Thread Number: 23402
ROAD TRIP TO BUFFALO FOR ROLLERMATICS ENDS IN DISASTER!
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Post# 364683   7/16/2009 at 22:28 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        

my luck has run out, i was on a roll there finding every kitchenaid i ever wanted, every g.e. every frigidaire, then i turned my attention to rollermatics. my aunt that raised me after my mom died when i was 12 had a coppertone custom imperial rollermatic. i never knew what year it was till i made this last trip to buffalo to pick up 3 rollematics a gentleman was nice enough to give me! i mean he GAVE them to me cause he knew they would get a good home!

that was a joke! teaches anyone to be nice to me!

anyway i decided not to rent the home depot truck but to use my own and make 2 trips as he also was giving me 3 dryers. i assumed i could get 3 appliances on the truck at a time.

i got up early tues. morn and set foot to buffalo. i have not been there in 20 years and was hoping to see the falls as well.

here are the pics and the story of this ill fated trip. it has a very bad ending! one that i will not forgive myself for for many a year to come! trust me folks, i am my own worst enemy! i excell at it! i can turn the screws on me!

here goes,

stopped at the pennsylvania line rest stop and had a nice time relaxing a few minutes





Post# 364684 , Reply# 1   7/16/2009 at 22:29 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
beautiful day to travel

and beautiful rest area

Post# 364685 , Reply# 2   7/16/2009 at 22:30 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
perfect

summer day

Post# 364686 , Reply# 3   7/16/2009 at 22:32 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
my old beat up truck

that i got for 200 bucks was running great. i call it the "dishmobile" cause it's hauled a lot!

Post# 364688 , Reply# 4   7/16/2009 at 22:33 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
got to new york

and took a wrong turn and ended up at darian lake amusement park. since i worked at cedar point 10 years and love parks i was planning to stop and ride this mega coaster on my next trip to pick up the last 3 machines.

Post# 364689 , Reply# 5   7/16/2009 at 22:34 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
did not want to stop then as i was so excited about seeing t

1965 custom imperial rollermatic

Post# 364690 , Reply# 6   7/16/2009 at 22:35 (5,369 days old) by laundromat (Hilo, Hawaii)        
And??????---------------------------------------------------

laundromat's profile picture
Well?Go on!Inquiring minds want to know!!!

Post# 364691 , Reply# 7   7/16/2009 at 22:35 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
but i had to take a

few pics of this ride

Post# 364692 , Reply# 8   7/16/2009 at 22:35 (5,369 days old) by oldappliancenut ()        
yes

we do


Post# 364694 , Reply# 9   7/16/2009 at 22:42 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
i could see a nice wooden coaster at

the park also.

so agin i was gonna stop at the park next trip. on i went till i reached the gentleman's appliance shop.

we met, i got a tour of his shop and all his beautiful collection of stoves, washers, dryers, he really has some nice one's. he loves hotpoint brand! some of the stoves were awesome to see! he even offered me a vintage frigidaire stove. i declined as i am not really into stoves.

we loaded up the first rollermatic, a custom deluxe with rapidry that needs a new inner tub.

we then drove to his house to get the prize machine, the custom imperial that i was so excited about! i decided to take the custom imperial and one custom deluxe this trip, and come back for the last rollermatic and one dryer next trip as we determined i ccould only load 2 appliances in my truck safely!

that was a joke also!


Post# 364696 , Reply# 10   7/16/2009 at 22:49 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
we get to his house and there it is!

a beautiful 1965 custom imperial with hardly a scratch on it, just a couple rust spots in the tub and a couple on the cabinet, and a small crack in the plastic on the left side of the control panel. i had visions of it being in the center of my living room. it even had a flourescent lite built into the control panel.

it was a replica of my aunts' washer, except hers was in coppertone. i then found out hers was a 1965 also because this gentleman told me the 1965 machines were the only year to have the motor protector on the control panel. he said they put em in the motor after that year.

so i knew it was the same machine as my aunt's washer that i loved using so much when i went to live with them in the summer of 67 when i was 12.

that machine fascinated me! my aunt loved it! she did a lot of laundry as she took care of my grandmother as well as me and my uncle. several loads a day always!

i remember those detergent and bleach dispensors on the lft side of the panel also. she would never use them or let me use them as she did not want to get them dirty! that was my aunt that i loved so dearly!


Post# 364698 , Reply# 11   7/16/2009 at 22:51 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
look at that beautiful

control panel, my favorite part of this beautiful machine.

Post# 364699 , Reply# 12   7/16/2009 at 22:53 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
a side view of this beautiful custom imperial

and the last pic of it ever looking like that!

funny how life can fuck with you in such short time, one minute it's fine and i am ecstatic to get it, then.....


