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22-12-2015 20:22:38  #11


Re: Ribbon curious

thetypewriterman wrote:

Just a thought.  That wartime film would have been talking about cotton ribbons since that was the most popular material then.  Most modern ribbons are nylon.  Maybe there is a difference in how the ink travels (or doesn't) depending on the material.

I think you may be onto something. Cotton fabric will certainly wick water more readily than nylon will - assuming inks are water based....

(Pause for actual research)

Ah! I was led back to this very forum, and saved from a costly accident by one of your very own posts! I had considered using stamp pad ink to re-ink a ribbon. But on topic, oil will wet both cotton and nylon, and it's quite possible a given type of ink would migrate faster on one that the other...

You know, science is supposed to have made a great advance when questions stopped being explored by Scholastic reasoning and instead explored by experiment! I should consider this.  A simple test on a given ribbon might be to type over the same small section until it seemed exhausted, and then wait varying lengths of time and see if the top of the ribbon showed any sign of renewing itself. 

Also reading that old thread I was disabused of the idea that some NOS silk ribbons I ordered would be "easy" to re-ink. Does not sound very easy at all. But I would certainly try to build a small mechanism which at least partially automated the process before I would try "put on rubber gloves and carefully knead the ink into the ribbon". I also love the idea of making home made ink from aromatic oils... combining aroma therapy with typing. 


"Damn the torpedoes! Four bells, Captain Drayton".
 

06-1-2016 03:26:45  #12


Re: Ribbon curious

I don't suppose any of you know if the rainbow-colored universal (twin spool) ribbon actually exists? I saw a picture of one once, but I can't seem to find a seller.


They call me "Hammerhands".
 

06-1-2016 03:32:34  #13


Re: Ribbon curious

I had a lady tell me once you could reink a cloth ribbon by soaking it in bingo dabber ink. I think the closest to black they come in is blue. I think sometimes they're green and pink. I used universal ribbons, the kind that my Brother De Luxe, Underwood 378, etc take. I found that it was mildly successful. I found that buying them online was less effort, and cheaper than in town. I suppose this discussion might be about a rarer ribbon that you just can't replace.


They call me "Hammerhands".
 

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