Thread Number: 7195
A Little Maytag Fun ...
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Post# 141689   7/12/2006 at 14:20 (6,469 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Hi all ... Thought it would fun to share a photo from one of my Maytag News issues from the 1950's. This comes from the May 1950 issue.

Look at how elated a couple of these women were to receive new wringer washers ... FREE ... no less! Look at the wooden machines they had been washing in for 30 or more years!!

The elderly couple on the left were in the 80's and were from Paynesville, Minnesota; which is not far from here. She must have thought she had "died and gone to heaven" when she won.

Maytag dealers sponsored "Oldest Maytag" contests as "sales devices". The people who didn't win, probably received an actual call from the dealer; they went to homes and sold these machines like crazy. Maytag was also big on "in home" demonstrations; machines were placed in homes to be used for a week's laundry and then if the homemaker wanted it, a convenient payment plan (if cash wasn't paid) was worked out.

Times ... they have changed, haven't they?

Enjoy ... Bless our mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers!

Geoff





Post# 141695 , Reply# 1   7/12/2006 at 14:44 (6,469 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Here's another fun piece!!

I LOVE the cello-wrap!! They were only $1.75 a piece.

Somewhere I've got one of these ads that has the AMP in cellophane; how would you have liked to have that under your tree on Christmas?

This ad came from the November 1950 issue of Maytag News.

Geoff


Post# 141699 , Reply# 2   7/12/2006 at 14:56 (6,469 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture
These are very fun Geoff!

I would have loved an AMP under my tree! I'd love to find some cellophane large enough for a washer and decorate the laundry room for the holidays.


Post# 141703 , Reply# 3   7/12/2006 at 15:03 (6,469 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        
One More and I'll stop for now ...

Here's one more from July 1950 and then I'll stop for now.

Can you imagine what multiple births would have been like in that era? It was probably pretty scary for a farm family to experience something like that. Wow ... 10 children. I'm sure they needed the help on the farm; a lot of families were like that. My Dad was from a family of 8 and they all "grew" into their work on the farm.

A demonstration of goodness in the world!!

Geoff


Post# 141710 , Reply# 4   7/12/2006 at 15:20 (6,469 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Greg ... I would have taken an AMP in cello, too!! :-)

That's a cool idea; a laundry room decorated for Christmas! In 1950's/1960's vintage stuff, of course.

Geoff


Post# 141742 , Reply# 5   7/12/2006 at 17:36 (6,468 days old) by bobbyderegis (Boston)        

Geoff,
These old clippings and adverts are such a blast. Keep 'em coming.
Bobby in Boston


Post# 141765 , Reply# 6   7/12/2006 at 18:24 (6,468 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)        
Gotta get the 'News!

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Hey Geoff - these clippings are fantastic! Did you happen to pick up an earlier copy of Maytag News? One thing I really liked was Maytag promoting carload sales. They would have big banners and signs on the trains as the carloads came into town - a big deal at the time for dealers and their customers!

Look at all of those AMP's new in the box - and some conventional washers in the back of that truck - in crates! This clip is from late of '52.

Ben


Post# 141810 , Reply# 7   7/12/2006 at 20:48 (6,468 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI )        

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My great-aunt and uncle won the "Oldest Maytag in Marathon County, WI" contest in 1949. Aunt Adele hated that new Maytag and traded it in a year later for a Speed Queen. The old Maytag was bought in 1917 by her in-laws. It had the agitator attached to the cover and looked like a cow's udder. It had the handle on the side you moved back and forth to agitate the clothes.

Post# 141944 , Reply# 8   7/13/2006 at 08:15 (6,468 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Bobby ... glad you like them!! Have you had any luck on your pump yet?

I was out of the loop for a while; our founder where I work passed away over the 4th of July weekend and we miss him greatly. He was like another Dad to me; he really helped me out a lot (as he did with a lot of other people). But ... he would want us to go on! So ... we shall!!

Ben ... I've got the entire year of 1950. I think these magazines were great; they showed what sort of corporation Maytag was in their heydey. It looked like a great place to work or to be a part of. The covers on these mags are really great, too. I'll have to post one of those.

