IBM Selectric III

[Robere]

I've always wanted an IBM Selectric, and just bought a nice looking blue one today that a business was almost giving away. So I was checking on prices for ribbons, etc. and the prices I see for Selectric III ribbons are way higher than for other Selectrics. And it seems the same for other Selectric parts. Are the Selectric III's the ugly stepchildren in the IBM Family? Anyone have a favorite vendor for parts, etc? I have not powered it on yet--I am waiting till I clean it up somewhat. It was in a factory and was dusty on top, but most of the plastic cover was still intact and had protected it. Looking down into it, it doesn't appear dusty inside.

 

[shrtrnd]

All the places that used to repair the IBM Selectrics around me have stopped doing so long ago.
I had two of them with a lot of accessories. Frankly, the computer keyboard/printer systems that
everybody uses now, made me grudgingly stop using them and I garage sale'd them to get them
out of my way.
I'd Google the unit and see if anybody anywhere still repairs them and might have accessory stock.
It was a great unit, but obsoleted when the easy new computer/printer systems came out.
Maybe eBay for accessories or parts. I had a lot of different font ball-shaped heads for mine.
When you find someone who has stock on what you need, don't forget to buy a bottle of 'white-out',
for all those typing errors nobody makes on a computer printer now.
Plug it in and fire it up to see if it still runs. If it doesn't you won't want to pay to repair it anyway.
Good luck

 

[Robere]

Ok thanks. I did fire it up and the carrier is stuck on the left side and won't move unless I apply hard pressure while the machine is running and hit the space bar. It's probably something simple, but the Selectrics are so complex I can't see what that simple thing is. So I am probably going to give it away to a friend who collects typewriters.

 

[shrtrnd]

Now aren't you glad you know it has problems before you went out and got ribbons and other accessories for it?
What I do remember about mine, is that they were VERY expensive to repair.
Yours sounds like it needs a new rubber belt, but it could also be the motor itself going bad, so I wouldn't buy
the belt without verifying that the motor isn't on it's last legs.
Sorry it wasn't in better shape, but even if you fixed it, you'd still have to know how to realign everything, and
you'd probably find other worn parts that need replacement.
Now you know why that business was selling it cheap. Nobody's used them in a lot of years. When that one
developed a problem years ago somebody just stored it on a back shelf and forgot about it until now.
The other bright side of this, is you won't have to buy a bottle of white-out for your typos.
It was a nice try though. The Selectrics were great when they worked right.

 

[Robere]

The belt is fine. A retired IBM Tech is advising me and his take is the carrier return is not releasing. I will try his fix.

 

[shrtrnd]

Sounds like a good find. Anybody who has done work on your model machine before, is a good person to ask.
Good luck. Hope you end-up buying that white-out.