Re Inking Vintage Printer Ribbons

In this video I show how I re-ink vintage printer ribbons.

[@MichaelEhling]

I must be imagining this but I would have sworn that one could buy ribbon re-inking kits at certain stationery stores. I guess these cartridges are the -day equivalent. I wonder if any of these kits still exist.

[@Subgunman]

I just use stamp pad ink on a foam pad. I have rigged up a holder that will hold both reels where the feed reel is free spinning while the take up reel is locked onto a shaft that can be turned with a cordless drill. There are two rollers that will hold the ribbon down onto the foam pad. Works like a charm. Doesn’t dry out for quite a while.

[@richardgerhart4993]

I can see how you easly get off subject please get to the point I know you love hearing your self talking but really get to the point hey get to the point yes you have a nice British accent and you brits love hearing yourselves talking please get to the point 😮

[@MicrobyteAlan]

Good job with the re-inking. Print was as clear as any impact printer. 👍👍 😊

[@richardgerhart4993]

I have lost intrest to your ramblings 😮

[@andymouse]

Looks perfect, thanks for the follow up and a great tip...cheers.

[@timjarrett2761]

You said that the ink is a special type, can you tell us which ink you used for this ribbon, i.e. is it water-based, glycerine based etc? Thanks.

[@guyteigh3375]

It is an oil based ink - but that doesn't mean "any old oil" is a great rejuvenator. If you want an ink which is VERY close to what you want, just buy "Stamp Pad" ink. It is designed to dry quickly when it ends up on paper - but to stay "damp" in the pad (including pads left "open" a lot of the time) for utterly ages. You can pull ribbon through a pair of "stamp-pads", both of which are heavily ink soaked (but NOT dripping).

[@carpetbomberz]

Characters on the roll paper coming across, very clearly now. No mistaking it.

[@guyteigh3375]

It's a LONG time ago that I tried it, but I remember "stamp pad ink" seemed to work well when re-inking an old dot matrix line printer ribbon that I couldn't find a replacement for. It dries quickly on paper, but doesn't dry out in the cartridge for weeks. (I stopped using it long before it "went feint, so no idea how long it could have worked). IIRC, I just had two cheap "stamp pads" that were WELL soaked in ink but not quite "dripping wet" and just pulled the ribbon through the middle of the both. Probably not the best way to do it, but it was a "let's try this - oh, it works, keep doing it then".

[@JerryWalker001]

Yes I have done the same for cartridges but unfortunately it does not work well for open reels as it dries out in a few days. The impact type ink does not start drying until it is subjected to pressure (Well that is what it is supposed to do).

[@DaleRichardson-w3d]

Thank You, fantastic way to re-ink.

[@notquitecopacetic]

There is an Arduino project in there somewhere.

[@john_in_phoenix]

Very nice.

[@kangabounce5164]

Genius

[@Conservator.]

Brilliant!