I'm the one that did the original 3D printed Selectric II custom typeball, over on Thingiverse. Yes, it took a lot of effort :) It warms my heart to see that others have since taken it on and refined the code to produce useable typeballs!
Joe, I love your UA-cam content and I ordered some new type elements from this company via Etsy. Thanks for all you do to keep the typewriter community alive! I subscribed to your UA-cam blog and have been going back through the old ones. Thanks again! Brian
Joe: I am a 25 year IBM technician (now retired) who specialized on the Selectric as senior master technician and trainer. These reproduction elements you purchased will never work if you expect quality crisp print. First, I am sure -- even though copied on those fancy 3-D printers -- lacks the finite tolerances IBM required. Based on looking at the print quality, you have a poorly designed element. I would also love the check and make sure your TW's printing mecahnism is adjusted properly. Second, IBM had a patent on the element that kept other manufacturers from copying it. It was not the fact it was a round ball, but rather the means they got the metal coating to stick to the plastic - that was the patent. This coating gave the element hardness. Your copied element has no mental coating. In fact, fabric ribbon Selectrics would cause the element coating to delaminate, as the chemicals in the ink ribbon weakening the bond. It took a couple years, but it would happen eventually. Especially in typing pools. You will notice this delimitation as darkened character print in one or two characters. Hence there is no longer hardness, and the soft plastic compresses giving a very dark printed character. Third, if your machine has the bias tilt head, the inside of the element must be lightly greased. And lastly, the method this repo element uses as a locking device, I question. Back in my day, IBM sold replacement locking caps, as the flip lever on the element would break. Don't know if these are still around. In any event, enjoy your videos, brings back some found memories of an era long gone...
Thank you! I agree with your insight; the soft imprint is especially noticeable on the smaller, 12 cpi elements. I consider these a fun thing to use, but not for long term writing. BTW, they did come to me already greased.
I'm so excited for this because it can breath a whole new life into the Selectrics. All those rare fonts everyone can finally get and brand new ones can be created
I just got my set just yesterday - lovely stuff [Vogue and Comic Mono 12]! Seems like Dave's paused the shop sales to figure out what's going on production wise. I haven't had too much of an issue but it does take some fannagling to get it on and off. Just need to make sure the top gap is exposed and the ball clicks down first before fitting the clip in. Great video!!
Very nice. Is it hard enough to hold up to repeated use. I cannot imagine the time that it took to design. Amazing to the person who reverse engineered the type ball.
Time will tell as to ruggedness. The original type elements were plated plastic, but not thermoplastic like these. I’m amazed too that he was able to do this!
Very cool! Alessio Vescovo posted a solution for damaged typeball clips where he 3D printed the parts one can use to restore a broken clip. I am just wondering why his solution could be fitted to David's 3D printed balls, thereby making it much more user-friendly.
Joe, I'm new to all this typewriter stuff. Are there IBM type balls available in larger type-font-imprint sizes? So if for example I wanted to type a letter in much larger text than usual, then I would need a type ball with much larger text size etched onto it. Are these even available in the first place, and if so, what would I ask a seller to give me? Thanks
I think 10 cpi (pica) and 12 cpi (elite) were the standard sizes. The Selectric 2 and 3 could select between 10 and 12 cpi, whereas the Selectric 1 came in either size but was fixed. I think the Selectric Composer had other size fonts, but those machines are not as common, much more complex as they featured proportional spacing.
You’ll notice in the video I didn’t fully seat the plastic clip onto the shaft, just far enough to hold it snug. Also, I have some of those spring clips from broken elements that would also work. I tried to hold the type element firmly so it wouldn’t move while seating the clip. Before I received the part, I’d read on Dave’s website about some clips being tighter than others, so I was aware of this possibility.
There’s also the issue of why didn’t I mention this in the video. It’s a fine line to walk when posting videos about products other people are selling. Each part comes with a sheet instructing the user to visit his website first before attempting to install the element, I was hoping that would be sufficient. Now I’m thinking a follow up video is needed.
@@Joe_VanCleave you might highlight the issue of smoothing the edges of the teeth of the elements too. There are *tiny* burrs left over from the printing process that need to be smoothed off to avoid issues with indexing and alignment. I ran my thumbnail up and down the teeth to knock off the burrs that caught my nail, and that solved a lot of issues, but a quick very fine-grit sanding would probably be a good idea. We're basically Beta testing these right now, so expect some finding & fixing issues. Selectrics are real sensitive. :D
Yeah, I definitely jumped the gun on this, should have looked for people to help shake out the bugs on different Selectrics before opening up shop. :( I've been working on these all summer and I got a little too excited about finally shipping. The good news is we got Susan's machine fixed! The rotate tape had slipped off the pulley so I sent a video and she did the repair herself. I think I've got a fix for this case, just need to do the testing I should have before. (Am I just repeating what I posted on FB? probably.. Sorry, I'm a bit manic right now, the last few days have been a rollercoaster ride 😅)
Comic Sans was one of the fonts I provided in my original typeball that others like David have refined, it has been there from the start of the custom typeball project.
I'm the one that did the original 3D printed Selectric II custom typeball, over on Thingiverse. Yes, it took a lot of effort :) It warms my heart to see that others have since taken it on and refined the code to produce useable typeballs!