Tim ... too bad about Aunt Adele!! Goodness ... she didn't like her new Maytag? The wooden tub models in the pictures above, had the "udder-like" agitator under the cover, too. The woman in the family at the bottom of the picture above (I think Vincent is their last name)had named her old wooden washer "Bridges". I found an article in an earlier edition where it talked about the name of her machine and how the Maytag dealer "had to prove" that her new Maytag would wash her clothes as clean as "Bridges" did!! I think they lived in West Virginia.

At any rate ... here's another photo and article. I scanned this not so much for the article (interesting, however) but for the photo of the woman who got an automatic from her son in the Air Force. What a great picture of the Mom, Dad and her new and old machines!! How proud she looks. And, note ... she still had not disposed of her old Maytag!! :-)

I'll get a cover posted, too.

Geoff


Post# 141950 , Reply# 9   7/13/2006 at 08:33 (6,468 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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There are so fun Geoff! We want more :)

Post# 141976 , Reply# 10   7/13/2006 at 10:05 (6,468 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        
More? I've got it!

Here's one. This is from the May 1950 issue; a year after Maytag started making the AMP. Check out the "thoughts" the design team had ... glass in the lid ... control knobs on a panel. They were forward thinking ...

This looks like one our "glamour shots", doesn't it?


Post# 141985 , Reply# 11   7/13/2006 at 10:33 (6,468 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        
How about a cover?

Here's one of my favorite covers from the Maytag News. This is from November 1950.

That little boy is working hard with his Dad, I bet! Snow is already on the ground and the corn shocks have got to get stacked so the cows can have feed for the winter.

The inside cover says ... "Yes, the pumpkins and the turkeys - the pilgrims and their winters - all steal hesitantly into the imaginative mind of youth. November, 1950 - once again the month of Thanksgiving. Let it not pass unnoticed."



Post# 141989 , Reply# 12   7/13/2006 at 10:47 (6,468 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

The term for the lid-mounted agitator in the wooden machines is a dolly. The 2nd meaning in the dictionary for this word is "a wooden pronged instrument for beating and stirring clothes in the process of washing them in a tub." The 4 prongs on the dolly became the 4 vanes on the Maytag Gyrator and the term "beating" enabled Frigidaire to say that their washers bathed deep dirt out without beating. The action of the dolly dragged the clothes back and forth in the tub without encouraging turn over.

A family in Hibbing, MN whose daughters were in school with my mother had a younger son. When he returned home from the military and started working, he bought his mother a Maytag automatic and once she had that, she took over the care and laundering of the altar cloths and vestments (hope those are close to the correct terms) of her church. She might have ironed too much because eventually her arm joints froze.


Post# 141992 , Reply# 13   7/13/2006 at 11:12 (6,468 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Geoff that May 1950 story was fabulous. Glass lid, yeah right, then the world would see what was going on inside a Maytag automatic, never! Where would the float have gone anway? Do you have the April 1950 issue?

Post# 141996 , Reply# 14   7/13/2006 at 11:22 (6,468 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Good Heavens, Tom!! That poor woman from Hibbing! I can't imagine my arm joints "freezing" up. That must have been horrible for her.

Years of unchecked arthritis and continued work, no doubt, were the cause of this.

But how great that her son thought enough of her to get her an automatic washer!

I've got the 1953 issue of Maytag News where the automatic dryer was introduced. That's a fun issue, too.

Maytag went from 1949 to 1953 before a matching automatic dryer was made to partner with the washer. I think they even added on to their building to design and implement the dryer.




Post# 142007 , Reply# 15   7/13/2006 at 11:42 (6,468 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        
Here you go ... April 1950

Robert ... I hear 'ya on Maytag's safety lids!! The only lids you could open and see the action were the conventional (wringer) machines. The glass lid would have been cool. They would have had to use a timed-fill to get the glass lid to work; the float system in the agitator would not have been successful.

They were very safety-conscience; to the point of over-kill! I can understand the spin cycle stopping but I never figured out the fill or agitation period being "hidden".