Post# 364701 , Reply# 13   7/16/2009 at 22:57 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
i started home and i was tired

i wqas gonna stop at a motel in buffalo but decided to try to make it as far as i could so i wouldn't have such a long drive the next day.

i made it to erie pennsylvania and took an exit to check out a motel. it was here that disaster to this beautiful machine happened. it was totally my fault!

i pulled into a gambling casina to turn around as i decided against the motel as i thought the rates were too high! i don't gamble so i had no intention of going in. i turned a bit too fast and i heard this awful sound! i can still hear it now, 2 days later! my heart sunk as i knew what happened.
i stopped and saw my washer on the side of the road!


Post# 364702 , Reply# 14   7/16/2009 at 23:04 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
i found my washer

in peices on the side of the road, it had landed on it's top. the control panel was completely destroyed. it took me awhile to pick up what peices i could find in the dark and i threw them into the truck. i was beyond sick! i literally thought i would throw up!

i then started to lift the washer back into the truck bed as no one passing me bothered to stop to help. at 2 a.m. i guess i would not have either.

here is what it looked like now!


Post# 364704 , Reply# 15   7/16/2009 at 23:04 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
another pic

of it's shattered control panel

Post# 364705 , Reply# 16   7/16/2009 at 23:05 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
another

pic

Post# 364706 , Reply# 17   7/16/2009 at 23:06 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
another

pic

Post# 364707 , Reply# 18   7/16/2009 at 23:07 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
another

pic

Post# 364708 , Reply# 19   7/16/2009 at 23:08 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
another

pic

Post# 364709 , Reply# 20   7/16/2009 at 23:09 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
another

pic

Post# 364710 , Reply# 21   7/16/2009 at 23:09 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
another

pic

Post# 364711 , Reply# 22   7/16/2009 at 23:10 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
another

pic

Post# 364712 , Reply# 23   7/16/2009 at 23:11 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
another

pic

Post# 364713 , Reply# 24   7/16/2009 at 23:12 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
last pic

of the machine after i destroyed it due toi my carelessness and stupidity!

Post# 364716 , Reply# 25   7/16/2009 at 23:19 (5,369 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)        
OMG

toploader55's profile picture
True Tragidity, I'm so sorry for your loss.. Oy Vey,,, Eddie

Post# 364717 , Reply# 26   7/16/2009 at 23:19 (5,369 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)        

What a heartbreak. I can't imagine how you must have felt, and I am so sorry such a tragedy happened. I hope you can find parts to replace and rebuild this classic washer.

God Bless,
James


Post# 364718 , Reply# 27   7/16/2009 at 23:23 (5,369 days old) by oldappliancenut ()        
:(

Sorry to hear of your heatbreak :(

Post# 364720 , Reply# 28   7/16/2009 at 23:26 (5,369 days old) by golittlesport (California)        
oh my gosh

golittlesport's profile picture
So sorry to hear about this. I can only imagine how you must have felt.

Post# 364723 , Reply# 29   7/16/2009 at 23:35 (5,369 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        
Wow

unimatic1140's profile picture
How horrible Peter, I'm so sorry to hear that happened. I had a wringer washer tip over once and hit the side of the truck, but nothing this tragic.

Post# 364724 , Reply# 30   7/16/2009 at 23:47 (5,369 days old) by a440 ()        
Dang!

Glad to hear that you are okay.
This is terrible!
Glad that it did not come flying through your windshield.
We all learn from our mistakes.
I am sure that you will find another.
Brent


Post# 364726 , Reply# 31   7/16/2009 at 23:58 (5,369 days old) by soberleaf ()        
i cannot even bring myself to bring it in the house

it is sitting in the drive. i am beyond upset about this! i am heart sunk over it as well as pretty goddamn mad at myself! i have a bit of joan crawford in me and i am very hard on myself in life. when i do something that stupid i make sure i pay the price, dearly!

this is my biggest mess up in awhile and i am taking action already to insure i don't forget this for a long time.

the washer will be on display in my living room, so every day i have to look at it as it is and remember how my stupidity caused this mess!

i have put all my dishwashers in my large spare bedroom and have locked the door so i cannot enjoy them. i am stopping all dishwasher collecting. i have one i just bought that jim the trucker is bringing me next week, that sears top loader with a roto rack. i am not even testing it. it is going in the room to be shut away. i don't deserve to collect them if i can destroy such a beautiful washer due to my stupidity, one i may never find again.

i am not posting any more pics on the site of my dishwashers or washers. i am only using the site for one purpose now, to try to find another 1965 custom imperial, color does not matter.

i have to go back and get the last rollermatic and take the man a wringer washer i told him i would pick up for him in cleveland. this trip will be a total bummer and i hope i remember well how stupid i was when i hit erie pa. i am definately not letting myself enjoy the falls or darian lake on this trip. just an 8 hr. drive over, then an 8 hr. drive back!

