1947 Baby Bendix's Maiden Wash (with me anyway!)

[decodriveboy]

First off, let me apologize for not having photos up and ready of this momentous occasion, but wanted to share with all immediately....

Some bad news off the bat, transferring her over from the storage area where she's been for the last three years (and never used since I got her off Ebay), the handle got broken in half!!

So me and the bf finally got home, moved the Frigie FL set out of the way to give ample room. "B.B." fired up right away, filled up with water 3/4 of the way up the window as God intended, and began washing a very dirty towel and shirt and did quite a nice job!

Only problems: the dial will not advance on its own, the hose was shot, leaking water all over the floor during drain, and B.B. did the Tootsie Roll all over the place during the spin cycle!

Still, I was very happy she operated at all. I cut the cycle short and reconnected the Frigies, disconnecting B.B. and moving her into a spot of repose until I figure out what can be done to fix the problems at hand.

Will post photos probably tomorrow of B.B. and some of the coolest things the seller included: the original "Workless Washdays" Bendix manual, a bottle of Mrs. Stewart's blueing liquid, a box of Linit dry starch, and an Arm & Hammer Baking Soda box, all period-era. Very exciting stuff indeed!

 

[northwesty]

Congratulations on the maiden wash!

You can still get the timer rebuilt at reeco, I did and it worked great. The hoses shouldn't be too much of a problem. I would try to figure out if there is tranny fluid in there, just in case it has been stored on it's side and somehow it drained out or something. I think that's what happened to mine anyhow.

 

[sudsmaster]

If this is a Bendix front loader, is it one of the models that needs to be bolted down? That would explain the cha-cha-cha during spin

The handle is more tricky. Probably pot metal, might be difficult to weld back into one piece. But you might be able to find a replacement, albeit used, somewhere.

 

[peterh770]

Door handles were bakelite and often broken. It's tough trying to find an intact replacement.

It filled 3/4 up? That is way wrong. The BB has a simple float in a pipe in the back of the washer. Either the float needs adjusting or the switch is shot.

And this guy definitely needs to be bolted down!

Congrats!

 

[decodriveboy]

Some Pics

Bendix

 

[decodriveboy]

Pics

Eeek! Broken door handle

 

[decodriveboy]

Pics

Linit Laundry Starch, a product I had not before heard of.

 

[decodriveboy]

Pics

Laundry Soda.

 

[decodriveboy]

Pics

Labeled "ground strap" from seller.

 

[decodriveboy]

Pics

Like new inside

 

[decodriveboy]

Hello all

Hope you guys enjoy the pics and thanks for the earlier responses. B.B. could be a daily driver if used along with my modern set, but until the hoses are replaced and the timer fixed, she will remain on the side. Only complaint I really have is the slow spin speed, but I was already aware of that before I made the purchase.

It's endearing to think about how excited the first owner must have been to get this item....what a huge improvement over hand-washing even with the very slow spin. The manual actually says, "Congratulations, you are now one of the thousands of lucky women" to own a Bendix! That gave me quite a chuckle.

I bought the machine for about $150, much less than I thought it would be (and considerably less than the cost to ship) but to me, worth every penny.

 

[bundtboy]

glue the handle

it's bakelite. It'll super-glue nicely, and as long as you know not to torque it hard it'll stay put a while, at least long enough for a photo.

That's certainly one beautiful machine.

Congratulations.

B

 

[sudsmaster]

Obviously not pot metal

But a few years back I took a course at a local auto museum about how to recreate various classic auto trim parts, both plastic and metal. Due to other time demands, I dropped the class mid-way through it. It's quite possible that you could send the handle pieces to an individual who specializes in such work, and they could recreate a new handle in a suitable dark brown/black plastic. I would check Hemming's magazine to see if there are any such services available.

Barring that, if I had the machine, I'd probably want to create a new handle by milling billet aluminum or stainless steel. However it probably would be a challenge even on a CNC mill.

In any case, I love the look of your Bendix - the cabinet and wash basket look very good condition, and that is the Deco style that I remember in my childhood home's basement, chugging away most days.

 

[48bencix]

Beautiful

This is the model my mom had and was in use until the mid 1960's. My dad replaced that tub bearing several times. This washer did the wash for a family of 6, a real workhorse. As I remember the spin speed seemed fast at the time, although no match for toploading Maytag or Frigidaire.

The overall design of these machines was built to last a long time. I believe the cabinets are all porcelain finish, as is the tub. I remember that small door below, this has the drain filter, it will filter out coins that are left in you clothes. Modern machines either do not have this or require disassembly to access them.

Since we normally line dryed the clothes, the spin speed was not really a problem. The overall water usage for these units is pretty low, even by today's standards. Check out those old consumer's reports on this site.

It is interesting to think about those times, this washer went for about $350.00, which in today's dollars is $3500.00!!

These were luxury items, one reason my dad kept it going so long.

Of course I remember sitting in front of this washer and watching entire cycles. I love the sounds of the solenoids engaging for spin and drain functions.

Martin

 

[decodriveboy]

Thanks

for sharing the responses. I enjoy hearing stories about how these old machines were sources of entertainment and comfort for many of us when we were younger. Seems like life does come full circle as we still enjoy this sort of thing very much.

Am looking forward to getting this washer in regular, workable condition, and hopefully find some more wonderful pieces to add to my just-beginning collection. With a 950 square foot house and a skeptical but patient husband, I'll need to do some strategic arranging

 

[miele4848]

Bendix washer

I was wondering if it could be possible to build a suspended pedestal to run this machine without the need to bolt it down! Do you think this could be possible?

 

[brettsomers]

Linit

starch in babys bathwater?

and do these Bendix extract better or worse than roller method?

 

[brisnat81]

Starch in babies Bathwater

Starch is an old rememdy for dealing with Nappy rash. I'm assuming that if you were gentle in drying baby, that a slight film would remain, to help protect the skin from moisture.

 

[retro-man]

broken handle

Just as a possible fix for your handle, have you ever tried Gorilla Glue? I have tried this gluing 2 pieces of metal together, cannot get them apart. Have used this on plastic, wood, ceramic and quite a few other things. Just follow the directions on the container, usually one side of the object is wet with water then put the glue on the other side clamp together for 3 or 4 hours and its like it was never broken. Maybe you can save the handle this way. Good luck with the new toy. Jon