1956 filter flo

[marty]

A few shots of the "unused " washer I bought off of Craigslist. The cabinet was used as a shelf, and a squirrel was living on the inside of the cabinet. Yet to my surprise, it was never used to wash clothes. The agitator came right off, and the tub as well with little effort. Under the inner tub was a bunch of stuff the squirrel was stashing. I'm amazed! The only bummer is when my friend brought the washer to me, he forgot to tape the lid down, and it got caught in the wind and smashed into the dial...Busted. So there is that and the fact that it does not have a fitter pan. Enjoy the pics.

Marty

 

[marty]

Pic 2

Another...

 

[marty]

Pic 3

Another...

 

[marty]

Pic 4

And another

 

[marty]

Pic 5

And another...

 

[marty]

Dial?

Anyone have advise about firing up a never used washer? A dial would help, does anyone have a spare? Any help would be very much appreciated!

Marty

 

[redcarpetdrew]

How come I never find machines like this where the squirrel stashes $100 bills?

This will be a nice machine to see come to life. Congrats!

RCD

 

[pulltostart]

Wow

Look at that shiny Activator! What a nice find. Enjoy restoring this one!

lawrence

 

[stan]

Guess the squirrel liked jello!

Suppose you could get it to work without the dial, (one should turn up)
Have you filled it with water yet?

 

[goatfarmer]

Nice save!

 

Drew, if I found a washer with squirrel stashed money in it, it would be Monopoly money....

 

[bendix5]

Awsome machine Marty, Did you keep the pieces of the dial. If so can you puzzle them together and post pic so we know what to look for. I can't wait to see this live. Dano

 

[turquoisedude]

Wow! That's a mint-condition bakelite activator If I ever saw one!! How sad about the dial... You should definitely try to glue them back together again.

For testing - you may need to clean out the pump. If critters got into the tub, their 'leftovers' probably got into the pump and could jam it. I'd give it a 'dry test' without water to see how the electrics behave (ie - if the motor starts and timer runs). When you're ready for a water test, the 'bucket' method is suggested - pour a couple of buckets of hot tap water into the tub and observe. There may be some drips, but this can be due to gasket and seal shrinkage from having dried up over the years. It might just resolve itself!

Great find! It's so hard to believe anyone could resist using a machine like this all these years!!