1 of 1- MichaelW
- New Member
Offline - Registered: 19-6-2017
- Posts: 5
Ribbon Change.
Hi all. I've recently purchase a Lettera 22 which is in great condition and seems to be fully working. The text was a little faint with the ribbon it came with so I decided to try a new one which I order on ebay. After fitting the new ribbon the text was bolder but I now have a faint red smear across the page below every line of text where the ribbon is rubbing lightly against the page.
Is this normal with brand new ribbons or do I need to make some adjustments?
Thanks
Michael
- beak
- Key Master
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- From: Qld Australia
- Registered: 24-3-2013
- Posts: 912
Re: Ribbon Change.
Hello and welcome.
No, that is not normal. It seems that the majority of ribbon problems are to do with incorrect threading through the ribbon guides in the 'vibrator' (the thin metal piece which goes up and down with each stroke of the keys. I should find a manual for your machine on line, and check carefully that the ribbon is threaded exactly as shown there. Good luck.
Sincerely,
beak.
- JoeV
- Touch Typist
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- Registered: 11-4-2015
- Posts: 152
Re: Ribbon Change.
The Lettera 22 should also have the special shoulder nuts installed for securing the spools to their shafts.
- MichaelW
- New Member
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- Registered: 19-6-2017
- Posts: 5
Re: Ribbon Change.
Thanks guys. It looks to be threaded properly as shown in the manual. I think the vibrator may be bent, or at least it's not running parallel to the platen. It's closer on the left. Hard to imagine how it would have become bent.
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Thread Starter- MichaelW
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- Registered: 19-6-2017
- Posts: 5
Re: Ribbon Change.
I'm going to resurrect this thread and include a couple of images to describe my problem. It's pretty faint but there is a red 'smudge' underneath each line. I have bent the vibrator arm forwards slightly which I think has improved things but I'm not entirely sure.
And here's a shot showing how I have the ribbon threaded. Seems to match the image in the manual as far as I can tell.
Any ideas?
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Thread Starter- david_A
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- Registered: 29-1-2017
- Posts: 12
Re: Ribbon Change.
I use my Lettera 22 every day. To the best that I can see the ribbon looks like it is threaded correctly. It seems that the tension on the nuts (on top of the spools) is critical, with one being a tad tighter than the other. I purchased my last ribbons on eBay and they do not reverse (at ribbons end) but I do that manually by moving over the reversing mechanism and winding it on for a bit.
David
- MichaelW
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- Registered: 19-6-2017
- Posts: 5
Re: Ribbon Change.
Thanks David. What is the effect of the nuts being to loose/tight?
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Thread Starter- david_A
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- Registered: 29-1-2017
- Posts: 12
Re: Ribbon Change.
The ribbon that is being pulled (on my machine) needs to be a little slacker than the one that is doing the pulling, if not the free wheeling spool will sometimes jam. I suspect that my ribbons (purchased on eBay) are generic ones and not the correct ones for my machine.
