Hotpoint Automatic De Luxe 1509/05 - the Phoenix has arisen!

[matchboxpaul]

Hi all.

In the wake of Lee's storming restoration job on his 1581/03, it gives me great pleasure to unveil another restored Amethyst Hotpoint.

Many will remember Seamus' thread from last year, highlighting the plight of two machines sitting in a derelict school in Plymouth.

One of the machines was the same model that my parents received as a wedding present, back in 1973, and which saw service through to 1990...

Hoover 3236H Automatic De Luxe

 

[matchboxpaul]

and, in close proximity to the 3236H, the second machine in the form of a visually very tired Hotpoint 1509/05...

 

[matchboxpaul]

A lot of e-mails followed between myself and the owner of the school, via a kind intermediary in the form of an ex-pupil of the school.
Thanks also go to Gary (electron1100) who also offered help and assistance, being conveniently based in Saltash.

After a couple of weeks of patience, a deal was reached and a Thursday evening saw me drive from derby to Plymouth, to saty over at Garys for the night.

Friday morning saw us both drive over to the school...

 

[matchboxpaul]

and we clapped eyes on the machines, which were very conveniently situated on the top floor of the school...

 

[matchboxpaul]

Having got them to the ground floor, the machines were posed outside their old home of the last 20 years (at least!) for the final time.

Beverley (the ex-pupil intermediary) dropped by to say hello and for me to thank her for her help.

Here Beverley and Gary stand with the machines...

 

[mrprojectionist]

Fantastic, I'm jealous that you got those beauties!

 

[matchboxpaul]

the 3236H was quickly moved to Gary's and re-energised the same day that it was removed from the school.

It and the 1509/05 were then moved upto Mathew's place in Cardiff, where the 3236H was quickly cleaned, received a replacement lid, resealed and fully tested.

The 3236H was then moved to my place at Derby, where a month and a bit of tinkering and further tidying took place.

The start of May 2010 saw the machine moved over to Mikes for a Wash-in and a bit of an unveiling.

Today, the 3236H looks like this...

 

[matchboxpaul]

But what of the 1509/05?

To be honest, when I saw it I thought 'why have I bought this'.

The machine was an external wreck and had been hit very hard by the ravages of 20 years of living on the top floor of a Plymouth schhol, being subjected to all the weather that had got in through the many broken windows.

The machine was placed into storage at Mathew's, to await a decision on its future...

 

[matchboxpaul]

One thing was for sure though.
The bodyshell was a total write off.

Flowering rust had taken hold of the metal and looked pretty in a rather starnge sort of way...

 

[matchboxpaul]

The full horror of rust was saved for the bodysides though!

 

[matchboxpaul]

where the bottom of the bodyshell wasnt actually held on to the chassis of the machine anymore.

The bodyshell was disintegrating from the bottom upwards...

 

[matchboxpaul]

and the other side...

 

[matchboxpaul]

the console wrapper and side panels has suffered badly too.

Ironically the external part of the machine that had survived the nest was the cheapo heavy duty, waxed cardboard back panel...

 

[matchboxpaul]

still had its sadvertising sticker though, which had stayed in good condition...

 

[matchboxpaul]

the switches had gone the way of many a set of amethyst Hotpoint switches - namely faded and started to disintegrate, with some heavy duty pitting going on.

Generally the lightest colour switches go first, but my machine had sen them all go at once...

 

[matchboxpaul]

the dials and timeline...

 

[matchboxpaul]

The machines only other redeaming visual feature was that the programme guide had survived quite well...

 

[matchboxpaul]

What to do?

 

[matchboxpaul]

The next chapter....

a few months later and a group of us decided to send our toploaders to a specialist, for proffessional rebuilding.

Richard in Bristol had acquired a 1504...

 

[matchboxpaul]

and a 15690...

 

[matchboxpaul]

Mike had his 1501...

 

[matchboxpaul]

...and there were two or three 9605's, I think one or two of which were David's.

The worst of the 9605's was to become a spares donor.

Mike then indulged in a whacky race, collecting machines from Bristol and Cardiff and taking them back to Chester.
Soon after, he drove all the machines across to Kings Lynn, for rebuilding.

Cheers Mike.

Paul

 

[matchboxpaul]

Though I wasnt there when the machines arrived, I am lead to believe that Mark said words to the effect of 'why the hell has he bought that!?'.

Then came the first bit of good news!
Mark opened the lid on my wreck of a 1509/05 and said words to the effect of 'this machine has done hardly any work in its life!'

Apparrently the wear on the door hinges can give an idea as to how much use the machine has had.

 

[superelectronic]

This stuff is x-rated! I am VERY excited to see what happened to the 1509...beautiful even as a rust bucket!

 

I could be VERY jealous indeed.

 

Alex

 

[matchboxpaul]

Next came a surprise!.....

.....the news, after a few weeks, that my 1509/05 was operational and being test used as a daily driver by Mark!

Also, of all the machines that had been sent for rebuilding, mine was sorted first and was the easiest of all the machines to overhaul.

A few months later and Mike drove across and collected the completed machines, in the form of my 1509/05, Richards 1504 and 15690, plus a couple of the 9605's.

My 1509/05 was then taken across to Mikes and stored with his machines, for the next six or seven months........until the weekend of Saturday May 29th 2011.

tbc

 

[matchboxpaul]

Hi Alex!

You and the WM12 doing OK?

Will provide the final update tomorrow.
I think you will be pleased!

Paul

 

[hotpoint95622]

Amethyst Hotpoint

Fantastic, I can’t wait, more amethyst.

I’m going into overload.
Lee

 

[hotpoint95622]

Hoover

The Hoover 3236H is just fantastic, when you look at the before photos to how it looks now, flaming awesome sight, bravo.

 

[supermaticjames]

Wow!

That bodywork looks worse than what my Hoovermatic was. It to had started lightly disintergrate underneath but not enough to cause structural weakness.

Can't wait to see the finished product.

So many rust bucket to pristine restorations this year inc. mine.

James.

 

[matchboxpaul]

Hi Lee.

Was incredible how the 3236H turned from an ugly duckling into a swan.
I was quite prepared for myself and Mathew to have to strip the machine down and the cabinet sent for respraying.

Of course it received a brand new door frame and a replacement lid, but to start to clean the cabinet and see it come pretty good was very satisfying and not what either myself or Mathew expected.

I knew that the 1509/05 was a whole different proposition and I didnt really know what would happen to it to be honest. Would a situation arise, where it could be restored?