Thread Number: 7228
AtomicDirt is Gone in my new Dream Machine
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Post# 142417   7/14/2006 at 21:00 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        

jetcone's profile picture
A revelation: Bob Salem discovered this mint vintage Bendix sitting all alone in a basement in cleveland. It had no boot so I sent him one so he could play with it for awhile and then that wonderful Bob Salem sent my dream machine along to me via Jeff L in DC.
I picked it up in May after AL & I had a lovely visit with Cal & Jeff and John and Warren.
Al was spoiled rotten by Cal!!

I got a note from Bob "We don't charge for dream machines!"
What a wonderful guy considering he put my boot in and a new belt and water valve.

Here she is up and running in her new home washing out all that atomic dirt!!






Post# 142418 , Reply# 1   7/14/2006 at 21:03 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Here are the bob shots

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timer dial

Post# 142419 , Reply# 2   7/14/2006 at 21:03 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
bob shot 2

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load dial

Post# 142421 , Reply# 3   7/14/2006 at 21:04 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Bob shot 3

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the latch mechanism

Post# 142422 , Reply# 4   7/14/2006 at 21:06 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
in action

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Atomic dirt is gone


Post# 142423 , Reply# 5   7/14/2006 at 21:08 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Proof

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See the geiger counter is at ZERO!

Post# 142424 , Reply# 6   7/14/2006 at 21:09 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Oops

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I guess it can't wash out the hot atomic dirt on the bod!



Post# 142425 , Reply# 7   7/14/2006 at 21:10 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
All done with...

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DASH!!


Post# 142429 , Reply# 8   7/14/2006 at 21:19 (6,466 days old) by westytoploader ()        

Jon, congratulations on a beautiful machine, and with a splashy wash which is ALWAYS fun! Love the hidden controls with the flip-up cover and sliding door release; is that what makes this particular model a dream machine? Definitely would for me!

Thanks for posting!


Post# 142431 , Reply# 9   7/14/2006 at 21:20 (6,466 days old) by bobofhollywood ()        
Dash

Dash is what my Grandmother liked best.

Beautiful Bendix, man.

Bob in Cleveland is an Angel without a doubt.

Holla from Hollywood.

Bob


Post# 142433 , Reply# 10   7/14/2006 at 21:25 (6,466 days old) by brent-aucoin ()        

Very cool Jon!
That is such a great looking Bendix! I always have always liked this style.
I am glad to see that you and Al are doing okay. Glad that you basement dried out.
Thanks for the pictures.
Brent


Post# 142437 , Reply# 11   7/14/2006 at 21:53 (6,466 days old) by dalangdon (Seattle, WA)        
Atomic Bendix

I used to have a copy of that Bendix ad around here somewhere. That was a hoot!

Post# 142438 , Reply# 12   7/14/2006 at 22:08 (6,466 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
Jon the machine is MINT, not to mention just georgous. Love the Hot atomic dirt on that hot bod!

Suds 1/2 up the window, another perfect front load wash.


Post# 142448 , Reply# 13   7/14/2006 at 23:44 (6,466 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
I know I can get all that dirt off that hot bod!!!!! SWOON! Umm, nice washer too.

Post# 142465 , Reply# 14   7/15/2006 at 03:29 (6,466 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture
Sooo beautiful!!

Leave it to Jon to have a geiger counter in the house!


Post# 142472 , Reply# 15   7/15/2006 at 06:21 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
You are correct sir... have geiger will travel

jetcone's profile picture
Now here are the facts:

Post# 142473 , Reply# 16   7/15/2006 at 06:24 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Robert

jetcone's profile picture
I knew you'd LOVE that 1/2 full window!!



Post# 142476 , Reply# 17   7/15/2006 at 06:39 (6,466 days old) by gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        

Very kool Bendix---what vintage? Pre-'53? Did this one also keep wash water hot? Good to see your basement does not still contain all that water!

Always good to see someone get a "dream machine".


Post# 142495 , Reply# 18   7/15/2006 at 08:26 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Steve

jetcone's profile picture
we don't quite know what year this machine is. Robert and I think it's a 1955 or 56 but I need to get ahold of John E. he is the Bendix expert--Oh John are you here???????????????????

