Pages

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

No longer silent





15 comments:

  1. The shadowing effect is common on Noiseless typewriters and it means you are striking the key too hard. It actually bounces on the platen. Type a little lighter and it will go away.

    What are ribbon nuts? I have a 7 just like yours and it has little spools, just without a top or bottom. They are more difficult sure but are the same as on most Remingtons even the Quiet Riter up to and into the sixties.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yea...ribbon nuts. I don't know why Remington did that, but it is a pain.

      Delete
  2. I found out when I got an original Noiseless (pre-1925) typewriter, before the Remington takeover, that it's the Noiseless company that invented that peculiar ribbon system. I guess Remington fell in love with it.

    You can adjust the vertical alignment for the caps, but I don't know whether you can adjust the carriage assist spring tension.

    My first typewriter was a #7 (glossy) so I have a major sentimental attachment to them, but since then I've gotten used to conventional typewriters and the noiseless mechanism feels weird. It's definitely different and would take some getting used to. Evidently many people did, because these sold like hotcakes in the '30s and '40s.

    I like the slightly fatter typeface they used, evident in this typecast.

    Looking forward to finding about your doosey!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am going to have to find out how to adjust the vertical alignment. The glossy ones are by far prettier machines...not like this one.

      Delete
  3. I have a "Noisy Noiseless" that had a similar ghosting problem. The issue is not really typing too hard, it's probably the "key restraint comb" dealy underneath the keys. This small bar runs below your key levers and arrests the stroke to allow the mechanism to ensure the typebar doesn't get pushed full-travel to the platen. if you push the offending key all the way down and see that the typebar elbow is *straight* instead of slightly bent and that the typebar is touching the platen, then this is your problem.

    I was able to fix mine, which was completely brittle and falling apart, with hot glue and an exacto knife:

    See here and here for details.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will have to check that out. It is not a serious issue, as it only happens occasionally. Really, I could be hitting the keys too hard, as I am not used to this whole 'noiseless' thing.
      The Noisy Noiseless is a nice looking machine as well.

      Delete
  4. I have 2 of these and if I ever get to bringing then up to speed I think I would like them. I do enjoy typing on the better of the 2 that I have. As others state, it does take some getting used to the funny feel of the mechanism.

    I too and one baffled by ribbon nuts. Mine is just an open spool that can be a bit more difficult than a regular spooled ribbon to install. Remington used similar spooling in many of their machines.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've even seen Underwood use it in the mid-fifties. I just DON'T get it!

      Delete
  5. My Remington Seven Noiseless was my first working typer (and yours looks just like it, crinkle paint and all!). I really love mine, truth be told, and adore the deco design (and those adorable, pillar-looking feet! They make me squeal!). It is noisy, but in a different way to my other machines; it sounds like all the metal parts on horse tack rattling round as you ride at a gallop.

    Since it is my first working machine, I suppose I never noticed its oddness, and indeed, thought that it was the other typers that were odd. The ribbon was particularly vexing, I must admit; I had so much trouble with it my husband had to put it on, and it took him the better part of an hour!

    Mine is in really fantastic shape and has been reconditioned at some point. The 'A' was broken off...and reglued, upside-down. It bears a name-badge of an office machine store that no longer exists. And it is my work-horse. I need to make a post solely of it; I have the photos and just haven't done it yet. I need to; I think she's earned it.

    I also love those bakelite keys and how so many of them are oddly shaped, a testament to the fact they were hand-made. Enjoy your Remington; they're quirky to be sure, but they are wonderful machines!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The feet...and the GIANT paper table. I mean, that thing is near six inches tall! The bakelite keys are really great. Very comfortable.

      Delete
  6. That is very nice to look at. I still haven't managed to find one, and I'm hesitant to to it online.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bought it on eBay, and the seller just shipped the typewriter, in case, in a snug cardboard box. Not even any room for padding. I was worried when I opened it, but it was actually ok!

      Delete
  7. I've only tried typing on a Noiseless once in Berkeley Typewriter, a shop in Berkeley (duh). That one was a good-as-new refurb and I must say, it typed like a dream.

    ReplyDelete
  8. My Noiseless Seven ("Lucky") is much the same: it's strange to type with, and the ribbon gives me fits, but it's unusual enough that I'd have trouble parting with it.

    ReplyDelete