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[paper tape] [paper
tape cutters] [felt ink rollers]
[ink roll holders]
[ink]
Hellschreibers print transmitted and received text on paper tape. The width of the paper depends on the mode that the Hellschreiber uses: asynchronous or start-stop. The Feld-Hell machine uses the synchronous mode that simultaneously prints two lines of text, one above the other. This requires wide paper tape. The 72b/c "GL" and 73 "AGL" machine only use the start-stop mode; they print one line of text. This only requires narrow paper tape. Hell-80 machines can operate in both modes and require wide paper, but use rolls with a core diameter that is different from those used in Feld-Hell machines.
The 1941 Feld-Hell manual
(ref. 1) has the following specification for
wide paper printing tape ("Registrierpapier"):
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width: 15 mm (0.6"), -0.1/+0 mm |
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thickness: 0.065 mm (25.6 mils), +/- 0.005 mm |
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core diameter (ID): 29 mm, -0/+1 mm. Note: the hub in the paper trays of my Feld-Hell have a diameter of 28.0 and 28.25 mm respectively, whereas the hub in my Hell-80 machine has an OD of 29.0 mm. |
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roll length: 250 meters. |
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gummed: like pre-gummed postage stamps. Sections of printed paper tape were moistened on the back and then glued onto a telegram form ("Fernschreiben"). Supposedly, the gumming was sufficiently moisture proof ("feuchtigkeitssicher") such that moisture in the air would not make unprinted rolls unusable. This was not necessarily the case in humid climates. Also, decades-old original rolls may have absorbed enough moisture over time, that the tape has become glued to the roll. Gumming is not required for printing. |
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ash content: max 4% for non-gummed paper (ref. 3) |
The 1940 Feld-Hell description (ref. 2) specifies a +/- 0.1 mm tolerance on the paper width, a core diameter of 30 +/- 1 mm, and a maximum ash content of 4% (ungummed paper). The hub in the paper trays of my Feld-Hell have a diameter of 28.0 and 28.25 mm respectively. The tape moves at about 28 m per hour, so standard a 250 m roll will last for 9 hours. A standard 11/16" wide roll of telex punch-tape is 1000 ft long, a little over 300 m, and would last 11 hours.
These rolls of tape were covered by the DIN standard 6720 (S3).
The NATO stock number (NSN; a.k.a. National Stock Number) for Hell-80 rolls of paper tape is 7530-12-121-4545. NSN -4545 is in the same family of "Fernschreibgerät Band" as -4546 and -4547.
Narrow paper is only 9.5 mm wide.
The type of paper makes a big difference in printing quality. The photo below show prints on narrow tape (Hell 72 "GL") and on wide tape (Feld-Hell). Both were printed with the same ink roller and ink! The narrow paper happens to be denser (less translucent) and smoother than the wide paper that I used. The latter clearly shows dispersion of the ink due to capillary wicking, which is obviously not desirable.
The influence of paper type on printing quality
Paper consumption:
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Feld-Hell synchronous mode: 47 cm/minute continuously (i.e., also when not transmitting or receiving). A standard roll last for a little over 9 hours of operation. With 2.5 characters/sec, this implies a character width of 3 mm. |
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Hell-72 "GL" start-stop mode: 110 cm/minute when transmitting or receiving text. Again, 3 mm per character, as the transmission speed is 6.13 chars/sec. |
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Hell-80 synchronous mode: XXXXXXXXXXXX |
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Hell-80 start-stop mode: XXXXXXXXXXXX |
Several rolls of 15 mm wide paper
tape
30.1 mm ID
DIMENSIONS?
wood core + desiccant granules to ”paper tape” page - Hell-80?
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Ref. 1: "Der Feldfernschreiber", document D 758/1 of the Oberkommando des Heeres, Heereswaffenamt, Amtsgruppe für Entwicklung und Prüfung, Berlin, 1 April 1941 |
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Ref. 2: "Der SH-Feldschreiber", Fernmeldetechnik, Siemens & Halske A.G., Wernerwerk, Berlin-Siemensstadt, 1940, 14 pp., SH. 7535a, 1.1.40 TT1. N/1069 |
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Ref. 3: p. 31 in "Instruktion för Hellskriv-apparat", Kungl Arméförvaltningens Tygavdelning, SiB/040:3045, 13 July 1945, 40 pp. (courtesy Willi Reppel, SM6OMH) |
These paper rolls ("Schreibrollen") are no longer available off-the-shelf. So the options are custom ordering (rather expensive), or taking standard un-oiled telex paper tape (not quite as expensive) and somehow cutting it down from 11/16" (≈ 17.5 mm) to 15 mm. Even telex punch tape rolls are becoming hard to find, especially the un-oiled ones... I arranged the purchase of a case at WNC Supply (40 roles @ 1000 ft (≈ 330 m); $255, January 2007 pricing) for Andrew (SM6MOJ), but WNC no longer appear to be carrying un-oiled 11/16" tape (October 2008)... Oiled tape is used for auto-lubrication of high-speed machines.
Rolls of telex punch tape
Remmelt-Jan, PAØRJW, has constructed a very nice motorized paper tape cutter. It consists of an electric letter-opener and a motorized "reel to reel" telex punch-tape transfer spooler. The letter-opener just happens to cut off 2.5 mm (≈ 0.1") - exactly what is needed when starting out with telex punch tape! The cutting speed is limited by the letter-opener. Remmelt controls the speed of the spooler with a variac (a.k.a. variable autotransformer, rheostat) and runs a roll of tape through the machine in about 4 minutes (about 5 km/h, 3 mph). Remmelt has already sliced some 32 km (20 miles) of tape this way, all with the original cutter blades of the letter-opener!