Robert thinks the '56 had the controls in the upper left corner and when Philco bought them out in '57 they just slapped a Philco badge on top of that design.



Post# 142501 , Reply# 19   7/15/2006 at 09:34 (6,466 days old) by rickr (.)        
Looking good!!

rickr's profile picture
Great machine Jon! Glad all that atomic waste has been flushed out of your house! LOL!! Congratulations on this dream machine, and thank you for sharing the photos.

Post# 142514 , Reply# 20   7/15/2006 at 11:02 (6,466 days old) by golittlesport (California)        

golittlesport's profile picture
thanks for the pictures Jon! Very cool washer...congrats!

Post# 142531 , Reply# 21   7/15/2006 at 12:29 (6,466 days old) by lightedcontrols ()        
WOW!

Well Jon, Glad you got one of your dream machines! Now that your clothes will be ''three ways'' cleaner, I'll have to don sunglasses next time I see you! Your colors!!! Your whites!!! Your etc.......

Post# 142543 , Reply# 22   7/15/2006 at 13:39 (6,466 days old) by dalangdon (Seattle, WA)        

Thanks for posting that ad, Jetcone :-)

Post# 142546 , Reply# 23   7/15/2006 at 13:43 (6,466 days old) by gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        
Jet---

I believe Jon E. has one like that---I'll have to go back and look at the photo's of my last visit to see.

Kim (formerly 'Duomatic'---- now ---'Washndry'---I think) is another big Bendix wizard ---so he might also know.



Post# 142553 , Reply# 24   7/15/2006 at 14:07 (6,466 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Thanks guys

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Mark-- I'll wear grays for you so you don't have to put on sunglasses.

Steve-- I forgot that you had been to the sacred Bendix Museum!! ANd Kim may know too that would be nice to settle the mystery.

Dan-- I knew I had a copy of that famous ad around here somewhere, I think it is one of the Apexes of the Cold War era for sure! "Even our laundry will survive a nuclear attack and come out clean!" YA Right!!



Post# 142561 , Reply# 25   7/15/2006 at 15:04 (6,466 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        
Lead-Lined Basement

gansky1's profile picture
There was an ad that featured your model Bendix with the Atomic Proof theme as well - from about 1955, I think.

Mixing radioactive isotopes into your test soil? Foolproof! That DynaSurge cylinder makes all the difference!


Post# 142563 , Reply# 26   7/15/2006 at 15:32 (6,466 days old) by decodriveboy (FL, US)        

What a beautiful machine! Would love to see a video, hint hint. Those hidden controls were such a cool feature.

Post# 142717 , Reply# 27   7/16/2006 at 07:07 (6,465 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

foraloysius's profile picture
Congratulations Jon on finding that machine. She is very pretty.

Where did you get the atomic dirt to do the tests?


Post# 142747 , Reply# 28   7/16/2006 at 10:21 (6,465 days old) by mrtide ()        
What a great machine Jon

I love these old Bendix, Philco-Bendix, combos or just straight washers. Hope you didn't lose any machines in that big rain up there.

Post# 142788 , Reply# 29   7/16/2006 at 14:34 (6,465 days old) by gregm ()        
very nice Jon

Wow, Jon, another bendix ...... well you know what I always say ........... good for you ........hahahah, no, seriously, that is a beautiful machine, aside from controls or placement of is it basically the same as the one we picked up in NY ?

Post# 142790 , Reply# 30   7/16/2006 at 14:38 (6,465 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Hello MrTide Hello Louis

jetcone's profile picture
Thank you I did not lose any machines ,I have them all up on 6 inch platforms just for that purpose. I did however get the worst flu walking the dog thru the floodwaters I ever had. 2 months later still no sense of smell back only scant whiffs here and there so I know its in there somewhere.
DONT EVER go walking in flood waters if you can help it.I can't imagine what the people of N.O. were walking through last year.

Louis glad to see you are still alive and kicking!! I hung Al upside down by his tail and shook him out over the clothing! That provided enough Fall Out to measure with and now he is sparkling too!

Lately he has taken to digging in my garden and just loves it , he rolls in the dirt and moans--typical Terrier!!