Post# 142011 , Reply# 16   7/13/2006 at 12:20 (6,468 days old) by brettsomers ()        
Gee thanks....

now im wanting to read the entire series of AMP articles!!

Post# 142026 , Reply# 17   7/13/2006 at 13:51 (6,468 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

David ... I wish I had all of those articles!! There weren't any more in 1950 and I'm looking for 1951. I have 1952, 1953 and into 1954 so I'm getting a good amount. But there are TONS more out there to be found!!

Here's another ad for a Maytag Automatic sign!! Can you imagine ... only $15 in 1950? Wonder what one of these babies would snag from eBay now? A couple of hundred dollars?



Post# 142028 , Reply# 18   7/13/2006 at 13:55 (6,468 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        
A Wringer Demonstration Board

I've actually seen one of these; it was pretty beat up and I should have bought it!! Drats!!

Maytag's wringer heads were (and still are!) very durable and solid as a rock.

The demonstrator held the board as it went through and would "lift up" on it to show the strength of the machine. The purpose of the board was to show how the upper roll formed itself over the grooves; hence, as you were running buttons, snaps, thick articles of clothing, the top roll would "form" around anything you were wringing. One of Maytag's "claim to fame" for their wringer washers.



Post# 142038 , Reply# 19   7/13/2006 at 14:50 (6,468 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

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Geoff, do you have the rest of the series "Inside the Maytag's Automatic? These are wonderful and should be posted permenantly on the website.

Post# 142057 , Reply# 20   7/13/2006 at 15:31 (6,468 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Robert ... Only April and May of 1950 have these articles. The balance of the year, does not. I wonder if the "Inside Maytag's Automatic" series was rolled into other articles throughout the year. There are a lot of articles about producing the "new" automatic. There is even one that has a "tour" of Plant 2 where automatics were produced.

I am missing all of Maytag News for 1951; have part of 1952, have all of 1953 and part of 1954. I am trying hard to fill in the gaps.

It would be great to also find these magazines for 1949; in particular, April's edition which would have introduced the AMP. Like I said earlier, I have the 1953 edition that introduces the automatic dryer and is very interesting.

Maybe I should create a special folder on my system just for the automatic articles and photos and then be able to give them to you for the library.

Geoff


Post# 142191 , Reply# 21   7/14/2006 at 03:24 (6,467 days old) by brettsomers ()        

these *automatic* articles give a good sense of all that Maytag, and other manufacturers, had pinned on the Automatics. i also get the sense that Maytag central was making an effort to *sell* the dealers on the automatics as well as educate. great bit of history here. anything that you, Geoff, or our Webmaster could do to bring us more of these would be a real treat!

Post# 142269 , Reply# 22   7/14/2006 at 10:16 (6,467 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

David ... The Maytag News magazines are rich with information about Maytag and their products.

The dealers had a hard time convincing homemakers of switching to automatics since Maytag's conventionals were so well received. There are some great demonstration photos, articles and marketing material in these magazines that would have been a big help to dealers.

Maytag offered dealers free information, help with mailings, and advice on door-to-door campaigns to garner support for their new automatic washers.

1958 was the first year that Maytag made more automatic washers than their conventional machines. It took almost 10 years for Maytag to achieve that goal (the 1st AMP was in April 1949). The 1970's saw the heaviest decline in conventional washer sales and by 1983, Maytag was down to making a few dozen wringer washers a day. Not considered profitable enough for them. BUT I bet that if Maytag had still been family-owned, they would have continued making conventional machines for a while; that was their "bread and butter" for years!!

There clearly was a "genuineness" about Maytag when reading these magazines; I mean, they cared about their employees, dealers, customers ... it showed.

Here's a scan of Fred Maytag, II from the December 1953 issue and his Christmas message. Sorry about the quality!



Post# 142279 , Reply# 23   7/14/2006 at 10:40 (6,467 days old) by eddy1210 (Burnaby BC Canada)        

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That's a neat demonstration board for the wringer Geoff! I always wondered why Maytag made a black upper roll and it seems like it was made of a more flexible rubber material. You can imagine the housewives thinking yay, no more broken zippers or buttons popping off.

