1961 Duo-Matic Twin Tub

[keymatic3203]

More marketing talk

I see Alan in your colston ariston brochure, the automatics, LB range features the `Exclusive hydrostop action' to prevent creasing, would this be Rinse hold lol as featured on most automatics since the 60's. Mind can't be critical being a hoover fan, with Creaseguard lol.

Plus the LB616 and LB515 have the spin dry action that prevents creasing, is that the pulsed spin as we know of from the XD90 etc washer dryers. The basic LB413 I assume has a slow enough spin speed not to trouble fabrics with creasing, 400rpm I think.

These look good honest washers, it's just the gimmicky sales phrases like those mentioned earlier in the thread about the 60's machines that amused me.

Mathew

 

[triumphdolomite]

Rolls
I saw the Duomatic name on the motor but hadn't thought of it being a sticker until you mentioned it. When I get a minute I'll tip it over again and have a look, I'm guessing it will probably be a blank space left specially to put the sticker into.
Regards
Ian.

 

[optima]

LB 515

The Colston LB 515 comes across as having the final spin sequence close to the classic Ti Creda "Rhythm spin" 800 but with no mention of the actual top spin speed though.

 

[paulc]

I’m assuming

The LB515 had a 500spin and the LB616 had a 600 spin seein as the later LB520 has a 500 spin, the 420 was a 400spin and the LB820 was an 800spin machine.

Thanks for posting that brochure Alan.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Reply #97, photo #6

The Ariston LB620 with its square filter access door, looks quite like a Zanussi.

I like the look of these machines, especially the square filter door ones.

With such low spin speeds (400/500rpm), its no wonder Colston/Aristons went on, and on, and on... But surely they couldn't have been that popular in Britain? One would have to have a spin dryer to dry laundry in reasonable time.

Alongside other factors such as plumbing-in, this might also explain why some UK housewives held onto their twintub machines for longer than the rest of Europe - because of better water extraction. I remember when my mum decided on the Hoover A3110 Electronic automatic, the 1100rpm spin was one of the factors that persuaded her to get that machine. She just would not entertain a poor spin efficiency.

 

[keymatic3203]

Rolls

I think your right about spin performance, at least for those who couldn't afford to buy and run a tumble dryer, and back in the 70's most couldn't, mum always said so long as she had a spin dryer she could cope without a washing machine, that's only cope mind not be without if they could afford one. So yes in small kitchens/houses with no central heating, during wet spells drying the wash was a greater issue than washing it. I don't know about anyone else around the country, but the launderettes in our area didn't exactly encourage drying only customers.

Digressing again, I remember when we first moved into our house, 1999,no heating, not yet plumbed in the hoover 1100, so had a few months with the hoovermatic, it was when launderettes started to get quieter, so they then encourage drying customers, I went in after my hour with the twin tub, accosted by the woman running the place, do those need spinning?, I practically did a Catherine Tate's Derek, `how very dare you' lol they most certainly do not,lol.

So yes at this stage those bottom of the line machines may have proved a false economy in the UK.

Mathew

 

[gizmo]

Alanlondon

Interesting about the spinners not being water tight.

We had Lightburn twin tubs here in Australia, they had the same thing. The wash tub was fibreglass, the spin outer tub was galvanized sheetmetal and didn't seal to the spinner shaft. The floor of the spin can had a hole in the centre with a collar about 4 inches high, the spin shaft came up through the collar but there was a fair clearance, enough that the spinner could vibrate a bit without the shaft hitting the collar. It was important to keep the pump running during spin so that the water level didn't rise up over the collar, as water would then run inside the collar and over the motor. The motor had a shield to stop water getting inside but it would still have been messy.

There was only a single pump, driven by the wash motor, so you had to have the wash paddle swinging back and forth during spin, even if there were no clothes in the wash tub. It sounds barbaric today but they were a highly regarded machine, they had a strong wash action with a big paddle that swung left - right in the wash tub, could get anything clean. And the spinner was amazing, a huge induction motor that went from 0 to 2800 rpm in about a second, full or empty. You could hear the water blast against the sides of the outer spin drum.

The spinner brake was just a leather belt that tightened around a wheel on the spin shaft when you opened the lid. It still took several seconds to wind down from spin. When I was in primary school a girl I knew put her arm inside the spinner as it was coasting down, intending to slow it sooner. It broke her arm.

