This website focuses on Traveller-specific subjects. Things I discovered while buying, restoring and using Travellers.
The Olympia Traveller had an impressive career, the typewriter was still produced well into the 1980’s. That’s problably one of the reasons Travellers are easy to get, at least in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, little practical information about the Traveller series is available on the internet. So it seemed a good idea to me to start publishing about everything Traveller – to help people use and maintain their Travellers in this day and age.
July 28, 2019
When you remove the left-hand platen knob, the platen may shift a little to the right. It is hardly visible, and will cause type alignment issues due to the fact that the platen will rotate incorrect. It also may give problems with the line space lever and/or assembling the pressure roller above it. Before putting the left-hand platen knob back, make sure the gab between the line space lever and the sprocket-wheel is not too large. If so, use the right-hand platen knob to rotate te platen while pushing the platen simultaneously to the left. At a certain point the platen will click into place.
The wrong situation (1) and how it should look (2). Notice the little difference in how far the platen axis protrudes. See the differences in this animated GIF.
When you mount the back panel (the part with the margin scale and the paper support), it is possible to do it with one or both of the the margin stops in front of the margin scale. If you don’t notice it, you may damage the margin scale when moving the margin stops. Best practice to prevent this is to remove the margin scale before removing the back panel. Put masking tape around the margin stops and move them to the center. This way it is impossible to forget the margin stops when you put everything back.
Scratches caused by a margin stop in front of the margin scale (1), the pesky little margins stops you forget so easily (2), and the same margin stops marked with masking tape (3).
To adjust the vertical type alignment you have to work with headless screws. These may break if you’re not careful. Make sure to use a screwdriver that fits and to loosen the nut before turning the headless screw.
The result of applying force to a headless screw with a slightly too large screwdriver (1). Use suitable tools, pick the ones on the right side (2). In case you wonder, you need a 5.5 mm wrench for the nuts.
When you hear a rattling sound when moving the carriage, examin the escapement. Look closely to the mechanism while moving the carriage to the left and right to find out what triggers the sound. The times I had to deal with this problem the little wire spring that lifts the locking theeth was misaligned. After pushing the spring a little around the rattling was gone.
The escapement in resting state (1) and when the carriage is moving (2). See the differences in this animated GIF.
When you hear a soft, subtle scraping sound when moving the carriage, check the little spring below the carriage on the left side. It may touch the carriage bottom. One of my Travellers had a spring with a slightly bigger diameter then springs in other machines. This is when parts machines come in handy; after replacing the spring the problem was solved. To gain the best possible access to the spring, set the left-hand margin stop to 0 and move the carriage as far as possible to the right. Also remove the bottom plate and the left-hand platen knob.
The spring, photographed from the back of the typewriter and therefore displayed on the right side of the carriage.
The right-hand platen knob should be permanently fixed onto the platen axis. A loose or slipping knob can be glued to the axis with super glue. Put a little glue on the inside of the knob and/or on the the axis, but not on the knob rim. After glueing the knob you can still replace the platen, you have to pull out the entire axis and leave the knob were it should be: on the axis.
A glued right-hand platen knob. For clarity the platen axis is pulled out a little, don’t do this when glueing the knob.
Some Travellers have a nice light touch, other a stiff, exhausting touch. Fortunately, this can be adjusted (a little) by raising or lowering the metal slotted plate at the front (the one from which the keylevers protrude). If present, set the touch adjuster to the lightest setting. Then loosen the screws which hold the plate, just enough to move the plate up and down. Do not raise or lower the plate too much, the keys may become uneven or jam. For the best result, press the plate firm down with both hands, until the typebars raise up. Now type a little (on as much keys as possible) until the keyboard feel allright. When done, tighten the screws of the plate.
Note: after this operation the shift lock needs to be readjusted.
The metal plate is hold by a pair of screws next to the margin release key (1) and a pair next to the backspace key (2). The extra screw in the middle on the left side is for setting the shift lock (3).
Sometimes a fresh installed (or wet) ribbon causes ink smears on the paper. The regular Traveller suffers from this more often than the Traveller de Luxe. The latter (and many other typewriters) guide the ribbon in a straight line from left to right through the ribbon vibrator. The regular Travellers does it in a slight angle. This make it possible for the ribbon to form a bulge behind the ribbon vibrator and touch the paper. The only solution for this problem is to install an older (or dryer) ribbon.
