Thread Number: 16212
Tasty Morsel in Seattle 		[Down to Last]

automaticwasher.org's exclusive eBay Watch:
scroll >>> for more items --- [As an eBay Partner, eBay may compensate automaticwasher.org if you make a purchase using any link to eBay on this page]
Post# 269862   3/15/2008 at 21:29 (5,883 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA)        

jons1077's profile picture



Post# 269863 , Reply# 1   3/15/2008 at 21:39 (5,883 days old) by gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        
Jon----

 call me.

That looks like a mid-60's brute with the old straight-vane.

Post# 269866 , Reply# 2   3/15/2008 at 21:42 (5,883 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
That's a Kenmore 500--Normal, PP/WnW, & Delicate. h/w, w/w, c/c no water level. and a goodl ool' fashioned waterfall type filter

Post# 269868 , Reply# 3   3/15/2008 at 21:43 (5,883 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
Steve, I'd venture to say possibly 67 or 68 because of the "handles" on the knobs.

Post# 269869 , Reply# 4   3/15/2008 at 21:44 (5,883 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture
Those 24" machines were so cute! I think I brought one home similar to this from behind bLowes one night. Put it in storage and finally had to shed it when I let the storage unit go.

Post# 269895 , Reply# 5   3/16/2008 at 01:16 (5,883 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)        

I would guess between 1965 and 1967. The first year of the curved metal handle was in 1965, and I believe the last year of the black str8 vane was 1967.

Have a good one,
James

Post# 269896 , Reply# 6   3/16/2008 at 01:49 (5,883 days old) by scott55405 ()        

Always fun to see a machine of that vintage in regular service. Seems to be nicely featured for a lower end unit.

70Series, so glad you mentioned that about the lid handle. That combined with that control panel was "throwing" me; it seemed like it should have had the older style one, but I didn't remember or realize that style went all the way back to 65.

Apparently, by look of the pictures, they had already switched from the metal to plastic filter cartridge by this stage as well.

Post# 269897 , Reply# 7   3/16/2008 at 02:57 (5,883 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)        

Scott:
Thank you for clarifying the type of lint filter. I had a tough time trying to figure that one out. I could not tell whether it was the plastic, or the one with the latch.

What was the last year of the latched filters? When I was a kid, a neighbor of mine who lived across the street had a Model 600 with the curved metal lid handle, black str8 vane agitator, and the manual lint filter with the latch.

Post# 269899 , Reply# 8   3/16/2008 at 03:10 (5,883 days old) by scott55405 ()        

That's a good question. Maybe right about this period is when they switched over. I was telling Jon this is kind of an interesting machine in that it has some older design elements (such as the left side of the control panel and black agitator) yet it has the newer lid handle and style of controls (this type of control panel generally had the pointer style controls). Must have been kind of a period of transition for a number of things they were doing.

Post# 269905 , Reply# 9   3/16/2008 at 04:40 (5,883 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)        

Yes it is true, there was a bit of overlapping in their designs. Sometimes within the same model. I've seen several 1965 Lady Kenmores, some had the curved handle, and others had the older flat handle.

I took another look at this one. I think this washer is either a 1966, or a 1967 model. From what I can see, the knob on this washer is the flat spindle style, which was on models from those two years. From 1963 to 1965 the spindle knobbed models had a concave arch to them, and that style was reintroduced in 1968 through 1971 or 2. Now, if the plastic lint filter succeeded the metal one without any overlap, that means this washer is a 1967 model, which then makes my neighbor's washer a 1966 model, and from the last year of the metal filter. Of course if there was overlap with regard to the filters, and they were featured concurrently for a while, then it leaves us with a little guessing room.

I must say it is fun to look at a machine that stumps us, and try to figure it out.

Have a good one,
James

Post# 269913 , Reply# 10   3/16/2008 at 07:04 (5,883 days old) by chaskelljr2 (Washington, D. C.)        
Oh MY GOD!!!!!

 That washer that I am seeing in THAT photo looks JUST LIKE the washer I grew up with as a youngster.

(01). The control panel
(02). The curved handle on the lid
(03). The dark blue or black tub
(04). The "Straight-Vane" agitator with the spaced ridges on top
(05). The gold "waterfall" lint filter

AND

(06). That UNMISTAKABLE 24" cabinet

The only difference between that one and ours is that I see that this one has one additional knob on the right side of the panel. What is it??? And that cycle-timer actually has more than one cycle on it. Is this a two-speed machine??? If I recall so vividly, our machine was as basic as they come. You had to control the water temperature at the water faucet, and ours was a one-speed/one cycle machine with JUST the cycle-timer knob and nothing else.

And from the experience of actually growing up with a machine like this one, I can DEFINITELY tell you that it is a 1967 model. We got ours in 1967 (when my parents were in their 20's).

And you'd be right. Those machines were tanks. Although ours only lasted 11 years (1967-78), the first nine years, the machine ran and ran and ran without ONE SINGLE service call during that entire span.