So he was full of radioactivity!!!!!!

gnawty dog!



Post# 142792 , Reply# 31   7/16/2006 at 14:44 (6,465 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK)        

Wooooooo!!! I love that. The Bendix frontloaders have always been my favourite vintage frontloaders - out of anything European or American! The flip up control cover is also very dandy. And I just LOVE those suds!

Jon


Post# 142799 , Reply# 32   7/16/2006 at 14:55 (6,465 days old) by mayken4now (Panama City, Florida)        

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Jon:

What an awesome machine you have there. Certainly, a beauty for your collection



Post# 143116 , Reply# 33   7/17/2006 at 15:24 (6,464 days old) by jasonl (Cookeville, TN)        
Load selector

I was hoping the selections would have been Small Load, Full Load, Bob Load.

AWESOME as hell machine! I can hear that spin already. WEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!


Post# 143119 , Reply# 34   7/17/2006 at 15:41 (6,464 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Austin

jetcone's profile picture
What makes it a dream machine is the control styling but also I find the early Bendix Gyromatics to be "un" designed esthetically from a consumer standpoint. You look at my old '53 which John has and the dials are well..uninspiring.

These last several years of Bendix 55,56,57 all had industrial desgin pumped back into them like the original 1930's models. They were designed to attract the consumer to catch their eye.
And this one is especially dear because it does not say Philco anywhere on it.
I'm not saying I am anti-Philco but I am very Pro-Bendix now that I have read their history.

You know I always overlooked these machines because they were so simple, so basic. I didn't realize that ,that element of simplicity was due to them being the first in everything to do with most automatics -frontload or topload. Their patent base forced all their competition to go in very different directions---just look at the shape of the Westinghouse slant front tub & vanes for starters!!
In 1939 Westinghouse paid Bendix $125,000 to use the flush drain technology for their front loader. In today;s money that is equivalent to $3.0 million dollars to use a patent!
Today we take flush/drain for granted but in 1936 that had to be invented it didn't exist.
And thats just one example of how I have come to admire Bendix Home Appliances.
They also invented the BEST tub damping system ever used for a front loader but hardly anyone has ever seen it!! They only used it for one year in the Gyramatics and I have one I found by accident, it is like no other Bendix ever built,AND it is more stable than any other FL I have ever used.
Again they lost use of the technology because the Home appliance division got sold off from the Aviation division early on and the patent was done by one of the aviation engineers. So that is when they were forced to go to the 4 spring 2 shock technology.
Which is good but not as good as what they had.
I could go on and on.

jet


Post# 143158 , Reply# 35   7/17/2006 at 18:57 (6,464 days old) by blackstone (Springfield, Massachusetts)        

blackstone's profile picture
Jon,
I loved the Bendix radioactive dirt ad. I think that I have a geiger counter around, too. I never knew it could be used for testing washing machines. Glad to hear that you are feeling better.


Post# 143174 , Reply# 36   7/17/2006 at 19:34 (6,464 days old) by peteski50 (New York)        
Bendix!

peteski50's profile picture
Jon,
This is such a awsome find. Many Best Wishes. I like the controls on the front like this unique setup.
Peter


Post# 143467 , Reply# 37   7/19/2006 at 00:13 (6,462 days old) by tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

Jon, Thanks for sharing pictures of your dream machine. In the shot of the timer dial, I see WARM just before the 9. Did they pull a Westinghouse and put the wash temp selection in the timer? Would you please explain the flush away drain? Do you mean the assured (spray) rinse after the wash or the sump/strainer arrangement? One thing Westinghouse did not buy was the spin between the 2nd and 3rd rinse, a big drawback in my book. In 1956 or so, the cleaners in our new shopping center had a laundry section with a whole line of these machines with the sideways door release. Sometimes when we were in there picking up drycleaning or daddy's shirts, I would give in to my baser desires and make a dash over to the machines if I did not see any of the laundry ladies that ran them. Of course, I always got a talking to by my parents for doing that, but it was worth it. The business put Philco Bendix coin op washers in when they made that part of the operation into self service. The PB machines had two ivory-colored knurled knobs: one for hot or warm wash and one for warm or cold soak and rinse. Later they installed those awful Maytag commercial Highlander washers with the orange light in the middle of the dummy dial in the middle of the control panel.