Ink smears caused by a very wet ribbon (1). Ink ribbon installation in a Traveller (2) and a Traveller de Luxe (3).
If the platen is rotating in a stiff way, chances are high that the pressure roller on top of the platen sprocket has too much tension. To check if this is the case, push the line space control lever all the way forward. This releases the pressure roller. If the platen now can rotate freely, the pressure roller needs to be adjusted. Slightly loosen the two screws that hold the pressure roller in place and move the pressure roller towards you. Tighten the screws.
The pressure roller in place (1) and disassembled (2). Note the elongated screw holes that make it possible to adjust the tension.
The Olympia Traveller uses a DIN 2103 ribbon on a DIN 32755 Group 1 spool. The ribbon has a width of 13 mm.
Note: Travellers for the US market use the so called Underwood pattern spool, also known as Group 5,6, Group 9 or Group 1009.
The regular Traveller uses one-color ribbons (1), the Traveller de Luxe can use two-color ribbons (2).
The serial number can be found under the carriage on the right side, near the bell.
Later built machines have two digits, representing the production year, stamped in each of the three casted aluminium frame parts. The stamp on the carriage frame is easy to find, near the serial. The stamp on the main frame is located left from the segment, the stamp on the frame part holding the segment is on the right. Years may vary.
The carriage frame on the picture is casted in 1973.
A comparison between my oldest and youngest Traveller shows that there is very little difference between the German built early Traveller and Yugoslavian built later model. There are two small mechanical differences:
Apart from color and finishing there two design differences:
Materials used for linkages, levers, washers and the like differ between the models (blackened steel, nickel-plated steel, regular metal, copper). The same goes for the rubber tubing below the ribbon cover (gray, transparant). Stamps and marks on the casted frame parts also differ. The German castings have a smoother finish. That’s all, after almost two decades!
The early model built in 1970, next to the later model built after 1987 (1). Leather versus plactic (2). The blue bottom plate is hidden by the metal colored sticker (3), that is omitted in the later model (4). The metal plate on the back was discontinued after a while by the Yugoslavians (5), the screw holes were all what remained (6).
The obvious difference between the regular Traveller and the De Luxe model is the feature set. The latter sports a touch adjuster, a two-color ribbon system, and a lever to automatically raise the paper support. The lesser known differences are the touch and the sound. The regular Traveller types somewhat lighter and snappier, but the keys also give a kind of kick back. The pitch is a little higher and there is some vibration at the end of each keystroke. The De Luxe on the other hand has a slightly more solid touch, a lower pitch and less vibration. The differences are subtle yet noticeable, resulting in a different typing experience between the two models. In words, and a bit exaggerated: click-click versus thud-thud.
New Travellers were shipped with various protection materials, one of them a cardboard or plastic typebar protector. This nifty ‘device’ keeps the typebars in place during transport. If you still have one, you can simply create another. Take a piece of thin cardboard, mark the outline of the typebar protector with a pencil and cut it out. If you don’t have the original protector, you can use the template PDF.
The plastic typebar protector that accompanied an AEG Traveller (1). For making a duplicate, a postcard will do. The small bulge on the long side may be omitted when cutting out (2). The duplicate in use (3).
Draw a short, horizontal line at the right bottom of the paper, about 19 mm (0.75″) from the bottom edge. Then flip the paper vertical; the line should now be located at the top of the paper, on the back. Feed the paper this way into the Traveller and start typing. At a certain point you will see the line appear from behind the metal plate on the right side of the carriage. Now you have 3 lines left to type. Just enought to finish your line, add a blank line and put a page number on the next. This works with single line spacing.
With the help of the Traveller itself, the line can be drawn easy and without a ruler! Put the paper behind the margin scale and push it gently down until it stops. Now use the margin scale as a ruler to draw the line on the right side of the paper and continue as described above.
The end of line indicator drawn at the right bottom of the paper (1). As soon as you see the indicator above the metal plate, you’re almost there (2). With a Traveller, you don’t need a ruler (3).
