About this Product
A 3D printed replica of the IBM APL 987/988 type ball. These are usable on Selectric I/II typewriters, though as I understand it the 987 is for the IBM 2741 with "correspondence coding" and the 988 is for the IBM 1050 or a 2741 with "PTT/BCD coding"? I don't really know anything about it myself, but I've had requests for this.
The font is from https://apl385.com/fonts/index.htm
The ball is printed with Sunlu ABS-like resin, and is very durable.
Austin Selectric Rescue
Meet the Maker
Hi! I'm Dave, a techy/engineery guy who recently discovered and fell in love with Selectric typewriters. I've been collecting unwanted Selectrics from Goodwill because I love getting them working again and I can't bear the thought of them going to the scrap yard, but now I have more than anyone should. I realized I'm basically a cat lady but for Selectric typewriters--I'm running a shelter for feral Selectrics. So the logical next step is to make it a rescue organization and put these noble machines up for adoption after getting them cleaned up and purring (sorry) again.
Once I'd collected most of the existing IBM type balls I wondered what it would take to make new ones. I assumed it would require injection molding, but through a random internet connection I found that UV resin-based printing can indeed produce a working type ball, and then I discovered that even the cheapest resin printers on the market do a respectable job. I spent the summer fine-tuning the design and now, after countless hours of testing, here they are!
