Thread Number: 61043
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
Felix is doing his first loads after 62 years of sitting! |
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Post# 836643   8/14/2015 at 16:13 (3,176 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Felix came out of his original house, I am the 3rd owner. The original owner bought Felix for his wife in 1939. He ran till 1952 when he was taken back to Bendix to be rebuilt. In the meantime the man bought his wife a new W/D set so Felix was installed back on his concrete pedestal but was not used again. You can see Bendix gave him a whole new set of clutch plates. When new a Bendix should hop into high speed with an empty tub, and slow down as the water fills. Then as the water drains hop back up again before spin speed, to help balance the wet clothes for spin. This feature is in the original patent 1936 but all the machines we've seen have long since got clutch wear and no longer have this feature. I came across him at his Valley Stream home on Long Island just before he was about to be pitched!!
He is quiet ! Quietest bendix I've ever heard ! He is one of the very first auto-washers in the world and is the rare Utility Model, has no timer, no water valve, works very similar to the wringers of the day.
This post was last edited 08/14/2015 at 16:38 |
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Post# 836649 , Reply# 1   8/14/2015 at 16:25 (3,176 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 836657 , Reply# 2   8/14/2015 at 17:02 (3,176 days old) by kb0nes (Burnsville, MN)   |   | |
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Awesome machine Jon!! Amazingly clean for all those years. Did you do much cleaning/polishing or any other restoration?
The dissolve at 0:59 in your video really gave me vertigo. I was finally getting used to the vertical format (say no to vertical format video!) then you transition into a horizontal, but the Downy bottle in the background is sideways!! Stripped a gear in my brain for a second. |
Post# 836662 , Reply# 3   8/14/2015 at 17:27 (3,176 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Post# 836666 , Reply# 4   8/14/2015 at 17:34 (3,176 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)   |   | |
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Post# 836700 , Reply# 5   8/14/2015 at 21:54 (3,176 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)   |   | |
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Didn't you ever rinse the detergent off the strainer in the soap hole? |
Post# 836719 , Reply# 6   8/15/2015 at 01:17 (3,175 days old) by mjg0619 (Scranton, Pennsylvania)   |   | |
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Post# 836725 , Reply# 7   8/15/2015 at 03:01 (3,175 days old) by electron1100 (England)   |   | |
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Post# 836729 , Reply# 8   8/15/2015 at 04:43 (3,175 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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Post# 836731 , Reply# 9   8/15/2015 at 05:33 (3,175 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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the next load. LOL !!
Gary, I think I have just the bag on wheels !!
Mike it is bolted to the floor, the cage is bolted then the machine to the cage. I don't like to stoop doing laundry and it mimics the original concrete block they used to use too.
It does a nice job because I can get a 20 min wash out of him, spin between all rinses, rinse/drain and rinse in any temperature and level fill I choose. SO- Flexible is Felix!
Good idea Launderess, I'll have to record that theme and insert it. Felix was Mom's favorite Cartoon Character. |
Post# 836734 , Reply# 11   8/15/2015 at 05:59 (3,175 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))   |   | |
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Post# 836738 , Reply# 12   8/15/2015 at 06:46 (3,175 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 836836 , Reply# 13   8/15/2015 at 21:13 (3,175 days old) by PhilR (Quebec Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 836889 , Reply# 14   8/16/2015 at 07:04 (3,174 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 836939 , Reply# 15   8/16/2015 at 15:11 (3,174 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 837025 , Reply# 17   8/17/2015 at 05:52 (3,173 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 837059 , Reply# 18   8/17/2015 at 13:47 (3,173 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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I had to go back and find the very first automatic washer patent - which was filed by Msrs Chamberlain & Bassett for Bendix Home Laundry.
It was filed 1938! I had 1937 in my head all these years ! That means Felix was made in the first year of production - not the second !! HOLLA!
And he was #650 off the line too !
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Post# 837127 , Reply# 19   8/17/2015 at 21:06 (3,173 days old) by Launderess (Quiet Please, There´s a Lady on Stage)   |   | |
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Post# 837133 , Reply# 20   8/17/2015 at 21:52 (3,173 days old) by Jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)   |   | |
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Post# 837161 , Reply# 21   8/18/2015 at 05:19 (3,172 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))   |   | |
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