The Unsung Hero

I have been catching up with some of the videos that my friend Joe Van Cleave makes and posts to his YouTube channel. I see that Joe is once again the owner of one of the big Olympias, a SG1 model this time around. I am hoping that the SG1 works out well for Joe as he gave up his Underwood 5 (another standard-sized machine that was gifted to him by Ted Munk, keeper of the Typewriter Database) in order to make room for it. Both the SG1 and the SG3 like I own are very large and very heavy machines that require a certain level of commitment along with an ample amount of desktop real estate.

Like a few of my fellow typewriter enthusiasts, Joe has more than one standard-sized machine. I am almost embarrassed to admit that I am good with just the one SG3 as I have seen numerous other desktop typewriters that were looking for good homes locally and listed for cheap. But to my way of thinking, once you own more than one of these large desktop machines you own a lot of them. Strangely I have not seen any of the Olympia standards listed for quite some time now. Back when I was looking for a SG3 to call my own there were plenty of them to be found and there were even more SG1s around. My “fear” (I’m not losing any sleep over such things) is that those standards that aren’t sold locally ultimately wind up in a landfill while portables with their nifty cases live on to type another day after going to various thrift shops and antique stores, or to be posted out on Ebay.

I don’ t know why I tend to personify typewriters and various other things in my life like I do. There is likely one or more therapists out there in the world who might enjoy digging into such behavior, but therapists are stretched thin enough as it is these days and I have spent more than enough on therapy over the past few years as it is. That is money that could have gone into more typewriter purchases or perhaps resurfaced platens for those typewriters I do own. While true, I am kidding of course as therapy has truly benefitted me and I know that countless others have benefitted from it as well.

Well anyway, over the course of the four years that I have now owned it, the SG3 has become the unsung hero of my fleet of typewriters. When I sit down to write a letter, more of ten than not I will grab one of my various portables for the task. But when I am wanting to do some writing just for me, or some writing that might eventually become something to share with others, or increasingly for writing one of these typecast blog posts, I tend to gravitate to my SG3. Whether I wind up typing just one page or many more, if I happen to be seated in front of this big Olympia while doing so it tends to feel like a momentous occasion. I don’t know about you, but I consider anything that encourages me to write to be a good thing. In this light the SG3 has been a very good thing for me.

Fortunately I am able to overlook the fact that this behemoth is total overkill for my writing needs, leaving me to relish in the ridiculousness of what has become a trusted piece of machinery. Adding to the preposterousness of this SG3 sitting upon my desk, back when I was hunting for a SG3 to call my own I would not consider those examples that did not have the paper injector feature. The paper injector is the crowning touch on what is an “over the top” typewriter for my humble writing needs. But as there are no longer offices wanting to use machines like my SG3, it is stuck with me. Besides, every time I use the paper injector (and I use it every chance that I get) it makes me feel just a bit special — as if I have just set something monumental into motion. Even when I can not find the right words for my writing I know that I can always depend on the paper injector. I wish that it were the other way around, but I take what I can get.

I suppose that if Joe winds up being as happy with his SG1 as I am with my SG3, then he will more than likely be hanging on to it for a long time.  While my SG3 ownership has been nothing but positives (aside from the desktop space it consumes), I can definitely understand why the portable typewriter came to be the primary choice of countless writers back in the days when typewriters were still the top dogs in the writing world. (Long before people began typing using only their thumbs upon small touchscreens.) As much as I enjoy my SG3, I still maintain that I could live and type happily with just a single Olympia SM9 portable. I should note that my unabashed enthusiasm for the SM9 has become a running joke among many of my fellow type pals.

In my most recent letter to Joe, I had let him know something to the effect of if downsizing becomes a priority in my life, then my prized SG3 would likely need to go. But that is more of a reflection of the realities of living with a typewriter as large as the SG3 rather than how much I enjoy using it or not. Should the time come where I need to part with this beast, then I will no doubt look back upon my time with it fondly. Hopefully this doesn’t happen any time soon. No matter how much time I might have left with my SG3, I am glad that I made the effort to hunt down one of these machines in good working order. Not only is it a pleasure to use, but it also serves as a funky element for both my desktop and my office like nothing else could.

AFTERTHOUGHTS: If you are a logical person who doesn’t own a standard-sized typewriter, but for some strange reason you are contemplating buying one of these machines, my advice is to buy locally if at all possible. Even if you might need to drive some distance to pick one up and drive it home, this will more than likely to go better than having one of these big desktop machines shipped. Not only is the cost of shipping going to be expensive, but if you choose to go this route chances are good that you will wind up with a big, damaged typewriter. That said, buying a standard remotely and having it shipped has worked out for some I know. I just don’t tend to have that sort of luck, thus I don’t recommend it. ;^)