i had a trip to lake erie planned with my ex for august, we always went to cedar point the 10 years we were together. i cancelled that.

i had time warner scheduled to install cable as i was gonna get it hooked up again as a treat. i cancelled that. no tv in this house!

i love music and play it a lot so just for an added screw i took my cd player today and completely smashed it to peices so i cannot play anything! here's a lovely pic of it to prove my point that i am quite serious about disciplining myself over this stupidity! why didn't i tie it in! why didn't i stop sooner when i got tired!

i never hurt animals so my pets have nothing to worry about but my friends always pay the price by my simply not calling them when i'm in one of my self hatred moods. they always just let me be till i poke my head out again!

trust me, i used to be worse when i drank, i would tear up the house, even broke my ex lover's finger one time, or was it his toe, we laugh about it now! it was nothing for me to destroy whole sets of dishes, furniture, even ran over the vacuum cleaner once when we were having a fight. how we made it 10 years is beyond me! just shows you that i may be sober 11 years but i'm still a drunk at heart, especially if i stop working a program of recovery and i have not been doin that lately! time to get back in the solution and all that shit!

so what's the purpose of posting all this shit here!? to drive it home that i am beyond upset, beyond mad at myself over destroying this wonderful machine that i wanted so badly! i'll probably never find another one! there's probably none out there! i figure by posting all this everyone here will think i'm nuts and my credibility on this site will be ruined also, another way to hurt myself for being so goddamned stupid! oh yea, and God's gotten a few choice words from me also in the last day or so, his ears are burning for sure! glad he's big enough to take it! what is it we say in AA, "i need a God i can cuss out in the middle of the night"
it's really true! you have to be a drunk to understand it.

but i am also making sure i punish myself really where it hurts me, in the wallet! i am pretty cheap so this one really will get at me!

if i find another 1965 custom imperial i will pay 1000 bucks for it! if somneone has a top only i will pay 500 bucks! or maybe more! i am that serious about getting another. anyone who wants to make 1000 bucks keep your eyes open for me please! i'm not going to doing any more posts here, at least till i can get out of this loathing i have for myself over my stupidity!

it's been fun and i have enjoyed the site a lot and enjoyed posting my pics and sharing my appliance collecting with you all.

but this site is about preservation and care for these beautiful machines, saving them, restoring them. it's obvious i don't know a fucking thing about that or care about them or i would not have let that custom imperial be destroyed by falling out of my truck!

so that's it for me, i will put posts on here periodically to try to find another rollermatic, i am also putting a post on craigs list in ever major city in the usa offering 1000 bucks for a replacement to the machine i destroyed.

and i will continue to beat myself up for a good long while, then finally get my ass back to some AA meetings and get a good dose of recovery in me and eventually forgive myself and look back on this and laugh! but not now! joan crawford is out with her wire coathanger and it's gonna slap my back hard for many a day here till i finally yell "uncle" and say i've had enough!

i still can't believe i was so goddamn stupid to destroy that beautiful washer! i'm in shock most probably!

thanks for listening and letting me vent, and when you pick up your beautiful appliances, don't be as dumb as me! maybe this will actually help someone else!

it's good for a laugh if nothing else! i don't mind bein a joke! i'm a fucking idiot!


Post# 364727 , Reply# 32   7/17/2009 at 00:02 (5,369 days old) by lebron (Minnesota)        
a tragedy

lebron's profile picture
truly a tragedy of epic proportions. i feel for ya :(

Post# 364744 , Reply# 33   7/17/2009 at 02:22 (5,368 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)        
Ohhh

chestermikeuk's profile picture
Peter, I feel for you, BUT you have learned the very hard way, lesson learned, dont beat yourself up, you are so much more an asset to all here and to finding your replacement by focusing what you have...the rest will come..

Enjoy your friends, folks and appliances you have, have a day of feeling crap if needed, then focus on the way forward ...all the best, Mike


Post# 364746 , Reply# 34   7/17/2009 at 02:44 (5,368 days old) by earthling177 (Boston, MA)        

Sorry to hear it. I hope things improve for you and your collection.

Post# 364755 , Reply# 35   7/17/2009 at 05:32 (5,368 days old) by gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        
Hopefully--------

somewhere,somehow, a nice top and console will find its way to you or you to it. Save everything you've got, and just wait it out.

Mike is right----don't beat yourself up. Move on.


Post# 364758 , Reply# 36   7/17/2009 at 06:03 (5,368 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)        

goatfarmer's profile picture
Stop beating yourself up! Shit happens, and that day wasn't your day!
You now have a parts machine, one that will bring life to others. You now know the importance of tying machines down. Feel lucky that when it fell, it didn't hit another vehicle, or person, that's lawsuit time. Take this as a learning experience, not as an experience that sours your outlook on collecting, and life in general.
I can't tell you how many times I've picked up a mint condition machine, and loaded it on the truck with others. When I've unloaded them, there is a big scratch, or dent in the mint one, from failing to pad things, or shoving them together.