AND...... it was the cheapest machine in the store. We got ours for only $120.00 back in 1967. I sure would've loved to see what THIS machine would've looked like sitting next to a keyboard Lady Kenmore on the same sales floor at Sears.

That's not the EXACT machine I grew up with, but it sure is pretty damn close to it.

--Charles--

Post# 269924 , Reply# 11   3/16/2008 at 08:01 (5,883 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
Charles, read my description of the washer features. I only see one knob to the side of the timeer knob, that being the water temp selector.

Post# 269929 , Reply# 12   3/16/2008 at 08:44 (5,883 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA)        
Wow!

 jons1077's profile picture
Alot of response to this little washer! Too bad I'm not able to pick it up because I would sure use it. Sounds like it was another one of those "crossover" designs but from the 60's. Funny how the 24" models seemed to have that done to them just like in the 80's with the DD models.

This one sure is in great shape. Even the lid hinges aren't bent to hell. You know how all those heavy lids usually sag and chip the paint on the top. Not this one.

Anyways, I'll daydream about a Kenmore now...hehe. All this info gets me hoping for one.

Jon

Post# 269969 , Reply# 13   3/16/2008 at 11:56 (5,883 days old) by scott55405 ()        

Yes Bob, in reading your description earlier, it's interesting how there is no water level but apparently 2 speeds and the full compliment of cycles and adequate temps. Still, a very nicely featured machine for its range and I bet it had a porcelain top too! I think the warehouse in Maryland had a similar machine from that time period hooked up and running when we were there, maybe a step up from this one.

Jon, that's very true that they've used the 24" machines as prototypes; I had forgotten that they first used direct drive in those units. I was so "WTF" the first time I ever saw one of those running, as I hadn't realized there'd been a change.

Here's some things I never really thought about with the 24" machines: are the (original belted) 24" machines the same inner workings as the 29" ones with a smaller tub? Are the inner workings "laid out" just the same? Do they spin at the same speed? Was tub size the only reason for the 29" cabinet?

Post# 270019 , Reply# 14   3/16/2008 at 14:58 (5,883 days old) by jons1077 (Vancouver, Washington, USA)        
Inner Workings...

 jons1077's profile picture
I DO know that the inner workings of the portable Lady Kenmore belt-drive washer I have uses almost ALL of the same components as its full-size counterparts. I should have taken pictures of it when I was replacing the water pump. I believe the only differences are the size of the tubs and some cosmetic stuff. Same belt, motor, timer, etc. otherwise. My guess is that the transmission must have some kind of tweek to it that makes it spin faster because I believe it clocks at about 850 rpm. It also spins in the opposite direction (counter clockwise) which might mean that the motor is upside down? Anyone?

Jon

Post# 270050 , Reply# 15   3/16/2008 at 18:05 (5,882 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)        
Chaskelljr2:

 I've read that your grandmother had a 1967 model Kenmore. What kind of lint filter did hers have? Was it the metal kind with the latch, or the plastic one like on this one, and the one you grew up with. I am still trying to pin down the exact year of a washer my neighbor had.

Have a good one,
James

Post# 270120 , Reply# 16   3/16/2008 at 19:16 (5,882 days old) by chaskelljr2 (Washington, D. C.)        
My 1967 Kenmores.......

 James:

It's interesting that you would ask about my childhood machines, and I am glad you done so.

Now, to answer your questions:

(01). Grandma (on my father's side) did in fact had a 1967 Kenmore as well. Hers was a Model 60. It had the standard size speckle tub in a standard size 29" cabinet, the SAME EXACT "Straight-Vane" agitator as the 1967 Kenmore I used growing up as a child. It was a 2-Speed/3-Cycle Belt-Drive Machine. It had three water levels (High, Medium and Low) and three water temperature settings (Hot, Warm and Cold), you had to set the wash and rinse temperatures each time independently. It also had an Off-Balance Switch with Buzzer and yes...... it also had the Waterfall Lint Filter. The one on Grandma's machine was the metal one with the "turn" latch.

(02). By contrast, the one I grew up with was the 24" Model that was strikingly similiar to the model Jon has listed above, but it was the BOL machine (which means that my machine was listed below the one pictured as well). Again, not much to write about. You had to adjust the water temperatures at the water taps, there were no water level adjustments, and there was only a metal knob with the black core center and the split sharp pointer on the end it that has served as the cycle-timer. It had the navy blue or black tub (just like the one that's pictured), a black "Straight-Vane" agitator, a small "toggle" like lid switch located at the top of the cabinet just above the tub and the gold plastic waterfall lint filter that you had to press the corresponding bar at the bottom of it to release it from the machine in order to clean it. When you forget to clean it, and when gets full, the filter will pop out all by itself. It did not have an Off-Balance Switch with Buzzer either. So when the washload went out of balance, the tub would bang loudly against the cabinet and the washer would begin to walk violently across the floor.

