The first of my video series that show you how to fix stuff yourself. The IBM Selectric is my favorite typewriter, and most who own one have it jam up or fail every so often. But in most cases you don't have to call out a service technician to get it working again, you can maintain the typewriter yourself. In this video I show you how to take it apart, where the main problem areas are, and how to clean and where to lubricate the machine. No tools needed for this project! It is all really easy, and with some oil and patience you will be back to typing in no time at all.
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You are a star madam. Thank you.
Hello I have an IBM Selectric 2 here I'm wondering if anyone is interested in it
Hooray! YouTube has brought back "sort by 'Oldest!'"
Not that it matters, but the roller you call the carriage is, I believe, called a platen. The wire with the small rollers on it is called a bail (like on a bucket).
Blast from the past! Was looking into fixing this machine and found you Fran!
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Just so you know, 11 years later this video is still helping people. I just bought one from an estate sale after falling in love with the machine my work has for typing checks. Looking forward to getting inside and fixing up what I can.
The motor on my Selectric II won't start. So… open the machine and nose around.
I forgot how to open the machine! Years ago, I watched Fran's video, and remembered it explained the first step. Knowledge endures. Thanks, Fran!
Partly inspired by you, partly by CuriousMarc, I got myself a Selectric III said to be working. Oh dear, this is gonna be a friggin' adventure! Turns out it's in a pretty bad shape.
Some latches and a bail were dislodged – that's the easy part. Some plastic tidbits were broken, which worries me. The backspace cable looks strangely loose, gotta look into that – and the head/cassette mechanism needs cleaning and re-lubricating. The old grease turned into glue so badly I couldn't take the cassette or typing element out!
The main shaft clutch, on the other hand, is where some wild discombobulation is going on. The left side is completely stuck, and after removing one of the intermediate cogs it turned out it's the clutch/shaft issue and not the mechanism it drives.
But hey, I've done Monotype… I can do Selectric too!
Hi Fran! I discovered your youtube channel while looking up how to open and clean the old IBM Selectric 2 I bought. I have been watching your fascinating and always entertaining videos since. Do you have any tips about how to clean off the sticky adhesive tape that the foam was stuck to the IBM Selectric casing with? I removed the foam with a mower blade scraper. Then I cleaned off most of the black foam residues with paper towel and isopropyl alcohol. Itโs no longer black. I managed to remove some of the adhesive tape residues by hand and with the scraper, but what is left seems forever stuck and sticky, but at least not oily-sticky from the black foam residue that has mostly been removed. Thanks for any tips you may have and keep up the good work at Fran Lab!
I discovered one of your more recent videos due to wonderful algorithms. After watching a few more of your videos I came to the conclusion that you have probably had a few marriage proposals. I am certainly enamored with you however I won't bore you with misogynistic drivel. Just wanted to pop in and say howdy!
Thanks!
Thank you for posting this excellent tutorial.