Thread Number: 8421
Videos of an old Constructa
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Post# 159516   10/9/2006 at 16:09 (6,379 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

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Four videos of an old Constructa frontloader. Most interesting is the part three when the drum with lots of suds goes straight into spin. No neutral drain here. I remember this machine from when I was a kid. Our neighbours had a similar machine.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO foraloysius's LINK





Post# 159526 , Reply# 1   10/9/2006 at 18:34 (6,379 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)        

gansky1's profile picture
I love that!! What a cool vintage washer that is - Jon is going to want one!

Post# 159534 , Reply# 2   10/9/2006 at 18:58 (6,379 days old) by sudsman ()        
I want one

NEET NEET NEET

Post# 159535 , Reply# 3   10/9/2006 at 19:18 (6,379 days old) by westytoploader ()        

VERY COOL machine, that spin-drain and the noise it makes is just awesome! I didn't realize European machines reverse-tumbled so far back!

Post# 159595 , Reply# 4   10/10/2006 at 05:47 (6,379 days old) by 2-drumsallergy ()        
Awesome Machine!

That’s the way to distribute and no balance problems whatsoever. I just love the sound of the Induction motor very industrial.
I remember some of the early Indesits (Also sold in the UK as Sovereign) used to drain and spin that way, the drain pump was driven by the main motor which is very unusual for a front loader.

David


Post# 159605 , Reply# 5   10/10/2006 at 08:25 (6,379 days old) by cbosch ()        
COOL

Very nice videos thanks for posting them I take it from the dial that there was only one cycle?

Post# 159611 , Reply# 6   10/10/2006 at 09:05 (6,379 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK)        

Louis - nice videos! Now that is how to drain... looks quite a violent machine when it started the spin - did these machines have a suspension? Thanks for the link anyway... Darren was here with me lastnight when I clicked on the link and we both literally froze when we saw it go into a spin!

Cbosch - I believe these machines had a cycle timer, but seperate buttons to select cycle/temperature.

Jon


Post# 159618 , Reply# 7   10/10/2006 at 09:28 (6,379 days old) by unimatic1140 (Minneapolis)        

unimatic1140's profile picture
Hi Louis, wow I have never seen a spin-drain front loader before, very cool! Thanks for posting vids!

Post# 159620 , Reply# 8   10/10/2006 at 09:33 (6,379 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK)        
Spin draining

Robert, the Schulthess washers at a launderette a mile down the road from me does spin-drains, too.

Not a clear picture, but in the bottom left corner of the door you can see the water "vortexing" between the tub and the door

Jon

PS - Philips washers in the 1980s also did spin drains... fun fun fun! :-)


Post# 159640 , Reply# 9   10/10/2006 at 11:26 (6,379 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

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Indeed, Philips washers did this too, like my Philips H-axis toploader. Unfortunately you can't see it with that machine, but you sure can hear it.

What I love about the spin in the third video is the motor that works as an electric break after the spin has ended. I have never seen that on any other washer. I have a Braun juice-extractor that has this same system too, but never even thought about it could be used on a washer. I just love this feature, I watched that fragment over and over again!!

BTW, this is a washer that does real boil washes, 100*C, 212*F.

I think this is a bolt down machine that might not be bolted down very well, but I'm not sure about it. Most early Constructa's were bolt down machines, I remember that when the neighbours got a new Constructa and the old bolt down was removed they redid the floor of the mudroom where the washer was located.

This machine has indeed one cycle, with a timer on the left. On the other side of the machine is the dial for the temperature. These early machines didn't have a permanent press cycle or a delicate cycle. The machine in the videos is from around 1956.

Here's a picture of it.









Post# 159643 , Reply# 10   10/10/2006 at 12:18 (6,379 days old) by askomiele (Belgium Ghent)        

O yes they had delicat cycles:p but mostly the housewife needed to adjust the load size and stand by her washer to skip the intermitted spins an shortn the washingcycle. This is one of my favorite washers. I love them, they stands for boiling and that's the only way to get clothes whiter than white:).


Post# 159645 , Reply# 11   10/10/2006 at 12:26 (6,379 days old) by gyrafoam (Wytheville, VA)        
Louis----

Great stuff!

I've been to some coin laundries to wash oversized items and used f/l's that did that. I did not pay attention to the brand but they were BIG f/l's! Must have BIG motors as well!

What is the horsepower of the motor in the Constructa?
Must be pretty strong!

Thanks for sharing!


Post# 159648 , Reply# 12   10/10/2006 at 12:31 (6,379 days old) by robm (Buxted)        

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Louis thanks for these great videos

It really reminds me of the L range Indesits. I remember though, they had barely any distribution and could spin violently. My neighbours machine had puffed out sides where the drum had smash about inside.

