Can a Flair range be saved...no matter what??????

[bygted]

wow

That's a great house! I am sure that you will have fun decorating it.
That Philco refrigerator is a gem!!! Absolutely stunning!
I like that Flair as well. I have some parts for that model so if you figure out what you need feel free to email me and I will see what I have left.
Congrats!

 

[pdub]

Wow, I'm Impressed

Dick,

The new dining room set looks great. It sure looks like the house is coming along quite well. I like what Vacbear58 says about taking your time to find just the pieces you want and like without rushing to fill every room at once.

Patrick

 

[Dick_S.]

Just a few more pix....

....one of dining room after adding another side dish and linen storage cabinet

 

[Dick_S.]

and of the....

...pink 57 Lady Kenmore set in the laundry area which is not finished by a long shot. Much to do yet.

BTW, thanks for the continued positive comments. They are really appreciated.

 

[Dick_S.]

oh.....

...and my suuprise find--An old Packard Bell combo I bought for 25 dollars just for the cabinet matching the period--Only to discover that it still retained its Garrard changer with floating head, tube amplifier and AMFM multiplex AND produces the most beautiful tones and bass I remember these being famous for.

 

[Dick_S.]

and a few pieces to adorn the walls. ((--:: Looks like I'm on my way but still a long way to go.

 

[vacbear58]

Wow, Wow, Wow!

Dick
Great to see some more shots, that Kenmore set looks AMAZING. Did you have those already or buy them for the house. And the great record player (in the UK it would be known as a "radiogram" or in your case "stereogram") too. Do you have many records still?

I am convinced that this whole project was "meant" for you. I am sure it really is a labour of love (and maybe at times hard labour) but you are doing such a great job of it. Keep the pictures coming please when you have the time.

Al

 

[tlee618]

Wow Dick, you are making great progress!! Love the dinning room! You are all set for company with your Corning Ware electrics out and ready!! If you should hit a cool spell that laundry area will be toasty with the Kenmore heater attachment on that beautiful dryer!!! I agree with vacbear, this home is meant for you!! Have fun and keep those pictures coming.

Terry

 

[bobofhollywood]

Living with Flair

Wow ! Very impressive place. I am so glad you were able to find a good repair man and have your Flair fixed. Beautiful refrigerator too and those pink ladies look gorgeous. I really dig your groovy console stereo as well and would love to see a photo of the turntable close up. Congratulations on what promises to be a fantastic new chapter of your life. Good on ya man.

 

[mixfinder]

Only You

I am happy for you and your new home. It is a dream house and your taste in restoring and accessorisizing makes it even better. More than all that, is opening a new chapter in your life and embracing flexibilty to make new friends and nest with a community. I know you will be sought out because you are such a kind, loving and interesting fellow. When you have time post more, its fun to see the pictures.
Best to you.

 

[Dick_S.]

Yes Al, I've had the "pink ladies" since 2007. The washer was only a "cabinet shell" when it arrived. I found all the parts for the orginal 57 and made a new wiring harness from scratch and put her back together again. The dryer was found in Missouri by another member who alerted me. They both run super.

Oh, and you asked about my record collection. I still have the first record I purchased in SF way back in the very early 50s when I was a young boy! In other words, I have zillions of 33s, 45s, and 78s and I still love pulling them out and listening to them!

I'll be listing more pics soon and thanks everyone for your continued interest. And Kelly, it was so nice to hear from you.

 

[northwesty]

The Place looks great Dick

You really have something special there, the Kenmores, the Flair, and that really is a fantastic refrigerator I haven't ever seen anything like it. I am happy for you and am sure you will soon feel right at home in the new place. It is gratifying to see the right type of funiture put into a mid century home too.

 

[rickr]

Love your new home Dick! The pink 57 Kenmores look as if they have always been there. Hope you can share more pics when you have time.

 

[Dick_S.]

A closeup pic of the Garrard turntable in the Packard Bell. It has a floating cartridge and NOT a floating head as I mistakenly stated in an earlier post. The cartidge is in surprising good condition. I won't have to replace it.

It plays very well and will recognize a 7 inch and 10 inch record but won't recognize a 12 inch when used in automatic record changing mode.

Thanks Rick and Brian.

 

[bobofhollywood]

cool table

I will venture an educated guess your machine is about a 1963 or 64 vintage. I bet that it could be made to work correctly again with just a thorough and deep internal lubrication. Thanks for showing it.

 

[weed30]

Oh, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your house! Especially those room dividers, the planter, the flooring, the range, the.......well, I guess I just love everything! Thanks for posting the photos.

 

[Dick_S.]

Thanks guys for your comments and Bob I will do just that.

Here's a shot of a portion of my vintage wahers in one of the rooms of the guest house.

 

[Dick_S.]

My flairberry pie

Thought I'd try a mixed berry pie in the flair as I go nuts over blackberries and raspberries. Well, I was out of crisco and didn't have enough butter to make the crust but my neighbor was very obliging offering me some Farmer John lard. Well, I made the pie and took the whole thing to a friend's house yesterday. By chance we took the first bite at the same time and we both looked at each other. I think it's the best pie curst I've ever made. It melts in your mouth!

