About this Product
A 3D printed type ball for Selectric I and II typewriters, either 12 character per inch pitch or dual-pitch.
This ball features the Spencerian Script font from https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/spencerianscript.html, tweaked a bit to fix some printing issues (mainly, IBM's character layout doesn't really allow for a descending lower case z). All I can figure out from google is the typeface was apparently used on some Royal typewriters in the 60s. ¯\(ツ)/¯ But it's a really nice upgrade from the IBM Script typeface, a bit looser and more fun I think.
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!
