Left it there to it's fate , KDC-21 machine

I had to go to one of Charlotte's city-run recycling centers to retrieve two 1973 built Kenmore washers that were taken there inadvertently. As I was driving to the facility called "the Fox Hole", I was talking to their staff on the phone "Sir, even if we ain't uncrushed em yet, you cain't take nothin outta heah!". A plea for her supervisor yielded someone with some authority...I explained my situation and he said "no problem".

When I got in there mine were the only two washers, along with a 7-8 year old Kitchen Aid WP dishwasher, and a couple water heaters and a 1970s fridge. Many of the workers there, who were all working off community service sentences, were curious as to why I'd want these old things. "You like to restore them!!! Cool hobby..."

Before I found the machines I called several steel processing centers - they're paying upwards of 6 to 8.5 cents per pound now for appliances. So, my 250lb. 1972 Lady K would have fetched some decent change for someone in need. That's why there's more stuff going to the dumps. It's a bleak picture for auto enthusiasts (another hobby of mine) too because a discarded car, regardless of it restoration potential, can bring several hundred dollars just for scrap.


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Post# 286463 6/21/2008 at 19:04 (5,780 days old) by fltcoils (South Bend, Indiana)
Checkrate/Likes I traveled to the local metal recycling yards today. I'd not been to them for a year. I had the nutsy idea I might find a portable dishwasher case as a donor for my morph-KUDS22-into-KUDS62 project. What a difference a year makes. There was a line of customers bringing everything in pickups and flatbeds to be scrapped. They brought cars trucks and other things to be recycled. I guess the price of gas is hitting home, and now everyone is busy scrapping what little they can find. That may be a bad sign for vintage appliance activity. The sources may be all scrapped out shortly. :( The one yard turned me away, "abandon all hope ye who enter here" or some such malarky about liability "no you can't take anything out of the yard... The other yard was too busy to notice me, so I just parked on the side and walked back to the main pile. It was about 100 ft in diameter and 30 ft tall. or bigger I don't know. Many many machines there, in bent pcs, piled higher than one thinks possible. All waiting to goto the crusher to die. And there on the side, sitting on the ground by the pile, with a bent leg but no other dmaage was a KDC-21. Black. The kick plate and hinge springs and wiring box hardware carefully placed inside the tub. Good racks, except for a spot of rust on one tine. There was evidence of use, the pump screen on top of the pump was no longer there. oh well. I couldn't lift it, and my hatchback isn't really made for that..So I left it to it's fate. I know many of you have seem similar tings often, but I guess there's always a 1st time, after one has awakened awareness, a first time to know one is abandoning hardware well made to it's fate.

Post# 286512 , Reply# 1 6/22/2008 at 09:26 (5,779 days old) by kenmoreguy64 (Charlotte, NC)
Checkrate/Likes *I saw similar this week....* I had to go to one of Charlotte's city-run recycling centers to retrieve two 1973 built Kenmore washers that were taken there inadvertently. As I was driving to the facility called "the Fox Hole", I was talking to their staff on the phone "Sir, even if we ain't uncrushed em yet, you cain't take nothin outta heah!". A plea for her supervisor yielded someone with some authority...I explained my situation and he said "no problem". When I got in there mine were the only two washers, along with a 7-8 year old Kitchen Aid WP dishwasher, and a couple water heaters and a 1970s fridge. Many of the workers there, who were all working off community service sentences, were curious as to why I'd want these old things. "You like to restore them!!! Cool hobby..." Before I found the machines I called several steel processing centers - they're paying upwards of 6 to 8.5 cents per pound now for appliances. So, my 250lb. 1972 Lady K would have fetched some decent change for someone in need. That's why there's more stuff going to the dumps. It's a bleak picture for auto enthusiasts (another hobby of mine) too because a discarded car, regardless of it restoration potential, can bring several hundred dollars just for scrap.

Post# 286558 , Reply# 2 6/22/2008 at 15:08 (5,779 days old) by goatfarmer (South Bend, home of Champions)
Checkrate/Likes About 9 months ago, I dropped off a load of scrap appliances at the local scrapyard, and saw a coppertone mid 60's Kenmore washer, and a similar, but not matching dryer. Asked about them, and they said "Sure, you can have 'em, at .30 a lb." After loading them in my truck, and crossing the scale, it figured out to about $100.00 for the pair! They went back on the pile.....