How to use your Remington Quiet-Riter Typewriter!

How to use a Remington Quiet-Riter Typewriter. These beautiful machines were produced in the early 1950's.
If I didnt explain something good enough, you have any further questions, or just want to voice your lamentations about these fine machines, feel free to leave that stuff in the comments section.
If you have a broken typewriter, shoot me a message or leave a comment and I or my faithful viewers can try to talk you through fixing it.

[@blgrsgrama]

OK-so I'm 71 years old. Learned to type on a Royal in 1960's. You have a remarkable video on the Quiet-Riter! Only one little suggestion re the black/white/red buttons. The white button was used when you wanted to cut a STENCIL of a document that would be used on a MIMEOGRAPH machine (pre-Xerox availability). The stencil was a softish "paper" that you actually cut through with the keys, the ribbon stayed down, so you would get a sharp- cut image. The stencil was then taken to a Mimeograph, attached to a cylinder and smoothed out to cling to it, then the cylinder would rotate, either electrically, or if you were less fortunate, you stood at the machine and cranked the cylinder, which would pull paper through it, allowing ink to seep through the cuts in the stencil, producing your "copied" document. Just thought I'd add that little tidbit to your very well done demonstration. And oh, BTW, the ink gave off a wonderful mind-altering (almost) odor! And yes, this grama is still working, "typing" 120 wpm on my trusty keyboard. (Did about 80 on the Royal.)

[@hammerandthewrench7924]

I just bought one at an antique store for $89, everything works and even the ink ribbon is good. I’m shocked, every time I see this, it’s always so expensive. So happy, thanks for the video, still helping people 8 years later.

[@zambonibob2026]

Just got one of these in great condition at a garage sale today. Had no idea where to start, thanks for explaining everything to me!

[@ajdale]

This is really informative, thanks. I just got a 1958 model and you've pretty much told me everything I need to know. I thought it was broken at first, turns out I hadn't released the carriage lock!

[@lucianamartinez7111]

This is awesome! I just got one of these beauties shipped from Canada (I'm in Argentina). I've wanted to have one since I was 8, it only took 27 years for my dream to come true :D

[@clareransome8222]

Really useful! I leant to type at school about 100 years ago and this was a good refresher course! Just bought an early 1950’s model. You just can’t beat letter typing on a proper typewriter, particularly if it’s and ‘angry’ letter.

[@Sibes3]

Thank you for this video. I was recently given this model of typewriter and want to get it up and running to teach our grandchildren how to type. ha ha. That is, if I remember myself!

[@Paykwee]

I'm missing the 1 key! Oh no! But I'm super happy to start playing with my first typewriter. Thanks for the video

[@johntapp1650]

I have a 1958 Remington Letter-Riter--a quiet writer without a tab key an only 84 characters. But this machine has one of the best touches. It's got a smooth gray color and elite type. It is a very well-made typewriter.

[@arnaldoherrera2225]

I just have a very good condition Remington Quit'Riter and your instruction was very good to understand the function of the machine. Thanks

[@raecheladams8333]

Thankyou for your tutorial. ..i purchased today this very same typewriter in beautiful condition .. you cleared up a lot of (what does this button do ) type questions, you also cleared the why isnt my paper winding on? Thankyou so much 😆

[@gena4638]

Thank you for the video! Finally got a typewriter & I was absolutely lost. VERY helpful!!

[@Rachierooh]

BOOP BOOP! Great review. Hopefully bagging on of these today xx

[@KD-nd5gu]

Thank you for making this video! I finally got this exact model for Christmas myself and your video helps tremendously!

[@kimberlybajorek1900]

Great video. Explained all the keys I had questions on wonderfully. Thank you!

[@larab5214]

Great video! I thought the white dot ribbon setting was so you could correct. I remember my mom had these little rectangular sheets of plastic that had a white film on one side-- You put the ribbon setting on the white dot, manually held the little plastic sheet on the paper where the wrong letter was typed (back spacing to that position), film side to the paper, and then struck it with the same letter you had mistakenly typed. This covered the letter with white film. Then you removed the plastic sheet and backspaced again and struck the correct letter. Primitive whiteout. You used the plastic sheet over and over until no more white correction film remained on it.

