Thread Number: 44647
HOLY GRAIL.......1950'S KENMORE W&D IN RENO!!!
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Post# 655311   1/23/2013 at 09:43 (4,082 days old) by agitatorboogie (Denver)        

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Post# 655312 , Reply# 1   1/23/2013 at 09:44 (4,082 days old) by agitatorboogie (Denver)        
numero 2

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KENMORE DRYER.....beautiful

Post# 655313 , Reply# 2   1/23/2013 at 09:45 (4,082 days old) by agitatorboogie (Denver)        
numero 3

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interesting door.....

Post# 655315 , Reply# 3   1/23/2013 at 09:46 (4,082 days old) by agitatorboogie (Denver)        
numero 4

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somewhat of an interior shot!!! This Kenmore is gorgeous one

Post# 655316 , Reply# 4   1/23/2013 at 09:47 (4,082 days old) by agitatorboogie (Denver)        
numero 5

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the price is a little high but how often do you come across these? Go save these someone!!....I'll always be on the hunt for ya'll

Post# 655317 , Reply# 5   1/23/2013 at 09:49 (4,082 days old) by agitatorboogie (Denver)        
so now that I read everything.....

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....the sellers maybe a little delusional listing a $500 W&D as not working....but WOW!!

Post# 655318 , Reply# 6   1/23/2013 at 09:51 (4,082 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

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Man, they appear to be in excellent condition! Wonder what year they were manufactured...
When did Kenmore start using the waterfall lint filter? I like how the contour of the console follows the uber-big cycle dial.

Calling our Kenmore experts...calling our Kenmore experts!


Post# 655319 , Reply# 7   1/23/2013 at 10:00 (4,082 days old) by Unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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1957 models I suspect, they are just beautiful! The fact that the ad says kenmore "bug eye" washer and dryer set from the 50's either they are one of us or had googled and landed here.

Post# 655327 , Reply# 8   1/23/2013 at 10:51 (4,082 days old) by RevvinKevin (Tinseltown - Shakey Town - La-La Land)        

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These are sitting in an appliance store our own Andy (RCD) knows of and he had been in talks with the owner about them.   He said these are in excellent / mint condition cosmetically, but have been sitting in the showroom for many, many years.

 

I will leave it up to Andy if he wants to share the details, but I believe, the "talks" have unfortunately run out of wind.


Post# 655329 , Reply# 9   1/23/2013 at 11:25 (4,082 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Cool KM Pair

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I believe that these could be 1956 machines, 1956 is the first year that the water fall lint filter was installed on WP built washers. 1956 was also the first year that WP switched to a water pump that could reverse pumping direction without the washers motor reversing, they did this with an internal flapper valve that was controlled by the transmissions agitate control cam bar. This style pump was used on most WP BD washers ever built and to the very end of production of BD machines that were either Suds-Saver models or all commercial machines.


Post# 655331 , Reply# 10   1/23/2013 at 11:45 (4,082 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        
What Kevin Said

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When I saw "Reno" and then saw the machines, they looked suspiciously like the pair Andy has been courting for some time now.


Post# 655338 , Reply# 11   1/23/2013 at 12:03 (4,082 days old) by redcarpetdrew (Fairfield, CA)        
I think they are...

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If these are the same ones, the seller wanted to trade them for my vintage O'Keefe & Merritt gas stove and $400. Sorry, but I'm having a hard time with that. I think that stove, which I've posted pictures of when I got her, is worth more than $100. Still deciding if they are worth $500 or not.

I've seen them in person (and posted a thread of them with more pics) and they are just beautiful cosmetically but have not run in many years. This may be why seller is not stating that they work. He's a used appliance/furniture dealer (if these are the same machines and the same seller...) and doesn't want to get stuck stating they work and end up not...

RCD


Post# 655340 , Reply# 12   1/23/2013 at 12:22 (4,082 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)        

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Andy - just go buy them and sell your O&M range....

lawrence


Post# 655342 , Reply# 13   1/23/2013 at 12:33 (4,082 days old) by rickr (.)        

