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  1. Lovin’ your enthusiasm for these beasts!

  2. Truly awesome and a steal! Congratulations on your new portable printing press.

    1. Heh, don’t tease me, I almost got my hands on a vintage 1950’s A.B. Dick 320 tabletop offset press last week. Snagged by someone else hours after the craigslist ad went live. /:

  3. You make me want to get one of those behemoths – gosh – look at all those fine typefaces!

    1. heh, I kinda did go from hummingbird to Mothra in one day, didn’t I? Hey, that should be it’s name..
      [turns to machine]
      ‘I dub thee “Mothra”, the very big and very grey.’
      :D

  4. It looks like the 9-unit escapement trigger isn’t working just right. The capital letters require more spacing (each letter is assigned an individual width). The small cables running from the keyboard control the “chopper block” which sets the correct pins on the escapement wheel. I’d check those first.

  5. Killer entry. More machine than I’ll be able to handle, great pix! Thanks!! ~TH~

  6. Currently there is another IBM Selectric Composer on eBay with the dial on the left. However it seems to be blank. Unfortunately the portion of the model number is torn away from the label underneath. Cannot easily determine it’s exact model.

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/324022805299

    1. Is there a possibility you may scan the training manuals and make them available for download?

      1. already did, and IBM promptly DMCA’d them. sorry.

        1. Ted, could you let me know the titles of the books/documents that IBM DCMA’d? I might know someone at IBM who could help. Email me at the address in the comment form.

          1. Interesting that IBM is so concerned about old documentation which can no longer be found.

            Xerox on the other hand has allowed old software to be shared online. The Xerox Star Desktop Publishing system comes to mind.

  7. Now that I think of it, much of the IBM CE technical repair information was posted on the Golfball Typewriter List for many years, without DCMA claims.

    I recently found a scanned copy for download of the IBM Magnetic Tape Selectric Composer Record Unit Training Guide MT/ST Models II and IV (for Graphics) online.

    1. Would it be possible get the digital files via dropbox? You can email privately. Thanks

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