[@TheLardzard]

I use the red for titling and things like that. I have an op-shop find '58 Hermes 2000. Im so happy with it! The manual says I have a bell... thats funny... there's no bell here XD This video was incredibly informative bruh!!! I just figured out that my model has the stop point tabs at the back of the carriage as opposed to the bottom! I wasn't sure what they were, so when I found I had accidentally pushed a group of them in I freaked out haha. Just now I got a massive kick out of pushing them in and then using the clear lever XD also you gave me insight to my Margin Release Key. which has this double function where it releases the jammed slugs. Which is all I used it for until 2 minutes ago!! You really helped me out man!

[@bwack]

awesome. found one at grandmothers place. your video is very helpful.

[@LongHairedFreakyDude]

+bwack glad it could help!

[@teasp00ns]

So informative!! Thank you. I do a lot of type design and type setting digitally, and a bit with metal type, but the dozen levers on this typewriter were a mystery to me. I like the tab stops, it's something I have to show people how/why to use digitally all the time and it's much more intuitive in the physical world.

[@LongHairedFreakyDude]

Ah yes! It's always fun to see how things form the past have weaseled their way into modern things like "tabs". Back in the day they were literally tabs! Or how the QWERTY keys were arranged to easily type "Typewriter" with a single row of keys. I wonder what kids a few decades from now will think of the save icon... A typesetter? That's not a hobby I often hear of! What does it consist of? Designing new fonts?

[@killtheego710]

My Guy! Thank you so so so much for such a magnificent, through video with a very relaxed and inviting vibe, I look forward to more of your videos. I hope you take good care of yourself and keep on doing what you're doing! Happy New Year!

[@233kosta]

Let's be honest, nobody buys these things because they're "useful" any more, we love them because they're AWESOME! So yeh, unless you're looking to squeeze the maximum out of your ribbon (perhaps you work in a '50s office :P) - keep the red.

[@hacastillo]

Hello there, great vid. Did you ever post the more elaborate video how to change the ribbon? I am struggling with changing mine.

[@Basil-thyme]

Such a helpful video! I have a desktop Remington that I rescued from a thrift store. All the keys work but it adds spaces when typing a whole word so that my words en d up lo o kin g like th i s. I’m not sure if I’m pressing too hard or too light, or if it’s something to do with the carriage. Any ideas would be very welcome!

[@maxlouisbaumgarten]

Hey, super helpful video thanks! I have a Remington Office-Riter miracle tan, looks almost exactly the same but recently something shifted and now none of the keys will fully stroke the paper, they will go half way and stop just like they do when they are past the margin marker except the markers are all the way to the ends and still won’t strike. Any idea how to fix? I can’t seem to locate wherever that little stop lever is to see if it’s stuck.

[@samanthanebe9230]

Hello, I finally got my hands on a typewriter and as I was using it the first time the carriage jammed all the way to the right. I haven't been able to move it manually and I have played with all the lock carriage options. I'm rather distressed and was wondering if there was something that I could do or shouldn't be doing that would cause this? Your video was very good and I learned how to use the typewriter well but am not sure how to proceed.

[@LongHairedFreakyDude]

Hey Samantha. I’m a few thousand miles away from my typewriters, but I’ll try to be as useful as possible. So, nothing will let the carriage move? Not pressing a key, Space bar, etc. and not the carriage release?

[@samanthanebe9230]

@@LongHairedFreakyDude Hello thank you! Yes i can't get it to move and i have no idea why. Every time i hit a botton it stays in the same place and i can't get it to slide either way. Is it possible its knocked off of a track perhaps?

[@fluffy7285]

Hello your video is so helpful. I do have a question . I am noticing that the letter "Y" is sticking every time I use. I was wondering what I can do fix this problem? Thanks for any help you may have.

[@kellyflorane3112]

Great video. Very helpful! I have a problem though that I haven't been able to find an answer for on the web. When I hit shift to do a capital letter or any of the characters on the number keys, they strike higher than where lower case letters strike. I know there are probably some screws I need to turn to adjust this, but I don't know which screws do what. Help!

[@PullsPullsPulls_]

Could you put a link to where I can get a new ink ribbon for this model please? or do I just apply new ink to my current ribbon?

[@UpSyndromeBand]

My Quiet Riter needs a new ribbon. Right now it has metal spools, but not like the ones in this video. It's basically just a metal ring. I was wondering if you know how to put new ribbon on those spools, or if normal plastic spools would also work? It's just that the new metal ones are fairly expensive. Thanks.