Travellers have a pretty loud, hollow sound. Besides that, you can clearly hear some vibration after each keystroke, especially with the regular Traveller. This can be reduced somewhat with felt. I’ve done a few experiments to find the best approach. Covering the complete inside of a Traveller with 1 mm synthetic felt had almost no effect, it was certainly not worth the effort. Covering only the bottom plate with two layers of 1 mm synthetic felt had some effect, but it was only noticible in a direct comparison. The most effective and easy method is to cover the bottom plate with 5 mm wool felt. This approach does not really reduce the sound level, but it alters it by reducing the higher tones and vibration sound. The result is a more solid, ‘calmer’ sound. This sound sample gives an impression how a regular Traveller sounds before and after adding 5 mm wool felt.
Experimenting with 1 mm synthetic felt and 5 mm wool felt (1). By the way, for soundproofing, wool felt is recommended by people who work with felt. Covering the bottom plate is a pretty straightforward job (2).
Various scans of Olympia documents, mostly in Dutch. Click on the images for the full PDF version.
Two almost identical Traveller leaflets, the second is a redesign (1 and 2). A typeface leaflet in German (3).
Olympia price list from 1969 including an overview of available typefaces and keyboards (1). Updated price list from 1972 (2). Prices are in guilders and excluding VAT.
Manual from a Traveller produced in 1977 (1). Manual from an AEG Olympia Traveller the Luxe produced after 1987 (2).
Unpacking instructions in German, English, French and Spanish (1 and 2).
Traveller 15-3846368 was delivered by mail in its original packaging, like it was 1977. This is how it looked.
No foam or plastic, just carton with 2-color print (1). The left side. The white sticker is from the factory in Yugoslavia and contains typewriter specific data, like the serial and type of keyboard. The sticker with ‘66’ is from the importer, note the old Olympia logo (2). More carton (3). The manual and unpacking instructions were still there. The label, wich was originally attachted to the case handle, contains the same data as the sticker on the box (4).
The Which Typewriter? 1973 British Consumers Report on Portable Typewriters, published on Robert Messengers excellent site oz.Typewriter, reveals how the Traveller de Luxe was perceived. From the report:
“... Olympia Traveller de luxe and Imperial 300 were most often owned by our members.”
“The ribbon reverse was a source of trouble on Imperials and Smith-Coronas and the Adler Tippa S, Olivetti Lettera 32 and Olympia Traveller de luxe.”
“The Olympia Traveller de luxe was rated highly for quality of writing, ease of use and reliability.”
“Drawing lines [is] difficult.”
“The electric typewriters had a very light touch compared with the manuals. Of the manuals the Olympia Traveller de luxe stood out as particularly heavy.”
“If the most important thing for you is to have a machine that is easy to carry about, then you’ll want to think about the smallest and lightest typewriters. Of these the two best were the Adler Tippa S (£ 47 down to £ 30) and the Olympia Traveller de luxe (£ 44 down to £ 30).”
At the end of the report, the Traveller de Luxe is listed as “Good value for money” in the “very portable” catagory. You can read the comprehensive, 9 pages long report at this blog post.
In 1971 Olympia published an article about their international cooperations in the Olympia International 71/2 trade magazine. Below a Google translation from the original German text about the Yugoslavian UNIS plant that produced the Traveller:
“The company name UNIS is the abbreviation for Association of Yugoslavian Metal Industry Sarajevo. In 1970, Olympia signed a cooperation agreement with UNIS to set up a typewriter production plant. According to the agreement, the small typewriter models SF will be gradually relocated from Leer to Bugojno. Olympia will provide technical support with the ‘know-how’ and, for the most part, the necessary operating equipment. A mutual exchange of skilled workers during the construction period will ensure that the quality of the typewriters manufactured in Bugojno will continue to meet Olympia standards. The stages of the handover are set so that from mid-1972 the machines will be built entirely in Bugojno. The majority of the Yugoslav Olympia production will be sold through Olympia sales. UNIS distributes the Yugoslavian demand on its own.”
The Olympia International 71/2 magazine can be found on the Internet Archive, the article mentioned above starts at page 10.
The Traveller was the last version of Olympia’s ultra-portable typewriter, the Schreibmachine Flach, better known as the SF. There is no official documentation known to me describing all SF models Olympia produced. Especially the first years (1956-1962) Olympia build a lot of slighly different SF’s. Based on my own SF’s, online research and some Olympia marketing brochures, I’ve come up with the following rough classification.