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Really nice looking set! My mother had this washer with a GE dryer. It is a 1957 model.

Post# 655346 , Reply# 14   1/23/2013 at 12:52 (4,082 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)        

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Back when I was working after school at Western Appliance in SJ there were always a lot of these Kenmores out back in the trade-in "pile." Sears must have sold a ton of them. I kind of recall the timer and in some cases the control area being lighted on some models (???). Unlike all the flashy Lady Kenmores these machines with their simple timers and dependable "guts" were fine to recondition and clean-up for the resale floor. I've always wanted a set like these. Too bad that appears to be an electric dryer. Although I have 220 in the laundry room I need to conserve electricity for my greedy air conditioners. Thanks for posting.

Post# 655426 , Reply# 15   1/23/2013 at 18:57 (4,082 days old) by bendixmark (Winchester Mass)        
Beautiful Set

I think those are well worth that money.how often do you see one never mind two of that vintage looking that good?I am sorely tempted.I have paid that for just a washer more than once and not regretted it.Doesnt matter if they work or not any machine that age you would give a going thru.

Post# 655438 , Reply# 16   1/23/2013 at 20:22 (4,081 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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As RCD said, these have been peddled already a time or two.  Didn't Mr. jetcone get a set of these too? 


Post# 655495 , Reply# 17   1/24/2013 at 03:20 (4,081 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
I have the washer

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but not the dryer. They look fabulous.

I think they are 1956, Kenmore came out with the Copper look like everybody else did that year.


Post# 655531 , Reply# 18   1/24/2013 at 09:41 (4,081 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

I think that model electric dryer is similar to the one where the timer only goes to 60 minutes and CU said that unless it was wired on a 50 AMP circuit, it needed more than an hour to dry because the perforated drum back allowed so much air to pass behind the drum instead of through the load. This can be helped by doing what John did for another dryer with the same drum, pulling the drum and gluing felt strips on the rear bulkhead to force more of the air through the drum. It is also easier to convert an electric dryer to gas than to convert a gas one to electric because the wiring is in place and the circuitry can just as easily operate a gas valve and igniter as the heating element.

Post# 655637 , Reply# 19   1/24/2013 at 20:14 (4,080 days old) by washerlover (The Big Island, Hawai’i)        

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So is anyone going after these beauties?

Post# 655640 , Reply# 20   1/24/2013 at 20:17 (4,080 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)        
Only If Buck Winston Comes With Them!

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*LOL*

Oh l'amour! How can let you down, but how it can pick you up again!


Post# 655650 , Reply# 21   1/24/2013 at 20:51 (4,080 days old) by fnelson487 (Palm Springs, CA)        
L'amour L'amour

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Post# 655662 , Reply# 22   1/24/2013 at 21:38 (4,080 days old) by redcarpetdrew (Fairfield, CA)        
One last hurrah...

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I'm trying one more time to see if an agreement can be reached. I have email into the ad as I'm not 100% sure this is the same owner. I'm trying to reach the owner of the business where I first saw them and see if this person is one and the same...

RCD


Post# 655777 , Reply# 23   1/25/2013 at 13:05 (4,080 days old) by whirlaway (Hampton Virginia)        
Frogeyes

Ive been using the same exact dryer for 30 years everyday,and now I have the 1955 set they have black and gold dials,the other dryer I have is a 57with the copper,no lint filter though,but the 55 has one under a door on top,its a little basket,Its labeled on the front as a high speed dryer and the washer is a CyclaFabric model with suds saver,They all light up nicely.The 57 dryer usually takes 45min to dry on med,I never set either one past med.The only trouble is sometimes the washer will try to spin at a low speed while its washing,The are my everyday machines,I wish they were closer I would like a complete spare set.

Post# 655904 , Reply# 24   1/25/2013 at 23:55 (4,079 days old) by badgerdx ()        

The styling on these are just beautiful. Clean, simple, far more classic yet modern than the contemporary plastic swoopy fake pseudo waves and crap one sees nowadays. Industrial design masterpieces.