[@gena4638]

Oliver Clarke Theres a video on here titled Typewriter Minutes- How to replace a ribbon on a Remington Quiet Riter. It's only 13 minutes long and it was tremendously detailed and helpful. I just got this model for Christmas & was totally lost on how to change ribbon.

[@UpSyndromeBand]

Thanks very much I just checked it out- should be able to fix my problem- Merry Christmas

[@gena4638]

Merry Christmas to you as well :)

[@JB-uv4hm]

Great vid! I get three key strokes after the bell. Can this be set with those margin stops under the carriage? I need a paper release knob and ribbon color know in same green. Anyone? Thanks !

[@eunicealmiron1519]

No entendí nada del idioma pero gracias!!

[@bbnrs1988]

I appreciate your video. I have a couple of questions. Any idea how to correct this issue? Just bought one today for my daughter, and the keys work, but when typing, it skips a space when, for instance, you are type a letter.....jjjjj jj jjjj jjj.....is does that or if you hit the space bar, it randomly moves over several spaces. Any suggestions you have would be appreciated. Thanks!

[@LongHairedFreakyDude]

Hello Lisa! I'm afraid I'm out of town right now and don't have my typewriter directly in front of me to explain the mechanism, but, essentially any time you hit a key, it presses a lever which is connected to some other doo-hickey that grabs the carriage. The carriage is spring loaded, persay, so when this thing lets go, the carriage slides over. Now, the mechanism should grab the next hole down down to stop it. I've had this problem happen on one of my typewriters before and all you need to do is essentially bend this piece forward just a tad to make sure it always snags, or extended it a bit by gluing something really thin and metal on it, like a staple. That's the best answer I can provide without my typewriter in front of me! Just flip it over, examine the mechanism, hit some keys while it's flipped over and you should hopefully be able to see this piece im referring to.

[@georgesbugs6664]

What sort of paper does this use? a4?

[@valpergalit]

Couldn’t watch the entire video so sorry if you already addressed this, but how do you fix a problem with unnecessary spacing between letters when typing?

[@chamamemestre]

Hi! Great video! I found an old Remington yesterday at a flea market in a sad state. I brought it home to be loved but unfortunately she has seen better days. It looked like spider man, ant man, and rat man had a party in the poor thing. I found on the internet, the instruction manual and mechanical instructions, so I will see if I can do something about it. As far as I can see the carriage is not working at all (no spacing when space bar pressed or letters), but aside from this and a missing plastic holder for a release key seems to be like the day she was made. Any ideas on detailed video/text based repair info? Any help would be appreciated to try and save this little one. Thank you!

[@LongHairedFreakyDude]

+Rúben A. Hiyah Ruben A.! Thanks for the kind words. I'm afraid there's no detailed typewriter repair channels that I'm aware of. If there were I doubt they'd be specific to this typewriter. I do little typewriter repairing on the side, and I would be more than happy to help you out. The carriage not working is a problem that I've run into quit a bit. The carriage not moving when a key is pressed could be caused by a number of things. The carriage mechanism is like a chain of movements, and if any one of the those movements are out of whack the entire thing won't work. So, what we must do is determine where it's out of whack. Hopefully it's only one thing. If it's only one thing, it should be relatively easy to pin point, and hopefully from there, fix. With any luck, this can be done with disassembling anything. My best advice to you is to study the mechanism. Look at how the parts interact with each other. Flip it upside down and observe how it functions from the inside. From there you might be able to pinpoint the problem. This is my initial guess: You say it doesnt work with the keys or the space bar? How about the tab key? Does the carriage snap back when you press the carriage release lever? If so, then you can be assured that the carriage mechanism itself is not broken, which would be a REAL pain in butt if it were. If the tab and release buttons work, then my guess is that the problem is originating between the point where the keys strike the carriage space lever which you can observe underneath and the teeth and fingers which pull the carriage over a space. If this is the case, observe these pieces move as you press a key. Is something jammed? Is something not moving that you think should be moving? Is something missing? Underneath the typewriter, between a middle aligned rectanglish hole in the metal frame, you should see some levers and gears. There is a really big pointy grey gear. See if it spins when you move the carriage. If so, GOOD. Now press a character key while still looking underneath your typewriter (and make sure the carriage can still freely move). You should see some levers moving and ultimatly push a lever with a screw at the tip. This should depress a flat peice of metal. Now hit the space bar. It should pull a metal wire that depresses another lever with a screw at the tip onto THE SAME piece of flat metal. Are both the key and the space levers depressing this piece of metal. If this is true, and the big pointy gear spins when the carriage moves, then the problem is almost certaintly between that depressed piece of metal and the gear. For, the depressed piece of metal should activate more pieces which spin it and consequentially the carriage. Specifically it pulls a really tiny spring which pulls another lever releasing a hand from the cog of the gear allowing it to spin one space. that was probably a horrible description. If you want visuals of this mechanism, please shoot me an email at [e-mail] and I'll send you a photo of the healthy mechanism, or if you prefer, a video of the parts moving. If you discover anything new, please report back, and hopefully we can get your typewriter running smoothly. Best of luck, -Jake Stief