Post# 142285 , Reply# 24   7/14/2006 at 10:47 (6,467 days old) by westytoploader ()        

Thanks Geoff for posting...yet another reason I love the AMP machines!!! How cool would that be to find an NIB model from 1949!

Post# 142303 , Reply# 25   7/14/2006 at 11:24 (6,467 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Eddy ... those flexible upper rolls are the best!! You still had to be careful when putting items through, but that upper roll "protected" buttons, snaps, zippers, etc. really well. I love the demonstration board, too. The salesmen really used it and put a great deal of pressure on it to show the power of the tension springs underneath. Remember how we talked about not removing those? The Maytag wringer was (and still is) a very powerful piece of equipment; extremely durable.

Austin ... wouldn't that be a "hoot" to find a NIB AMP? Was it Steve in Atlanta that has the NIB Highlander? That's "to die for", also!! BUT ... our restored machines are "to die for", too. Almost like new!!

Geoff


Post# 142326 , Reply# 26   7/14/2006 at 12:32 (6,467 days old) by frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

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What a historical treasure trove! Thanks so much for posting the pics/articles, Geoff. I'm with Robert---these should become a permanent part of the site. They're great.

Post# 142357 , Reply# 27   7/14/2006 at 15:06 (6,467 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Eugene ... I have been enjoying these magazines for quite a while now; it's time everyone else gets a chance, too! :-)

Here's how to do a proper in-home Maytag Automatic demonstration ... circa December 1952.

It's on two pages ... page one ...


Post# 142358 , Reply# 28   7/14/2006 at 15:07 (6,467 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

... the other half ...


Post# 142367 , Reply# 29   7/14/2006 at 15:27 (6,467 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Here are two more for the weekend.

The first is Maytag's introduction of SaveaSuds; their first suds saver. Note that it is a "separate" unit; not a part of the washing machine.

Sorry about the quality of the printing; in order for you to see it not split, I had to scan it as a whole page; made the print fuzzy.

The gist is that this was a float system that you place in a set of dual-tubs. To save the suds, the drain hose was connected to this device and the wash water would then drain into the first tub (that you plugged). There was a float device that rose and when it reached the stop on the suds saver, it would trip a bypass for the balance of the water (including the rinse water) to flow out the other side into another hose and down the 2nd tub's drain. To get the water back, there was a hose you set inside of the washing machine and you plugged the pump into the wall and ... viola ... suds returned!!

Rather unique ...



Post# 142370 , Reply# 30   7/14/2006 at 15:30 (6,467 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        
One last one for the weekend ...

Well; if we're all good for the rest of the year, maybe we'll find that Santa brought us these! I would take each one, wrapped in cellophane, please!! :-)



Post# 142387 , Reply# 31   7/14/2006 at 16:15 (6,467 days old) by partscounterman (Cortez, Colorado)        

That suds system reminds me of the one Whirlpool used on the early direct drive machines

Post# 142398 , Reply# 32   7/14/2006 at 17:01 (6,467 days old) by neptunebob (Pittsburgh, PA)        

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Something else you don't see anymore - The salesman is a Sharp Dresser!

Post# 142403 , Reply# 33   7/14/2006 at 18:48 (6,466 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI )        
Re: Post #141810...

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My Aunt Adele had a choice between a '49 Amp and a wringer, she chose the wringer because that was what she was used to. Of course, I would have taken the Amp in a heartbeat needless to say.

Post# 142574 , Reply# 34   7/15/2006 at 16:24 (6,466 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        
RE: post 142007

Robert ... I hear 'ya on Maytag's safety lids!! The only lids you could open and see the action were the conventional (wringer) machines.