There will be others.

kennyGF


Post# 364759 , Reply# 37   7/17/2009 at 06:06 (5,368 days old) by toggleswitch2 ()        

Oh my Gawd. I'm sorry.

I try to beleive all things happen for a reason. Perhaps the machine would have flooded you out or burned your house down.

Maybe driving just that little bit slower means you wont be running over some poor child or animal.

Somehow, this is a blessing. May this disaster prevent a much bigger one!


Post# 364764 , Reply# 38   7/17/2009 at 06:14 (5,368 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)        

swestoyz's profile picture
Sorry for your loss, but it could have been much, much worse as both Kenny and Toggs pointed out. You have a machine that now is good for parts - nothing wrong with that. Beating yourself up over a washing machine is not the way to go. Remember - it is just a washing machine.

There are Rollermatics out there just waiting to be pulled from basements, maybe even in your own hometown! Keep your head up, and eyes pealed, and keeping digging at it. Don't expect it to fall in front of you easy and let it come to you. Then when it does, you'll be prepared for the next time to ensure that you've strapped it down real good :D

Ben


Post# 364767 , Reply# 39   7/17/2009 at 06:18 (5,368 days old) by christfr (st louis mo)        

christfr's profile picture
aw man really sorry to hear all of this. my heart goes out to you. dont trash the machine just yet either a new top will come along or the lower half will be wonderful for a doner machine. if you want to sell off the lower half let me know am sure we can save another machine from your machine. there will be another one out there with your name on it. try not to worry

Post# 364773 , Reply# 40   7/17/2009 at 06:47 (5,368 days old) by turquoisedude (.)        
OH NOOOOOOOO!!!

turquoisedude's profile picture
Pete, that is just awful! I managed to do something similar once, but with a vintage fridge... Don't give up - you will find another one and at the very worst, perhaps your machine will be a parts donor.
Such a shame - and a turquoise one, to boot!!


Post# 364774 , Reply# 41   7/17/2009 at 06:53 (5,368 days old) by supremewhirlpol ()        

The machine being damaged is very unfortunate. I know there is another machine out there, it may take you a while to find it though. My view is that it is just a machine and it can fixed, you may have to fabricate parts but it is fixable. Beating up on yourself that much may not be necessary. As long as you are mindful of taking those corners slow and taking chill periods went you get too excited about a machine, you should be fine. I understand exactly how much a machine can mean to a person. You view the rollermatics as a work of art, just like I view the 1968 Whirlpool washers with the crescent console light as a work of art.(by the way I have not found that machine yet, Guys and Gals please keep a look out for it.) Remember it's just a machine. It's possible that you can fix the one you have. You live in the relative area, maybe we can fix it.

Post# 364782 , Reply# 42   7/17/2009 at 07:09 (5,368 days old) by dblrinz ()        
I am soo very sorry for your loss...

BUT I agree with Toggs, Kenny, and Ben, this could have been so much worse. No one is dead or hurt! I ALSO believe that things happen for a reason. The will of ones higher power may never be completely understood.

Please use it as a lesson without punishing us by not contributing to this wonderful site. I GREATLY enjoy your posts and would miss them dearly should you stop.



Post# 364786 , Reply# 43   7/17/2009 at 07:18 (5,368 days old) by mr_sparkle ()        
Don't beat yourself up!

Ok it happend, you cannot change the past, just draw a line under it and move on, you CANNOT punish yourself for breaking the washer - punish yourself for what? Being human? We are human, we make mistakes!

Unlock the dish washers, and ENJOY THEM!!!

Lets look at this another way, those appliances you rescue are all saved, they are loved, and cared for and because of YOU do not end up in a trash heap somewhere!

They go on and continue to exist so others can appreciate their beauty, and consider how well things used to be designed.

So if it wasnt for you doing what you do LOADS more appliances would be dead now, you had one casulty and it happens, but you need to keep going for the appliances you can rescue for the future.

Unlock those appliances, use the boards here and relax because the moment you stop enjoying all those old dishwashers is the day you may as well scrap them! The minute you stop posting here and joining in may be the minute a newbie came looking for help or to get into vintage appliances, they may need you.

By using, appreciating and contributing you are making sure all vintage appliances live on for as long as you do so.