My mothers first automatic was the top loader Phillips with the drain spin. It was very stable however, but I do wonder what strain it puts on the motor.

Rob


Post# 159673 , Reply# 13   10/10/2006 at 15:38 (6,378 days old) by pulsator (Saint Joseph, MI)        

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WOW!!! That was AWEOSME!! I guess that's where the older Wascomats got those neat sounds!

Post# 159776 , Reply# 14   10/11/2006 at 03:56 (6,378 days old) by fredriksam (Sweden)        

WOW!!!!!!!!

Thats a really cool machine!. I saw it on the german washing machine forum, but i cant speak or read german very well so..

Thanks to Foraloysius for making a thread about it. It seems the machine is not properly bolt down. It seems to shake some. It was common in some machines that the motor worked as an electric break so it stopped the spin. All Osby machines had that feature. Osby was like wascator machines.

I noticed something strange in the last video. It seems the one filming is turning the dial to spin. You see the shadow of his hand at where the dial is. Did his machine has a problem not doing it self?

Also cool in the first video clip, you hear the timer two times. It really sounds cool. Gotta love these non-electronic program dials!!!!!!!!!



Post# 159779 , Reply# 15   10/11/2006 at 05:14 (6,378 days old) by lederstiefel1 ()        
Constructa

Yessss!!!
My grandma had exactly that machine - I sat hours in front of it, watching the washing-process!
What I liked already at that time - was a child then! - was the real boiling feature and the spinning.....with all the water in!
Ralf


Post# 159852 , Reply# 16   10/11/2006 at 16:52 (6,377 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

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Steve, I have no idea what the HP of this machine is. Actually overhere we use Watts to as a standard for the power of the motor. But I don't know how strong that motor is. My Philips toploader is a Permament Magnet motor with 900 Watts IIRC.

Fredrik, it's possible that the timer doesn't advance anymore by itself. Still nice videos though.


Post# 159881 , Reply# 17   10/11/2006 at 19:33 (6,377 days old) by stratus ()        
Spin drains

i have an obsession with spin drains - as an avid series 90 fan, that was one of my fav features, wicked video - especially the noises it makes nice one :o)

Bran


Post# 160079 , Reply# 18   10/12/2006 at 16:15 (6,376 days old) by irishwashguy (Salem,Oregon.............A Capital City)        

irishwashguy's profile picture
I just love this machine!! When i was using the laundy at school a few years ago, the coin op giagantic machine did the same thing. i thought that it was way cool.Lavamat_John, how old is that machine at the Laundrymat in the pic? When i am in England, i will have to check it out.

Post# 160083 , Reply# 19   10/12/2006 at 17:23 (6,376 days old) by lavamat_jon (UK)        

Ritchie - I believe it dates from the mid 1970s. There are also baby blue Primus washers from the 70s in that launderette, as well as yellow Speed Queen dryers from the same period. They also used to have Duplex washers (anybody remember them?), but they got replaced by boring Ipsos. Boring because every launderette in England seems to have Ipso washers :-(.

Jon


Post# 160093 , Reply# 20   10/12/2006 at 18:29 (6,376 days old) by aquarius1984 (Planet earth)        

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at our local launderette we have primus machines like in EastEnders....

No Dots or Paulines tho. I think her names Vera.

Nick


Post# 160127 , Reply# 21   10/12/2006 at 21:26 (6,376 days old) by jetcone (Schenectady-Home of Calrods,Monitor Tops,Toroid Transformers)        
OOOOHHH

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Louis I want one!

What a klunker, I would love to experiment with boil wash too!

1956 thats almost as old as..........nah!

The sounds are just startling.

jon


Post# 160370 , Reply# 22   10/14/2006 at 19:11 (6,374 days old) by constructa ()        
Constructa washer

good dag foraloysius,

what kind of powersuply does this beautiful machine need? Is it true that it has two motors? Those early constructas were sold with single- and three phase motors for 220V single and three phase powersuply as well as for 380V three Phase.

The spinning motor must have arround 1 1/2 European Hp(about1000w)


Post# 160421 , Reply# 23   10/15/2006 at 03:31 (6,374 days old) by foraloysius (Leeuwarden, Friesland, the Netherlands)        

foraloysius's profile picture
Hi,

This washer is owned by a member of the German club.The link is below. This machine is owned by member Manu, you can see pictures in the "Meine Waschmaschine und Ich" thread.

I think you could be right that this machine might have two motors (actually three if you include the motor for the pump). One motor is for washing and one for spinning. I think it is the wash motor that works as a break after the spin.

Louis



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