My new matched set....

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

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WOW--new to me

Never seen that one before. How cool. Looks like a piano keyboard. Ah!~ the beauties that will never be seen again, except here at Automatic Washer.
 
Back studying and admiring.

The shading on the keys, Graham, is that lettering or script for each cycle or is it shadow?
 
Graham, hot ziggity, diggity dawg!! What an incredible set. If you're able to, I'd love to have photos taken close up of the timer dial and the buttons. And also take photos of all the instructions and cycle descriptions on the underside of the lid. the same with the dryer panel and timer. I've never seen one like this at all, much less up close. So I'm very curious--only two buttons, hmm. It looks like it's timed only dryer and no auto dry cycle, but I could be wrong. And what's the story on these? Would love to know how ya got them. And, don't give up trying to find your match. it could happen when you least expect it and it could also be right under your nose and ya don't relize it.
 
Washer lid opens towards the rear?

Don't think I've ever seen a Whirlpool like that. Does the lid have a stop? What keeps it from bashing the timer knob?
 
1962 WP MARK 12 PAIR

Graham I am glad you got this machine I have only ever seen one of these washers and one dryer over 30 years ago. The washer and dryer were at different customers homes. The dryer does have an interesting auto dry system. And as far as [ the lid opens back ] all top loading WP washers ever built have a lid that opens back if I am not mistaken. TOL WP washers and dryers did not sell well in this period in history or any other brand for that matter as we were still working are way out of the Eisenhower recession of the late 1950s. It wasn't until the mid 1960s that that things started to really take off and TOL cars and appliances sold in larger numbers.
 
Color?

Are these pink or white? It's hard to tell in the photos? These are indeed a nice set and hopefully you can get them sorted out if they need anything. Good to see you around again, I was just thinking the other day that I haven't seen Sharples around in a bit.

But then again a keep a pretty narrow focus to the Imperial forum with some occasional ADD wandering to the "other pretty colors".

Merry X-Mas indeed!

-Tim
 
DON'T BELIEVE

I've seen a pair like these either.

I appreciate the comment made by "Combo 52" about not many machines of this era being sold. Maybe that's why, in part,I don't have any luck finding my W/P dream machine; other than the fact that we live in such a "
throw-away" society.

Gotta love that "RCA WHIRLPOOL" logo

Have
FUN -Russell
 
Very nice find, Graham! There was a washer like this, crispy and sun-faded in a Phoenix appliance shop-junkyard a number of years ago. Don't know if it's still there but IIRC they wanted a lot of money for their machines and I think ended up being able to hold on to most of their treasures.

The auto-dry is probably much like my 1960 Lady Kenmore dryer. The dryness of the load is measured by temperature, electronic sensing would be a few more years in WP/KM dryers. It uses a system of capacitors and resistors to control the length of the cycle, move from drying into cool-down and then shut off the machine. My Lady does the final shut-off by tricking itself into thinking that the door was opened and uses the door switch circuit to shut off the whole machine. I thought I had pictures on this computer but I'll have to look for them. There is a solenoid that controls the heater circuit so throughout the cycle there is a *thunk* sound as the heat cycles on and off. It's a very cool system, probably expensive to build so it wasn't around very long.

Congrats again, Graham, they are a beautiful piece of history.
 
AUTO DRY SYSTEM

Greg, actually the auto dry system is completely different than what was used on the 1960 LKM dryer you have. This 1962 WP uses the same system that the 1962-4 LKMs used. It was a system that relied on the modulated soft heat system that these dryers used. The electric models had a dual heating element one 3600 watt and one 2000 watt elements, both would be on at first, and as the clothes dry a thermostat on the exhaust blower housing would turn off the 3600 watt element at around 150 leaving the 2000 watt element on. Meanwhile an adjustable thermostat mounted on the heater box above the heating element is noticing the reduced heater input and when the input gets down to a certain level long enough the thermostat closes and starts the timer moving toward cool-down and off. This heater box thermostat has an adjustable setting that is on the back of the dryer that is factory set. But they allowed an adjustment by the user which would be necessary if you didn't like dryness of the clothing as it was. This adjustment may also be necessary because of such factors as the dryers exhaust system length, voltage at this installation etc. The gas dryers worked the same way except they incorporated a modulating gas burner where the flame size would slowly taper down as the clothing dried. And again a thermostat on the burner box notices when the gas input is way down and tells the timer to start running. The gas LKM combos of the 1960s used this same system, and mine has worked very well for over 30 years, clothes are never over dried or left with damp areas. This was a roundabout way of having an auto dry system but it automatically adjusted to different exhaust systems and the room temperature of where the dryer was located. Once the 1965 LKMs came out with the electronic dry system they never did anything this elaborate again.
 

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