Post# 655915 , Reply# 25   1/26/2013 at 01:24 (4,079 days old) by petek (Ontari ari ari O )        

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Mom and dad bought the washer with suds-saver somewhere around when I was born in 56 and near when the Simpson-Sears store opened. She said she was the first on the block to get an automatic washer and all the neighbor ladies came over to see it. When I was little I used to like pressing the palm of my hand down on the agitators big K when it was washing because it tickled. I was little, gimmie a break LOL

Post# 655946 , Reply# 26   1/26/2013 at 06:47 (4,079 days old) by MikeS ()        
First Dryer I Ever Used

My father bought the bugeye dryer (gas) after I complained about the clothesline and the lugging back and forth. It worked very well (only $25 back in the early 1970's) and while I had to lug wash from the house to the garage where the dryer was located, it was still a major improvement. We got a few good years out of the Kenmore when my mom bought a new slant-console model on clearance at Sears. That machine was also great.
Kenmores in those days could really take a beating!


Post# 655966 , Reply# 27   1/26/2013 at 09:38 (4,079 days old) by combo52 (50 Year Repair Tech Beltsville,Md)        
Frog-eye Hi-Speed Electric Dryer

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Hi Bobby, do you have your KM FE dryer connected to the 50 amp line so both electric heaters are being used? These Hi Speed dryers could actually dry many loads in about 30 minutes if connected to a 50 Amp line and as these dryers were designed for 230 volts back in the 1950s they really dry fast on the 240 power that is supplied today, John.


Post# 655988 , Reply# 28   1/26/2013 at 10:58 (4,079 days old) by hydralique (Los Angeles)        

"When I was little I used to like pressing the palm of my hand down on the agitators big K when it was washing because it tickled"


Petek, I used to do the same thing when my mom washed in her '59 Kenmore.


Post# 656013 , Reply# 29   1/26/2013 at 12:42 (4,079 days old) by Whirlaway (Hampton Virginia)        
I will check!

Gee John,Im not sure,it is on a 220 line though.The same circuit the 57 was plugged in,it also dryed rather quickly.I paid 35 dollars at Goodwill in 80,and got 30 good years out of it,it just needs a blower bearing,so I had this extra set so I put these in,I just luv a frogeye, I think its because my Grandmother had 54 fancy one with push buttons that would lite in different colors.That machine lasted forever.

Post# 656023 , Reply# 30   1/26/2013 at 13:39 (4,079 days old) by Whirlaway (Hampton Virginia)        
Hi-Speed Frogeye

John,I checked its wired on a 60amp circuit,Thats alot isnt it,this house was built in38 and the original fuse box was wired for 100amp service that was quite abit in those days,this house even came with 3telephone hookups with the original twisted wire.Oh the fuse box had been added on in the fifties,each window unit is seperatly wired.Still have that Americana for you,Thanks Bobby

Post# 656027 , Reply# 31   1/26/2013 at 13:46 (4,079 days old) by MixGuy (St. Martinville, Louisiana)        
First Automatic Washer

This was the first automatic washer I got to "play with" as a kid! My aunt down the street had this same washer. I was allowed to set the washer temps, clean and replace the lint filter while on a step stool to reach everything. This was the first washer I had seen having 4 wash temp. settings, hot, medium, warm and cold. Can't recall if there were two or three rinse temp. choices. It was a two speed washer having the normal cycle above and the slower "Modern Fabrics" cycle below on the timer. The timer "dial" was a lever that was unique. Don't remember if it was push or pull to set or to start. Her neighbor across the street had the same model.

Very few people in my neigborhood could afford or would consider getting an automatic washer before 1955. The nearest Sears retail store was 25 miles away and the first catalog store did not open in town until around 1965. While Sears offered great prices compared to local stores, people were most concerned about getting service it their machine ever needed it. For that reason, the local Maytag store did well until Sears came to town. He did well until his retirement and no one wanted to buy his store. Also fascinating to see products advertised and then to see them in people's houses.



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