Original Odhner Arithmos TYP 5
A very interesting set of machines - I had two, the newer one has found a new owner in the mean time. But then I found another one, which is rather special, about which you will find more at the bottom of this section. Odhner fled St. Petersburg after the Russian revolution in 1917 and resettled in Göteborg, where the company was restarted with new models, now called "Arithmos", and starting at serial N° 40.001.
There were 5 types - type 1 had no tabulator and no fast register clearing (see below), type 2 had no tabulator but fast register clearing, type 3 had both a tabulator and fast register clearing, type 4 was the top of the line model with all options- fast clearing and a tabulator, and extra safeties built in, and type 5 had no fast clearing, but did have a tabulator. Type 1 and 5 seem the most common today.
These two machines show off the differences between machines at the very start of the production. The first one is also the earliest one, with serial number 40.255. I found it locally on a fleamarket, for a scandalously low price, and needless to say I am extremely happy with it. All it needed besides a good clean and polish was stripping off the white paint that was slathered on the base, which is original, but has been cut down on the sides. Notice the bright brass top plate, with recessed numbers and script.
The second machine I cannot quite remember where I got it, but it has serial number 41.101, so it is about 850 machines after the previous one. However, this one has a black top plate, and the numbers and script are not recessed, but are standing proud of the painted cover and are polished out, as is the case in practically all later Odhner machines. Why they did this? No idea. If anyone can give me a clue how these top plates were manufactured in the first place (the ones with the recessed numbers are pressed ? The ones with the numbers standing proud a casting ? I have no idea - enlightenment would be very welcome!) So, some comparison pictures:
My last and newest TYP 5 is a machine that comes out of a small internet antiques shop in Eskilstuna in Sweden, sold originally by an business systems ("A.B. Affärssystem") shop in Stockholm. The sold all manner of typewriters (Perkeo, Hammond and Mercedes), stenciling machines (Bästa), and calculators (Triumphator and Odhner), as well as office furniture and copying machines (Stolzenberg), and were supplier to the court as well. They were located at Birger Jarlsgatan 18 in Stockholm. The building is still there, but is now a coffeeshop. I paid dearly for the machine, but it was worth every penny. Why that is ? Judge for yourselves...
It is serial N° 40682 ...
...and looks absolutely brand spanking new - paint, nickel, everything.
The reason why is because it came with its wooden cover:
With this fantastic gold, blue and red lettering, saying "Arithmos, Sverige - Aktiebolaget Original-Odhner, Göteborg"
Unfortunately, I made the mistake of a lifetime when cleaning the wooden cover, which had been manipulated often with inky hands. I tried the cleaner very carefully on a corner of the gold, and it stayed right where it was. I also tried it on a corner of the blue, and it was all good. So I took a big wipe ... and ALL of the red came off. You can see in the middle where I had to fill in the red. The colour turned out slightly darker when it's dry and polished, and the camera makes the difference worse, but I can do it over and try to match it better - the original ouline of the letters is preserved in gold, so you can see exactly up to which line you have to paint.
But my word, do I regret this happening ...
Original Odhner Arithmos TYP 1
This machine I soured locally, from the daughter of a bookkeeper who took it home after his retirement. The machine was older than the bookkeeper, (by about one generation), so either it was used for a very long time (but the lack of wear seems to contradict this), or it had simply been standing around as newer machines had been purchased, and he was the only one who appreciated this piece of heirloom. In any case, it was extremely dusty and filthy when I got it, but it cleaned up really nice. The serial n° is 41577, so still a bit younger yet than the latest Arithmos 5 higher up on this page, but obviously showing the same kind of input top plate, painted black, with brass lettering standing proud of the surface. What struck me again when opening up this machine to clean it, was how complicated the mechanism for the bell is - the bell is fixed with all of its operating machinery on an arm at the back of the carriage. In order to get the carriage out, you need to undo the screws that fix this arm to the back of the carriage and take it out from the back side of the machine. The reverse operation to mount the bell would have made for some interesting assembly work at the factory at the time - or they would have had to put the carriage in the base plate, perhaps, and then built up the rest of the machine around it. Not how I would do it, but it could work.
Finally, a remark on the comma sliders. It would be interesting to find out how many they were assembled with at the factory. The TYP1 has 2:2, the newer TYP 5 has 1:2, and the older one has 2:3! My newest TYP 5 also has 2:3. Also, I thought that the tiny chamfered baseplates would have been a later replacement, but for all I can see they look absolutely original, and also completely identical for the two newer machines (apart from the rectangular hole for the tabbing mechnism for the TYP 5 - the plate is slightly wider too.) This also implies that some of these were sold without a wooden or metal lid, but then my latest acquisition clearly shows that some did come with a large baseplate and lid. Perhaps it was an option that could be ordered at additional cost. It certainly adds class to the machine, and is quite practical in carrying it too.