Fun fact: Some congressional documents that are highly sensitive are still typed on those.

@juddpalmer5445

Жыл бұрын

@@devinreese7704 because that is what they had when they moved to computer. So they kept them.

@cleverkitsune4302

Жыл бұрын

@@juddpalmer5445 they converted most of them into printers in the 90s

I'm glad that I got a Selectric I with a cloth ribbon. You can re-load the cartridges with any half inch ribbon.

That sound was/is music to my ears. Brings back memories of high school and banks.

I lament the demise of the IBM Selectric with that wonderful ball element, especially the machines that had both 10 and 12 pitch. With just with a little click you could remove the ball element, and replace with another font. We had many font choices, even cursive which was my favorite! In the 70's we all had Selectrics in our offices. I had a little one at home. It was so cute and curvy, but lacked the correction feature. Only technology, with the introduction of word processors, then computers, was able to dethrone them, but they lingered in offices for years because they almost never broke down and always came in handy to fill out forms.

I learned to type on a selectric when I was little. Been looking for the ‘right’ one for years. Good on you Joe, built like a bank

@TheAnonyy

2 жыл бұрын

I learned touch-typing in Olivetti ET 2450 in 1995/6 in UK they were fast machines. I've never tried an selectric and can only comment on what i used which was a daisy wheel. I git my fastest speed on these machines. I've tried manuals but the type bars all come up at the same time so no good to me.

What a cool mechanism!

I learn something every time I watch your series. Thank you for sharing 🙏🏽

Typed on one of these for years and never knew about the page ending indicator on the right! Also we used the notches in the plastic plate to draw lines for physics equations, just like the metal v's on the older manual typewriters (could have done it on the typewriter, but didn't want to use the carbon ribbon for that). Loved the index button!

Fantastic review! Thank you for the exposition and explanation as well! Certainly goes to show how much progress we've made over the last half century with regard to being able to type/write

Tuned in for those sounds and beautiful keys. In computer keyboard geekdom, keycaps like those are hard to come by and expensive.

Your show brings back memories of High school!!

I put thousands of typed pages through one of these when I worked my way through college typing in the seventies. If you got tired of the color of your machine, or if your casing was worn and ugly, you could simply order a new shell from IBM! Not too expensive, and these are so easily removed from the case. I remember I got a new casing for one of my typists who had the oldest, dark green Selectric with black keys. Replaced it at her request with a black casing--looked very 'Mad Max'. I hear Joe griping about carbon ribbons; may be an issue today but the difference in type and appearance quality with carbon is dramatic. BTW IBM made for the S-II on, the 'Multistrike' ribbon. This was a multistrike ribbon with much better quality than fabric, but slightly less black and sharp than the single-pass correctable ribbon available. However, while the single-pass ribbons used the lift-off correction tape, the multistrike used the same little correction spools, but with cover-up tape. Nothing could be read off the used multistrike ribbon and it was considered very permanent on the paper, unlike the correctable film ribbon.

The old ad for this makes we want to buy one! It just looks so great. I don't even own a single typewriter, but something about this one... From the sound to the size. It's just very nice.

The ribbon spools with the pink leader were polyethylene carbon-film ribbons and they were intrinsic to the first generation of Selectric. In 1973, when the Correcting Selectric II was put on the market, IBM (and other ribbon manufacturers) began selling carbon film ribbons for the Selectric I with a yellow leader, indicating that they were lift-off tape compatible. The ribbon that's in your machine in this video is a lift-off ribbon; whereas the one you show in the package with the pink leader is a non-correctable ribbon. Ribbons with the yellow leader were sold in packs with lift-off correction tabs.

Oh yeah the machine of Hunter S Thompson himself.

Appreciate your comment on the one-use carbon ribbon, but do you know just how many characters one of these can put out before needing replacement? As you said, they were designed for heavy-duty office use, eight hours per day. If you look closely at the ribbon, you will see it is not a single line, there is a mechanism to lift the shuttle to different heights to distribute the characters over the wide tape. *** [by the way, this width carbon ribbon can be 'fitted' onto standard typewriter spools to give ultra-clean, carbon printing! Fiddly, but fun!]

@Joe_VanCleave

6 жыл бұрын

I think the Selectric 1 uses two rows on the ribbon (down, right, up, right, etc.) while the Selectric 2 & 3 uses 3 rows. And the plastic film is much thinner than cloth ribbons, so much more length can fit on a similar sized spool. I don't know the full capacity, however.

@Selectrolux

5 жыл бұрын

The carbon film ribbon spools for the Selectric I yield about 47,000 characters.

For that particular model you have of selectric they sell reusable nylon ink ribbons for them on amazon if you dont like the carbon tapes and their single use

The Ultimate lap-typer! I'd suggest a lower shelf for storage, lifting it down from any higher COULD go really bad.

Just bought a green one at a thrift store. Hopefully I can get it working.

