Page 1 of 1

IBM 5251 beamspring spacebar

Posted: 04 Jun 2019, 01:32
by adamcobabe
Oh, man. My newly restored IBM 5251 spacebar is rattly! I've heard they were bad, but the 3278 isn't as horrible. Do the standard tricks work for silencing? Some Super Lube, band-aid? Or are there some specific tricks for beamsprings? Anyone have good success with a method? I'm kind hesitant to slather a bunch of lube after having spent so much time cleaning the thing. :roll:

Re: IBM 5251 beamspring spacebar

Posted: 04 Jun 2019, 01:39
by User101
What kind of spacebar the 5251 uses? I think it is the same style as the 3278. In this case I used some tape to prevent the spacebar from moving left to right and add some lubes to the hole which the stablizer bar goes into. No rattling anymore. Hope this helps.

Re: IBM 5251 beamspring spacebar

Posted: 04 Jun 2019, 01:39
by User101
What kind of spacebar the 5251 uses? I think it is the same style as the 3278. In this case I use some tape to prevent the stabilizer bar from moving left to right and add some lubes to the hole which the stabilizer bar goes into. No rattling anymore. Hope this helps.

Edit: I have no idea why the same post was submitted twice and it seems like i can't delete it... Sorry.

Re: IBM 5251 beamspring spacebar

Posted: 05 Jun 2019, 20:20
by SneakyRobb
I found that the contamination shield on the 3278 somehow held the plastic clips that the stabilizer bar goes into still. When I removed the shield the clips jostled around. When you secure the clips with tape or foam to keep the rattling down the spacebar is much less loud.

Re: IBM 5251 beamspring spacebar

Posted: 06 Jun 2019, 05:31
by User101
SneakyRobb wrote:
05 Jun 2019, 20:20
I found that the contamination shield on the 3278 somehow held the plastic clips that the stabilizer bar goes into still. When I removed the shield the clips jostled around. When you secure the clips with tape or foam to keep the rattling down the spacebar is much less loud.
i spotted that too. However I did not secure it, maybe I should do this to mine.

Re: IBM 5251 beamspring spacebar

Posted: 08 Jun 2019, 15:38
by adamcobabe
Thanks, I'll give that a try.