Hi Chris and anyone else who's interested. I've attached an email my uncle sent me in regards to the Australian Launderoll washer (not to be confused with the Launderall). Enjoy!
Hello Linda,
Thanks for the email. I've put together details as I remember them. My father Edward Martin Hall (Ted) joined a small company called Hygea Washing Machine Company. After President refrigerators went into liquidation, this was circa 1948. He took the position of design engineer at Launderoll.
The Hygea machine was a poor design, and the company wanted my father to design a machine that washed and was reliable. To start with, the owner and manager of Hygea (by the name of Bobby Walder) and Ted flew to a huge white goods show in Melbourne. There Ted picked up the Bendix machine which was front loading. He noticed the rear side of the tumbler was a cone, and the cone lifted the washing to the top, then the tumbler rolled over and the washing would be dropped back into the soapy water. He also noticed through the window at the front of the loader that the washing near the window was simply going round and round in a very small circle and not washing properly. Remember, soap powder wasn't much good in those days, so design was very important. The only brand of soap powder back then was Rinso.
Well, the company set about designing a new machine. I remember my father at the drawing board seven days a week for months. A prototype was built. It used two cones in the tumbler and was a top loader. The design was very successful, did all the right things, so much so that Bobby Walder changed the company name to what my father suggested, "Launderoll P/L". Thousands of these machines were sold right into the mid 1950's.
Problems: Materials were difficult to obtain after the war, ball bearings in particular, wear could'nt be avoided on certain parts, and the drain design was poor - kept clogging.
Interlock
The switches were interlocked so you couldn't have the heater on unless you were heating the water, and you couldn't spin dry unless you opened the drain. The washer was driven by a third H/P Crompton Parkinson electric motor and using belts and pulleys to the dog clutches which shifted from wash to spin dry. The frame was made of angle iron and the tank aluminium, the tumbler was also aluminium with a
hatch and a sliding lock. The hobb was vitrious enamel.
Manufactured at Crows Nest a northern suburb of Sydney .
Best Regards
Roger
Hello Linda,
Thanks for the email. I've put together details as I remember them. My father Edward Martin Hall (Ted) joined a small company called Hygea Washing Machine Company. After President refrigerators went into liquidation, this was circa 1948. He took the position of design engineer at Launderoll.
The Hygea machine was a poor design, and the company wanted my father to design a machine that washed and was reliable. To start with, the owner and manager of Hygea (by the name of Bobby Walder) and Ted flew to a huge white goods show in Melbourne. There Ted picked up the Bendix machine which was front loading. He noticed the rear side of the tumbler was a cone, and the cone lifted the washing to the top, then the tumbler rolled over and the washing would be dropped back into the soapy water. He also noticed through the window at the front of the loader that the washing near the window was simply going round and round in a very small circle and not washing properly. Remember, soap powder wasn't much good in those days, so design was very important. The only brand of soap powder back then was Rinso.
Well, the company set about designing a new machine. I remember my father at the drawing board seven days a week for months. A prototype was built. It used two cones in the tumbler and was a top loader. The design was very successful, did all the right things, so much so that Bobby Walder changed the company name to what my father suggested, "Launderoll P/L". Thousands of these machines were sold right into the mid 1950's.
Problems: Materials were difficult to obtain after the war, ball bearings in particular, wear could'nt be avoided on certain parts, and the drain design was poor - kept clogging.
Interlock
The switches were interlocked so you couldn't have the heater on unless you were heating the water, and you couldn't spin dry unless you opened the drain. The washer was driven by a third H/P Crompton Parkinson electric motor and using belts and pulleys to the dog clutches which shifted from wash to spin dry. The frame was made of angle iron and the tank aluminium, the tumbler was also aluminium with a
hatch and a sliding lock. The hobb was vitrious enamel.
Manufactured at Crows Nest a northern suburb of Sydney .
Best Regards
Roger