Until the A4MP with timed fill. I found one at an estate sale where the walls of the two floors above the basement were brown with tobacco smoke. This washer was in the basement, but they would not sell it. I put one of our ALCO business cards on it with a note about calling us if they wanted to get rid of it, but we never heard from anyone. I looked in a storage cabinet down there and shopped the instruction book. Inside the front cover, is the picture of the washer and dryer and a paragraph announcing the completely automatic Maytag laundry. The outstanding Maytag automatic washer and the wonderful Maytag automatic dryer. With the timed fill, the fill period for a full tub of water took 5 minutes. The booklet warns, "Do not allow washer to spin with lid open." On the back cover there are pictures of the most Baroque Maytag gas stoves I have seen, the TOL regular ranges and the TOL Dutch Oven line of ranges. Both models shown feature the burner valves in the center of the backsplash.


Post# 142576 , Reply# 35   7/15/2006 at 16:33 (6,466 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Tom ... The A4MP would operate with the lid up? Wow!! How did they do that with the mercury switch system?

Was the A4MP the precursor to the 101P?





Post# 142593 , Reply# 36   7/15/2006 at 17:13 (6,466 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Geoff, Since it was strictly time fill, the underside of the lid was smooth and the lid had no electrical components. It used the black narrow post Gyrator of the conventional washers. My 1960 NARDA Blue Book dates the model to 1955 when the 101P was the TOL and available in green and yellow. The 101P had all of the lid switches. In 1956, the 102P had the short cycle for delicates with a single speed motor and all of the lid switches.

Have you ever seen or heard of an E2LPT? The model was offered from 1948 through 1956 and had a timer. It was also available without a pump.


Post# 142613 , Reply# 37   7/15/2006 at 18:49 (6,465 days old) by mrtide ()        
Thanks Geoff

I really have enjoyed looking at these old brochures and papers. Maytag was a great company in those days. I would love to have some of those old maytags.

Post# 143069 , Reply# 38   7/17/2006 at 12:36 (6,464 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Tom ... Yes; I've seen pictures of the E2LPT. I'll have to bring in and scan a couple of articles/ads I have for that machine.

Apparently, Maytag made a timer that stopped the agitation, but didn't "kill" the motor. As long as the plug was in the socket, the motor continued to run.

There must have been service issues with this because Maytag stopped making them about the same time they stopped making the "wringer stop" when you pressed the release bar on the Model E. Two features that made the E "superior" to the other 2 models.

That is interesting about the A4MP. Did the machine stay running when you lifted the lid through the whole cycle?

David ... Aren't these fun? I sure have enjoyed the magazins that I have. Glad you enjoy them!



Post# 143078 , Reply# 39   7/17/2006 at 13:25 (6,464 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)        
Then hopes for a dream machine are dashed

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I never knew a timer model Maytag Wringer existed till a few months ago when you mentioned it. Wondered why with all their skill they didn't make a motor kill which really enhances a wringer. On my Norge, the automatic shut-off timer really makes the machine, but the Maytag wringer is so vastly superior to other wringers--especially in wringing--that I had hoped to get a Maytag with a timer. Are you sure, Geoff, that there was no timer with a HOLD setting?

Loved the wringer board. The fact that mine will take anything made me think it was just stuck permanently. You brochure explains it all. Thanks.
Like you, I have wringer mania , along with many other washing machine pathologies. ;-D

Your work here is amazing and inspiring. I have almost 40 photos entered into my computer (took hours to get it down), but they're too big for this site. Working on reducing their size so I can give back a tiny fraction of all I've been given by the many people like you who post so bountifully.

Mikey


Post# 143084 , Reply# 40   7/17/2006 at 13:35 (6,464 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Geoff, yes, it would complete the cycle with the lid up and the lid could be opened at any point. There was no shut off unless you unplugged it or mashed the timer dial. The owner's manual also makes a big deal about turning the timer by the knob, not the dial skirt.

Post# 143129 , Reply# 41   7/17/2006 at 16:21 (6,464 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Fascinating Geoff

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thanks for posting. and ofcourse I love the nod to Bendix!!

Yes Autin a NIB AMP would be a find indeed!

keep your fingers crossed.




