Thread Number: 36542
1953 Bendix automatic home washer
[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# 544127   9/17/2011 at 14:28 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        

ricky5050's profile picture

Hello, you may remember a Bendix Washer was posted by a new house holder in middlesbrough, well i spoke to him , agreed to go and see him as it was only 45 mins form me. Well Ive bought it and its now in my garage awaiting some TLC.

 

I may be asking for some information, please enjoy the pictures so far!

 

Richard

 





Post# 544130 , Reply# 1   9/17/2011 at 14:34 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
the house

ricky5050's profile picture

The house was built in 1927 and owned by the same family until recently, the original owners daughter must have got it some time in the 1950s, and modernised a few things, cream tiled fireplaces, lights and a shiny new Bendix! It was fitted in a built in cupboard and a bit of a bugger to get out. It was still connected to water (turned ON!) and has a gravity drain. I havent tried it yet but after looking at it i think it may be ok.

 

The house is gorgeous , big rooms big box square bay windows on upper and lower levels. a double garage with sliding wooden doors and its never been touched since the 50s, even some of the light bulbs are ancient (Boots the chemist brand!!).

 

 


Post# 544131 , Reply# 2   9/17/2011 at 14:35 (4,576 days old) by CleanteamofNY ((Monroe, New York)        

cleanteamofny's profile picture


Nice machine!
Can you give us a close up on the timer?
Thanks!


Post# 544132 , Reply# 3   9/17/2011 at 14:35 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
what a housewifes dream!

ricky5050's profile picture

Here it is in my garage! next to my last purchase, what a dream these duo must have been in the 50s!


Post# 544133 , Reply# 4   9/17/2011 at 14:37 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
the hoses

ricky5050's profile picture

i managed to un plumb the pipes and bring home the orginal taps, i had to cut the hoses but they are very perished any way but modern ones can be added to the fittings

 


Post# 544134 , Reply# 5   9/17/2011 at 14:38 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
the back

ricky5050's profile picture

i dont think its seen the light of day for 50yrs


Post# 544135 , Reply# 6   9/17/2011 at 14:43 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
the back

ricky5050's profile picture

after i managed to remove it from its built in cupboard


Post# 544136 , Reply# 7   9/17/2011 at 14:44 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
pump and filter access with drop down front

ricky5050's profile picture

All looks good


Post# 544138 , Reply# 8   9/17/2011 at 14:47 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
water rationer and temp control

ricky5050's profile picture

a simple switch for hot or warm ( no heater so relies on incoming water temp) and water rationer simply raises or lowers a switch mechanism in the float chamber.


Post# 544139 , Reply# 9   9/17/2011 at 14:48 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
timer

ricky5050's profile picture

Timer turns ok but knob looks a little melted.


Post# 544140 , Reply# 10   9/17/2011 at 14:48 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
badge

ricky5050's profile picture

.


Post# 544141 , Reply# 11   9/17/2011 at 14:50 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
the top removed

ricky5050's profile picture

no suspension here just bolt it down and hope it dont shake too much!!


Post# 544142 , Reply# 12   9/17/2011 at 14:50 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
water jets

ricky5050's profile picture

inlet jets from water valves

 


Post# 544143 , Reply# 13   9/17/2011 at 14:51 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
serial number

ricky5050's profile picture

on kick plate


Post# 544144 , Reply# 14   9/17/2011 at 14:54 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
the lid

ricky5050's profile picture

the lid is enamel with a wiring diagram underneath


Post# 544145 , Reply# 15   9/17/2011 at 14:55 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
rear shot

ricky5050's profile picture

drum etc


Post# 544147 , Reply# 16   9/17/2011 at 14:56 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
motor etc

ricky5050's profile picture

two speed motor, i pretty sure the gear box needs oil and not sure if the spin solenoid shifter actually shifts anything as its all a bit sticky.