Muito bom em! The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog... kkkk também sou tecnico (fui) aqui no Brasil... abraço

Wonderful machine 👍

Welcome to the beastly world of the Selectric Joe! Never thought you would get one of these but here we are. Looks like a nice one! My (oddly non-correcting) Selectric II is a treat to use. Just wish I could use a cloth ribbon rather than carbon with it, but what are ya going to do. Most all of us Selectric owners are in the same boat right?

I was always wondering what those massive typewriters were in Mad Men. Know I know!

I like the Selectrics, I have an SII myself, they are powerful, feature packed, and well built machines. Although the single use carbon ribbon is not their most desirable characteristic, especially if one has used fabric ribbons before, there aren't too many other aspects of the Selectrics to question. I have been on the lookout for an SI because I much prefer the rounded machines over the boxy style of the SII. Personally, I would consider them to be too big, too LOUD, and too heavy, especially when compared to other machines, but these mechanical marvels are still attractive to me.

I rebuilt 2 Selectric IIs, after managing to find the service manual! Quite a job removing all of the gummy lubricant. Both cost < $5.00 at Goodwill.

That's funny. Can't plug it in! lol. I saw some skywriters on eBay. Also saw an unusual 1940's smith corona floating shift that I've never seen before. It is gray with black stripes that are different from the others I've seen. It does not say silent, or standard, or super - it only says smith corona. It is a beauty.

If you can'yt find ribbons, you can use a carbon paper sheet, Annoying, but it can help in a pinch 👍

@Joe_VanCleave

Жыл бұрын

Yes, great idea!

I learned how to type on one of these in high school 35 years ago....

You should get an IBM brand type ball, because the teeth of those GP type balls break over time, and the characters start miss printing. That happened to me and had to waste 20$ on a type style that I already had. At least I’m going to buy the other type style that I’ve been wanting.

I find the biggest problem with electric typewriters is that they are not portable. If they had batteries, they would be too big to drag around. But, they are quick and easy to use machines that require little force to write with. I would use one for home writing but would use a portable manual for places far away and without electricity.

@Joe_VanCleave

6 жыл бұрын

Can you imagine the weight in batteries, plus the 35+ pounds of typewriter, to run it remotely? Hmm, actually, with an efficient inverter and one car battery, might not be so bad. Get a dolly to roll it around ....

@erniethecat5621

6 жыл бұрын

Joe Van Cleave I don't really think that's portable.

$380 later from repair, my rare IBM Personal Typewriter works too

Phoenix Typewriters are good shop in your area

Thank you SO much for this great video showing some essential buttons and features o/ I just bought my first typewriter and it happens to be a red Selectric One. And yes I know what I bought, I'm a true fan of IBM, but PC's took over when I was a teen and I never got to use any mechanical typewriters. You really don't learn how to use carbon copy "force" button when typing with MS Word :D

@MLX1401

4 жыл бұрын

Ok sorry, It's a switch not a button...hope you found a nice place for your beige machine!

This is a great video but would you say it is worth waiting to find one of these instead of getting a selectric 2 or 3. Also how often do these need to be serviced

where can i buy the ribbon? i cannot find it anywhere. i just purchased one of these typewriters!

we wont get all dis now 🙏

Dude, I'll send you a couple of Type 71 ribbons. I got a bunch for free, and they really aren't hard to find (they also work in my Composer). You're gonna love that thing (:

@Joe_VanCleave

6 жыл бұрын

You're the best, Ted. Email me at: jvcabacus@yahoo.com and I'll get you my postal address.

@carlclark1757

6 жыл бұрын

I have a number of duplicates in my collection of type elements, so let me look through my inventory and I can send you some extras. They all came along with my Selectric II or with other elements that I really wanted, so I'm happy to pass them along. These are a joy to use for the touch and the glorious electromechanical noise - Ted's right, you'll love it.

@Joe_VanCleave

6 жыл бұрын

You guys are awesome!

@carlclark1757

6 жыл бұрын

Looked over my collection (well, accumulation) and I have an extra 12 pitch Script (two, actually) and an extra 12 pitch Prestige Elite. (My Selectric's a dual-pitch; I have a few extra 10-pitch elements as well, but they'd have strange results on your machine.) I'll drop you a line via email if you're interested - better to give them to someone who'll use them than go to the trouble of trying to sell them. I've found eBay to be a pretty good source of Selectric II ribbon cartridges, you might keep your eyes peeled and score a deal on 71 ribbons.

@Joe_VanCleave

6 жыл бұрын

I am interested in the 12-pitch balls.

How much do the ribbons actually cost in the US? I like my Adler Gabriele 5000 electrics (I have 2 of them). They run on normal ol' school ribbons.

Where are you located? Or rather where is the repair shop located? I have a selectric 1 that needs some help. Thank you

@Joe_VanCleave

Ай бұрын

In Albuquerque. Mechanical Antiques is the name of John Lewis’s shop.

Please use translate so that we also know information in your country about this machine

0:37 where can I get a good electric typewriter?

@Joe_VanCleave

3 ай бұрын

For Selectrics and electric “type-bar” machines you will have to look on the used market, or a typewriter repair shop. For newly made electronic machines with so-called “daisy wheel” print wheels, Amazon sell Brother and Nakajima machines.