Just purchased our first wringer washer - ABC Oscillator

[icentropy]

Hi everyone. This is my first post as my wife and I just bought our first two wringer washers two days ago. We saw a 1980s Kenmore wringer washer for sale for $50 locally and rushed to go buy it. (we've been looking for a working wringer washer for years) when we got there the lady had a ABC Oscillator wringer washer that was in great shape (missing motor). Wanted a lot more for it but my wife and I both fell in love with it and ended up buying it as well. Now we have two wringer washers when two days ago we had none. Neither of us have any experience with wringer washers of any kind, have never used one or even seen one up close till now. But I am pretty handy at fixing and making things. My wife did her first load of laundry in the Kenmore yesterday. It worked great other than a faulty drain valve I'll need to fix.

But this thread is about the ABC washer wish is the one we're both really excited about. the mechanism seems to be fully functioning. everything moves freely and smoothly so I think all I need is to mount a motor to it. I know it's a long shot but does anyone have any idea of what size/speed motor to use? Also any advice or suggestions on if i should restore this washer or leave it alone as far as the finish on it? There's almost zero sign of rust on it anywhere like it's been hidden in a dry garage for the last 50 years but I'm afraid if we start actually using it without restoring the finish the rust may begin to form. The tub is pure copper but the frame is all galvanized steel. Here's some quick pictures I took yesterday at my shop.

 

[tomturbomatic]

Congratulations, but be careful!

The tub on your ABC is probably copper so you won't have to worry about it rusting.
The wringer on it has no safety release and would be very dangerous to use. My advice would be do not use it, especially since you have no experience with wringer washers which are inherently dangerous, so much so that Consumer Reports, when testing them before automatics took over, never rated wringer washers more than acceptable, but not recommended because of the danger.

You also need to get a "washing stick" about 15 inches long. They are usually the rounded end of a broom handle. This washing stick is the only safe way to feed fabrics into the wringer by lifting them out of the wash water with the agitation stopped and pushing them up the feed board of the wringer toward the rollers until the rollers catch the fabric. Always release the tension on the rollers after using the wringer and rinse the rollers thoroughly with clear water when you are rinsing out the washer. Before every use, test the emergency release on the wringer to make sure it works properly.

Children were never allowed near the intake side of the wringer. There were reports in the press of horrible injuries of hands crushed and arms broken by wringers. Women with long hair could suffer serious injury if the hair was not pinned securely. Broken necks were reported as well as horrible injuries when large breasts would happen to get caught which is not as improbable as it sounds since many wringer users tended to stand in such a way as to be able to feed laundry in one side and catch it as it came out the other side to avoid certain items sticking to the upper roller and wrapping around it. I cannot overemphasize the need for keeping your mind on what your hands are doing and where you are putting them when using a wringer.

 

[launderess]

Search the Internet including eBay and Craigslist for information regarding Altorfer Bros. ABC washers. There is plenty of it out there including the same machine you purchased intact and working. Also check out Lee Maxwell's site "Oldewash" and or contact him directly. He is not only a collector of vintage laundry appliances but has restored plenty and written books about same.

As for worth restoring that is a question only you can answer. That ABC "oscillating" washer basically shook laundry clean much like placing water into a jug or jar, turning it sideways and moving it back and forth in a slightly curved rhythm. Effective? Probably but certainly streets less labour intensive than a washboard and beaters.

If you have all the pieces for the wringer attachment, and the gears/transmission are in good order there is no reason why it should not work. However first thing to check is the condition of the wringer rolls. If they are shot (badly worn, flattened spots, cracked/peeling) then unless you can find replacements shouldn't bother restoring the washer. Well you could use such a thing to wash laundry then either use a hand powered mangle or something else like a spin dryer (or washing machine) to get the water out.

Copper does not rust, which is why it was used so heavily for basins, pans, tubs, pots, etc... back in the days before stainless steel. However look inside the tub to see if it was lined with some material such as tin. If so and the lining has worn away and or is damaged it will need to be addressed. Otherwise further contact with water and or chemicals used in laundry can cause further harm. Re-tinning copper vessels is done all the time. It is expensive however and you may not have someone locally. If that is the case the tub will have to be packed up and shipped to someone who does that sort of work.

If your machine looks like this one, it appears the tub is just unlined copper: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-VIN...hash=item2eec895062:m:mzfR_peieq20TUVu1mluajw

ABC made a bunch of different models of washing machines. See:

My guess is yours took a 1/4 HP motor, but again you would have to find out. If so you may be able find one used somewhere.

 

[launderess]

Furthermore

I'd restore and get to know the Kenmore conventional washing machine first before tackling the ABC version. Using a wringer washer is labor intensive and will require your learning a whole new skill set for safe and effective operation. Key word here is *SAFE*.

As mentioned already wringers/mangles in any form are dangerous. Motor driven versions more so because they are just that; with a hand powered device all one needs do is stop cranking. Mangles run with motors require either you know how to quickly stop the rollers and release, and or will do it themselves if the machine senses something isn't going properly.