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I finally brought the other typewriter, the Remington Rand in from my trunk this morning. When I looked closely at it, the ribbon was broken, so unless I can get a new ribbon, no typing on it.
I finally found one that looked like mine. It is a Remington 17. Where are serial numbers located on these?
Last edited by colrehogan (12-2-2015 12:21:13)
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Should be under the carriage on the right side of the frame. Slide the carriage all the way to the left to see it.
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You should easily be able to get a new ribbon, if not in person than on the internet. You might have to wind it onto the spools that came in yur typewriter though, so make sure you keep them! The ribbon itself is pretty much universal but spool sizes differ from model to model.
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OK. Serial no. is: J991414
According to the Typewriter Database, that is from October 1946.
Last edited by colrehogan (12-2-2015 23:09:33)
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I saw a ribbon that looked like it would work, but the box said calculator, not typewriter. It also said Universal. It was a red/black ribbon. There was no information about how long the ribbon was, but the picture on the box had the ribbon on two spools that resembled the ones on a typewriter. Is there a specific length that typewriter ribbons are supposed to be?
Are there any tricks on respooling a ribbon? Is there a wrong side to it? Can it be installed backwards?
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If it has a 13 mm (0.5 in.) width, the ribbon should work fine. It's length doesn't really matter - too long, you cut it off, too short, you just have less to type on - and there isn't a right and wrong side to it. Respooling, if you need to, is just a simple matter of getting the ribbon started on one of the machine's spools and then turning it with the tip of a finger until the donor spool is empty.
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I looked at the ribbon and since there was so much ribbon left on one spool, I decided to try and thread it and see what happened. It worked out, but I need to hit those keys pretty hard to get anything on the paper.
Any idea how to clear the margins on this machine?
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colrehogan wrote:
Any idea how to clear the margins on this machine?
Depends on whether or not it's a KMC model. If it isn't, you manually move the margin stops on the backside of the carriage. If it's a KMC, you might want to read this thread:
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There are KMC buttons on either side of the keyboard. I noticed that it is hard to get the lower part of the letters to come out on the paper if I don't press really hard on the keys. I will look at that thread tomorrow sometime.
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colrehogan, just a couple of notes on your questions:
Uwe's instructions are perfect regarding the respooling of the ribbon; although there is not a front or back side to it, when you install it in the typewriter, by convention the red side goes on the bottom so that the colors on the color selector lever will match up. And it does make a difference whether the ribbon comes off the back (usually) or the front (on some typewriters) of the spool when they are in place. On yours I think it comes off the back of the spool but follow the way it was when you got it.
Regarding clearing the margins, unlike tabs they are cannot be cleared; they are always in effect and can only be repositioned. Even when they are set to the extreme outer ends they are not cleared.
Finally, on a typewriter, you don't "press" the keys; you jab them, in a quick staccato motion, as if they are very hot and you can't get your fingers off quickly enough. You get the typebars moving very quickly and their inertia carries them on to make a crisp impression on the paper. "Pressing" them implies a slower motion and that won't do the job and pressing harder won't help. Of course, if the ribbon is worn out, then jabbing harder won't make a darker impression either, and hitting them harder than they were designed for can damage parts, including the typeslugs (where the letters are) and the platen.
Hope you don't think I'm being too fussy here. I just want to make you comfortable with your typewriter. Have Fun!
Last edited by M. Höhne (14-2-2015 11:13:19)