Post# 143144 , Reply# 42   7/17/2006 at 17:49 (6,463 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Mikey ... no, I don't believe the timer had a "hold" setting; it really didn't need it with the motor constantly running. You could still use the wringer even if the timer had stopped the agitation. I'll post a couple of sales/ad info I have on that.

What made you think your wringer is "stuck"? Do you mean it is stuck with the rollers divided? If so, that means the wringer cap is in the "storage" position. To release, press and hold the release bar and turn the reset lever one quarter turn counter-clockwise. That will drop the cap down.

Tom ... I wonder why Maytag didn't continue making their machines with the ability to see the cycles!! Everything I read about the stopping is about "safety". That wasn't very "safe" on their part, was it ... but I sure as heck like it! They also used a gyratator in the A4MP like a wringer? Didn't they do that in some of the Highlanders, too?

Jon ... I saw that "nod" to Bendix, too!! :-) I LOVE your new machine, BTW!! I always liked the Bendix Duomatic; what a cool machine!!

Geoff


Post# 143149 , Reply# 43   7/17/2006 at 18:16 (6,463 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)        
Sorry, Buddy

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Norge, Kenmore and some others have a "HOLD" setting just to the left of "OFF" It's just a funny word and I have no idea why designers used it. It means ON, that the motor is running.

Excuse the confusion, but I can't imagine why people as bright as Maytag people were, never had a shut-off when the other big players, Kenmore, Speed Queen, Norge, etc, did.

I thought my release system was stuck, frozen: i.e, it never pops; it always accepts and successfully wrings anything i give it, that because of its old age, it had hardening of the wringer arteries. This was all before I read your post; now I understand . My wringer works perfectly.


Post# 143191 , Reply# 44   7/17/2006 at 21:13 (6,463 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Hold on the timer meant that the timer was not running. Essentially the thing would wash from now 'til doomsday without the timer shutting it off.

Geoff: They called it safety, but it was just the stupid overly complicated path they took to have a pressure-determined fill in a solid tub machine. Yes, some of the Highlanders had the narrow-post Gyrator in them, but the A4MP was the first automatic, as far as I know, that did not need the big-barrel Gyrator to measure the amount of water for the lid switch. Plus, you know Maytag; if you are buying the cheap one, they are going to rub your nose in it. It's the only one of those AMP models I would have considered because you could watch it do it all with the lid open, but by 1955 far more exciting washers were available. Of course, if you were going away to live in some remote spot where transportation in and out was poor or worse and there was no service close by, I guess I would have gone with the A4MP because of the supposed reliability of a Maytag.


Post# 143293 , Reply# 45   7/18/2006 at 10:30 (6,463 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Tom ... Maytag did make some of their BOL machines to look a little different, didn't they? I guess it was a "no-frills" issue, don't you think?

I'm still surprised about being able to leave the lid open; foresight on their part. That must have been their only machine ever to do that.

Here are some timer pictures I promised.

This one (bottom photo/machine to the left) is from a Maytag News in 1950 and it appears to be a pump model ... note the boxes of "All" detergent "floating" in the fish nets:


Post# 143294 , Reply# 46   7/18/2006 at 10:33 (6,463 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Here is the information from the sales book that was on the dealer's floor for people to glance through.

I cannot tell what increments the timer was in!! I was guessing 2-minute increments (where the circles are) because Maytag had a "thing" about clothes getting washed in 3-7 minutes and overalls/work clothing being washed in 10 minutes.

If it is 2-minute increments this timer would take it to 12 minutes all the way around the dial.

Does anybody know what the increments were on these machines?


Post# 143295 , Reply# 47   7/18/2006 at 10:35 (6,463 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

And here is the written information from the sales book about the optional feature:


This sales book is from 1953. Which is great, because I have the whole year of 1953 in Maytag News and it references this sales book throughout. The only pages I'm missing are, of course, the AMP series. I even have the Dutch Oven, Ironer, and Freezer pages. A fun book to look through!


Post# 143297 , Reply# 48   7/18/2006 at 10:39 (6,463 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)        
A Maytag Atheneum!!!

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What a great posting!! Thank you, I'm going to enjoy these images for a long time.

