[GreenKeys] "Oregon Toner Co." Underwood ribbons on eBay

[drlegendre .]

I took a (small) gamble of a 2-pack of generic Underwood-type ribbons, to
replace the well-worn ribbon in an M15. I purchased one of the eBay offers,
item #400774352142 which are sold and allegedly manufactured for The Oregon
Toner Co.

Total was $5.99, shipped to my door in about four days.

First thing I noticed, is that the center hole on the OTC spools is a bit
(0.030" or so) larger than the ribbon axle. This allows the spools to
rattle around a bit, and makes finding the small drive pin (by feel) a bit
vague. It took a couple of install attempts to get things working properly.

But from that point onward, everything ran fine. Print impressions were
dark and consistent, without any noted smearing or shedding of material. I
also checked to make sure that the reversing rivets were both present and
properly centered, which they were, at least on the first ribbon. I haven't
removed the second from its sealed package.

The center hole issue could be solved very easily by making a couple of
reusable flanged bushings, to take up the extra diameter in the hole. These
bushes could be of plastic or any light, easily worked metal. Heck, a soda
straw cut-up right might do the job, too. But they may be entirely
unnecessary.

To summarize, I feel that the OTC ribbons offer adequate compatibility and
a very good value - though time will tell as to how long they actually
hold-up in service. But for the light-duty user like myself, and perhaps
many others, they are an inexpensive and functional solution.

-Bill
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