They were very reliable, though if you didn't thoroughly rinse out the spinner after use, the sheetmetal would rust through. I repaired one with fibreglass a few years ago.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Gizmo

Thank you for the concise explanation.

I had been wondering what 'Alanlondon' meant about the spinner compartment not being sealed. I had wrongly presumed that there was a problem with the seal between the 'spin tub outer' and the top deck.

It never occurred to me for one moment that there would be a gaping hole with a paltry collar - and proper operation of the system being reliant upon the pump working properly. You certainly couldn't do a Hoover type 'spinarinse' in it.

 

[anthony]

there was

an English electric version of that frigidaire twintub it was mechanicaly identical .Also the little round fridgidaire spin dryer was not water tight .it had a rubber collar about 2 inches high consequently if you poured too much water into it it would come pouring out the bottom.can anyone tell me what the lever on the front of the ADA tt was for ? the reason i ask is i once saw a TT that had a similar lever all it did was move the one and only motor from the washer to the spinner

 

[rolls_rapide]

The Spectator Magazine

14th Dec 1962...

Midway through the page, a small article about the washing machine wars.

(Possibly best read by dragging the original magnification about, because the supplied scan has irritating scanning errors).

http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/14th-december-1962/30/consuming-interest

 

[rolls_rapide]

The Spectator Magazine

12th June 1964...

Mentions Bloom's Bulgarian holidays - which appeared not to be quite as advertised - nothing new there then!

http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/12th-june-1964/29/consuming-interest

 

[hoovermatic]

Lever on the front of the ADA

It's connected to the pump. IIRC to the left was 'wash & spin' and the right was 'empty tub'

 

[keymatic]

Hi Anthony,

As Paul said the lever on the front of the Ada-Matic also like the AEG Lavalux, this was a valve, this allowed water to flow into a two-way port diverter from either the wash tub or spinner, then one exit to the pump. It was an economical solution without having to have separate pumps.

 

[foraloysius]

The later Agilux had a smaller lever on the control panel. I guess that had the same function.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Rolls twin tub

This photo of Milestones Museum is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Notice that the 'Rolls' mark is rather ornate on this machine! When did that happen? I was only ever aware of the block lettering.

 

[keymatic]

Austin,
With reference to your question in Thread 88# - the Frigidaire doesn't have an auto-rinse feature and rinsing is done by filler hose into the spinner.

Thread 113#
That "Rolls" logo is very swirly - I think it would have been an earlier design as the later logo was as you say more block style and always in the left-hand corner.

I had some information come through the other day, EMELEC ? just a Rolls re-branded under the East Midlands Electricity Board.

Cheers
Keith

 

[rolls_rapide]

EMELEC

Thanks for that.

It looks like the Rolls 'Concorde' in Reply #19, but with squarer lids hinged at the rear, rather than diagonally.

 

[anthony]

thanks

Keymatic and hoovermatic thats certainly satisfied my curiosity about the ADAs lever .They are all interesting machines regardless of how good or bad they were

 

[vacbear58]

More Duomatic

Over the holidays I got a bundle of magazines & brochures which included copies of "Practical Householder" and "Do It Yourself" both from August 1964. Both included a variation of the Automaster advert shown above. The first picture is the whole ad, the second one is an enlargement of teh text to hopefully make it easier to read.

Interestingly both of these magazines would have been directed at men rather than women.

It may be that this machine was a means to entice folks up to the more expensive (but lower manufacturing cost twin tub) or even the more expensive automatic model. This would almost have been a last gasp for Duomatic as they went bust shortly afterwards.

The programming is very limited and it is curious to see Synthetics (aka Permament Press or as we know it Minimum Iron) be in theory a shorter programme than wollens and I suspect the spin drying to be both slow speed and short duration. I think also that it must be a top loading, H axis machine - there have been some front loaders produced with more or less that footprint.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Thanks for the clearer adverts Al.

The adverts were probably in blokes' magazines because of:
(a) Hire Purchase Terms & Conditions - the husband only being eligible to sign a contract;
(b) the 'latest technology' has historically appealed to blokes, hence advertising to them directly;
and dare I say (c) as a nice present to surprise the overworked wife with!

I've been wondering if this 'Automaster' actually ever existed? Perhaps it was a prime example of the 'switch-selling techniques' where folk are enticed in at a lower price, and then pressured to take the dearer model? Along the lines of: "Oh dear! We've had such a high demand for that model, that we're sold out. However, we have this slightly dearer model..."