Post# 544148 , Reply# 17   9/17/2011 at 14:57 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
inlet valve

ricky5050's profile picture

dated 1953


Post# 544150 , Reply# 18   9/17/2011 at 15:03 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
condition

ricky5050's profile picture

its a wee bit rusty and a someones been at it with gloss paint and its very dirty as was a lot of the house (nicotine i think) but as the casing seems to easily remove i may get it shot blasted primed and resprayed professionally.... eventually!!

 

What should i look out for from anyone who has brought one of these to life?

 

many thanks

 

Richard


Post# 544156 , Reply# 19   9/17/2011 at 16:45 (4,576 days old) by keymatic3203 (Cardiff UK)        
Great work Ricky

Not the easiest collection. I can see from the photo with the access panel down, it does have a pump, the pump is directly driven off the back of the motor, this runs the whole time, the solinoid then opens the drain valve to empty the drum.

I can see the restoration jobs are lining up, I think you'll be sorting your bendix sooner than I will get to mine.

And great you were able to get the taps to go with it.

All the best

Mathew



Post# 544157 , Reply# 20   9/17/2011 at 17:01 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
Hi Mathew

ricky5050's profile picture

Hi i thought it must be gravity drain as the pipe was connected only a few inches off the floor, i assumed the solenoid was only to open and close rather than pump, i know my LT is the same but has a pump that recirculates the whole time until it opens.

 

Richard


Post# 544158 , Reply# 21   9/17/2011 at 17:12 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.



Post# 544159 , Reply# 22   9/17/2011 at 17:20 (4,576 days old) by lancethecook (Driffield England)        
Well done Richard...

I hope you get it up and running, it is certainly a great looking machine.
Glad you saved it.
Look forward to some more photos as work progresses.
Would loved to have seen the rest of the house.
Lance


Post# 544163 , Reply# 23   9/17/2011 at 17:58 (4,576 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
hello Lance

ricky5050's profile picture

thank you i will keep you informed, as well as looking out for a servis super heat i didnt know you wanted one, sorry but i would like to keep mine as it was my first machine!

 

the house was lovely two large downstairs rooms one with a box square window, one with a bay, both with fireplace, small kitchen, pantry and scullery, outside loo etc!

 

garden full of old rose plants and all wood painted a light old green.

 

there were some nice old lamp shades small glass types but i had my eye on some centre lights, ive asked the owner if i can buy them too!

 

Richard


Post# 544373 , Reply# 24   9/18/2011 at 19:44 (4,575 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Ricky

jetcone's profile picture

Nice find there! Before I turned anything on I would make sure that

the drum and pulley turn by hand,

that the motor and pump and tranny also turn by hand so that nothing is seized before you put power to it.

Then I'd connect a jumper cable from the frame to ground before powering it up. That way if there are any major shorts they go to ground and not you!

And you can do this w/o installing a belt, I would its what I do with my Bendii when the come in.

Once you power it up I'd check the continuity from the cabinet to ground, the motor frame to ground to eliminate all possible shorts if any.

 

If it wasn't abused it should come back to life gracefully. What two nice machines you have there, I am certain you are making me and Mike jealous!!

 

 

 

Then I'd put hot water down into the pump and let it sit before really running it.


Post# 544451 , Reply# 25   9/19/2011 at 03:40 (4,574 days old) by dj-gabriele ()        

Wow, that machine is super cool! :)
I hope you can restore it and put it in operation real soon.
Is the paint still good or the yellowing become permanent?


Post# 544483 , Reply# 26   9/19/2011 at 09:27 (4,574 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        
Congratulations

How do you plan to bolt it down? Do you have a cement floor into which you can drill where you want to install it or will you be mixing up some cement and pouring a pedestal for it?