Joe, I love your UA-cam content and I ordered some new type elements from this company via Etsy. Thanks for all you do to keep the typewriter community alive! I subscribed to your UA-cam blog and have been going back through the old ones. Thanks again! Brian
Joe: I am a 25 year IBM technician (now retired) who specialized on the Selectric as senior master technician and trainer. These reproduction elements you purchased will never work if you expect quality crisp print. First, I am sure -- even though copied on those fancy 3-D printers -- lacks the finite tolerances IBM required. Based on looking at the print quality, you have a poorly designed element. I would also love the check and make sure your TW's printing mecahnism is adjusted properly. Second, IBM had a patent on the element that kept other manufacturers from copying it. It was not the fact it was a round ball, but rather the means they got the metal coating to stick to the plastic - that was the patent. This coating gave the element hardness. Your copied element has no mental coating. In fact, fabric ribbon Selectrics would cause the element coating to delaminate, as the chemicals in the ink ribbon weakening the bond. It took a couple years, but it would happen eventually. Especially in typing pools. You will notice this delimitation as darkened character print in one or two characters. Hence there is no longer hardness, and the soft plastic compresses giving a very dark printed character. Third, if your machine has the bias tilt head, the inside of the element must be lightly greased. And lastly, the method this repo element uses as a locking device, I question. Back in my day, IBM sold replacement locking caps, as the flip lever on the element would break. Don't know if these are still around. In any event, enjoy your videos, brings back some found memories of an era long gone...
Thank you! I agree with your insight; the soft imprint is especially noticeable on the smaller, 12 cpi elements. I consider these a fun thing to use, but not for long term writing. BTW, they did come to me already greased.
I'm so excited for this because it can breath a whole new life into the Selectrics. All those rare fonts everyone can finally get and brand new ones can be created
I just got my set just yesterday - lovely stuff [Vogue and Comic Mono 12]! Seems like Dave's paused the shop sales to figure out what's going on production wise. I haven't had too much of an issue but it does take some fannagling to get it on and off. Just need to make sure the top gap is exposed and the ball clicks down first before fitting the clip in. Great video!!
Aw, congrats - you're first to press for the Vogue Typeball :D
I put this second typewriter video up on the same day, had to be first!
Very nice. Is it hard enough to hold up to repeated use. I cannot imagine the time that it took to design. Amazing to the person who reverse engineered the type ball.
Time will tell as to ruggedness. The original type elements were plated plastic, but not thermoplastic like these.
I’m amazed too that he was able to do this!
Great to see new elements manufactured!
Very cool!
Alessio Vescovo posted a solution for damaged typeball clips where he 3D printed the parts one can use to restore a broken clip. I am just wondering why his solution could be fitted to David's 3D printed balls, thereby making it much more user-friendly.
Joe, I'm new to all this typewriter stuff. Are there IBM type balls available in larger type-font-imprint sizes? So if for example I wanted to type a letter in much larger text than usual, then I would need a type ball with much larger text size etched onto it. Are these even available in the first place, and if so, what would I ask a seller to give me? Thanks
I think 10 cpi (pica) and 12 cpi (elite) were the standard sizes. The Selectric 2 and 3 could select between 10 and 12 cpi, whereas the Selectric 1 came in either size but was fixed.
I think the Selectric Composer had other size fonts, but those machines are not as common, much more complex as they featured proportional spacing.
Mine didn't work. And now, coincidentally, my Selectric doesn't work either. I am crushed. Dave has since posted an update on instructions.
You’ll notice in the video I didn’t fully seat the plastic clip onto the shaft, just far enough to hold it snug. Also, I have some of those spring clips from broken elements that would also work. I tried to hold the type element firmly so it wouldn’t move while seating the clip.
Before I received the part, I’d read on Dave’s website about some clips being tighter than others, so I was aware of this possibility.
There’s also the issue of why didn’t I mention this in the video. It’s a fine line to walk when posting videos about products other people are selling. Each part comes with a sheet instructing the user to visit his website first before attempting to install the element, I was hoping that would be sufficient. Now I’m thinking a follow up video is needed.
@@Joe_VanCleave you might highlight the issue of smoothing the edges of the teeth of the elements too. There are *tiny* burrs left over from the printing process that need to be smoothed off to avoid issues with indexing and alignment. I ran my thumbnail up and down the teeth to knock off the burrs that caught my nail, and that solved a lot of issues, but a quick very fine-grit sanding would probably be a good idea. We're basically Beta testing these right now, so expect some finding & fixing issues. Selectrics are real sensitive. :D
Yeah, I definitely jumped the gun on this, should have looked for people to help shake out the bugs on different Selectrics before opening up shop. :( I've been working on these all summer and I got a little too excited about finally shipping. The good news is we got Susan's machine fixed! The rotate tape had slipped off the pulley so I sent a video and she did the repair herself. I think I've got a fix for this case, just need to do the testing I should have before. (Am I just repeating what I posted on FB? probably.. Sorry, I'm a bit manic right now, the last few days have been a rollercoaster ride 😅)
@@davehayden7799 Thank you for doing this, I’ll be ordering more type faces!
I'll be dog gone 😳
David Hayden has even ported the 'classics': Comic Sans and Papyrus. Haters rejoice!
Comic Sans was one of the fonts I provided in my original typeball that others like David have refined, it has been there from the start of the custom typeball project.
Megalike.