Dont look back, look forward, have a drink, a cry then remember tomorrows a new day

Lots of Love

John x


Post# 364811 , Reply# 44   7/17/2009 at 09:07 (5,368 days old) by joelippard (Hickory)        
Pete

joelippard's profile picture
I am so sorry this happened to you. I can only imagine how I would feel. I know this is hard right now but you won't do yourself, your machines, or your fellow club members any favors by treating yourself badly. I thought I'd fix my Rapidry 1000 in one weekend, well I still have parts in the basement six weeks later and can't get my agitator nut off. I've learned that it's ok for me to love my machines but to not treat them in a way that's too serious. Put that machine out of sight, and wait, I've been amazed at what I have seen turn up on this forum. When I began to think about Rollermatics after having not seen one in 15 years I thought I would never see one again, let alone ever have one.

A good friend who is older gave me some tough love one time about some problems that I was having, to quote her she said "Get your mind off of it, right now!" What that means is to control your mind and pull it away from what's negative.

Pete, you're a great contributor to this forum and I have really enjoyed your posts, please don't do these things to yourself. I'll be thinking of you.



Post# 364812 , Reply# 45   7/17/2009 at 09:33 (5,368 days old) by lotsosudz (Sacramento, CA)        
Oh No!

lotsosudz's profile picture
I can't imagine how sickened you were to see what to your beautiful prize. To tell you the truth, i found myself a little sick to my stomach for you, when I saw the pic's. Words can't express how badly I feel for you. I'm sure the rest of the gang agrees with me that we hope you find the parts to make your dream become a reality.

Post# 364829 , Reply# 46   7/17/2009 at 10:58 (5,368 days old) by bwoods ()        
Don't Fret

Pete,

There is not one of us on this site who hasn't done something that could be classified as abject "stupidity". If we all shared just one idiotic thing we have done, we could write a book, I am sure.

I'll share one similar thing that my Uncle did, and will hopefully make you feel better about yourself and maybe put a smile on your face. He and a friend went and bought a beautiful player piano at auction and loaded it in the back of his pickup.

When arriving home, he pulled around the house and drove through the yard to a workshop he had about 300 yards behind the house.

When he and his friend got out of the truck, at the workshop, there was no piano in the truck bed. Well after first suspecting they were in the Twilight Zone they finally had the intelligence to determined that the piano must have fallen out.

They walked up the yard, and sure, enough, there was a player piano, (sitting on its top) in the side yard. Apparently he had turned too sharply, coupled with the hilly ground, and the piano just toppled over the bedside of the truck and landed on its top.

You can guess what type of shape it was in internally.

Now how two grown adult men could not hear, or feel, a piano falling off a truck is unknown to me. They were either temporarily deaf, had the radio blasting or were just utterly oblivious to reality. I think it is the latter as my Uncle swears he never heard a sound.

At least you had the awareness that your machine fell out!


So don't beat yourself up, you are not the first, and won't be the last to do something like that.

Beating yourself up does not undo anything. Hiding your appliances from yourself and the joy they give you won't change reality or cause you to behave any differently in the future.

You learned your lesson without punishing yourself. Trust me, from here on out you will always secure all items in your truck. You have learned your lesson a million times over.



No one got killed, no one got hurt. GOD is still in heaven and the Universe is under control.


And as one of the other members told you, you have some wonderful parts that, may one day, give life to another RollerMatic down the road.

So enjoy your appliances, enjoy yourself and take comfort in the fact that you have friends on this site who care about you.

Barry



Post# 364841 , Reply# 47   7/17/2009 at 12:13 (5,368 days old) by jeffg ()        

Peter, if you found your inner Joan Crawford, try and find your inner Judy Garland. What do anger, regret and self-punishment accomplish? If nothing, then what's the point of it?

You and my other half should meet. I've seen him self-flaggelate for six weeks over a simple human mistake.

Live and learn, and move on. This accident could have been much worse. Years ago a wheel flew off my dad's work van on a busy L.A. freeway, jumped the center divide and I'll spare y'all the gory details, but it was many years of living legal hell for something that wasn't even his fault.

I can almost guarantee you a 1965 Custom Imperial isn't nearly as rare as you think. If you're serious about finding another one, forget Craigslist and place small ads in the wanted sections of your local newspapers. Your target audience are retired people, many or most of whom are not computer literate. Also, don't specify an exact year, as half the people who'll own these washers assume theirs is a different year than what it actually is. Just put something like "60's" or "mid-60's", and if the seller gives a description that matches the one you're looking for, regardless of what year the seller *claims* it is, go take a look at it.


Post# 364904 , Reply# 48   7/17/2009 at 15:57 (5,368 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture
Salvage the parts you can from the panel and top and throw the rest away quick! No reason to cry over spilled milk now - wipe it up and forget about it.

