So...let's just say, theoretically speaking, that you had a typewriter with spools unlike any of your other typers, and you wanted to respool a new ribbon onto those spools to at least tide you over until ribbons could be ordered, but the ribbon is attached to the current spool with some sorta staple instead of those little hooks. Have you ever encountered this? And how would you go about attaching the replacement ribbon--is there any way? I almost gave superglue a try last night...but I dunno if that would work on cloth. What say the respooling pros?
UPDATE: solved. I just had to use some brute force to remove the odd little ball-bearing thing holding the ribbon to the spools. Not sure how many times I can get away with reusing these spools (they got somewhat stressed during the process, but seem OK), but they're workin' for now.
6 comments:
Is it a staple, or just a long skinny pin that looks staple-like? If the latter, then you should be able to slip it off. If it's truly a staple, what is the unlike-any-others spool core made of?
I've never seen anything like that, but I'd be inclined to get some needlenose pliers and see if I could pull the ribbon off that "staple". If it doesn't come off gently, then I'd just try to rip it or cut it and close to the staple as possible, then rewind the ribbon just using the hooks.
I've seen staples before, but they were on the center of a plastic spool...
OK, so it was even stranger than I thought. I got brave, mostly thinking it could just be a pin, and yanked the ribbon off the spool. Turns out it was something like a ball-bearing, wedged into a tiny hole, so it looked like the top of a little rounded staple. Odd. But the spools also had hooks on 'em, right next to the ball bearing hole, so I'm in business.
Ugh. I hate those ball bearing things. Half the time, no matter how careful you are when you give the ribbon a yank to pop it out the ball bearing goes flying across the room.
As a last resort, you can attach the end of the ribbon to the spool core with a piece of masking or electrical tape.
Yeah, I have *no* idea where the first one went. Wasn't expecting the thing to come flying out like that. I thought maybe it was the head of a small pin, and then--ping! Off it went.
I'll keep the tape tip in mind in case I need it in the future! I don't know why that didn't occur to me....
Hate those little BB's. I've used adding machine ribbons that are held in by those silly things. One good yank and *ping* off it flies, never to be seen again...
...except when you vacuum the floor.
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