Post# 143415 , Reply# 49   7/18/2006 at 20:23 (6,462 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

WOW Geoff! Thanks. All the E2M needs is a set of handlebars to grip when kickstarting the motor. The laundry person could use the bar for leverage to rise up high with elbows locked then jump down on the pedal. I guess is should have the throttle located there also. Did it come with the exhaust hose or did they figure that if you didn't have electricity that you would have to wash outside during the daytime? I can't imagine washing by the light of a kerosene lantern.

Do they still mention the attachments like the butter churn that can freeze ice cream when you fill the tub with ice? That would be an ice cream social that I would not want to miss. I wonder if our mothers and grandmothers would tell us to stop opening the lid because we were letting the cold out? Jeff once had a service call at a nursing home or some similar institution where they used an old Maytag conventional washer to mix chocolate pudding. I guess it was the instant kind. You would need an old Easy with vacuum cups and the gas burner under the tub for cooked pudding.


Post# 143496 , Reply# 50   7/19/2006 at 07:28 (6,462 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Ken ... These magazines are a sort of historical library, aren't they? They sure are a wonderful example of what Maytag was like during the 1950's. I keep searching for more of them. Who knows ... more might turn up!!

Tom ... You're right! All you need are a set of handle bars and you could probably drive that E2M down the road!! :-) No mention of the butter churn and/or ice cream maker. I think those were primarily for machines made before 1939/1940; they needed the tall agitator post to operate but I could be wrong!! I don't ever recall seeing a churn or ice cream maker for the E, J, or N.

I think our mothers would have just told us to stay away from the machine, period!! I know mine did (and so did my Aunts). I have heard of cleaning cucumbers for pickles, washing golf balls, cleaning collard greens, making pie crust, and even cleaning chicken gizzards (in various Maytag News articles) but I've never heard of making pudding in one!! Now THAT'S one more I can add to the list!! Maytag Company had a clear-tub Model J demonstrator that they would pull out for their company picnics and mix Kool-Aid in it. Can you imagine how many packets of Kool-Aid and how much sugar you'd have to use; guess we could figure it out ... the J held 18.1 gallons of water to the water line. I guess they would just lower the hose to get the Kool-Aid out.

HOPEFULLY, they included an exhaust hose with the purchase of an E2M. What if you bought one and lived in rural Minnesota. You couldn't wash out on the porch in the winter time ... unless you liked to do wash with a heavy coat, mittens, stocking cap, and boots on!! :-)


Post# 143548 , Reply# 51   7/19/2006 at 12:36 (6,462 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)        
Glad you work for us and not Homeland Security--SUCH DATA!!!

mickeyd's profile picture
How many dozens and dozens of Maytag Wringers have I seen in my life, and not once did I see a timer model. The timersticks right out in that "ad for the month" Do you think Geoff, that there are any of these times models around?

I love suds-returns and in a while I'll find my magnifing glass because I can't wait to read the text, although the pictures suggest a marriage between a sump pump and guts of a toilet tank ;-D.

Still trying to figure out why there was no auto shut-off on the Maytag until I realized that my much beloved Easy has a 20 minte bell timer with no shut off for anything.

My aunts, too, told us to stay away, except for wonderful Aunt Lenore (Mickey) --my namesake--who let me play with and help her do the wash in her Easy Spin to my heart's content. Sure the she's in heaven, I pray to her often. And my Mom would hold me up to watch the fabulous Unimatic when I was a toddler.

By the way, that machine like the early Maytag you've been talking about had no lid switch either.


Post# 143581 , Reply# 52   7/19/2006 at 14:48 (6,462 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Geoff, I remember a Consumer reports article on wringer washers in the pre-war period where they tested them for corrosion potential. They showed a picture of a tall post drive Maytag after the test which was sitting for 12 or 24 hours with a solution of washing soda in the tub. The post on the Maytag was kinda chewed up because it was aluminum. I did not realize that the "attachments" did not sit over the Gyrator, but on the drive shaft.