Post# 544534 , Reply# 27   9/19/2011 at 12:33 (4,574 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
Hi thanks

ricky5050's profile picture
The drum and motor turn fine the drum bearings seem a little louder than they should but there isn't any free play in the drum. The paint is poor and has been daubed in beige gloss paint.
And as for a cement base I'll have to see it may just sit in a safe place for a while. Ideally I'd love a double garage to make a showroom, oh and an old stone cottage with room for a pony. So I just need 3/4 million !!

Till then I better do some tidying and re arranging

Thanks for the interest


Richard


Post# 544658 , Reply# 28   9/20/2011 at 08:29 (4,573 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Yes what I want is a large

jetcone's profile picture

semi circular glass conservatory out the side of the house, like Mortitia and Gomez had, with glass ceilings and potted plants between matching pairs of washers and dryers. And I could sit there in the sun having morning coffee while the machines run.


Post# 544674 , Reply# 29   9/20/2011 at 09:37 (4,573 days old) by thelaundrylab (Hampshire UK)        
Awesome...

thelaundrylab's profile picture
Hi Richard, many congrats on finding this machine. We look forward on the updates and the workings on this beauty.

Hass :)


Post# 544677 , Reply# 30   9/20/2011 at 09:53 (4,573 days old) by 74simon ()        

Great find Richard, your luck sure seems to be in at the moment!

 

Was the old girl still plugged into the mains too? Surprised At least you know the fill valves don't leak!

 

At the expense of being a bit Heath Robinson, I wonder if you could get away with putting some board across the chassis at the bottom, with some bricks or breeze block type things on top to weigh it down enough - although don't they weigh a ton anyway? I guess if it were run empty but for water there wouldn't be much of an issue with imbalance during spin.

 

Hope she scrubs up nice, she looks a bit like she's overdone the fake tan at the moment! 


Post# 544693 , Reply# 31   9/20/2011 at 11:05 (4,573 days old) by abcomatic (Bradford, Illinois)        
Oh, Richard

"Oh, Richard, I wish you wouldn't bring those home to work on." "What will Mrs.Counselor Neugent think if she sees the lorry drive in with that old thing on the back?" "After all, this is no place for a washer of that caliber; we have Royal Dalton china with hand painted peerywinkles oh them, not a place for some old scrap of a thing!" "
What would my sister Violet say if she knew?" They have a large, luxury house, a sauana, a Mercedes and room for a pony." "Oh, Richard."

I love your new machine, go for it! Happy washing, Gary


Post# 544735 , Reply# 32   9/20/2011 at 14:46 (4,573 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
Ha ha

ricky5050's profile picture
But Hyacynth!!!!

One of my male friends can do the "Richard" in a shrill accent quite well.

It's very funny,

Thanks I'll send as many updates as I can when I can, Simon yes it was plugged in, it seems the owner was a 90 year old lady who must have had the house rewired in the 80s so it had new style plugs , the new owner was keen for me to try it but I thought it wise not to! I don't know how to do any safety electrical testing other than use a rcd plug.

The mains cable has stiffened and I will replace it but the internal cable look ok.

The casing is filthy and painted , everything in the house looked either nicotine or greasy as the machine was hidden in a cupboard it may have been plugged in but not used for years.

It's such a simple machine it makes modern machines look unnecessarily complicated. Although the lack of suspension may be an issue I may have to maybe try it empty only

Richard


Post# 544856 , Reply# 33   9/21/2011 at 07:14 (4,572 days old) by 74simon ()        

Hey Richard,

 

I noticed on an earlier thread Mathew (Keymatic3203) mentioned that the internal wiring of the motor is prone to losing its rubber insulation and shorting out, so that's one thing to check for! Although looking at your pictures, I wonder if it was rewired at some point, it looks like PVC insulation to me, and i'm pretty sure that that wasn't commonplace, if found at all, when this machine was built.

 

An RCD will prevent you getting a shock even if the machine isn't properly earthed for whatever reason, but it's a good idea to check all the earthing points on the machine to make sure they're not corroded, tarnished, loose or damaged, and that there's good metal to metal contact. A new mains cable is very wise! Sometimes old appliances can trip an RCD even if they're working properly, but they tend to involve heating elements, not a problem here!