[@TypewriterMinutes]

I know I'm late to these posts, but phoenix typewriter has many repair videos on youtube. I'm not sure if he covers this exact issue, but he has many marvelous tips on fixing machines. TypewriterJustice also has many videos, several covering repair issues.

[@chamamemestre]

No such thing as too late! :) Thank you for the reply! I did manage to tinker with it on my own and I am happy to say that I fixed two and gave them as amazing gifts for someone who wanted them even more :)

[@chamamemestre]

OMG, I cannot believe I totally missed this message (thank you KZbin...). Thank you so much for the in depth help. I managed to fix it by myself but I will be sure to take note of the above :)

[@tonymasters6549]

every time i type it doesn't auto space to the next character or character space so i have to press the space bar. how do i change that?

[@tonymasters6549]

PLEASE HELP!

[@illiminatieoverlordgurglek140]

Are you sure the auto centre lever isn't in the locked position? It's usually under the carriage on the left or right. There might be some other levers locking it in place, depending on the model and brand.

[@tonymasters6549]

If anyone is in the LA area and needs their type writer repaired, I just called this place named U.S Office Machine Co. located at 5722 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90042. I believe a diagnostic exam is 35$ But the number still works so I believe they are still in business and they have great ratings online. Ask for Rueben

[@K_1961]

Hello, fellow typewriter collector ! You have an amazing video here and you explain really well. I understood thanks to your video almost all of its functions. Could you help me identify my Remington Rand...? Here's a picture of it... mlb-s2-p.mlstatic.com/maquina-de-escrever-remington-rand-514511-MLB20555902921_012016-F.jpg You can see it doesn't have the classic green inside the case, I imagine that the case was changed when it got to my country. I'm from Brazil and I think I have a treasure here.... It's not only '50s Remington Rand, but it also has the right keyboard to write in portuguese... I see that your keyboard might be missing some of the accents that I need to write in my native language. Mine says that it was made in USA, but it doesn't have TAB, M.R. and some other great functions of your Quiet Riter. I guess in the process of adaptation to my language, it lost those functions. A price to pay, right? Mine doesn't say Letter-Riter, nor Travel-Riter..... It only has the Remington marked on the top. And the protective cover has a slight design difference..... What's your opinion ? Thanks again ! Greetings from Brazil :-))))

[@LongHairedFreakyDude]

Hey Sylvio! That's a fine machine you've got there! I've gotta say, I'm rather jealous of that well padded case. The first thing that sticks out about your typewriter is its hood, the protective cover, the metal flap that covers the ribbon. Rather than wrapping around the sides of the typewriter it stretches up and goes over the top. This along with the fact that it doesn't have the model name on the front and your Margin Release key is represented with a two way arrow rather than "M.R." Leads me to suggest that the model of your typewriter is an "All New Remington Portable". These typewriters were the first of their kind, produced between 1950 and 1952 and were essentially the basis for the Quiet-Riter, Letter-Riter, and Travel-Riters. If you want to find the exact make of your typewriter you'll want to locate your typewriter's serial number which isn't always the easiest thing to do. All typewriters have them but sometimes they're on the back of the typewriter, sometimes they're under the typewriter, sometimes they're INSIDE the typewriter. If you can find this serial number you can check it with the Typewriter Database. typewriterdatabase.com/mobile/remington.227.agelist If you do find the serial number, please report back! I'm rather curious to see. Beautiful find you've got there. Happy typing! And Greetings from 'Murica! :D