1st generation SF, 1956. The SF on this picture dates from 1959. Typical features are the wire frame paper support and the position of the margin release key (first key on the top row).
2nd generation SF. This typewriter is from 1962 and was branded as a Splendid 33. The major difference with its predecessor are the relocation of the margin release key, making room for an extra character key on the top row. Other improvement (at least on this machine) are the redesigned paper support.
3rd generation SF. A Splendid 33 from 1965 (1) and a SF De Luxe from 1962 (2). Although their appearance is different, both machines are mechanically identical, except for their feature set. Improvements over the previous generation are a completely redesigned margin scale, and a new line finder/card holder system.
4th generation SF. The revamped SF De Luxe on this picture is from 1969. Improvements over its predecessor include a new keyboard and a longer carriage return lever. The keyboard has lighter keys and redesigned (simpler) shift lock/margin release keys.
5th generation SF, 1970. Early Traveller, sold as SF (1) and a late model Traveller de Luxe from 1987 or later (2). Radical redesigned body, carriage and case.
In retrospect, the Traveller was Olympia’s version of a budget typewriter. It was a clever redesign of the almost perfect, but somewhat complicated and expensive 4th generation SF. The Traveller was simpler, used less chrome and more plastic. It was easier to build and service. While the 4th generation SF’s were better machines, the Traveller served for almost two decades as a viable product.
The Travellers on which I base my experience. Mainly purchased on thrift shops and online. Most of them were used nor serviced in a long time. Prices ranged from € 8.50 to € 50, with an avarage of € 20.
| Typewriter | Serial | Carriage year | Produced | Issues at the time of purchase | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympia SF | 15-2077058 | West Germany, 1970 | Lightly used | Blue body, black leather suitcase | ||
| Olympia Traveller | 15-3470620 | Yugoslavia, 1977 | Loose/slipping right-hand platen knob, rust on body/key levers | Bad | Water damage | |
| Olympia Traveller de Luxe | 15-3548829 | Yugoslavia, 1977 | Loose/slipping right-hand platen knob, damaged body, loose carriage | Bad | Fall damage | |
| Olympia Traveller de Luxe | 15-3630906 | 73 | Yugoslavia, 1977 | Escapement not working, + sign type arm snapped of, glued side panels | Bad | Orange body |
| Olympia Traveller | 15-3846368 | 73 | Yugoslavia, 1977 | Loose/slipping right-hand platen knob | Lightly used | Documentation, original packaging box |
| Olympia Traveller | 15-3870697 | 73 | Yugoslavia, 1977 | Rattling sound when moving carriage | Lightly used | Documentation |
| Olympia Traveller de Luxe | 15-4270039 | Yugoslavia, 1977 | Wobbly type, crack in left platen knob, snapped off left attachment pin ribbon cover | Heavy used | Orange body | |
| Olympia Traveller | 15-5435948 | 80 | Yugoslavia | Used | ||
| AEG Olympia Traveller de Luxe | 15-7566222 | 87 | Yugoslavia | Rattling + scraping sound when moving carriage, margin release key pushes carriage up | Used | |
| AEG Olympia Traveller de Luxe | 15-7911946 | 87 | Yugoslavia | Paper support does not pop out | Lightly used | Documentation, cardboard typebar protector |
Some observations on this very small subset of Travellers:
For reference and research I also acquired the SF’s listed below.
| Typewriter | Serial | Carriage year | Produced | Issues at the time of purchase | State | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympia SF | 95-157968 | West Germany, 1959 | Lightly used | Luxury case | ||
| Olympia Splendid 33 | 95-521389 | West Germany, 1962 | Broken shift lock | Lightly used | Very heavy touch | |
| Olympia SF De Luxe | 95-614768 | West Germany, 1962 | Heavy used | Very heavy touch | ||
| Olympia Splendid 33 | 5-1057845 | West Germany, 1965 | Jammed shift lock | Heavy used | ||
| Olympia SF De Luxe | 5-1542684 | West Germany, 1967 | Used | Script typeface | ||
| Olympia SF De Luxe | 5-1830069 | West Germany, 1969 | Used |
Notes:
See also The Halberg list and Laurenz’s typewriters
Site by Laurenz van Gaalen (laurenz@planet.nl)
Updated on July 26, 2024
