Bendix Washer 1954 italy, naples area...

[kenmoreguy89]

Had to share it despite i decided not to be a contributive member on here time ago....but I thought it would maybe be a dream machine for some here...personally not a fan of FL's, so no interested at all... But like I would not see a dream machine of mine dumped I want not this to happen for others....

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[turquoisedude]

Neat! I never knew that these machines were marketed in Europe!

 

[swestoyz]

This particular Bendix was for sale in St. Louis several years ago. I missed out on it, hoping someday to find a Gyromatic like it...

Ben

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Marketed in Europe.....

Differently than other european countries with the exception of UK....In Italy in the afterwar period, it was preferred and this also thanks to agreements and afterwar helps for regrowth, , to deal goods preferentially with the US and Britain, and boycott germany and their products, this despite german products were of course more near and easy noneless cheaper to get, , this for two main reasons, germans were hated for what they did over here, nazi occupation and all the rest, and then because italians were grateful to americans and also to Brits, for liberation and afterwar helps for the country regrowth, (gratefulness soon forgotten sadly) and this was even more regarding appliances, tv's, radios and or white goods generally, infact big italians or foreign companies (often motor companies) such as Fiat, Ford etc relied on american partnership to import and sell american machines over here...Fiat agreed with Westinghouse, Westinghouse collaborated on it's side with english electric...
Ford to Bendix....Etc....
As the things are now I would have expected GM with Frigidaires to agree with Fiat, but indeed it was the Westinghouse...
It was also common to import privately such goods from USA and or Britain, Brits were seen as "friends" as well....often rich families did that....
There were also american companies as GE creating an italian branch, CGE was the italian GE of the time and they both wholly imported finished goods or just some parts for the final assemblation and or construction here.....
In the same time there were also partnerships with british, BTH (hotpoint) machines were very common also....
Over the time though all this vanished for many reasons, one was that these "extra european" machines were too expensive because of import costs, then the american automatics were hot&cold fill and had no heating element so to be almost impossible to use because hot water lines were still not common in houses over here, even in the richest ones....they just had those old water boilers near bath tub or sinks....
Infact we have to note how just these twin tubs and wringers machines resisted in italian market, when the early american automatics such as bendix and westinghouse soon dissppeared, this was mainly because wringers and TT were easily moved to the hot water source, and more than else the british ones such as bth had even more success as they had their built in heater as a feature....even though very expensive to run because of electricity cost in italy....
As the time goes, italians resentment toward Germany was not so strong, we're now in the early 60s, italy is facing is full regrowth and economic boom....
Germany in this time has grown a flourishing industry of automatics that was already started before the war, machines with built in heater as even in germany as typical for the rest of europe hot water lines or laundy areas and hook ups were not common as well (typical old euro buildings)..... And of the front loader kind, so, cheaper to run than a wringer with it's own heater...using less water...
So italians started now to leave their old twinnies and wringers for the automatics coming from Germany, , and the earliest "first" italian company making washers that did born (candy) then followed the "german" way of machine even though they initially started with the agitator kind, this because as said agitator models were extremely expensive to heat their water....
Anyway, all this to say that if there is a place where you less can be surprised to find vintage american machines in this part of europe is Italy, the proof is that you can also find many others models and brands including maytag wringers etc.. And .this, even if never being marketed in the country directly , but Bought and imported by richest people from US.. They are rare for sure, but less than they can be elsewhere in europe.... So not sure if this machine was purchased here or imported, sure it is rare and maybe a dream machine for a member here.... No matter if germany, france, spain, holland, uk or whatevef ..shippers have been invented for this and often for less $$$$ than you think...so go on if you want it...[this post was last edited: 1/30/2014-18:54]

 

[twintubdexter]

Based on the the Barbie's Dream House-sized machines I've seen on House Hunters International when they're filming in Italy, that Bendix has luxury-sized capacity. The one thing I remember about spending time in Italy ( no international traveler here ) was wall-to-wall clothes lines. They were everywhere. I would bet that who ever bought this would still "hanga the clothes-a up-a on-a the line-a."

 

[foraloysius]

The first automatic washing machine imported to the Netherlands was a Bendix. That was in 1947 or 1948 I believe. In the Netherlands GE was the most popular brand for appliances before European manufacturers started mass manufacturing.

Joe,

The Barbie's dream house sized machines are all European standard sized machines. They can hold more laundry than American machines from the era of the Bendix we are talking about here.