Post# 143479 , Reply# 38   7/19/2006 at 04:52 (6,462 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)        
Beauty!!

chestermikeuk's profile picture
Hi Jon

Glad to see another dream machine finds its rightful home...

I take it the slide is the door release, was it just on this Bendix machine that this release as used??

Any chance of a pic of the damper system??

Cheers, Mike


Post# 143544 , Reply# 39   7/19/2006 at 12:19 (6,462 days old) by bearpeter ()        
Excellent legs too!!!!

Great machine but even greater pins on the geigher tester!!!!

Yay!


Post# 143557 , Reply# 40   7/19/2006 at 13:25 (6,462 days old) by mickeyd (Hamburg NY)        
RE: your olfactory loss

mickeyd's profile picture
Have you tried zinc, 25-50 mg ?

Love the close ups of the controls, but gaga over what must be a Blackstone Temp Control on the right. Never seen one in person, a dream machine for me.

Speaking of smells, the scent of Dash produced during the late 60's & 70's is my favorite scent. How could I get some? I am forever sniffing the boxes and jugs in the detergent aisles, hoping that Proctor And Gamble will re-issue that scent under another label.


Post# 143619 , Reply# 41   7/19/2006 at 17:41 (6,462 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)        
Big Switches!!

chestermikeuk's profile picture
Hey Jon

Were gonna have to start callin you "Massive Dials Jetcone" from now on, whats with this.....

Most of the machine in your basement have "Massive Dials"....Bendix...Blackstone....etc...whats with this???

Cheers, Mike
Baking in 30d heat
No Air Con
Midnight In The Garden
2 Bottles del Vino Later!!!!
Goodnight!!!
hic!


Post# 143650 , Reply# 42   7/19/2006 at 20:49 (6,461 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
Hey All

jetcone's profile picture
Mike-You know I love big knobs! I wish I was there in that garden with you! What a great spot.
We've had 100 degree heat here too, last nite was a rip roarin thunderstorm here. Al never is bothered by them but he leaped into bed!

BearPeter--- I LOVE YOUR post! Leave it to a Scotsman to notice anither's gams!! These are Dunlop legs from Ayrshire.
I was just over to the mithercountry last year. We whooped it up at the Witchery!!

Well Mikeyd, if you get out this way ever there are two Blackstones sitting there waiting for laundry.


Post# 143930 , Reply# 43   7/20/2006 at 21:40 (6,460 days old) by appnut (TX)        

appnut's profile picture
tom, there's a similar washer out in AZ. From what I could tell with playing with the timer dial, you set the wash temp and let it fill to the water level set and once filled, advance the timer to the wash minutes. First on timer was hot and then warm.

Post# 144479 , Reply# 44   7/23/2006 at 10:06 (6,458 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
HI Tom & Bob

jetcone's profile picture
Not quite correct Bob, on the wash control, the control works just like a Westinghouse, you advance the dial to hot or warm and the machine starts from there and fills with either hot or warm and then when the level control is satisfied the timer motor kicks in and goes through the cycle.
The timer on this machine is like no other I have heard yet. Robert seems to think it's broken but it appears to work just fine.
It advances in a deep SNAP sound and there is no whirring or ticking between snaps. It just sits there and then goes snap to the next increment. Snap!

And I think it was definetly a low use machine because the clutch is still hefty, when you first load the machine dry and start it it goes into spin as it fills!!
Bendix designed that in because they wanted to distribute the clothes evenly after drain, they wanted a slight increase in tub speed when the last water was drained out before the spin solenoid kicked in. They patented this idea as a type of clothes balancing act before spin.
If you get a heavy use machine the clutch gets warn down to the point this pick up in speed no longer happens once the tub is empty.
Anybody else ever experience this in a Bendix?? Or the snap timer?? Is Robert right,that I've got a bum timer on my hands??


Post# 144492 , Reply# 45   7/23/2006 at 11:18 (6,458 days old) by customline (pennsylvania)        
Great !!!!!

Holeee kripes that's a great machine. Hope you enjoy it.


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