Mike, The adults who took time to talk to us when we were children and who allowed us to wash and cook and vacuum with them must have a special place in Heaven, for they were the exception to the usual adults who dismissed our important interests and, by so doing, dismissed us, too. I have wonderful memories of mostly neighbors who let me see how they did laundry and cook. There were long distance trips to the grandparents' homes where I learned about washing in Maytag wringers. There was a wonderful family across the street from where we rented a house for a few months in Decatur, GA while our house was being built. I was not yet 5, but their older daughters were very kind to my brother and me. One Saturday morning, I was invited over there, and my parents actually let me go, and I and the whole family were in the kitchen doing laundry. I got to help load the Bendix Economat, watched it at the beginning of the wash agitation and saw the water slop over the top of the agitator which was hollow with that little grid in the opening. I watched the mother pick an item out of the suds and wipe around the side of the porcelain dome so that there would be a good seal when we closed the lid. After the wash extraction, I got to push the red button in the handle to release the vacuum so we could open the lid to watch the rinse. They all got quiet so that I could hear the hiss when I pressed the red button. It was fascinating to watch it fill from under the agitator. When the Bendix was done, the clothes were taken out of the washer and handed to me so that I could load them into the Bendix dryer and turn it on. The father worked for Carrier so they had window air conditioners and he was an electrical engineer which, I guess, explained why all of their appliances were electric. The only electric kitchen appliance that they did not have was a dishwasher. They moved to a very nice house after we moved, but my parents were not interested in seeing them so we never got to visit their new house. Several years later, the father helped dad install our air conditioner and told me that they had a set of Westinghouse SpaceMates in the kitchen. There was one other fascinating experience with that family that, like the laundry morning, was never repeated but still is etched in my memory as a wonderful experience. They were members of Decatur First Baptist Church. One warm Sunday morning, we met them to go out to lunch, I guess. The daughters took my brother and me to this hillside behind the Sunday School building and showed us this little park. I think that there might have been some playground equipment, but what I remember most vividly was a small waterfall trickling over the rocks in the hill. It made the place seem enchanted to have the waterfall in the middle of the town. Above all of this was a woods so it was like some setting out of a story where the kids are in a forest. I wonder if these 4 family members ever knew how much joy they brought into my life. I am sure that once the mother and father got to Heaven, they were made aware of how great a gift they had given a child that they had not known for long; not by doing a great or out of the ordinary or expensive thing, but "just" by their kindness that brought magic and joy to a child with a special interest and by raising such fine daughters who would bring magic and joy to others wherever they went.


Post# 143587 , Reply# 53   7/19/2006 at 14:59 (6,462 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        
Corrosion

gansky1's profile picture
I saw this on Ebay a while back, never have seen one eaten away this bad so I saved the picture...

Post# 143601 , Reply# 54   7/19/2006 at 16:05 (6,462 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Tom ... I'm "pretty" sure that you removed the agitator in the old Maytag's to add the churn and ice cream attachments. I'll double-check that, but I'm sure I've seen something where the agitator has been removed and the churn sits over the hex-head drive on the top of the agitator shaft. I know you removed the entire wringer head to put the meat grinder/sausage stuffer on.

The ice cream maker was not made for very long; for the exact reason you stated ... corrosion. Can you imagine what salt would do those cast aluminum tubs and agitators?

The story you told is very moving. Wasn't that great that you had some people in your life who didn't think it was "odd" for you to have the fascinations/dreams/desires/wants that you did? What a blessing you received!! AND what a fantastic memory you've got!!!

Have you tried to find out more about them since that time? That might be kind of cool to do.

Greg ... I think I saw that and thought "OHMYGOSH"!! What in the world did they put in there to make that happen? Do you suppose water just sat in there for years? They might have just drained it when they decided to sell it.

It would have taken a lot for that happen!!


Post# 143793 , Reply# 55   7/20/2006 at 09:59 (6,461 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        
corrosion

Maybe they used too much fertilizer in it when it was outside with flowers growing in it.

Post# 143837 , Reply# 56   7/20/2006 at 13:20 (6,461 days old) by geoffdelp (SAUK RAPIDS)        

Tom ... :-)



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