The set-up: letter opener, guidance for entering & exiting tape, and the
spooling machine
The inside of the letter-opener / pencil sharpener
Guide pins (from a VCR?) help the tape move through letter-opener in an orderly
fashion
(the blue ballpoint pen tube diverts the 2.5 mm cut-off away from the "main"
tape)
330 meters of 2.5 mm wide cut-off
- perhaps suitable for a "micro-Hellschreiber"?
I have considered experimenting with a telex tape splicing contraption that uses old-fashioned razor blades (that are also becoming hard(er) to find, hi):
Same felt inking rings ("Einfärberolle") are used for the Feld-Hell, Hell-72/73, Hell-80, "Presse Hell" and other Hellschreiber machines.
Dimensions: 30 mm outer diameter, 18.5 mm inner diameter, 14 mm width.
The Hellschreiber ink roller and spare felt rings
Original small box
with spare ink roller
(photo courtesy John Alexander Wilson)
Original accessories
Feld-Hell box - containing two "Einfärberollen"
(photo courtesy John Alexander Wilson)
The felt inking rings are slid onto a holder that comprises a thin-walled steel cylinder and a bakelite knob. Like the felt rings, the holders are also compatible with all machines. There is some minor variation in the shape of the knob. Also, the holder of the Hell-80 has a small securing spring that clips onto the tip of the small shaft onto which the holder is placed. This does not appear to be essential.
Holders for felt
inking rings
(top: Feld-Hell, bottom: hell-80)
The cylindrical metal part of the holder tends to corrode over time, especially if water-based ink is used. July of 2011, I captured the measurements of two original ink roll holders in the design drawing shown below.
Design drawing for an ink ring holder
I had several of these "new old design" holders custom-made out of aircraft-grade aluminium. They are anodized black ("schwarz eloxiert") to make them corrosion resistant (and resemble the original black bakelite).
Newly produced ink roll holders
Ball bearing retainer ring, ball bearing, hub, and ink roll holder with felt ring
The flanged hub onto which the ink roll holder is slid
Ball bearing type 634: bore x OD x h = 4x16x5 mm
Replaced with 634-ZZ (double-shielded, "greased for life")
Jig for removal of the ball bearing retainer ring
The ink roll lever - hub and ink roll holder removed
Decades after introduction of the Feld-Hell, the Hell company developed and marketed a re-inking device or ink-applicator ("Einfärbvorrichtung"). This to put an end to the rather messy manual re-inking process. In October of 2009, I bought one of these gadgets via eBay for a mere €4.50 (≈$6.75). It is NOS ("new old stock"); mine was manufactured in 1970.
"Einfärbvorrichtung"
re-inking device for Hellschreiber felt ink roller
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"Einfärbvorrichtung Type EF 2/B - Gebrauchsanleitung" [instructions for using the re-inking device], 1 p. (courtesy Heinz Blumberg, DC4GL) |
Original
label on the packaging of the re-inking device
The 1941 Feld-Hell manual recommends using ink ("Schreibfarbe") that is a "colloidal solution of pigment in oil". This minimizes drying out of the felt roller and collecting deposits of ink on the spindle. The same manual prescribes the use of special ink "HB 45 violett". According to the manual of the T empf 14 "Presse Hell" printer (ref. 5), this is special ink ("Spezialfarbe" Haberolin-Basolominviolett". I have not been able to dig up any information about HB type ink, and I am not aware of a source of this particular ink today.
Haberolin was a deep-black ! cloth dye (marking-ink) from Wilhelm Haber. "Wilhelm Haber Stempfelfarben" Company founded in 1873. Still exists today (located in Lommatzsch, 160 km (100 mi) south of Berlin. Currently "Wilhelm Haber Stempelfarben Steffen Haeckel e.K."
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Ref. 5: p. 10 in "Siemens-Hell-Schreiber (T empf 14) - Beschreibung und Betriebsvorschrift" [incl. description of Funk Empf 61], Siemens-Halske AG, Wernerwerk F, Te 11/46, WWT. 1000., S. 47. 1494 Reg.-Nr. 115, November 1946, 21 pp. (courtesy Heinz Blumberg, DC4GL) |
An original ink
bottle
(photo courtesy John Alexander Wilson)
Water-based ink is not recommended: it causes corrosion of the thin steel bushing on which the felt ring is installed. Also, the capillary action of the paper causes such ink to be dispersed, making the printed text fuzzy shortly after being printed. Alcohol-based inks also tend to be rather "thin" and cause dispersion of the printed text.
o
Registriertinte, numerator ink, recorder ink, oil-based
I keep inked felt rings (including the one normally installed on the printer) wrapped in plastic kitchen foil (cling-wrap), to prevent them from drying out.
Various types
of ink used on the Hell ink rollers
Some other options are Pelikan dark violet "Stempelfarbe ohne Öl" (endorsing ink without oil). A similar product is made by Radex (= Kores).This is liquid ink that comes in a small bottle. This is what I use these days. The color is not critical, but obviously has to be dark, compared to the paper. Another (slightly) thicker liquid ink is Edding T25 (e.g., black); this is basically professional drafters ink.
I use Pelikan-brand endorsing ink on the roller of my home-built Hell-printer. It is thick and comes in a tube. The label says that it is intended for felt pads. Just what I needed. You just may want to use gloves when handling this type of ink!
Black
endorsing ink that I use on my home-built Hell printer
©2009 F. Dörenberg N4SPP
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