An interview with Charlene Oesch, typewriter ribbon manufacturer

Many typists, including me, were sad to learn that Charlene Oesch died recently. Her small business, Baco Ribbons, was my go-to source; I used hundreds if not thousands of her nylon ribbons on Underwood-style spools, as well as several big rolls and some specialty items: she could provide narrow ribbons for adding machines, toy typewriters, and more.

Baco was not the last typewriter ribbon manufacturer. You can find some other sources here. But Charlene will certainly be missed.

In The Typewriter Revolution, I published some rearranged excerpts from an interview with Charlene. I thought it would be nice to publish the whole interview here.

Interview with Charlene Oesch of Baco Ribbons, Ballwin, Missouri

April 17, 2013

 

How did Baco Ribbons get started? What is its history?

 

My father came out of WWII repairing cash registers for NCR. He somehow got connected with a man in downtown St. Louis and started to make ribbons. I don’t know where Baco came from, it was whoever had the company before. I just came across a letter my dad wrote to my mother before they were married, dated March 17, 1939. Second generation now. Started with cash register ribbons and typewriter ribbons, then evolved into check collectors, calculators, credit card machines. Also ink rollers.

 

At one time I had 8 women working for me. I’ve consolidated, trying to slow down and move business closer to home. But now I’m really busy. 

 

How many people work there?

 

Now I have 3 part-time women working for me. Never had a salesman, website, ads, just word of mouth. I’ll be 62 this year, I’m trying to gear back myself.

 

Are there other ribbon manufacturers in the US?

 

Competition has died. If they don’t make 100,000 of something they quit making them. Yesterday I sent out 2 dozen green ribbons. Most everything is made in China, but quality is not good ... but at least they’re putting it out and distributing it and it works. Correctype is out of business, Fine Line Ribbon in Texas makes ribbons still.

 

I don’t get into the machines themselves. ... The typewriters of older days, you can’t destroy them. But there are so many fewer men that repair them now ... my dad was involved with junior colleges here and they had an office machine repair department in the school; he helped generate that and he supplied tools, chemicals, etc. We were an Ames agent. There’s no one left to refurbish platens.

 

Dad had a collection of old typewriters. I had an old Hammond, a collector from Connecticut wanted to buy it in ’87, came back later.

 

Tell me about the process and equipment.

 

You buy fabric in reels like you’d buy a bolt, slit it into widths from half inch to 4.5 ... An inking machine is like a wringer washing machine, it has wheels that pick up ink and throw it onto rollers. You change rollers for different degrees of inking.

 

There are spoolers, loaders, stuffers ... Impression-grade ink: the company will not make it anymore, I had to go to a different manufacturer. Suppliers are dwindling. Used to have 5 different spool/cartridge manufacturers that do the molding process, now 2-3. IBM Selectric III cartridges: company just quit making them, no one picked up the mold. To get an impression mold made is $30,000 or so. If there isn’t enough demand out there, it’s not profitable. Xerox ribbons have died. Demand is low. 3D printing could be a solution ...

 

Have you seen a rise in demand?

 

I started to notice a couple of years ago. I’ve had people find me through you, through word of mouth. I have an order right now for Canada. I don’t solicit, don’t go for retail at all, would rather be wholesale.

 

Who is buying typewriter ribbons?

 

Law offices, people with forms to fill out, Jones Typewriter in St. Louis. I met Bill at Mesa TW Exchange. Lots of interesting people around the US ... it’s sad because a lot of repair men used hazardous chemicals, and a lot have had cancer. Over the years—I’m not a doctor, but my dad was friends with a lot of people in the industry. A lot of the cleaning chemicals are considered hazardous. Big wash tanks for chemical baths ... that chemical isn’t sold anymore. It’s like asbestos or the stuff they put in the popcorn, you never know what you’re subjected to. 

 

My dad had arch—second-generation—competitors like Bushnell Ribbon in California. Now the son and I talk all the time. The competition’s gone, they’re on that side and I’m in the middle. Competition is usually on the East and West coast, because that’s where the products come from—fabric, ink. But now I’ve had a corner on the market being in the middle of the US. 

 

My dad was a member of the ICRDA, International Cash Register Dealers Association. Groups of people in the same industry got together and had conventions. That was my vacation when I was little, we’d travel around the US going to conventions all the time. 

 

Do you yourself type?

 

No.

 

Do you see any obstacles to continuing ribbon production? If people get desperate, can they make typewriter ribbons themselves?

 

Lots of people want to buy the ribbon in bulk, a big reel of inked ribbon. Some manufacturers make time clock ribbons.... You can’t evenly ink fabric on your own. You need special formulated ink that doesn’t dry.

 

There was a lot of friendship and camaraderie that’s gone. Back when we had a bigger facility they told me I should open up a bar in the back of the building. It was fun because everybody knew everybody in St. Louis. Now I have very little walk-in business, I keep my doors locked. 

 

How long do you see yourself continuing?

 

I think I can still do this from a wheelchair. I have to pay my health insurance. Have to make it to 65 ... I can foresee someday moving this to my basement and just operating out of my house. 

 

How big is the equipment?

 

When I moved I put a lot of it in my basement. The inking machines are in my basement.

 

I don’t get vacations, I just take a Friday or Monday and forward calls to my cell. It’s depressing to not be able to enjoy life. You just have to be there for your customers. 

 

The machines should be preserved; they are definitely antiques, no one makes that kind of equipment. Some rollers need to be recovered. The rollers have a shoulder on the edges, are 10-12” long with shoulder of 2” on each side and in the middle it’s recessed so the fabric can run through. Rollers run on the shoulders. Hardened steel. They get worn after a while; a machine shop has to grind it down, put new hardened steel on it. Most of the time they look at me and say “you want me to do what?” It’s down to the millimeter as far as the tolerances go. 

 

Could someone come in and run your business? 

 

I don’t think so, it’s such a specialty. One machine is run by touch. Some are run by air compressors, some by motors. The touch, the feel, the degree of inking is so specific that no one else could do it. I’ve seriously thought about videotaping myself doing it so there are some references. 

 

My son is an engineer, he has absolutely no interest in the business. I got a degree in teaching, my mom died and Dad said you take over the business or I’m going to sell it. In ’87 there were no teaching jobs, so I took over and have done it since then. 

 

It was all in my dad’s head, and it’s all in my head. Nothing is written down, there’s no reference material. I have not put out a catalog, have not put out a price list.