Help on IBM Selectric I Needed

There are two types of ribbons. The older type is cloth soaked with ink. Cloth ribbons can be used over and over, until there isn't enough ink left to give a good impression. The ribbon spools automatically reverse at the end of the roll; there's no need to "rewind" them. Cloth ribbons can be re-inked, but are usually thrown away. It isn't worth the trouble, and it's hard to re-ink a red+black ribbon.

The newer type is carbon film -- carbon pigment on a thin plastic base. When the ribbon is struck, almost all the pigment is transferred to the paper, so the ribbon can't be used again. These are designed to run in one direction, and are discarded after a single use. They're used because the impression simply looks better -- it's solid, without any cloth pattern.

I believe Smith-Corona made carbon-film ribbons that had enough pigment to be used several times, but I'm not sure.

Where is the best place to buy replacement ribbons? The ribbon I have currently is only black so I would assume that I can only use an all black ribbon.

Can I use a carbon film ribbon on this typewriter? I think heard somewhere that they aren't interchangeable.

Thanks Alex

Can you use Google?

The cloth ribbons were usually on a spool or pair of spools. The film ribbons were usually in a cartridge.

For the OP, go to Office Max, Office Depot or Staples and see what they can do to help you.

I doubt that they will be able to help with the problems he is having with the return tab and space bar. I'm fairly sure that they will have a ribbon for it though.

Mike

My own Correcting Selectric is only 4 feet away, but I'm too tired to get up, take all the papers off, and look at it, unless you ask me to.

So I don't know about Selectrics, but many other typewriters could use either all black or black and red. Black/red ribbons are used by accountants or similar people who want to show losses and negative numbers in red. (Hence the expression, "In the black", making a profit)

Maybe a few people would by a combo ribbon just to use red for emphasis.

But for most people and all black ribbon is more economical. It can be used twice as long. Non-electric typewriters had a 2 position lever, iirc, for track 1 of the ribbon (black), and track2 (red or black depending on the ribbon). I think you had to change to red manually whenever you needed it, but maybe there was a third position.

If you had an all black ribbon, you had to remember to change tracks once in a while, so the tracks were used at least somewhat evenly. A good time might have been when the ribbon reversed, but I often didn't notice that.

OTOH, I had one or two typewriters where even though the ribbon was supposed to reverse direction at the end, it didn't. Maybe I wound the ribbon in the wrong direction, or allowed the rivet to be on the wrong side of the lever, or maybe it broke. Nothing else ever broke, but I did have many problems on more than one machine with the ribbon not reversing automatically. There is a lever in there somewhere to reverse it manually.

I found my Selectric on the sidewalk and it has some problem** that I got rid of once but it came back, maybe because I almost never use the thing. (Latt time was at least 7 years ago. But I wanted one and now that I have one, I'm not getting rid of it. Good for filling out forms. (or course so is a pen or pencil.)

**It might be similar to yours, in that some function doesn't happen right away, maybe doesn't happen at all. Maybe the shift key, or the space key.

I guess the general instruction is to use a very light oil, and oil every pivot, perhaps trying the typewriter pretty frequently in between so when you do oil the right thing, you'll know what thing that was. OTOH, it might take a bit of time for the oil to sink in and really work, so maybe you won't know what you oiled that helped it. But you'll have some idea of what all you oiled.

If there is a big rubber drive wheel that runs from side to side, don't gtt oil on that or none of the keys will work as well. But since the Selectric uses a ball, there probably isn't any wide rubber drive wheel.

They aren't interchangeable, but some electric typewriters have two sets of spindles and two sets of ribbon guides, ending at the same place where the keys hit the paper.

Gosh I wish I had the energy to look at mine.

If you are inclined to email me for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)

Ribbons are not the OP's original problem. There is a delay in exectution of tab, space, backspace etc.

I would guess that it needs a belt. I have my reasons. I had a Selectric when I was younger, so of course I eventually took it apart. Mechanical engergy is moved in a slightly different way when it does not have to move the typehead. The three functions mentioned are exactly that.

The reason might be that those three functions are induced directly by the keyboard, any actual typing the mechanism assures that the carriage does not move during the strike cycle, no matter how fast you type.

The best way to insure this is to have the typehead driver mechanism invoke the carriage move after the strike cycle.

You might look in there and find a rubber belt dried up. Possibly rejuvinate it. Or if it even has a leather or cloth belt (I would not be surprised) there might be a way provided to tighten it.

I was always fascinated by Selectrics, I never did learn completely how they work, like the specifics, but their theory of operation is no mystery to me.

Yup, if the keys work well and the space and stuff does not, look for a belt. Hey if it's leather or cloth you can just wash it and throw it in the dryer if no way is provided to tighten it. After doing so though, measure it, it becomes more likely to break.

