How to Restore an Old Remington Rand Typewriter So It Just Works - Part One

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A typewriter restoration DIY job! Perfect for writers, DIYers, home improvement enthusiasts, or anyone interested in vintage manual typewriters.
This is part one of a multi-video series where I break down the steps I use to prepare a vintage manual typewriter for restoration. It's a fairly typical job of the many I've done so far.
This particular typewriter needs a new platen, feet, and feed rollers. In this series, you'll learn how to chemically clean a typewriter and other nifty DIY tricks.
Hope you enjoy!
Damon DiMarco
CreateX3.com
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Happy writing!

[@EllaShteynberg]

Priceless, Honestly, Thank you so much.

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

My pleasure, @EllaShteynberg. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.

[@Woodlawn22]

I learned so much watching you go through your pre-repair checkover here. I have my dad's (Model 10, maybe?) Remington Noiseless and even his receipt from buying it second-hand in about 1951 (for around $80). He was a writer for the St. Louis Post Dispatch and my childhood memories include hearing this thing being used late into many a night. Noiseless is a relative term. I want to clean it up and am grateful for your videos.

[@damondimarco2251]

E Mc, I agree that noiseless is a relative term. I like my Remingtons. But when it comes to quiet efficiency and excellent typing comfort, I'll happily reach for a Smith-Corona Silent-Super any day of the week for. Or the Hermes 3000-another remarkable machine. I'm pleased to hear that your father used your Remington as a journalist. Wish we had more of that these days: good, considered prose that's been rolled through the platen a time or six. I guess it's obvious they're not making typewriters anymore though you can still pick them up here and there. What you have is far more precious, I think-a connection to your family that is truly irreplaceable. If my videos help at all with that, then I'm the one who's grateful. Wishing you all good things.

[@asaffin1]

Before really learning about typewriters recently, I had always thought that the platen was a metal piece, because every machine I had seen had been so old that the platens looked hard and shiny, like black steel. Recently discovering that they are rubber was fascinating.

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

You’re not alone StandardFiend. I pretty much thought the same thing for a while when I first saw these machines. And the first typewriter I bought, the platen was so hard, I never really thought of it as rubber. Tell you this though. Get one of those platens refurbished, a whole new world opens up. It’s really amazing. Wishing you all good fortune. Thanks for your comment and thanks for watching.

[@asaffin1]

@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco Many thanks. I'm about to buy my first typewriter (as an adult, anyway; I remember briefly having some kind of electric typewriter as a kid that was lost or sold in a move, and never used it much) and your channel has been an invaluable discovery.

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

@@asaffin1 I’m so pleased to hear it, SF. And I can commiserate. I too had a typewriter way way back when that sort of disappeared in a move. I think about it from time to time. The mythological machine that linked me to childhood. Maybe that’s why I have so many right now, I don’t know. But I sure love working with them. Hope you get everything out of your typewriters that you want!

[@darrellstern9372]

Love you Damon

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

Oh .... Darrell .... shucks. How are you, man?

[@darrellstern9372]

@@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco Living the life in Scottsdale Arizona! Let's collaborate soon and catch up!

[@codyisthedoctor]

Hey Damon. My carrage won't move as I type unless I lightly pull left while I stroke the keys. How do I fix this issue? LOVE the video. Thank you! (I'll watch other parts in case you explain that

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

Hi Cody. It could be a number of things but my first guess would be that there's not enough tension on the carriage strap. Every machine has a string or (on bigger machines) a strap that connects the carriage to the main spring. Sometimes you have to rewind this spring to get a machine moving again. I show this process in the video where I restore a Corona Four. Check it out and let me know if it helps.

[@beelzebug2012]

How do you determine the year of the Remington Rand model one? I found a marker that says P101932, is that the indicator?

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

Hi Beelzebug2012. Great question. Fortunately for us typewriter geeks, there’s a resource called Typewriter Database, founded by the Right Reverend Ted Monk. Google it and you’ll see it holds incredible information on practically every make, model, and year of typewriters ever made. Find the Remington Rand Model One page and check your serial number against the ones listed. You should be able to pinpoint the year your machine was manufactured (or any other machine you own) with a high degree of accuracy. I hope this helps. Let me know if it does and thanks for watching.

[@GianfrancoJulianMarquezBello]

Acabo de encontrar una remington remette 1939 aprox para restaurar

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

¡Fantástico! ¡Te deseo la mejor de las suertes con eso!