 

What an RCD won't do is trip if a short circuit occurs, but the fuse in the plug should blow instead - as there's no heater, and if the motor wattage isn't specified, I'd try it on a three amp fuse first, as I reckon the maximum wattage should be way less than than 700 Watts. 

 

Have you got a multimeter? Even a cheap £8 jobby can be pretty useful, and I'd be happy to explain how to use one to check earth continuity, faults to earth and the condition of powered bits like motors and elements before the machine is tried out! Or if anyone else wants to know, give me a shout.

 

Mind you, I think the new owners of the house did the scary bit - do you know if they actually put it through a full cycle, water and all? Surprised


Post# 544862 , Reply# 34   9/21/2011 at 07:35 (4,572 days old) by 74simon ()        

Just found this video by another collector - although it's an earlier machine, it's spinning without being bolted down, and it seems to be pretty well behaved with a steadying hand - I'd assumed it'd make like that video where some bloke chucks a housebrick into a washer, but I guess the weight of the old girl and the low spin speed makes it rather more stable than that!

 



/>

allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always">


Post# 545065 , Reply# 35   9/22/2011 at 06:28 (4,571 days old) by gorenje (Slovenia)        

gorenje's profile picture
My congratulations Richard and thanks for saving a beauty like this!

WOW! This machine is as old as my mother :))) just one month of difference LOL

I hope you will restore it soon.

Ingemar


Post# 545081 , Reply# 36   9/22/2011 at 08:11 (4,571 days old) by matchboxpaul (U.K)        
Congrats!

Hi Richard.

Really pleased that you were able to acquire the machine and that it now has a good home.

As has been said, you have some restoration projects ahead - the 3224, the swanmaid and now the model D Bendix.

Cant pretend to be able to offer any advice - all i can say is keep us all updated with how it goes.

paul


Post# 545204 , Reply# 37   9/22/2011 at 20:00 (4,571 days old) by bendixmark (Winchester Mass)        
Jons glass conservatory

Hey Jon when your conservatory like the one Gomez and Morticia Addams had is built you can mark the occasion with a big wash-in party and we shall all dance the mamushka!Anda hey anda hey!

Post# 545211 , Reply# 38   9/22/2011 at 21:09 (4,571 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
For

jetcone's profile picture

Uncle Fester!

EY Carrida!

 

 


Post# 545275 , Reply# 39   9/23/2011 at 04:06 (4,570 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)        
Bendix

chestermikeuk's profile picture
Hi Richard, really glad you managed to save the Bendix, looks in grand shape and I`m sure you can get it working!!! You have a wealth of information and people on here to help and also Darren C in Lincoln who has the semi automatic version and took his through a bearing change and overhaul a few years ago...Jon Jetcone also gave my model G an oil change and tune up when he visited, also managed to get a few original Spares for this model when Ian closed his Stamford shop last year, so let me know what you may need and i`ll check the boxes..

heres a link to Darrens pics & machine


CLICK HERE TO GO TO chestermikeuk's LINK


Post# 545409 , Reply# 40   9/23/2011 at 13:54 (4,570 days old) by ricky5050 (Durham Britain)        
Hi Mike !

ricky5050's profile picture
Thanks

My machine seems complete, I need to replace all the inlet and drain hoses and the ones from the water level setting to the tub. So far I think it needs a new mains cable , and the seal around the filter has hardened .

The drum bearings are a bit rumble ing but it has no free play.

Simon thanks for the offer yes I think the machine was plugged in ready to go but I didn't risk it the internal wiring is ok but the mains cable is stiff so I will replace it.

If you can do a little training on the multi meter I know it comes without any guarantee I should know a bit more about the safety factor other than plugging things in then standing around the corner away from it like a wimp wincing at every creak groan and bang things this age make!

Richard.



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