Again, those machines (for those to be cheap and entry-level machines) were built like tanks. The 24" machine I grew up with lasted 11 years (but did not get a service call for the first nine years we had it) and the 29" machine that I had used when I had moved into my apartment was the original machine that was there when I had moved in. That machine ran from 1967 up until 1990 (which was later replaced by a 1990 Direct-Drive Machine with a Dual-Action agitator).

So, what was the exact machine your neighbor had again???? Was it similiar to my Grandmother's machine???? Or was it similiar to the 24" BOL machine I grew up with as a child???

--Charles--

Post# 270246 , Reply# 17   3/17/2008 at 03:18 (5,882 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)        

Charles:

Thank you for your wonderful descriptions of your machines.

My neighbor's washer was like your Grandmother's washer. It had 3 cycles, 2 speeds, 3 water levels. I am not sure whether hers had the 3 wash/rinse temps as you would find on the Model 60, or the 5 wash/rinse temp combos as you would find on the Model 600. Hers did have the speckled tub, the black straight vaned agitator, and the metal filter with the latch.

My neighbor's washer lasted until about 1982 or 83. By that time it was owned by the people who moved into her house when she and her husband moved to Florida in November of 1978. The new neighbors kept the washer, and the dryer around for parts until 1999. I discovered that when I saw both of those machines out on the curb, both beheaded with their tops lying along side them. I took some very good long hard looks at the washer, and it is permanently in my memory. The dryer is too. I would have taken real pictures, but I did not have a camera around.

If you have pictures, or catalog pictures of your Grandmother's washer, please post them. I would absolutely love it. It is quite possible your Grandma, and my neighbor had the same model.

So, 1967 still featured the metal filter. I guess that was it's last year.

Have a good one,
James

Post# 270369 , Reply# 18   3/17/2008 at 18:01 (5,881 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)        

I forgot to mention that my neighbor's washer was the 29 inch model. The console was typical of the mid to later 60s time period, in that the dials were toward the right, and the marquis strip stretched across the middle. The knob was the spindle type, and the dial was plastic with the cycles printed on it.
If you have one, I would still love to see a picture of your Grandmother's washer

Have a good one,
James

Post# 270615 , Reply# 19   3/19/2008 at 01:23 (5,880 days old) by chaskelljr2 (Washington, D. C.)        
The "CLOSEST" Picture Of My Grandmother's 1967

 Okay James.....

Here goes, but only with some qualifications......

My grandmother's washer sort of looks like this:

Go to Uni's "Memories of Estate Sale Saturdays" and check out that 1967 Kenmore Model 70 in "Post # 270096", which will be "Picture # 43".

My Grandmother's Washer looked sort of liked that. But instead of it being that model, it was a Model 60. The Model 60 looked just liked that one, but the difference was that there was no light above the cycle-timer, and the console of the Model 60 did not have any chrome around it. Also, grandma's washer did not have any dispesners either like this Model 70 did. And again, the wash basket in our Model 60 was speckle gray, not the white one that you're going to see in that photo in that thread.

My grandmother's washer closely resembles Kenmore Model 70.

--Charles--

P.S.: I tried to copy and paste the picture into this post here, but somehow, my computer's not going to let me do that. Sorry about that, but I did try.

Post# 270729 , Reply# 20   3/19/2008 at 13:48 (5,880 days old) by 70series ( Connecticut.)        
I know the picture.

 Thanks Charles. From this I can clearly envision your Grandmother's washer.

I think my neighbor's was from the year previous to your Grandmother's. Hers only had chrome around the edges of the console, and along the top, which was stacked just a little higher than the Model 70 you mentioned. The console was flat across, unlike that Model 70 where the console bumps out a little above where the lid begins. There was no chrome on the console of my neighbors washer, except for the first inch of the marquis strip at the left end of it. It had no lights, and no dispensers. It was a basic garden variety Kenmore. The tub was speckle gray, like your Grandmother's. I can still smell the aroma of the Sears Roebuck detergent she used. The memories are there, although the washer is gone.

Have a good one,
James


Forum Index:       Other Forums:                      


Comes to the Rescue!

The Discuss-o-Mat has stopped, buzzer is sounding!!!
If you would like to reply to this thread please log-in...

Discuss-O-MAT Log-In



New Members Click Here To Sign Up.



                     

automaticwasher.org home
Discuss-o-Mat Forums
Vintage Brochures, Service and Owners Manuals
Fun Vintage Washer Ephemera
See It Wash!
Video Downloads
 Audio Downloads
Picture of the Day
Patent of the Day
Photos of our Collections
The Old Aberdeen Farm
Vintage Service Manuals 		Vintage washer/dryer/dishwasher to sell?
Technical/service questions?
Looking for Parts?
Website related questions?
Digital Millennium Copyright Act Policy
Our Privacy Policy