1953 Bendix automatic home washer

[74simon]

Great find Richard, your luck sure seems to be in at the moment!

 

Was the old girl still plugged into the mains too? 

 At least you know the fill valves don't leak!

 

At the expense of being a bit Heath Robinson, I wonder if you could get away with putting some board across the chassis at the bottom, with some bricks or breeze block type things on top to weigh it down enough - although don't they weigh a ton anyway? I guess if it were run empty but for water there wouldn't be much of an issue with imbalance during spin.

 

Hope she scrubs up nice, she looks a bit like she's overdone the fake tan at the moment! 

 

[abcomatic]

Oh, Richard

"Oh, Richard, I wish you wouldn't bring those home to work on." "What will Mrs.Counselor Neugent think if she sees the lorry drive in with that old thing on the back?" "After all, this is no place for a washer of that caliber; we have Royal Dalton china with hand painted peerywinkles oh them, not a place for some old scrap of a thing!" "
What would my sister Violet say if she knew?" They have a large, luxury house, a sauana, a Mercedes and room for a pony." "Oh, Richard."

I love your new machine, go for it! Happy washing, Gary

 

[ricky5050]

Ha ha

But Hyacynth!!!!

One of my male friends can do the "Richard" in a shrill accent quite well.

It's very funny,

Thanks I'll send as many updates as I can when I can, Simon yes it was plugged in, it seems the owner was a 90 year old lady who must have had the house rewired in the 80s so it had new style plugs , the new owner was keen for me to try it but I thought it wise not to! I don't know how to do any safety electrical testing other than use a rcd plug.

The mains cable has stiffened and I will replace it but the internal cable look ok.

The casing is filthy and painted , everything in the house looked either nicotine or greasy as the machine was hidden in a cupboard it may have been plugged in but not used for years.

It's such a simple machine it makes modern machines look unnecessarily complicated. Although the lack of suspension may be an issue I may have to maybe try it empty only

Richard

 

[74simon]

Hey Richard,

 

I noticed on an earlier thread Mathew (Keymatic3203) mentioned that the internal wiring of the motor is prone to losing its rubber insulation and shorting out, so that's one thing to check for! Although looking at your pictures, I wonder if it was rewired at some point, it looks like PVC insulation to me, and i'm pretty sure that that wasn't commonplace, if found at all, when this machine was built.

 

An RCD will prevent you getting a shock even if the machine isn't properly earthed for whatever reason, but it's a good idea to check all the earthing points on the machine to make sure they're not corroded, tarnished, loose or damaged, and that there's good metal to metal contact. A new mains cable is very wise! Sometimes old appliances can trip an RCD even if they're working properly, but they tend to involve heating elements, not a problem here!

 

What an RCD won't do is trip if a short circuit occurs, but the fuse in the plug should blow instead - as there's no heater, and if the motor wattage isn't specified, I'd try it on a three amp fuse first, as I reckon the maximum wattage should be way less than than 700 Watts. 

 

Have you got a multimeter? Even a cheap £8 jobby can be pretty useful, and I'd be happy to explain how to use one to check earth continuity, faults to earth and the condition of powered bits like motors and elements before the machine is tried out! Or if anyone else wants to know, give me a shout.

 

Mind you, I think the new owners of the house did the scary bit - do you know if they actually put it through a full cycle, water and all? 

 

[74simon]

Just found this video by another collector - although it's an earlier machine, it's spinning without being bolted down, and it seems to be pretty well behaved with a steadying hand - I'd assumed it'd make like that video where some bloke chucks a housebrick into a washer, but I guess the weight of the old girl and the low spin speed makes it rather more stable than that!

 

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[gorenje]

My congratulations Richard and thanks for saving a beauty like this!

WOW! This machine is as old as my mother )) just one month of difference LOL

I hope you will restore it soon.

Ingemar

 

[matchboxpaul]

Congrats!

Hi Richard.

Really pleased that you were able to acquire the machine and that it now has a good home.

As has been said, you have some restoration projects ahead - the 3224, the swanmaid and now the model D Bendix.

Cant pretend to be able to offer any advice - all i can say is keep us all updated with how it goes.

paul

 

[bendixmark]

Jons glass conservatory

Hey Jon when your conservatory like the one Gomez and Morticia Addams had is built you can mark the occasion with a big wash-in party and we shall all dance the mamushka!Anda hey anda hey!

 

[jetcone]

For

Uncle Fester!

EY Carrida!

 

 

 

[chestermikeuk]

Bendix

Hi Richard, really glad you managed to save the Bendix, looks in grand shape and I`m sure you can get it working!!! You have a wealth of information and people on here to help and also Darren C in Lincoln who has the semi automatic version and took his through a bearing change and overhaul a few years ago...Jon Jetcone also gave my model G an oil change and tune up when he visited, also managed to get a few original Spares for this model when Ian closed his Stamford shop last year, so let me know what you may need and i`ll check the boxes..

heres a link to Darrens pics & machine

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chestermikeuk/sets/72157627732935462/detail/

 

[ricky5050]

Hi Mike !

Thanks

My machine seems complete, I need to replace all the inlet and drain hoses and the ones from the water level setting to the tub. So far I think it needs a new mains cable , and the seal around the filter has hardened .

The drum bearings are a bit rumble ing but it has no free play.

Simon thanks for the offer yes I think the machine was plugged in ready to go but I didn't risk it the internal wiring is ok but the mains cable is stiff so I will replace it.

If you can do a little training on the multi meter I know it comes without any guarantee I should know a bit more about the safety factor other than plugging things in then standing around the corner away from it like a wimp wincing at every creak groan and bang things this age make!

Richard.