Modern Living: Part Twelve

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

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When I was a little kid, my mom used Bab-O cleanser. Then for some reason switched to Comet, and did so for the rest of her life. This product is still made, but I rarely see it.

We had Mohawk carpet in a gray swirl pattern, and it was wool. I didn't like laying on it because it was scratchy. We got new Lees nylon carpet in 1967.

I think I have a Pyrex carafe like the one pictured. Used to use it for tea. Have the divided dish, but in white glass with a flamingo pink exterior.
 
#13 got my attention: Monel. Had to look it up. I did some research in college on stainless steel, but don't recall focusing on Monel, although I am familiar with the name. Its high cost and machining difficulty probably accounts for its scarcity today vs. stainless steel.

"Monel is a solid-solution binary alloy. As nickel and copper are mutually soluble in all proportions, it is a single-phase alloy. Compared to steel, Monel is very difficult to machine as it work-hardens very quickly. It needs to be turned and worked at slow speeds and low feed rates. It is resistant to corrosion and acids, and some alloys can withstand a fire in pure oxygen. It is commonly used in applications with highly corrosive conditions. Small additions of aluminium and titanium form an alloy (K-500) with the same corrosion resistance but with much greater strength due to gamma prime formation on aging. Monel is typically much more expensive than stainless steel.

"Monel alloy 400 has a specific gravity of 8.80,[9] a melting range of 1300–1350 °C,[10] an electrical conductivity of approximately 34% IACS, and (in the annealed state) a hardness of 65 Rockwell B.[11] Monel alloy 400 is notable for its toughness, which is maintained over a considerable range of temperatures.

"Monel alloy 400 has excellent mechanical properties at subzero temperatures up to 549°C.[10] Strength and hardness increase with only slight impairment of ductility or impact resistance. The alloy does not undergo a ductile-to-brittle transition even when cooled to the temperature of liquid hydrogen. This is in marked contrast to many ferrous materials which are brittle at low temperatures despite their increased strength."

 
My dad's Uncle Fred and Aunt Hazel built a new house in 1936. They were somewhat well to do, and purchased the finest materials they could afford. All the kitchen countertops and sinks were Monel, and the cabinets of steel by Whitehead Metal Products. It certainly paid off, as when we sold the house in '91 after his death, the sinks and countertops still looked almost new - 55 years later!
 

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