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Castor Drymatic de luxe

Great scans, thanks guys !!

Alistair i' m very curious about that Castor machine I have never seen here. Castor was a vintage north eastern italian producer like Zoppas.
In late sixties both of them merged into their strongest competitor (Zanussi).
Today Castor badge is discontinued, while Zoppas appliances are the same E'lux models sold in Germany by Quelle.de (Privileg)
 
Mikey I love the stuff, indeed....

but I love the writing and the stories even more. They all come in with a Hyacinth Bouquet (Bucket) voice. YOu guys have been so generous over the years with closeup pics of these advertizments-- in the flesh, from your kitchens, gardens, and washrooms. And for us yanks, the UK is Twinny Heaven.

I'll go back and check out the Mc/Easy now.

mickeyd++12-17-2009-10-50-42.jpg
 
Ohh, Who`s Got The Biggest SudzCake!!!

Nice one Mikey, is that your Easy??, glad you are liking the stories, thats what makes the difference from a whitebox as most people see washers!!!!

Hi Hunter, yes its always great on a cold day to get your twinny on a boil wash!!! wafting swirling steam everywhere, even better with vintage powder!!! although mums machine had a heater it was never used only to boil, the hot water from the house system was always piped in to it...even the people with Hotpoint top loaders always hooked them up to house hot water, I never knew anyone who started a wash off in cold and heated it!!! Heres the Hotpoint Filter Flow twinny that is featured in the report on a boil wash!!

chestermikeuk++12-17-2009-15-24-46.jpg
 
Hotpoint Gala

Hi Leon, great stuff, dont hesitate, these are great machines, very sturdy and simple to get too for repairing, once you disconnect the hoses and remove the top, everything sits on a metal frame!!we are about to start renovations on number three, just think filterflow and 3,100rpm spin, good luck, This casing has just come back from the Spa of Neil, and its had replacement hoses, all we need to do is a new gasket on the direct drive washpump and a spin motor microswitch replaced, then ready for the next 50yrs!!!, note the fiberglass outer spin can!!!cheers, Mike

chestermikeuk++12-17-2009-15-42-28.jpg
 
Defintely have to get one then!

Brilliant Mike!

I will defintely have to get one then! My contact has quite a few buried underneath other stuff...so it will be a little while before i can get my hands on one.

Also, i missed out on a 1950's Wilkins Servis Twinny in immaculate condition a few weeks ago at an estate auction...somebody else outbid me!

Cheers
Leon
 
Go get it Leon.

Have never seen one in action, but only dormant. Nevertheless, they look great and are really stylish machines.

Neil's skills at respraying are second to none. I really cant wait to see the 1400 put back together again. The cabinet finish looks stunning.

Paul
 
WOW a twinny unmasked!

it looks great. How sturdy and simple. Look at that elegant design,

Like your mum, I don't have tongs either, just a nice wash stick, but I"m working on it.

Yeah, that's my old Easy left on too long, and look at what happens. So nice that most--all?--of the UK twinnes have auto shut-off.

Love your steam ghost in the Hotpoint.

Easy's controls

mickeyd++12-17-2009-16-17-42.jpg
 
Calor .....

Not a strictly a BRITISH rarity however .......

I really dont know much about these machines at all I am afraid. The only other Calor appliance I can remember is an simple dry iron, with an open handle. However, looking back through some old Which reports (Consumers Association - our equivalent of Consumer Reports I guess) here is one from November 1964, where Calor machines are mentioned

Vacbear58++12-17-2009-18-09-57.jpg
 
More rare machines

Moving forward to 1968 (I think) Although there were plenty of twin tubs around they do not feature in this article at all - demonstrating the aspirational approach of this magazine - it is still published but has gone distinctly down market now. This time was probably the zenith of variety of automatic machines in the UK with a number of top loaders in addition to front loading machines. In only a couple of years the top loaders would be almost gone along with front loaders with controls in the top rear, with only the Hotpoint remaining (as it did right through to the 1990s) and top loading H axis machines - at that time only Philips I think.

As with the previous model English Electric, the new reversomatic looked to Westinghouse for its design. I believe that English Electric had been absorbed by AEI (Hotpoint) but this machine continued in production alongside the (wonderful!) Hotpoint 1600 until the all new Hotpoint Liberator range was introduced in 1972(?). Interestingly "Liberator" was the model name of the older EE machine. Also of interest is that many of the machines were manufactured in the UK again in a few short years it would be down to Hoover, Hotpoint & Servis, all the rest of teh machines on sale would be imports

Vacbear58++12-18-2009-18-27-25.jpg
 
Page 2

Note the amended Keymatic which allowed the machine to be placed under a work top - the previous short lived model had the powder dispener on the top rear of the machine - an acknowledgement of the (generally) small size of UK kitchens where worktop (counter) space is at a premium, again a reason for the demise of top loading or top control panel machines.

If I am not mistaken, the Keymatic was the first appearance of a powder drawer in the UK

Vacbear58++12-18-2009-18-34-52.jpg
 
Page 3

Of all automatics the Hotpoint 1600 would be my "holy grail" machine - I always liked it. In styling it is not unlike the Indesit Europa with top (left) mounted powder dispenser and controls but with very clean styling.

Rather like the Keymatic it has a horizontal programme indicator, a feature which would be transferred to the Hotpoint top loader for a number of years although it would be dropped on the new front loader range previously mentioned.

No "vox pops" this time, but by this time washing machines had moved forward from being desirable to necessity and the differences between different types of machine would have been established in teh British "psyche"

Vacbear58++12-18-2009-18-40-22.jpg
 
Superb!

Hi Al

That Bendix LTB is a new one on me! Never seen an image of that one before.
Looks like a Hotpoint 1504 into a 1508 kind of thing - i.e a Bendix LT, but with the controls moved from top/back and bolted instead to the front.

Thanks for posting.

Regards
Paul
 

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