1958 Norge Dispensomat

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

I see that the flip-over bins for the wash and rinse liquids are out. Are they lost? Way back when this was new, our Kroger store had a display of this control panel with the dispenser cover open and it was rigged up to go through the various functions of squirting water and flipping the little bins to dump the products. I believe that Beads-O-Bleach was a new product at the time and was one of the products that could be added that way although wash powders could be placed in the Belchatronic filter pan and get distributed that way also. Tide and Sta-Puf were also stacked around the display. That was an exciting Saturday at the grocery store. Lots of people stopped to watch it.

Norge agitators were so large for the tub size back then that they really moved water and clothes and earned high cleaning marks from CU. We took some of mom's new foam-backed rugs to a new Norge Laundry Village. Once we got the 1958 green Lady Kenmore, we always took throw rugs to various coin laundries. I chose two or three washers that were right in front of the window. So I loaded the rugs in the machines, added detergent and pushed the coin meter in. One washer would not start. I called the lady attendant over and we checked things for a problem. If you remember those Norge coin washers, they had the unbalance reset on the front right corner, just below the top. It was a chromed flat piece of metal with a forward facing lip at the top and it rode in a little rectangular recess. Well, this one was partly down as it would be if the machine went out of balance. I saw that and asked her if...and before I could finish, she pulled it up and the fill started. I watched the rugs while mom and dad shopped and the lady watched me. When they came back, I unloaded the rugs and noticed to my horror that the soft foam backing on the rugs was now in the bottom of the tub. I quickly slipped out of the door and into the backseat of our car where I tried to hide, but the lady knew which machines I was using and that I was washing rugs in Her new Norges. I saw her come over to the machines and look in and then quickly raise her head and look out the window at our car. I told dad to get out of there and I would explain as he drove away.
 
Hi Tom, what and interesting story! I love to hear things like this. And Yes, the flip over bins are missing from this machine. Im trying to make something to work in their place but have not come up with a solution yet. Please keep a watch out if you ever come across any, in any condition at all!..........
 
Great story Tom. Those women that ran the laundromats were quite stern weren't they!

Jimmy- What a great machine. The controls are just fascinating. Thanks for posting all the pictures. It's almost as good as being there. Beautiful washer, and so space age!
 
Yes that is a beautiful machine, we saw it last year at Jimmy's. I was surprised to see an 8lb tub, I thought in '59 Norge had changed to the blue 12lb tub, but now I think that happened in '60.
 
This is a great machine. And you have it soooo clean! For some reason whenever I hear or see the Norge name I think of Chicago. ... I guess that's where I lived when I saw a lot of Norge stuff, Washers, Dryers, A/C units, etc.

This machine is really jam packed with features, isn't it? I love the "deep rinse" operation.

Thanks for posting the photos, as you can tell we REALLY like photos around here!
 
What a wonderful piece to have in your collection Jimmy. How wonderful that there was one out there for you!

Regarding the cycle control, does the clear back ring change the cycle in the window, and then the knob in front is used to manueuver through the given cycle?
 
Hi Scott, thanks!. Yes, the drum (cycle indicator) is changed by turning the clear larger knob, and the time line (red line) is changed by turning the 3 point chrome knob. And thanks also to you all who directed a compliment to me on the washer. It feels so good to see it appreciated
 
Jimmy, thank you for posting all the close-up pics of the machine. I've seen this as a POD and have always wondered what the intricacies of the control panel were. It's truely a beautiful machine. Bob
 
My favorite Norge...

...thanks for posting this -- The Dispensomat has to be my favorite Norge -- I love the Fabric Selector dots pointing to the correct settings, so cool!

For those of us like me, who can't make a home for a vintage washer or dryer, I love these threads showing all the details, they're like slideshow demonstrations. I admit to pouring over them more than once. I love seeing how the different controls are used, and -- this is going to sound really stupid, and probably is -- but I thought timed washing was a "new" thing -- and here it's been around for nearly half a century. History does repeat itself -- but not as well as this Norge! Beautiful machine!

John
 
Hi Jimmy. What a beautiful machine. I really like the burp-o-lator agitator...I sure enjoyed seeing Robert's burp-o-lator at the convention. Two of my aunts had Norge Time Lines, one with a solid tub so I have many fond memories of Norges. Enjoy the machine....looks like lots of fun to do laundry in.
 
Awesome machine, Jimmy. I drool over its POD every time that it appears. Thanks for sharing.

CR had great things to say about it. I never did quite understand CR's description of the "fabric quide". I get it now that I've seen you pics. What a fascinating system.

Thanks again,

Mike
 
Dude, that is max cool. First picture I saw, I thought "hmm, that control panel looks kinda' large..." and then ..."holy cow!.."

So, timed washing a half century ago, and all those cute dots and the clever rotary knob... I think the first impression of a new owner (back in the day) would be something like, "holy cow this is complicated, it's going to take a month to learn how to use it!" and then as they turned the knobs and saw the dots, it would quickly dawn on them what-all those things were for, and they'd break out in a great big smile for having figured it out the first day and it would dawn on them how darn cool this thing was.

Those were times when common household technology could really surprise people, and there was a sense that all this progress was really making life measurably better. The nearest approximation I have in my own life was when I got my first computer, a Mac SE, and realized, "holy cow!, I can edit my writing without having to use correction-tape and re-type entire pages!"

We can hope the next generation has something like this to look forward to. I've heard that people who have solar photovoltaic systems get this reaction when they come home at night and look at the dial on the inverter in the garage: "wow!, look at all the electricity those things on the roof made while I was at work!" But there's something inherently cool when it's mechanical and you can press a button and see it working. Hmm....
 
Hey Rich, The lid opens 3/4 wide. That gives enough clearance for the opening of the Dispensomat door. Its just like Carolyn Appleby's washer! She likes that kind of music.........
 
It's interesting how many decades would pass before washers could be set for a delay start to take advantage of off peak electricity rates or a skimpy hot water supply or, to combine the two, to take advantage of off peak rates for electric water heating. Norge continued the Dispensomat feature in a much more low key style with a lid on the top of the control panel that would dispense liquid bleach and fabric softener. It was even on the redesigned control panel of the Norge combination which featured a lower, more squared-off control panel.
 
Jimmy, does the bleach & detergent dispense simultaneously during the fill for the wash? Or how does it delay and then dispense the bleach during the wassh.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top