And thank you for not making any fun of other people's accent. I wonder how you do in other languages.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Joe, yes I've always knew it was capient also especially for it's time, and this also since as said VTG (50s) american FL machines were generally smaller, even compared to most of european models of the same time, while american Top loaders were generally bigger and always been so....
I agree that European standard capacity machines may look doll size to an american and that's how I call and consider them also, I do not really know how I could live with one as a daily driver, and not only for the capacity... but we're speaking of VTG here... and anyway just for you to know in recent years many models with bigger capacity are being produced and sold with great market share, they arrive up to 10kgs... so now things are changing in this sense....
Anyway, there should be nothing to say about a personal opinion...no one should object a personal thought...and luckily we all have different thoughts, ideas and opinions others may agree or disagree with....
Talking of VTG, a 1950s constructa or AEG for example was way more capient than a 50s FL westy...
So it's true what Louis said... but also true Bendix made larger capacity ones... and I think this is what you meant...right?
Infact Bendix on the other hand always had the peculiarity to make bigger FL machines than others in the past, not only in the USA but this also later when the european made Bendix front loaders were sold, (actually Philco Ford,or Philco Bendix), but we're speaking of the 60s now....
I recall the catchy commercials from the 60s with the typical Philco catchy song, story and characters, the Philco Ford Bendix mascottes were aliens (ball shaped inhabitants) from a planet named Papalla (Baball is like would sound in english), we're in full space age here so commercials are all about aliens, rockets, robots and so on... and infact it was advertising that every Philco Bendix machines had a bigger drum than others and that's why they washed better, a man voice would explain this, and his voice would make an echo in the drum as it was bigger....
Here the link
Regarding hanging laundry, well.... here we open an immense discussion....
You're correct, Italy was and still is the clotheslines alley country for excellence, not just everywhere though...
Italy has so many landscapes and habits that change from region to region, the building to buildiung clotheslines alleys are mostly found in areas where historically houses were and are made without many balconies or at least one for each family, but just windows, the same way it was in the past for example in NYC tennants apts where very few had a balcony, in certain neighborhoods in NYC all you could see looking at the sky among buildings was laundry swishing and millions clothes and lines of all sorts, infact famous are the old artistic pictures of the so called NYC clotheslines alleys, then of course mostly disappeared with automatic washing and domestic dryers also laundromats and the famous mail laundry services over the time, but there was who didn't want their laundry done by others or to use a dryer so many clotheslines remained but just not like in the past, they are not totally disappeared even now, this despite clothesline bans were issued recently in NYC...a New yorker sure can tell you better and can tell you all the story behind, I bet Launderess being a new yorker knows everything about...
Speaking of Italy...
As said certain landscapes and buildings typology in Italy were and still are prone for clothesline alley to grow, for example in certain cities as Venice,Genova,Naples and their regions as for many others coastal cities you find the most concentration, where I live for example you do not find many,this because in my region historically houses and buildings were made with their own balconies for each family so you just find clotheslines going on the length of the balcony in a parallel way...

But why so many Italians still hang their clothes????? Are they Amish??? Or what???
Answer is simple, electricity costs over here were since always prohibitive compared to the rest of Europe,not to mention USA, so automatic or electric drying always been inaccessible and prohibitive for the most of families, gas dryers were still unknown until recent years....
Just since 2000ish italians became, on a larger scale, aware of existence of gas dryers, now many dealers of gas dryers selling also american agitator machines are raising over here, and many italians are discovering for the first time the convenience of automatic drying as long as for the effectiveness of agitator washers, just think a new BOL gas dryer goes for 1200 to 1500 euros, so about 2000$, the same for washers.... so a matchinhg set cost you 4000$
They're expensive as hell so still not accessible to many nor the most, especially with the deep crisis italy is into.... italian consumer reviews speak theirselves, and so many people are now trying to save to get them...
So yes, many Italians would gladly give upp-a to hang-a on a line-a....but they just cannot afford it...they can of course afford an electric dryer, but cannot afford to run it....
Nice NYC clothesline artistic pictures links

http://www.oregonlive.com/hg/index.ssf/2012/07/from_the_home_front_nyc_mayor.html
http://www.mcmahanphoto.com/lc466.html

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PostcardMondayMorningInNewYorkCity1907.jpg
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2009/05/31/nyregion/31clothesline_CA0ready.html
http://www.jubbling.com/featured_ju...-around-corner-clotheslines-of-1930s-new-york
http://www.shorpy.com/node/4397

[this post was last edited: 1/31/2014-16:26]

 

[kenmoreguy89]