We've all had machines we've gotten rid of and later wished we had back, made a grave error in cleaning/rebuilding/painting, etc. that we've regretted so this just makes you a part of the group even more - welcome to the "Broken Hearts Appliance Club" - have some cookies! ;-)


Post# 364916 , Reply# 49   7/17/2009 at 16:26 (5,368 days old) by 18millstreet ()        
65 frigidaire ooopps

Pete, Stop trashing yourself,get a grip. Even a gold plated washer is still just a washer,and does not at any time have the value of a human life! So get on with collecting with the rest of us,your genuine,happy and truly thankful to know you friends!As nice as that was,could it be,this happened to show you how many friends you have,who will be there for you if you let us?......just a thought. Moving right along onto the next urgent topic,what kind of donuts should we have with our coffee next time you come? I am looking forward to visiting with you. We just didn't have enough time to talk about collecting!! EVEN WHEN YOU ACCIDENTLY OCCASIONALLY TRASH A PIECE,IT'S still A FUN PASTIME. Talk to you soon,Walt

Post# 364919 , Reply# 50   7/17/2009 at 16:34 (5,368 days old) by norgeway (mocksville n c )        
Sounds like my luck!!!

I once loaded a friends pickup under my carport while moving and when I drove off my glass curio cabinet was too tall to clear the overhang....you guessed it , wrecked my curio and ruined several pieces of mid century furniture....I was mad at myself too...I know its not much consolation, but no one was hurt,a washer in the road is a recipe for disaster...not to mention a lawsuit....I sure hope that you can find another one..good luck

Post# 364924 , Reply# 51   7/17/2009 at 16:44 (5,368 days old) by redcarpetdrew (Fairfield, CA)        
Pete, I feel your pain...

redcarpetdrew's profile picture
We've all done things that bit us in the ass. Early on in my career I was doing a delivery of a gas range in Eureka, CA. I thought I was all that and a bag of chips and tied it down and hotted off to deliver it in nearby Arcata. Halfway there, I saw the flashing lights of a CHP cruiser behind me. I pulled over and proceeded to get one of the NASTIEST lectures I have ever received. It turns out that the cop was following behind me when the cooktop of the older Magic Chef range (which I had forgotten to secure) had lifted up and blew off the back of my truck. Where did it end up? Yeah, You guessed it. Bounced off the hood of the cruiser, cracked the windshield and ended up stuck between the lightbar and the roof. Despite the ticket/fines, the repair bill to the cop car and the ass chewing that I (rightfully) got from my boss, the HARDEST yelling at I got was from myself!

It happens! Grieve and MOVE ON! You WILL find another machine. If an Apex can surface, yours will too. You will recover from this. Be thankfull all that was damaged was the REPLACEABLE washer! I enjoy your participation here and you would be punishing all of us by not being here. We got your back and will add your washer to our hit list of machines to find. Stay with us, Pete. Besides, I want to see pictures of you riding that coaster and screaming like a girly-man ;^>

RCD


Post# 364925 , Reply# 52   7/17/2009 at 16:44 (5,368 days old) by bertrum ()        

Stop beating yourself up!

Lets get these machines into perspective for a while, its a hobby! thats all!. . .

Much as we love our hobby, remember whats important in life and the bigger picture like your family/ friends etc and move on. . .


Post# 364973 , Reply# 53   7/17/2009 at 19:46 (5,368 days old) by kqkenmore (memphis tn)        

kqkenmore's profile picture
I am so sorry that this happened to you but please just stop beating your self up over this.I enjoy reading your post and looking at your pictures and I still remember that you were the first to welcome me to this site and I thank you for that.Life is to short to condem your self over a machine.If you need to get to a meeting to get things together then go now.Life is just too short for this and take it from someone that almost lost their life the other day.Take Care

Post# 365035 , Reply# 54   7/17/2009 at 23:03 (5,368 days old) by elginkid (Cincinnati, OH)        

elginkid's profile picture
I did the same thing with a 1930s Green/Yellow/Black stove. It was a mile from my house, and that sound...awful. I found another stove, cheap and in better shape than the first, and (as I discovered after dismantling the damaged stove) safer to use. I cracked the door frame on that stove in 5 places, and the porcelain top took a beating. It sucks, but life will go on.

Wes


Post# 365043 , Reply# 55   7/17/2009 at 23:24 (5,368 days old) by rickr (.)        
Don't beat yourself up over this Peter....

rickr's profile picture
First I have to say that I am very sorry that this happened Peter. I guess the good thing is that the machine did not fall on anyone, or cause a traffic accident.

Did this machine work prior to the fall? The reason I ask, is because if it did, the mechanical parts are most likely ok. It looks as if the top of the machine and console were destroyed however. Perhaps this machine could still be saved,if you really want to try. The Rollermatics are still out there, and you may run into another Custom Imperial at some point in the future. The next one may have a nice top and console, but have a rusted out outer tub, or worn out roller system. If I were you, I would hang on to what you have there. Someone in this club will come across another Custom Imperial that is not worth fixing, but has a nice console and top. You could then simply have the donor top media blasted and painted to match your turquoise lower cabinet, and install it on your machine. You could use the left over turquoise paint to touch up the chips on your lower cabinet.
The colour of the console lens does not matter either. White, or even the bronze colours look fine with the turquoise.
I changed this 1966 set from Coppertone to Turquoise last year, during the restoration. Here are the before and after photos.


