It's Raining Kenmores!

[gansky1]

Went to an esate sale on Saturday and saw this washer that I looked over but talked myself out of at the time - who needs another Kenmore anyway?? The condition of the machine (MINT!) haunted me the rest of the day. We just happened to be in the area on Sunday and it was still there so I left a 1/2 price bid despite my resolution not to bring home another washer. I picked the machine up today and it really is mint, I don't think I've ever seen a Kenmore from a basement in this nice of shape. The lady still had her Speed Queen wringer washer next to the KM so I'm sure it hasn't seen a lot of use.

 

[gansky1]

Panel and controls.

 

[gansky1]

The 'Roto is still shiny - even when not wet!

 

[gansky1]

Look at the inside, ran a rag over it but that's it!

 

[gansky1]

This was quite a common model, this one is a 1963 but I think it was around for a few years. I've seen quite a few over the years, Sears must have sold BILLIONS of them! I wouldn't normally go to the trouble of dragging a MOL machine like this home, but it was just too nice to leave there. Part of the "sickness" I guess.

 

[gansky1]

Kenmore Generations...get the kleenex!

 

[westytoploader]

WOW!

EXCELLENT FIND!!! The control panel looks EXACTLY like the large capacity Kenmore 518 I found in March...and all this time I was thinking it was a 1968 based on the model number! The 518 was a bit further down on the model line, with a manual-clean filter and 3 water level selections.

The only difference was that this machine was well-used and had sat under a carport for 40 years, but I did save that cool top, control panel, and agitator.

 

[drmitch]

Beautiful! You lucky guy!

 

[DADoES]

VERY nice! Cool bleach dispenser cup. Lordy, doesn't even look like the snubber is worn.

 

[fnelson487]

It is a sickness, isn't it!

I am sure the vision of it was haunting you all day before you went back. Boy that's a beauty. It was around the same time as my mom's Lady Kenmore with the colored letters across the front (not the buttons) and the waterfall filter. She bought the matching dryer the next year. I was in seventh heaven.

I just received two boxes from Roger Lequea. When he heard at the convention (at your house!) that I was looking for a Hoover 64 and a 150 he offered his to me. Just what I need, two more vacuums, but what vacuums! I am sure I will live out my old age surrounded by lovely vacuum cleaners in a cold water flat eating cat food. Oh well, what a way to go. Congratulations again!

Fred

 

[user 12105]

The control panel looks almost exactly like the Kenmore i remeber as a young child. The only two differences is my mother's machine didn't have the self cleaning lint filter light and had a black straight vane with waterfall filter.

Pat

 

[pulltostart]

This one is identical to the one my parents bought in the spring of 1964. And you're correct when you say that Sears sold billions of them! Must have represented a great value to middle class moms. It was about the same time that my parents bought a BOL Whilrpool dryer at Davidson's "scratch and dent" sale in Atlanta.

 

[appnut]

Greg, another find of machines in my childhood. My oldest sister dated a guy while in high school whose parents lived in a very nice beach house near NASA. Had that exact same washer. (KItchen had I guess sunny yellow GE appliances). I did MANY a load in that washer and dryer the two summers they were dating. We'd go down and spend weekends there. And yes, that was somewaht of a universal control panel design. Neighbors down the street replaced a Control Tower with a Model 60 that looked like this---agiflow that's what your mom's washer was--a model 60. I loved this machine you found today. Very flexible. I would have drug it home in a heaert beat and kick that late 1964 Norge out the back door for this machine. Bob

 

[Brent-Aucoin]

Greg! Thanks for saving!

Greg
That machine is mint! It is so beautiful!
Did they have a dryer? Was it a matching dryer?
If you want to part with it....do the Ebay thing.
Someone out there would love to take care of this baby, and use it for their daily chores.
I am glad that you saved it!
Thanks for the pictures.
Brent

 

[peteski50]

Kenmores

Greg,
What a real Great find. I used to know someone that had a very simular model from so many years ago.
Good Luck
Peter

 

[bostonwash]

WOW

I see what you mean. It is not my type machines either, but, WOW. It would be criminal for anyone here to leave behind something in such prime condition.
I'll bet she, or her son/daughter, bought it with intention of "upgrading" to automatic, but she was just in the habit of doing laundry with the wringer.
Wow

 

[pulsator]

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! My great aunt and uncle used to have that washer!!!!! They got rid of it before I was born but, I have a picture of their son as an infant standing in there. I have wondered since I was probably 3 or 4 what agitator it had!!!!!! (Or what brand even!!!)

