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IBM Selectric III

L

Luc

Your rotate tape may be either broken or bent. Other problems could be
found on the arms that control tilt and rotate. Then again, your ball
may also have come loose or the pin hole may be cracked. The main
problem is that it is a 3 pitch machine and we used to call them a
nightmare until IBM came out with their earlier electronic made from
Selectrics.
 
L

Luc

To be honest, They are not cheap and are still being made for use in
the insurance and transportation industry. I just sold 10 of them to a
large insurance comapny.
 
H

hemyd

Luc said:
Your rotate tape may be either broken or bent. Other problems could be
found on the arms that control tilt and rotate. Then again, your ball
may also have come loose or the pin hole may be cracked. The main
problem is that it is a 3 pitch machine and we used to call them a
nightmare until IBM came out with their earlier electronic made from
Selectrics.

I serviced both the Selectric I, II and III for more than a decade,
attending to hundreds (possibly thousands) of service calls. I recall the
Selectrics to be only two pitches - 10 and 12. Although these were
completely mechanical, I never thought of them as a nightmare. The Selectric
Electronic you mention, however - the still very mechanical "ELT", was to me
a nightmare. Mercifully it was soon replaced by the daisywheel
"Wheelwriters"

Henry Mydlarz
 
J

James Sweet

I have seen IBM Selectric Typewriters for sale in the thrift stores
before, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Rescue Mission.Goodwill usually sells
typewriters for $7.00, unless the prices have gone up lately.
www.shopgoodwill.com
cuhulin


Might depend on the area, but I haven't seen a typewriter of any sort in a
thrift store in over a decade.
 
M

msg

James Sweet wrote:

Might depend on the area, but I haven't seen a typewriter of any sort in a
thrift store in over a decade.

Once again, most anywhere in the 'rust belt' (or Great Lakes northern
states); average price of typewriters at Goodwill: $2.00

Michael
 
I have bought (and still own) four old typewriters at the thrift stores
around here before.Three of them are very old vintage Underwood
typewriters.I also own a very old brass cash register I bought at a
thrift store years ago, it has beveled glass windows on it.A thing of
beauty it is, so are my old vintage typewriters.Those IBM Selectric
typewriters though, I always thought they were only regular
typewriters.If I see one at a thrift store again for sale for only a few
dollars, I will buy it just for the heck of it.
cuhulin
 
B

bz

[email protected] wrote in 3258.bay.webtv.net:
I have bought (and still own) four old typewriters at the thrift stores
around here before.Three of them are very old vintage Underwood
typewriters.I also own a very old brass cash register I bought at a
thrift store years ago, it has beveled glass windows on it.A thing of
beauty it is, so are my old vintage typewriters.Those IBM Selectric
typewriters though, I always thought they were only regular
typewriters.If I see one at a thrift store again for sale for only a few
dollars, I will buy it just for the heck of it.
cuhulin

I have an Underwood radio telegraphy 'mill' for copying CW.
Pin feed roller, all caps with a 'slash zero' and a similar Underwood
regular typewriter.



--
bz 73 de N5BZ k

please pardon my infinite ignorance, the set-of-things-I-do-not-know is an
infinite set.

[email protected] remove ch100-5 to avoid spam trap
 
L

Luc

If you take the case off the Selectric, you will see a couple of
pulleys on the right hand side where the tilt and rotate tape are
operated from.Bothe of these pulleys have and adjustable threaded
rodon them for adjustments. Depending on which letter is misfiring,
side by side or up and down, that will determine which tape pulley to
adjust. Do not make to maney turns on the shaft or you will throw the
alignment way off. Good luck
 
L

Luc

If you want real fun with an IBM, play around with the memorywriters.
I used to hate working on those.
 
S

Sal

James said:
Might depend on the area, but I haven't seen a typewriter of any sort in a
thrift store in over a decade.

I fixed IBM selectric typewriters, along with their typebar and
dictation equipment from 1977-1980. I still have the original service
manuals and parts for them in my old tool bag including my half cycle
wheel...

Sal
 
L

Luc

I still have all my IBM tools and still use them to this day. I am
just missing my manual as it was destroyed in a fire and I have not
been able to find a replacement.
 
L

Luc

I have all kinds of old antquated business machines. I like to display
them in my shop, after I recondition them, and allow school kids to
take tours and see the machines.
 
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