Post# 365049 , Reply# 56   7/17/2009 at 23:33 (5,368 days old) by rickr (.)        
.

rickr's profile picture
Or perhaps the donor top will be the coppertone that you remember your aunt having, and you can have the lower cabinet media blasted and painted coppertone to match the top.

The point is, don't feel bad, because we have a entire network going with this group. Someone will find another parts/donor machine, and you will be able to get your Custom Imperial back together again.

Who knows? Someone may find your "donor" tomorrow.

Best of luck to you Peter!

Rick


Post# 365132 , Reply# 57   7/18/2009 at 09:52 (5,367 days old) by bertrum ()        

Ahhhhhh changing Coppertone to Turquoise! Why would you do that, I know its just personal taste but I think the coppertone looks great!

Post# 365133 , Reply# 58   7/18/2009 at 10:09 (5,367 days old) by everythingold (Grand Rapids, Michigan)        

everythingold's profile picture
I dumped this Lady Gibson stove in poppy. and it had a matching fridge. That hurt. It happens to everyone, given enough time. matt

Post# 365136 , Reply# 59   7/18/2009 at 11:04 (5,367 days old) by 18millstreet ()        
rollermatic 65

Pete, DUDE ,YOU ARE A CELEBRITY!! YOU GOT 58 replies!! .....and now you know we all trashed something at one time or another,might need your autograph when you come,I never know what I am going to find,could even get another 65 custom imperial,.....and if I do,guess who I want to come get it and take to ohio!! By the way,do we want a quick snack grilled on the hotpoint to go with our coffee? take care,Walt

Post# 365167 , Reply# 60   7/18/2009 at 13:17 (5,367 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)        

Did you figure out why the washer exited the back of the truck?
That's the first thing to do. Then you will know that it won't happen again to you.

If that were me, I'd still be on the side of the road jumping up and down in pain! I'd feel sick for weeks to come.

But accidents do happen and hopefully this won't happen again and you can go back to collecting again with a happy heart.

Dropping a stove on a cop car? I'd imagine that the cop was really mad!

On the freeways around here, someone once dropped a 12' ladder on the road right in front of me. I swerved, but still hit the corner of it tearing up a tire. I was lucky.

I have seen sofas, refrigerators, chains of all kinds, chairs, and even a dryer once in the middle of the freeway here. Kinda makes you wonder how that happened? Oh and yes, I did see an 18 wheeler once hit a sofa at near full speed. The sofa exploded!


Post# 365311 , Reply# 61   7/19/2009 at 03:49 (5,366 days old) by kic ()        
WoW!?!

a sad thread to read. all the wonderful, obvious and sometimes confusing..."Soberleaf" is not hard to see the significance to the meaning of two words that fit together hand in hand as if they were meant to be one. I imagined you had this name long before becoming a member here. Please be careful. I am a recovering addict myself. I am 25 yrs old and was horribly addicted to crack/cocaine by age 14 and not a rebellious schoolboy either i mean everyday hardcore!! i left school in std5 and the rest is just one long binge for many years that ended tragically.i am clean 3 years and still feel i dont belong/fit into socially, but you have so much more recovery than me so many years to be proud of. why let this get you down? sometimes i say to myself "is this it"? "is this what regular living feels like'? do you perhaps feel like that and by getting this machine took the feeling away until the worst happened and it manifested into how you feel right now? all I say is don't let the addict take control by manipulating yourself or finding excuses... im sure you know what you really should be doing. maybe you have i don't know but if you have not then do it.
Louis, KIC


Post# 365448 , Reply# 62   7/19/2009 at 17:43 (5,366 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
We learn from each other

combo52's profile picture
Frigidare solid tub washers are very top heavy if you can not tie them down very well its better to lay them down no need for any one else to have this type of loss in the fruture some could have been killed

Post# 365637 , Reply# 63   7/20/2009 at 10:26 (5,365 days old) by runematic (southcentral pa)        

runematic's profile picture
I've dropped, scratched, damaged, destroyed accidentally more things than I care to remember. When we bought our building a few years ago, we moved a lot of our antique cast iron stoves to one of the floors from our basement at home. Well, I dropped a rare (1850's-ish rare) crown piece at the top of the stairs and watched it break into piece after piece as it hit each step on it's way back down from whence it came. I know I'll never find another piece like it. Yeah well. What are you going to do. What's done is done. It's now in the past and on it's way to being a funny memory/story for you to tell, AND LAUGH ABOUT. Don't beat yourself up over what's done. Life's to short to beat yourself up like this. Sulk for a day and move on and enjoy the rest of the collection that you didn't f-up yet (JUST KIDDING! LAUGH LAUGH LAUGH & YOU'LL FEEL BETTER!!)