First Bendix imported

I am not sure when the first Bendix was imported here in Italy, all I know is that it probably all started by importing the bolt down Bendix, for use in Laundromats, those belly round washers, they were very common in laundromats in the early 50s here...
My Granma ifact used to go in one that very likely had them...
My paternal granparents and Greatgranparents moved here in Piemonte from Veneto region in 1950, after my granparents married in their natal town they left and said goodbye to all, my Granparents came to Valenza togheter with 2 brothers of my Granpa, others stayed in Veneto, while some of my Granma's sisters (not all), cousins, and her mother (my great grandmother) moved in Venaria, they were all of poor farming family and willing to change their lives, my granpa started working as jeweler traveler and my granma in a shoe factory, my granparents had many ambitions then became reality, so to became jewelers and producers and so they did 10 years later,one of the most known in Valenza and area, but they had to save to make their projects become true, so a washer was not in the list for my granma for sure...
So, she was usual to go laundering in the laundromat near ther small apt they had for rent, she always tells a funny story, she always fighted with the owner, because the owner was the only one allowed to make the dosification of detergent for each wash, she said that he used regular powder for the machines despite there were more expensive products developped for washers that were less sudsing, so she said the owner for fear to get an oversudsing machine always used too less detergent, also she said the hot water was not hot enough...
She told me how she tried to find ways to distract the owner to add more detergent but always without managing to, until one day she came there with one of her cousins in visit from Venaria and seeking for a job in town, so when less she expected it,here she found the distraction for the owner! He evidently and immeddiately had a thing for her, so everytime she had to do laundry she brought with her the sexy cousin...
So she told me how she finally managed to add more powder that she used to carry in a deep powder compact through the black square lid on top of that round bolt down washer, so I suppose it was a Bendix!
She said the place was opened about a year before she came here, so 1949....
Unfortunately the cousin just stayed here for about a year for then moving back to Venaria.
My granparents the year later moved in a bigger place that though was on the other side of town, but she said that in the new house she had a very large wood stove and kitchen she could boil her laundry up, there also was a common wash tub in the yard with a fireplace to boil laundry and where older ladies still made old fashioned lye and soaps ....

[this post was last edited: 1/31/2014-18:07]

 

[twintubdexter]

Mr. Floraloysius,

So sorry that you totally misunderstood and took such great offense to my "mock" Italian. When I was very young many of my relatives originally came from Italy, a whole boat load all at one time on the Rex, an Italian liner that was sunk by Allied bombers in 1944. I can assure you the decendents still living would not take offense but they just might say...

Oh mio dio, un chill pillola e relax!

laundry/potty room Calabria Italy circa 2014...maybe the sink is oversized

 

[foraloysius]

Ah, OK, sorry I misunderstood.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Good all is clarified with you two, and regarding accents the same happens in Italy with Americans and British.... in a very funny way sometimes...
My mother spoke a very good italian, so no jokes, but in my classrom both in elementary and medium school, there was a british mother of my long dated friend Michael, Linda that came in Italy in the 80s...she still now speak italian with a very marked british accent and all the mothers in my class used to joke with her on the way she said certain words... but they all laughed togheter for this...it was very funny...
Also in my sister class, both elementary and medium as well, there was a Korean-American mother from California, L.A area, Nancy, that spoke also italian with a very marked american accent, and I remember it as it was yesterday, Sophia, daughter of Nancy, was my sister's best friend, so my mother was friend of Nancy with wich she always spoke english, as she did with Linda sometimes, but this always not in front of others non-english speaking for respect... a thing italians indeed tend to do very often elsewhere, anyway...
All the mothers used to gather at school exit at lessons finished, that day my sister came out worried about a test she thought it was gone bad, and Nancy in front of the others mothers said, Andiamo Beatrix non ti scoreggiare, in that moment all the kids and mothers started a fat loud laugh they could not help to hide, Nancy shocked asked why, she meant to say non ti scoraggiare, that means, do not be discouraged, but saying scoreggiare with her american accent, what she said in italian sounded like Camon Beatrix do not fart!, scoreggiare infact means to fart...
They all laughed.....
So jokes about pronunces etc...are very funny, so it's more a matter of being funny, than making fun....[this post was last edited: 2/1/2014-09:35]

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Bendix commercial washers in Italy in laundromats...

Found an AD
Per impianti di lavatrici industriali- For use/installation in industrial applications.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Others brands imported sold in import export dealers shops

.

 

[twintubdexter]

don't think I've ever gotten this far off topic

I will admit to being an "accent freak." I love all accents both inside and outside of the US. Generally speaking native Californians don't have accents...pity. Years ago when my best friend was interviewing for Eastern Airlines in Los Angeles the interviewer told him that even though they only had a couple of flights at LAX for the entire West Coast they considered LA to be a resource of accent-free candidates which they preferred. This was in the early 1970's and I'm not sure how well that would go over today.

Of the many things I've been accused of being (and in some cases they're true) I'm no racist, but then again this song from "Avenue Q" made a point...

 

[kenmoreguy89]

don't think I've ever gotten this far off topic

Since we're all human being, all with different experiences and things to tell and share is very difficult to do not get off topic...but IMO is nothing but good...
Many aspects brought up in discussions here would really deserve a deepening, too often they're cut off to stay within the topic of the thread, which is fully understandable, just difficult to practice...
At least for me....
I am an off topic master, I know that and is really stronger than me, , unfortunately certain discussions can only be transferred in other sections, but then not every member would have chance to read them or continue interesting aspects brought up elsewhere...
This is not the case, but off topic is good...from a speech can born thousand interesting others...
This is one of the magic of forums, and so of talking with so many different people all togheter...

[this post was last edited: 2/1/2014-18:46]

 

[paulc]

twintubdexter

Not a big sink, it's a little washer. Compact F/L made by Candy.

 

[kqkenmore]

Freddy good to see you post sorry that I lost touch I emailed you do not know if you received it. I have been ill but trying to get better.if you like email me I will explain more.have a great day.Carl