Maytag Product Testing Lab

[swestoyz]

Hey folks! I thought many would appreciate this article, found within a book called, "Maytag News 1952-1954". Geoff Delp loaned me the book for a little bit. Note this scan is from a copy of Maytag News from July of 1953!

 

[swestoyz]

Page 2

 

[swestoyz]

Bonus Shot!

A room full of Maytag's, Zenith, Admirals, and God knows what else!

 

[Designgeek]

Oh my! Back to the days when product research was carried out w/o the aid of computers. And back to the days when "TV" was spelled out "T.V." (see the sign on the right in the appliance store).

Question is, what are those machines in the center of the first picture, with the dials in round rings that stood out from the control panels?

 

[mayken4now]

Thanks for Sharing!

Steve

 

[geoffdelp]

Hi Ben ... I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the book!! Isn't that fun to read through? Maytag must have been a really great place to work for in its "heyday".

They were still "inventing" their automatic washers and didn't introduce the dryer until 1953.

It was great to meet you and Cory; did you all have a good time on Saturday? Lots of washing machines, huh?

I still think the Maytag AMP had a really "slower" stroke when you compare it to the ABC-O-Matic!! I still can't believe how quiet that ABC is!!

Wish I could have stayed longer with you guys.

Geoff

 

[frigilux]

designgeek-- The machines with the big control dials are Kenmores. I think people here refer to them as 'frog-eye' machines.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Cyclops / Frogeye

dg & frig I think the slang for those km is cyclops, the design they succeed are the frog eye.

 

[Unimatic1140]

Yes Ben, Cory and Geoff came for a visit and Wash-in on Saturday. I had a great time, its always fun to show off the washers to people that truley can appreciate them. They took home the '59 D&M Frigidaire Dishwasher and the '56 RCA Color TV. I lost about 300lbs YAY!

Ben and Cory when you guys have a chance I would love to see some of the pictures you took.

 

[peterh770]

I see Frigidaire, Whirlpool, Kenmore, Westinghouse and Bendix in that first pic, along with the Maytag. Can anyone guess what is next to the Frigidaires, or what is between the WP and the KMs?

 

[geoffdelp]

I've always thought it looked like a Hamilton Dryer.

How about the two front loaders? Are those both Philco Bendix?

 

[peterh770]

My guess is that there is a Bendix FL against the wall in the corner, then a Duomatic that Frank is taking notes on, and then a Bendix dryer. The Westinghouse is at the end of the KM/WP row against the wall.

 

[geoffdelp]

Oh sure, Peter ... you're right! Those dials on the Westinghouse should have been a dead give away!!

I wonder if that's a Westinghouse washer or dryer ... or maybe the combo?

 

[westytoploader]

Cool article...thanks for sharing!! My favorite has to be the HUGE lineup of brand-new wringers and AMPs. The CR-esque "testing lab" is also interesting...I see the familiar Westinghouse nameplate at the back, and the Bendix washer and dryer to the left and right of the Duomatic, respectively, but what has me at a loss is that particularly narrow machine between the frog-eye Kenmores and Whirlpool dryer. Perhaps it could be one of those top-loading "rack" dryers?

 

[gansky1]

Great pictures - thanks for posting these, Ben. Geoff lent these books to me a while back and I had a great time reading through them - the pictures are awesome!

I'd love to have Frank's job! I'd choose a different assistant though, not that Billie doesn't look like a nice person... Imagine setting up your own "projects" and experiments with all those machines! To see how long it takes the Maytag dryer to untangle and dry a load from the Frigidaire would be fascinating!

Notice in one of the following pictures with Billie and her pyrometer, there is a Kenmore in the back row between the Bendix and the Maytag washer.

 

[geoffdelp]

Now ... some of you guys have BETTER testing facilities than Frank and Billie!!

I think one of those issues has the "bleach-o-meter" (or something like that) article. Maytag was actually receiving washing machines back from homemakers who complained that the machines were "eating" their clothing and Maytag discovered it was from improper bleaching techniques!! Go figure.

Austin ... I love that shot of the showroom floor, too. I think that had something to do with buying a carload (train car, that is) of Maytag's and displaying them. LOVE the TV's and radios on top. Wouldn't that be cool walking into a store like that now?

 

[frigilux]

The late 40's and early 50's must have been an exciting time in the appliance industry. I've heard many times that since so many manufacturing plants were retooled for the war effort, appliances were a fairly scare commodity. Then to have automatic washers/dryers/dishwashers come on to the scene... A sales explosion!!

Thanks for posting the pic and article.

 

[sudsmaster]

Ben & Geoff,

Thanks for making the Maytag newsletter available here.

Something caught my eye in the story. The bit about housewives using soap in automatic washers in hard water, resulting in a soap scum deposit inside the machines. The Maytag testing lab "discovered" that a "pound of glacial acetic acid" would remove the deposit.

That's a bit alarming. For one thing, most people just can't get glacial acetic acid except from a chemical warehouse or laboratory. For another, when I worked in a chemistry lab, I always decanted glacial acetic acid in a fume hood. It's like super concentrated vinegar, and the fumes are not nice to breathe in. A pound of that stuff is about a pint... and being a concentrated acid, it should be added slowly to a tub full of water, not the other way round. So I very much doubt it was a practical household remedy for soap scum deposits.

Of course, there was a simpler solution... add some STPP to the tub before adding the soap. But I don't think STPP came into widespread use until much later.

 

[launderess]

Have a 1940's era book on laundering/ironing and it does cover water softeners. STPP is indeed recommended as the best water softener compared to borax, washing soda, and TSP.

Launderess

 

[geoffdelp]

Rich ... glacial acetic acid sounds rather extreme for them to use!! I wonder what other descaling chemicals there were available.

Since these magazines were made only available to dealers, I wonder if they (the dealers) used g.a.a. when restoring a machine to re-sell.

The 101P owner's manual I have STRONGLY suggests that no soap be used in the washing machine; only synthetic detergent. Actually, the manual said that if you were doing your first load in the new 101P and you had been using soap, you were to run the clothes through a complete cycle with only Calgon added to the water to remove the residual soap! You would have had to empty your closets and chest of drawers of all clothing to wash; wow.