[@berklia]

Does anyone know where to find the serial number on a remington 16? it looks similar to this typewriter but just says 'Remington' without the 'Rand'. There is also a 16 on either side of the front - not sure why it says 16 twice like that. It is part of an antique desk & remains hidden until I 'flip up' the middle part of the desk & I do not want to remove from the desk as the typewriter is in mint condition and types beautifully. I played with the ribbon & have no idea how to put the ribbon back on the right hand side. the ribbons go in mysterious doors on the 'sides' of the typewriter instead of the top like this one. If there are any manuals out there people can recommend, please let me know - thanks so much!

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

Hi @Berklia. I don’t have that model, and so don’t want to venture a guess. However, if I were you, I’d put your question to one of the typosphere’s greatest sources of knowledge, Richard Polt, philosophy professor at Xavier University. Apart from his deep knowledge of typewriters in general, Richard is one of our resident experts in Remingtons. And his web page at (site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-manuals.html) offers dozens of vintage, scanned typewriter manuals as free downloads. I hope this helps. Please check back and let me know how you make out. Meantime, thanks for watching and commenting,

[@UniQu3Ly_QU33Ni3]

I have found a Remington with a serial number that I didn’t find on the database 🤦🏾‍♀️ It starts with a Z & has 6 numbers behind it. Someone please help me figure out the model so I can restore it. T.I.A

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

Totally get it. I’ve had it happen, too, where a serial number doesn’t match up with the Online Typewriter Database. In this case, I would contact Richard Polt, author of The Typewriter Revolution. He’s a specialist in Remingtons and would likely be able to help you. Pick up a copy of his book, if you haven’t read it already. It’s very good. Please tell Richard I said hi. Wishing you best of luck and thanks for watching.

[@pcblah]

Seems like they sell allot of silicone/latex tubing online in various inner and outer diameters. Wonder if I can use some of that to reline some squared off rollers.

[@damondimarco2251]

I did a video about this using shrink tubing and got decent results, pcblah, although admittedly I prefer a professionally reconditioned platen. Also, applying shrink tubing over an old platen (if that's the technique you're referring to) can alter the platen's diameter, causing issues with the feed rollers in some cases. While researching the video I made, I came across several people who stripped their platens down to the bare wood and rebuilt them using several layers of tubing. Many of them reported that this worked very well. They had to keep the layers even, however, they said-no bubbles or wrinkles, and that seemed challenging to me having worked with only one layer. If you try this, please let me know how this goes. And thanks for watching!

[@ontheblossomtrail]

Hi Damon. I recently acquired an old remington rand and it is not in a very good condition. I need to remove its platen, but your videos don't mention how to do it for this model. Could you please explain how? I am new to this, so if you could also let me know if there are any other typewriter diy sites I should see, I would be very grateful. Thanks.

[@damondimarco2251]

Hi Annette. Sorry about that. The good news is it's simple. Unscrew your left hand platen knob first. Now move to the right and unscrew the collar screw or screws securing the right platen knob (some machines have two, some have one). I recommend using hobby pincers or a similar tool to keep these screws, which are small, from being lost. The right platen knob screws are close to the platen, internal to the carriage. Once you've removed the collar screw(s), gently press down on the platen with your thumb and pull the right platen knob straight out. Barring rust or some other impediment, this will remove the right platen knob and the platen spindle, which is attached to it. Carefully lever the platen out of the carriage. Now, to remove the feed rollers, you must first remove the curved metal paper tray. This was problematic on my machine but it can be done. Pay special attention to how the paper try fasteners work before you remove the tray from the machine. Apply gentle leverage if you must. Once the paper tray comes out, the feed rollers are exposed, you can pluck them out easily with your fingers. If you watch the series through parts five and six, you'll see all the above reverse engineered as I put the machine back together again. As far as other typewriter DIY sites, there are many! Start with Richard Polt's Basics of Typewriter Maintenance Page found here (site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-restoration.html). Also check out (myoldtypewriter.com/). Don't miss videos by posted by Duane Jensen at Phoenix Typewriter here on KZbin. Or Typewriter Justice. And I encourage everyone to get to know the local typewriter craftspeople in your area. If you're on the East Coast of the U.S., near NYC, Boston, or Philadelphia, be sure to introduce yourself to Jay and Paul Schweitzer at Gramercy Typewriter, Tom Furrier at Cambridge Typewriter (whom I only know by his excellent reputation), and Bryan Kravitz at Philly Typewriter. Good luck and thanks for watching!

[@ontheblossomtrail]

Thankyou so much! That will be very useful.

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

@@ontheblossomtrail let me know how it turns out, Annette.

[@damondimarco2251]

@@ontheblossomtrail Of course! Good luck, Annette, and thanks for watching.

[@nikolt2000]

How do I remove the platen

[@CreateX3-DamonDiMarco]

Hi Zoro. Thanks for watching. To answer your question watch part six of the series, and simply reverse the steps to remove the platen. I hope this answers your question, I hope it helps you, and thanks for watching.