JURB

First of all its unlikely to be a worn drive belt, teeth do strip off the belts but you would soon see that. The carriage return is controlled by a spring clutch on the right hand shaft, it is operated by a white nylon clutch that presses against it, odds are the clutch has oil on it, causing it to slip,so spray it clean, do the same with similar spring clutch next to it. (Oil on these springs causes slow Carriage return and tab) Selectrics are driven by spring clutches, the main one is the drive clutch which is driven by the black drive belt, this one drives the golfball selection, (a worn one causes the character print to hesitate) it does wear and is a sod to replace, so a quick fix if its slipping is to pump thick grease into it, there should be a lub point on it somewhere. All of the spring clutches on old machine are probably worn so the above info is not in the manual but what engineers did for a quick fix in the days of selectrics. Also between the tab and carriage return clutches are two circular cams these are sometimes slow to release, they also wear one of them controls spacebar, no real quick fix on that, the pawl on them wears, that needs replacement, easy if you can obtain a pawl. PS This is from memory from my IBM days some 30 yrs ago. (Ink ribbons constanly fed through reversing automatically and you replaced them when the print got too faint) Good luck.

I recommend the O.P. join the 'classiccmp' mailing list; it has a number of TTY and Selectric experts who will likely help.

Michael

Hi Michael Hate to disagree with you but in 20 odd years of repairing selectrics, belts (which are toothed) either strip a few teeth caused by the cycle clutch seizing or snap. Actually the main cause was when the secretary droped a pencil in the works, jammed the lot and stripped teeth off the belt. Stretching rarely causes problems as its toothed. There is only one drive belt on a selectric and the main stress on it is the cycle clutch that drives the latches for character selection, so a faulty drive belt shows up in broken teeth on the golf ball or incorect character selection or snapped rotate tape, or shift mechanism fails. Basically if the belt is faulty you wont be able to print and the machine will struggle to get capitals. Carrier return is controled by a spring clutch and oil on it will give a slow return, Spacebar and tab by two eccentric cams on the right hand shaft, the pawl ratchet mechanism that causes them to spin wears, (you sometimes hear the pawl and ratchet grate as the pawl trys to engage, the cam vibrates for a few seconds). Eventually the pawl engages, the cam spins and the carrier moves a step. Another possibilty is weak mainspring, this gives motion to the right, ie spacebar, tab, It may be full of sticky old oil or possibly just needs more tension, simply by twisting it a few notches. But a weak mainspring will probably cause characters to occasionally type on top of each other. There are many possibilties but in my day I would first clean the carrier return clutch and for the spacebar trouble change the cam ratchet for a quick fix and the cam asembly for a good fix. Any IBM engineer will tell you there are many causes of the symtons mentioned, I have only listed the common ones. Ex IBM Engineer

I think you meant to address this to ' snipped-for-privacy@aol.com' ;-)

My recommendation was that the O.P. join a mailing list whose members have considerable experience with Selectrics and Teletypes.

I said nothing about belts. I unfortunately have lost all of my Selectric manuals and test equipment including a genuine IBM I/O Selectric Test Set (in a ruggedized transport case).

Michael

From experience - a lot of experience fixing these, but over two decades ago, although the problem may be due to wear, it may simply be that the machine has been sitting around too long doing nothing. I have found on numerous occasions this causes many mechanisms to "gunge up" with dried oil and dirt, and go stiff. On the right hand side of under the carriage (you have to remove the two black plastic covers under the golfball carrier), there are two wheels (cams) on the central shaft. They get tripped to activate the spacebar, backspace and carriage return. The pawls which engage the ratchet once they are tripped cause the cam to turn. It's possible that the pawls have gone stiff. A good washout with kero, then a relube, may be beneficial. It could fix many faults on these.

Henry Mydlarz

Henry,

You sound like you worked for the Corp during my era with them. 30 yrs with IBM Canada - now living in Hervey Bay. I see you are also in Australia - Contact me, if you wish at snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com Cheers,

Larry

*****

Don't overlook lubing the felt wipers on the print shaft. Thats the one with the groove in it that holds the carrier. Just drop some

3-in-1 oil on the shaft and tab/carriage return it a few times. This should make the carrier escape faster. As was pointed out in an earlier post there are two spring clutches under the plastic cover on the right hand side if the tension spring is broken, the CR is real slow.

Don also ex IBM service

Wouldn't PTFE (Teflon) oil be better? It wasn't available when those machines were new.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

I owned a Selectric years ago and any petroleum based lube slowed the CR down.

That's why I suggested PTFE. It works were nothing else will. I salvaged hundreds of Commodore 1541 & 1571 disk drives with a couple tubes of it.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

I know and that's a good selection (pun intended) :)

You think that you're slick, don't you? ;-)

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida