces if something isn't working correctly, you will want to trouble shoot with the ribbon off so that you don't damage it but it, all the pieces should move normally without the ribbon needing to be on, if none of those pieces look like they are working properly than you would need to do further investigation as to why, and some replacement pieces might be needed, the things that is frustrating with simple machines is that they work really well long term, and they don't need much to keep them going, but when one thing is off, than it sort of snowballs into the next thing not working, but again good news, the second you find that small thing off, it will usually fix the whole problem! are the reals moving at all? or are they completely jammed up? let me know if any of this helps!

[@mohitmehta5122]

What would be the price

[@smokikee]

The ribbon is not installed correctly

[@bigdumptruck]

I'm concerned that you're using oil when "cleaning". You're going to be creating a future world of hurt when it gunks up with dust over time and keys stop working. Use canned air and a toothbrush first, then maybe rubbing alcohol. Your video originally showed the ribbon elbow not moving up or down at all when you tested the keys, which seemed like something you would have had to fix. Disappointed you skipped that part.

[@LoudCitizen]

When you swing the carriage return lever away from you (to "put it away"), it should not angle to the right and rest on the metal carriage return release mechanism. Pull it to the left (you will feel the platen rotate when you do this), and the lever will fold down, and rest on the left side of the carriage housing.

[@roarliger3736]

my Lettera doesnt move when I press a letter :-/

[@roarliger3736]

there is still no ribbon inside but should work without one, right?

[@roarliger3736]

ok I got it, its working!!! 🙈😅

[@no-wire-hangers]

Do you have the carriage lock on? 🔒

[@querraasrra630]

linda preciosa mi amor 💋💋