 

[rchris]

You did the right thing saving her, Greg. Man! This has been your summer: first the Maytag set, and less than one month later, here comes this beauty.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Wow Greg that sure is in beautiful shape, I would have had to have taken that baby home to play with for a little bit too.

 

[rickr]

Really nice looking machine Greg! Nice catch for sure. I know you will find a good home for it.

I had a great aunt who kept her wringer washer also. I remember her saying,"I use the wringer washer for my heavy stuff" She was an old maid and lived in a tiny two bedroom house with her cat. What heavy stuff???? I don't remember what her automatic was,although I did see it a few times as a child. It always looked brand new,I remember that.
I bet this Kenmore was the same situation as my Great Aunt Ruth's machine. Saving the automatic via the wringer washer!

 

[appliguy]

AAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is the washer my mom bought in October 1963 as a newlywed for her and dads new house in Ravensworth Farm in Springfield Va. She also got the matching Soft Heat Gas Dryer. We had the dryer until 1979 (it followed us to the house on Lakevale Drive in Vienna in 1976) and the washer survived at our lake house from 1972 to 1989. Greg If you ever decide to sell that machine please give me first choice ok??? PLEASE!!!!!!!
PAT COFFEY

 

[gansky1]

Even though it's "only a Kenmore", it is fun to play with. There aren't enough spaces for everything though so it will live in the garage for while. I have spots downstairs for the 1960 Maytags and 50 Kenmores, with some shuffling about of course, and plans for the Westy combo, but that's it for downstairs!

The self cleaning lint filter is the marbles/balls in a metal housing (64 LK is plastic housing) and you can really HEAR the marbles moving around at the start of agitate for a second and then churning around, crashing into the metal walls of the container during drain. Amazing sound! I thought something was busted at first ;-)

 

[jetaction]

Gotta love those Kenmore Pastels

Great find Greg, Yeah! That's a great addition to your collection, even if it is only for a while. Being "only a Kenmore" might surprise you, my LK got out stains that the Frigidaire didn't after I spilled dressing on them in Omaha. Maybe you could figure out how to make it spin faster, what a machine that would be!

 

[christfr]

haappy girls

hey greg.. another cool find..you kill me.. glad to see the new girl has a new friend..looks like they are both happy..

 

[jasonl]

ALMOST my grandma's

OMG! Does that bring tears to my eyes!

My grandma's washer was just like that only hers had 3 water levels, no "filtering" light and the regular Rotoswirl without the scrubber.

Wow! I'm beside myself.

These are not "just a Kenmore". These are washing machines that belong in the hearts of the people that grew up with and loved them. Ok, so they do neutral drains and mediocre spins and they make weird noises... WHO CARES... Damn if I lived any closer to you Greg, I'd help you with storing those beautiful Kenmores.

Boring? I think not.

 

[jasonl]

This machine looks like it's been maintained and service throughout the years. Very cool when you come across one with low mileage.

 

[peterh770]

Great find! One can never have too many Kenmores!

What is the cool-down sequence in this baby?

 

[user 12105]

Jason,..i am in total agreement with you. That is the first washer i ever laid my very young eyes on . Even their BOL machines then had great control panels.

Now to find that machine with the straight vane agi and waterfall filter. The one that started it all.

Pat

 

[user 12105]

Sorry to ramble

Bob (Appnut), my mom's machine had a green background where the water level and water temperature knobs are with three choices for water level and temp i believe from what i can remember. It may have been 4 temps, but i can't really remember that far back exactly.

I asked my mother if she remembered the year she purchased it, but doesn't seem to recall, so i am figuring early sixties to mid at most from what has been said. Those early KM machines made the coolest noises. What a cool find this is Greg.

Pat

 

[geoffdelp]

Greg ... that's a beautiful machine!! The agitator looks brand new!! Isn't it amazing when you find a machine in such pristine condition? You wonder why people never used the machine!!!!

Brand new bakelite is fun; I love the one on my 1964 Maytag N2LP. I'm very careful with it; no bleach in the wash water. They can be quite fragile and I dry it on a towel where it won't get knocked off the counter in my laundry room.

I dropped a very used and brittle one once on the garage floor and it just shattered like glass.