British Twintub Washing Machines 1959 - 1990

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After a bit of help - Info ...

Hi Ian.

I noticed your superb Guardsman Red Supertwin, over in the Superheat thread.
Can I ask a favour - if the machine is easily accessible, can you confirm for me what the model/MK number is for me?

Hi all.

I am trying to identify once and for all what the model/MK numbers are for the early (MkI) Supertwin models, which were on sale in the UK between 1959 and 1962.

MK19 was the heated 1959 first version, which later became MK27 around 1961, but I am after confirmation of model/MK numbers for the following:

1959 unheated
1961 unheated
Guardsman Red
Horizon Blue
Lemon Peel Yellow
& Almond Green

For all I know, they could all still have been called MK19.

I know examples of most of the above are preserved, but many machines are held in storage sites, which are currently out of bounds.

If you happen to have examples of any of the above versions to hand and getting to them is relatively easy (please don't empty garages or rooms to get to them), then I'd be really grateful for the info.

All to help with a small project I am working on at the moment.

Regards to all.
Paul
p.s another question off the top of my head - was there ever a gas heated version of the (MkI) Supertwin, or was the (MkII) MK31 the first Servis gas twintub?
 
Hi Louis.

Would it be...

ACME 10 … with electric wringer and unheated
ACME 20 … as per the 10, but heated
ACME 30 … as per the 10, but without the electric wringer
&
ACME 40 … as per the 30, but heated ?

Paul
 
ACme Wringer Washer...

Afternoon All,

I can't find any reference to the ACME 10/20/30/40 wringer washer being sold in the UK, however I have a sales pamphlet for the Acme Minor dating from the early 60's.
Not sure if all the spinners have been found, the pump model is yet to be discovered.
Cheers
Keith

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Superheat

Paul
It's buried behind two wringers, two twin tubs and a dishwasher in the dining room! I'll dig it out for you at the weekend and let you know.
Cheers
Ian
 
Some really unusual models I have never seen or heard of - amazing the ingenuity of people - so many different solutions and designs with one purpose in mind: cleaning laundry. I spent 7 weeks in the Philippines back in 1997 - our firm had a plant in Cavite, approx. 30 miles south of Manila and I was sent to train the technicians on some of our equipment which was being transferred there. Pity I had not been more observant of their laundry solutions - I saw it all: from the women washing laundry by hand in the river near Hidden Valley Springs, to the huge variety of twinnies - not a front loader in sight. Twinnies that nobody in the Northern hemisphere ever saw. The house I stayed in was in a suburb of Manila called Ayala Alabang, rented by our firm - it sported a large upright Maytag washer and dryer. Love the ACME brand, brings many happy memories enjoying Wily-E-Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons on our 1977 colour Philips G8 telly as a kid. As an aside, for the Rolls experts out there - was there a Rolls type washer in single tub format? I am almost certain that my Gran had something like that - the large circular grating and the bottom-mounted impeller are exactly what I remember but I am certain it was not a twin tub. It was replaced by a Servis Supertwin around 1980 when I was 13/14 years old.
 
Any idea when your Gran

would have bought this machine, I'm all but certain rolls didn't market a single tub washer and the colston/ariston is the only versions of the rolls type single tub I know of.

However, there were several other cheap impeller action single tub washers around in the 60's, very basic and cheap, if anyone has a which magazine at hand, february 1961,(sorry can't find 1961, despite having 60-65 filed away) has two tested, they are very basic, just a tub with a direct drive pulsator in the base, no heater or pump, possibly not even a switch, even a wringer was extra. Can't remember the manufacturers, so I'm sure these and others probably cropped up via direct sale newspaper ads, door to door selling through the 60's.

Mathew
 
Hi Mathew,

As you say there were many single tub washers on the market who all jumped on the band-wagon once the Rolls washing concept was launched around the very early 60's, cheap and easy to manufacture !!

I picked up a brand new Flatley washer some years back, which is now in the loft boxed & never used, very basic no pump, heater and yes no switch just plug in and away you go !!

Keith

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hoover 5090

yes i know its relative youngster compared to some of the machines here but we have had it since new .its been in constant use for the last year while doing the house up and has performed faultlessly every time. i have managed to get the knobs off and have straightened the panel as best as i can [yes its a bit of a mess but considering it was almost bent double its not bad .just wondering if anyone can recommend a good glue to stick it back on with.I don t want to have to do this again so the glue needs to be good .My mum had the very first incarnation of this machine in the late fifties and if i remember correctly we got a new on about every ten years this being the last one .i can remember my dad replacing the spin motor rubber mounts on one of them with three cotton reels because they were snapping frequently it ran for years like that .Mum once asked me if it was possible to do away with the safety switch for the spin dryer on the front of this machine [she found it really annoying being used to the older machine where you would just lift the lid ]needless to say i said no

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Hi Keith.
Thanks for posting the leaflet for the ACME Minor. Soon as saw it, I remembered that it was sold in early sixties copies of the KAYS catalogues that I have seen - 1961 to 1962 for the Minor, whilst the Twin Speed was offered in 1960 to 61.

Never noticed the Twin Speed singe tub before, so thanks again to Louis for opening our eyes to it and it appears that, through he pages of KAYS anyway, we had three of the models available in the UK.

Paul

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Many thanks Ian ....

…. for confirming the model number of your Guardsman Red Supertwin - much appreciated.

I wonder of it's safe to assume that the other three colours were also Mk19? If anyone else is in a position to conform model numbers for their colours of Supertwin, that would be great.

Never really thought about it much, but does anyone actually own an unheated Supertwin, or did they all slip under the radar as far as buying them for preservation was concerned?

Strange but, as with the ACME single tub, I never really noticed the fact that there was an unheated version offered by Servis.

Paul

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That's an interesting picture Paul, I'm guessing that's the unheated Supertwin as it doesn't have the thermometer dial. But isn't that light between the controls a heater 'on' light? I wonder if its a touched up picture and someone missed a bit?
Ian
 
Hoover twin tub repair manual

Hey Guys,

Not sure if this is the right thread to post in, but I have recently been able to use some of my vintage machines that have been packed away for a while. I have a 1970's Hoover twin tub that, of course, has a pump problem.

Anybody have service manuals for these machines? I think I might be able to repair and rebuild the pump.

Any help would be appreciated.

Ron
 

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