[@K_1961]

+LongHairedFreakyDude Hello, friend ! Just to share with you that I found my typewriter's serial inside right next to the ribbon spool. A224 8491.... I tried to locate it on the list from the Type Writer Database.... Ironically, my serial is not on that list.... the closer I could get to it was A224 9391 Oct. 1951 Which is GREAT ! Now I'm sure you're right. Because these machines that came with only "A" to begin the serial number... it means that you get standard typewriter, no tab. The machines that came with tab had "AT". Guess this is a great information for my collection. It's def early 50s. I love IT! So I'm glad. :-) I just bought this machine, I didn't even start using it, I'm still doing my research to understand how to clean it properly and what products should I find in my country that will be very similar to those you have in the USA..... The only problem I'm having is to choose the right ribbon here.... Could you also help me with that? I've got from a friend a ribbon for Olivetti typewriter.... the problem is the spool. It's different. Remington doesn't need a new spool... Is that possible that I can try to adapt this ribbon to the original spool of my typewriter or should I just go online and find a Remington ribbon ? What I really don't get - is there any different between these ribbons besides the spool that comes with them? does the size of the ribbon make any difference to a typewriter like this Remington Rand? I don't know why I am having some trouble with the red side of the ribbon that came with it. It always gets stucked and doesn't come back to normal position... sometimes the the characters on the paper get red and black at the same time when I try to use red.... Something is not right.... Thanks again !

[@LongHairedFreakyDude]

Hello again! Glad to hear you found the serial number. Sometimes they're in the most inconvenient places! As for the ribbon. The good news is that virtually all typewriters after the 1920's use the same size and type of ribbon, Remington's included. That is 1/2 inch. Whether you get all black, black red, or some other color combination (they do make purple blue if that strikes your fancy). I buy typewriter ribbon online. You'll encounter different ribbon materials like cotton or nylon. It's all preference. I prefer nylon, but to each his own. 1/2 inch calculator ribbon from an office supply store will also work but it tends to have a much shorter life span. The bad news is that virtually all typewriter spools are different. But this doesn't really matter. With my typewriters, I simply respool new ribbon onto the old spools that came with the typewriter. I do this for two reason. 1: it's almost impossible to find a new spool that fits my specific models of typewriters 2: the original spools are usually metal or a really strong plastic, are more durable, and look better than new ones. Respooling a ribbon is really easy. I'll be making a video on how to do it once I get another shipment of ribbon. All you do is take your original spools out and unwind the ribbon all the way. There will be a hook or clasp holding the ribbon onto the spool. Remove the ribbon from the spool. Now do the same with your new ribbon. In other words, unspool the new ribbon from the spool it came with. Now attach the new ribbon to the old spool and wind it back up and you should be good to go! As for cleaning, rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball or q tip is best. It evaporates right away and it's not water. Water can cause your machine to rust. To make the metal parts look shiny I use nickel polish which can be found in a car maintenance section of a department store. The things you'll want to clean most are the platen and the type slugs. They always get gunked up with ribbon and ink and make your letter blurry. When that happens just scrape the slugs with a toothpick and alcohol cotton ball. Cheers, Long Haired Freaky Dude Jake Stief

[@LaLavender25]

Thanks SO much for this video. I just snagged a FREE 1956 Remington Rand Quiet-Riter after placing an ad on my local www.freecycle.com cite (you should check it out) and it is an absolute beauty. It didn't have a manual, though, so this was just what I needed. Thanks for letting it be known that the ribbon and be reused up to 10 time (say whaaaaaatttttttt????), but can you have to use the other side of it? Can a black ribbon be flipped and reused? Do you know a way to re-ink a ribbon? Or is it just done once it's dry?

[@Sharko-nv5gd]

LaLavender25 you can re-ink the ribbon. Take the ribbon, unspool in a cardboard box. Use household/auto lubricant(wd-40 works the best) spray the crap out of the ribbon. Then respool the ribbon and at the same time wipe of with paper towel sheets or an old napkin. I haven’t had the extra money to do buy new ribbon so this has worked about 5 times now.

[@yolandaguiza9330]

Puedes hablar en español?