John E. Simmons.com » Typewriters

Manuals for download

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:20:03 +0000

Mat Resist was kind enough to scan and forward these manuals. They’re in .pdf format. Enjoy.

Remington Rand Touch Typing Method featuring an early 50s Quietriter

Smith Corona Super-Silent, Silent and Sterling (late 40s- early 50s)

Textbook on Typewriter Repair, featuring Underwood, Royal, Smith Premier #2, Smith Premier Visible #10-11, Royal, Remington #7, Remington Blind, Remington Visible #10-11, Oliver #3 and #5, L.C. Smith, Monarch Visible, Fox Blind, Fox Visible, and various type samples

Underwood Golden Touch Manual, featuring both desk and portable models (late 50s-early 60s)

Underwood Repair Manual (1920)

Underwood Standard (1930 – #3, 4 and 5)

Remington Quietriter – QR3272259 (1950s)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:56:00 +0000

This is a Remington Quiet-Riter of 1950s styling. The serial number, QR3272259, is one digit longer than any other serial number I’ve found. I’ll have to do more research.

This paticular example has elite type and is a sand color with dark green keys. I have no idea of production figures, but I, personally, have not seen another one in this color. It appears to have been used very little. The only restoration required was washing with water containing a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid, and the application of a couple of drops of oil to the carriage. Even the ribbon is in good shape.

Smith Corona Skyriter – SC272402 (1949)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Smith Corona developed a really portable machine for use on trains named appropriately, The Zephyr. After the war, with the popularity of air travel, the small, lightweight typewriter was renamed The Skyriter.

It came with a metal cover so it was very convenient to carry.

This one was made in 1949 – about the time of this ad

Smith Corona Silent – 5S121700 (1949)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:46:30 +0000

I found this Smith Corona Silent in a flea market outside Washington, North Carolina in 1989. I had just moved to the city to work at WITN-TV, and needed a typewriter to write home to friends. These were the final days before email.

If you look closely at the keys, you’ll see some unusual ones for a typewriter found in the U.S. It has everything needed to type in all the European Roman alphabet languages – Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and yes, even English.

Remington Rand Noiseless Model Seven (1948)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:42:35 +0000

This post-war Remington is branded Remington Rand on the paper tray. As with all the post-wars, it’s a model 7. This one is serial number H152960, thus made in 1948, and has the black wrinkle finish and elite type.

Remington Noiseless – H101569 (1947)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:36:57 +0000

This may be my favorite machine for practical typing use. It has the same styling as the pre-war models, but it has that extra manufacturing quality that many post-war items seem to have. I think manufacturers learned a lot making all of that war materiel. If only it came with that glossy black lacquer finish rather than the wrinkle paint.

This particular example was an eBay purchase – a whole dollar. The case had been lost somewhere in its life, so it was shipped to me in a cardboard box with a little bubble wrap. The right hand platen knob shaft was bent, but a little judicious use of pliers fixed that. It also lacked a spring that operates the space bar mechanism. A trip to the hardware store found a spring that I was able to adapt.

With the installation of a new ribbon, this machine works perfectly. As I said, it’s wrinkle paint finished and has pica type. Serial number H101569 makes it a 1947 model.

Underwood Noiseless 77 – 1608039 (post war)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:28:45 +0000

This is the post-war version of the Noiseless made by Remington for Underwood. It’s the same as a Remington Model Seven.

This one is serial number 1608039, but serial numbers on these Underwoods are useless for dating.

Underwood Noiseless 77

Remington Deluxe Noiseless – ND170170 (1940?)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:23:26 +0000

This is a Remington Deluxe Noiseless typewriter. It’s supposed to be pre-war and essentially a Model 7 with a smaller paper table. It has the standard, wrinkled paint finish one would expect.

I say supposed to be because the serial number doesn’t match. It should be ND followed by six-digits. This one is N1170170. No “D” and too many digits. Maybe the D mis-struck and it’s ND170170 if so, it’s a 1940 model.

Remington Noiseless N115247 (1937)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:15:33 +0000

This one is a pre-war Remington Noiseless portable made in 1937. It’s a bit less fancy than the Model 7s, the paper tray is smaller and the carriage return/line fee is a folding, upright lever rather than the longer horizontal bar.

This example is the black lacquer finish and it has pica type.

Underwood Noiseless 77 – 621423 (1933)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:11:14 +0000

My Underwood Noiseless 77 is serial number 621423 and is from 1933 – only two years after Remington began to make them for Underwood.

When I found this typewriter, it had obviously been in a wet place – a basement perhaps? The leatherette on the case is pulling away in many places. The typewriter itself had numerous small rust spots underneath. Thankfully I found it before the rusting had done real damage.

The primary problem was the drawstring (the string that pulls the carriage along as you type) had broken. It’s always a problem to find a suitable material. Some folks have used the cords from mini-blinds, some use nylon cord, and some have even suggested using gut violin strings. On this machine I’ve tried a non-stretch fishing line. Only use will determine if it holds to it’s non-stretch claim.