Post# 365639 , Reply# 64   7/20/2009 at 10:30 (5,365 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

frigilux's profile picture
Oh god, my heart breaks for you, Soberleaf! As much as we love washers around here, and as much bad as you must feel, it was only a thing. An object. There are other Rollermatics out there, and you'll get one! You'll have an extra one for parts, to boot.


Post# 365658 , Reply# 65   7/20/2009 at 12:35 (5,365 days old) by runematic (southcentral pa)        

runematic's profile picture
Peter, I just wated to add....Just think, you made all the other turquiose rollermatics more valuable! One less one in good shape out there! Runs & ducks...lol. It'll only get better from here

Post# 365828 , Reply# 66   7/21/2009 at 04:36 (5,364 days old) by rapunzel (Sydney)        

I, too, felt like reaching for the sick bag when I saw those pics. What a dreadful disappointment and such a beautiful machine too. Though, as everyone has already pointed out, you were very lucky. If I believed in angels I would say that someone was looking out for you. It could have ended so much worse. They say that we learn from our mistakes - but sometimes we really don't need the lesson. I guess you were so over the moon about your trip that you let your guard down. It happens to all of us and then life slaps us back to reality. After all it was only a machine. Now that you've analysed and understood where you went wrong, this sort of thing will never happen to you again. There are people out there who don't have your level of insight, so you are very fortunate. Now it's time to move on and live your life to the fullest - be happy and find yourself another rollermatic. And you are not your own worst enemy, but human like everyone else.

Good luck!

rapunzel


Post# 365898 , Reply# 67   7/21/2009 at 10:33 (5,364 days old) by jdinstl ()        
Peter...

...please add my condolences to those of the others. Indeed, to see the pictures are heartbreaking.

But even more heartbreaking is to see you beating yourself up so. You say that this sight is for preservationists and that you don't deserve to be here. But the depth of emotion that you feel over this shows that you are EXACTLY WHERE YOU NEED TO BE and that's RIGHT HERE ON AW!!!!

You've shut your other machines away, and have this one displayed as a monument for which to punish yourself. But that's not fair to you -- or to the machines. The others exist, and exist as a statement of your passion for preservation, fine workmanship, and for a time when the words "quality" in an advertisement could be trusted.

Break this fellow down for parts. Straighten anything that can be straightened, preserve and save what can be preserved and saved. This cannot possibly be the last rollermatic in existence.

I think everyone who cares about this old stuff has a disaster/horror story. You, and the others have spoken about yours. I'm sure there are many others who whispered to themselves "been there done that" or so forth. In this hobby, these things are going to happen. And there's always the learning curve, be it how to repair something, how to take out a dent, how to polish something, how to fix a timer, fix a motor, transmission, what have you.

Because I live in an apartment, my collection is limited to small appliances. More than one has kissed the bottom of the dumpster because I botched. More than one has become a "donor machine" stripped for parts.

You now have a "war story." When you find another rollermatic, and I bet over time you will, this will become a part of its history. Folks will compliment you on your restore and you will answer "You wouldn't believe how this came about...I had one before, and was bringing it home..." And because of that, you'll appreciate your appliances and your work even more.

No more beating yourself up, ok? Break this guy down for parts, save every possible thing you can. Bring your other appliances back out of the spare bedroom and return them to their rightful places. Right now, you are understandably focused on your part in this -- but the appliances have a "dog in the fight" as well. Actually, when it comes right down to it, all that we do is really about the appliances, not about us.

All the best,

John


Post# 365899 , Reply# 68   7/21/2009 at 10:36 (5,364 days old) by jdinstl ()        
"Even a gold plated washer is still just a washer"

Somebody actually said this?

*GASP*

I'm gonna faint!

HERETIC!


Post# 366004 , Reply# 69   7/21/2009 at 18:07 (5,364 days old) by soberleaf ()        
THANKS, THANKS, THANKS!!!

can't believe all the wonderful notes and good words of wisdom given to me here and sent to me in personal e mails! i am overwhelmed! all i can say if that i am very thankful to you all for caring enough and i am out of my joan crawford mode! it's done! can't change it! gotta get on with things here!

i did a seperate post of thanks here as well!

you're all wonderful

pete


Post# 366016 , Reply# 70   7/21/2009 at 18:54 (5,364 days old) by autowasherfreak ()        

It's a tragedy that this had to happen to you. I know I would feel same way. I hope you have better luck in the future.


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