Typewriter models•Model guide
The Remington Noiseless
The machine that sought silence. A mechanism unlike the others, a muted strike, and a character you won’t find on any classic portable.
A different way of striking
At the start of the twentieth century, office noise was a real issue. The Noiseless Typewriter Company developed a mechanism that doesn’t clack: instead of striking the platen, the character is pushed against it. Remington bought the company in the 1920s and applied the principle to its own machines, portables included.
The name promises more than the reality: a Noiseless is not silent, it is markedly more muted than an ordinary machine. That is also what makes it pleasant in a flat, in the evening, next to someone who is sleeping.
What it feels like to type on
The strike is soft and a little slower to get used to. You have to press firmly and evenly: the mechanism pushes the character, it doesn’t throw it. Once you have the knack, you get a regularity of impression that few machines give.
The sound is a signature. A dull, muffled thud, without the usual metallic clack. Many people who try a Noiseless don’t want to switch back.
Which Noiseless to choose?
Remington Noiseless portables of the 1930s and 1940s are the most sought after: reasonable size, black or grey lacquer, and the complete silent mechanism.
It is a machine that needs careful adjustment, more than a classic portable: the pressure of the character on the platen is finely tuned, and that adjustment is what makes the print quality. We redo it systematically before dispatch.
What we check at the workshop
- Body dismantled and the segment fully cleaned, where the typebars bind.
- Axles degreased and relubricated, strike and line spacing adjusted.
- Carriage check: travel, return, end-of-line ratchet.
- Condition of the rubber platen, often hardened with age.
- New ribbon fitted, then a full page typed, letter by letter.
The right ribbon
Every machine leaves with a new ribbon fitted. The day it needs changing, we sell the ribbons that suit this model: not all spools fit.
The questions we get about the Remington Noiseless
How much does a restored Remington Noiseless cost?
The price depends on the series, the colour and the rarity of the example, never on the quality of the overhaul: they all go through the same workshop. The machines available right now, with their exact price, are just below.
Does the Remington Noiseless come in AZERTY?
Yes. Like almost all machines of that period, the Remington Noiseless was made for several markets: AZERTY for France and Belgium, QWERTY for English- and Spanish-speaking countries, QWERTZ for Germany and Switzerland. The layout is mechanical, engraved in the typebars: it can’t be changed afterwards. The keyboard is therefore stated in the title of each machine and on its listing.
Is it ready to type on delivery?
Yes. Every Remington Noiseless is taken apart, its segment cleaned typebar by typebar, its axles degreased and relubricated, its strike and line spacing adjusted. A new ribbon is fitted, then we type a whole page before dispatch. It arrives ready to write, with nothing to buy.
Which ribbon for a Remington Noiseless?
The ribbon is the only consumable, and it is changed once or twice a year depending on how much you write. Not all spools fit: we sell those that suit the Remington Noiseless, and each machine’s listing gives the right reference.
Our Remington Noiseless typewriters available now
2 exemplaires actuellement restaurés et prêts à écrire. Chacun est une pièce unique.