I thought of forgeting about crisco and just using lard until a friend told me that is a big no no and that my arteries would be clogged worse than they are now. I finally made the flakiest pie crust I've been trying to make all these years and am now told that it's not a healthy choice. What a shame.

Does anyone have any ideas how I can achieve a very flaky crust without making the pie totally unhealthy?

 

[mattl]

Hey, any chance of getting a close up of the panel on that lonely washer off in the corner in the post above the pie (that looks very good too...)?

I've been enjoying your "journey" to your new home and all the things you've done with it. Keep the pictures coming!

 

[mixfinder]

Blard or Lutter

Dick the pie is perfection and shows what an artistic Flair you have X2. If you use Crisco brand shortening and a European butter with higher fat in a blend of 2/3 shortening and 1/3 butter you should have a flaky and short crust that will melt in your mouth. I am so impressed with your house and am just as hungry for pictures as I am your pie.

 

[Dick_S.]

Kelly-Many thanks for your kind words (always) and your tip for the pie crust. First time I ever heard about European butter -- and the higher fat content. I will certainly try it Kelly and let you know. In my little circle of friends, I'm sort of known for my pies and I'm always striving to make them better. Thank you,

And congrats on your new home. I can't wait to see pictures of it and of course I will be posting updated ones of mine. Take care my friend.

And Matti-I've posted a pic that shows a closer up image of the panel. Let me know if its okay. It was listed as a 53 when it was for sale but I do believe it is a 54. It runs great (sudsaver and all) but has developed a little leak in the discharge hose which will have to be recreated and will take more than a little effort to change out. So.....for the time being the leak is under control and will stay that way for awhile.

 

[mattl]

Thank You! That is a beauty!

One last question or two --does the panel light up and is the tub lit? This is the closest I've seen to the washer I recall from when I was a little kid. I recall the black dial with a back light, the temp selection with various color lights and the germicidal lamp in the tub.

I've seen some that came close in others collections here, but this looks like the same model my folks had. It was a suds saver too.

 

[estatesale_gary]

Witco wall hangings?

Those wall hangings are really fantastic - if they are wood, they are probably Witco.

 

[petek]

What a great looking house. It has a fireplace similar to what was in our house but the previous owner removed. As well it had the planters at the front foyer and she removed and covered those.. I'll have them put back some day. You're so fortunate to have found the place intact and not ruined like ours.
Coincidentally it looks like that yellow wall color is almost the same as what our previous owner chose to paint when we bought it. I found it made the house to0 dark inside and had it all repainted universal gray this past year.. what a huge improvement. It goes really well with "modern"

 

[Dick_S.]

Hi Matti-You are right on all counts. The temp selections light up, the tub, and there are two bulbs behind the black cycle modifier dial and the light seems to follow and illuminate the pointer as it clicks off the minutes and moves toward the end of the cycle.

Yes, the wall hangings are wood.

Just got around to the fireplaces yesterday and had both chimneys inspected. One was fine and the other needed cleaning. I was told I wasn't going to get much heat out of the "insert" in the living room but was I surprised yesterday when I built a fire in it, turned on those fans that are built into it, and sat back. The heat is unbelievable and will be most welcome over the next four month period. Now on to the pot bellied stove in the family room.

You are so right about that yellow wall color. I agree most wholeheartedly with you--I truely believe it makes the surrounding areas dark but it will have to stay for the time being.

I plan on taking a new batch of pics to show update of what I've done. I will start putting them up soon. There is still a lot to do but will be slowing down here to take in the holidays and enjoy family in the new house.---

 

[stan]

50`s house

Hi Dick. I`am a fairly new member, and I just wanted to let you know that I have enjoyed your journey thru the posts and pics, you have a beautiful collection, and I was happy to see that everything turned out O.K for you, and the Flair, but how is the fridge doing? Is it still running without cycling off? . Stan

 

[Dick_S.]

Hi Stan- Thanks for asking about the refrigerator. It is running fine now and cycling on and off. I couldn't find any info on the machine or anyone who knew anything about this particular model so I got my hands on a "generic" "one fits all" thermostat and bypassed the old one. Everything is fine at this point. The only thing that amazes me is the small capacity of the unit, especially the refrigerator section. I can't fit that much in it. Granted, I grew up in the same era and in a rather sizeable family. I don't know how my Mom managed.

 

[norgeway]

Pie Crust!

Pay no attention to the health nuts...if it tastes good, its probably bad for you, My next door neighbor where I grew up has 2 eggs and a slice of fried fatback every morning...She still lives by herself and turned 100 in August!!!I truthfully, dont use lard, but it does make flaky pastry,My Grandmothers recipe is wonderful...but it is hard to handle..
Sift together
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
cut in 1 1/4 cups crisco
mix and add
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp vinegar
Flaky, tender, but also very hard to handle.

 

[stan]

50`s house

Hi Dick. Oh good I was hoping the fridge would be O.K glad to hear it was only the thermostat. I noticed the the freezer was sort of small by todays standards too, but with something that beautiful who cares right? My mother did`nt have a refrigerator til I was born (two older brothers) so she would have committed highway robbery to have had one to have to manage, that was that nice! No washer either, she had a top of the line washboard made out of thick glass, LOL. Keep up the good work. Stan

 

[fordtech]

Beautiful Flair! I gave one away recently after it sat in my garage for 10 years. I just needed the space more than it at this time.