Thread Number: 75968
/ Tag: Vintage Automatic Washers
And after a mere 6 years, the 57 GE washer is...ready! |
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Post# 998275   6/24/2018 at 17:17 (2,132 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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I have been waiting for this day for a while now... a 'new' washer to play with in the Ogden Laundry!
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Post# 998277 , Reply# 1   6/24/2018 at 17:20 (2,132 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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I am very pleased to present the WA857 (the Canadian version of the WA855 apparently) GE automatic washer! |
Post# 998278 , Reply# 2   6/24/2018 at 17:28 (2,132 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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As you may have read, this one was a bit of a challenge to restore.... OK, part of it is due to aging, but by golly I did it. I did several water tests before the first real wash load and the machine is leakproof (unlike a certain Lady whose name shall not be spoken). I will post some video later this week and I do believe that a washer that had waited 6 years for the 'turquoisedude touch' merits a restoration video. À suivre... It was a great joy to see this cool old washer back in service again after sitting idle for 38 years - it definitely wanted to come back to life! It did a great job on the maiden wash load. Lordy I missed having a filter-flo washer!! Next up... the matching dryer. Stay tuned! |
Post# 998279 , Reply# 3   6/24/2018 at 17:44 (2,132 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)   |   | |
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She's a beauty, Paul, and has a suds saver to boot! Congratulations on completing this longterm project; hope you broke out the champagne and had a proper celebration to mark the occasion. Looking forward to the video when time presents itself. These solid-tub GEs are fascinating. My experience with the brand goes only as far back as the mid-1960s, when--what seemed like at the time--uber fast-stroke agitation and perforated tubs had already been introduced.
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Post# 998284 , Reply# 4   6/24/2018 at 18:51 (2,132 days old) by appnut (TX)   |   | |
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Paul, how exciting an I'm thrilled for you. I'm going to say thank you for such a nice birthday present. A profound celebration for your achievement. I look forward to the eventual video. My only experience with solid tub GEs was our own 1955/1956 MOL sans F-Flo. So I look forward to being able to compare it. P.S., I had no idea the fill flume was to the right of the filter stream. All GEs I've ever know had fill flume on the left side of filter stream. |
Post# 998296 , Reply# 5   6/24/2018 at 20:11 (2,132 days old) by hippiedoll ( arizona )   |   | |
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Post# 998302 , Reply# 6   6/24/2018 at 21:15 (2,132 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)   |   | |
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Post# 998310 , Reply# 7   6/24/2018 at 22:03 (2,132 days old) by peteski50 (New York)   |   | |
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Post# 998319 , Reply# 8   6/25/2018 at 00:57 (2,131 days old) by bradross (New Westminster, BC., Canada)   |   | |
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Post# 998323 , Reply# 9   6/25/2018 at 03:17 (2,131 days old) by beekeyknee (Columbia, MO)   |   | |
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Nice job, Paul. I love me a solid tub. I don’t care about Betty Furness and her sand test in the solid tubs. I loved my sixties Speed Queen A-49 (I think) and matching gas dryer. Great styling, clean clothes and fun to watch IMO. Those incandescent lit glass control panels with the cool graphics were so neat. Your GE has that same look. You can just stand and look as the beauty soaks in.
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Post# 998332 , Reply# 10   6/25/2018 at 06:31 (2,131 days old) by tolivac (greenville nc)   |   | |
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I remember a washer just like this one at our Holloman AFB base home during the early 60's.Was a nice machine.Wish I had one today! |
Post# 998336 , Reply# 11   6/25/2018 at 07:00 (2,131 days old) by bajaespuma (Connecticut)   |   | |
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Archie, did you see the reference to the 857's Lucite covered panels in the Appliance Manufacturers magazine that's being posted in Ephemera?
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Post# 998340 , Reply# 12   6/25/2018 at 07:21 (2,131 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
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Post# 998347 , Reply# 13   6/25/2018 at 08:12 (2,131 days old) by lesto (Atlanta)   |   | |
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What a beauty! I remember so fondly the 59 I grew up with. 59 was the last year with no tub brake. Can't wait to see the video! |
Post# 998351 , Reply# 14   6/25/2018 at 09:02 (2,131 days old) by potatochips ( )   |   | |
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Congratulations, Paul! This is a beautiful restore for a beautiful machine. So glad you have it working! |
Post# 998353 , Reply# 15   6/25/2018 at 09:30 (2,131 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)   |   | |
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Post# 998356 , Reply# 16   6/25/2018 at 09:48 (2,131 days old) by sfh074 ( )   |   | |
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Awesome job Paul! She is a beauty. I can relate to the feeling you'll get every time you use it. Bud - Atlanta |
Post# 998437 , Reply# 17   6/26/2018 at 12:09 (2,130 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 998438 , Reply# 18   6/26/2018 at 12:11 (2,130 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Post# 998439 , Reply# 19   6/26/2018 at 12:18 (2,130 days old) by turquoisedude (.)   |   | |
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Just to illustrate what the washer is supposed to do, here's a video clip taken during the first load test:
So, call it 'spins in activation' or, as the late Larry Olmo put it, 'sympathetic spin', looks like we got a problem Houston. I have already started to figure out how I could correct this, but as jetcone (Jon) explained it to me, I am going to have to pull the transmission out of the 57. Of course this is assuming I can find the part... And we all know what happened the last time I tried to mess with a GE washer transmission... Or I can just hire someone to hold the tub in place while it's washing or rinsing...
I am kinda disappointed, but the machine did look like it had been well-used until it got mothballed in 1980. I did have one victory with a vintage appliance this past weekend though. I am going to concentrate on yard work for a couple of hours before I even start to THINK about the Lady K here in St-Lib.... GGGRRRRR! |
Post# 998441 , Reply# 20   6/26/2018 at 12:39 (2,130 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)   |   | |
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Maybe Jon can hook you up with where he had someone fab up the brake lining? Looks like he included the company info in his post about this a few years ago.
www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/T... Ben |
Post# 998443 , Reply# 21   6/26/2018 at 13:38 (2,130 days old) by pulltostart (Mobile, AL)   |   | |
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Post# 998445 , Reply# 22   6/26/2018 at 13:52 (2,130 days old) by lesto (Atlanta)   |   | |
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Our old 59 had the same problem. There is no tub brake but a tub pall I believe it's called that holds the tub (mostly) still during agitation. Robert can give you more info. His 58 has this same design. |
Post# 998455 , Reply# 23   6/26/2018 at 14:54 (2,130 days old) by hippiedoll ( arizona )   |   | |
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