Old Coldspots

[bygted]

Anyone out there know if Coldspot fridges from the late 30's -mid 40's ever used a wooden panel on the top?
I have always assumed that they were always metal - But I came across one with a wood panel on the top recently - It looked factory, so if it's a home job - someone did a hell of a job.
?

 

[athanasius80]

I don't know of that off hand. Is it a refrigerator with a refrigeration unit on top? On the bottom? Or is it an icebox?

 

[bygted]

It's a fridge -

Probably from around 1940-43. The compressor is on the top.
I was not able to get any pictures - I am searching for an ad or something that I can get some info from.

 

[hydralique]

I know nothing about these refrigerators, but it's worth remembering that once the US officially entered WWII the production of many consumer goods was rapidly wound down to essentials. Manufacturers were forced to ration materials so many consumer products made from '42 through '45 had to be modified to reduce their usage of metals - I wouldn't be surprised if this happened to some refrigerators. The most prominant example of this situation was that many '42 model cars (the last year produced until '46) were delivered with painted bumpers and door handles, as chrome was being saved for military production. Because this happened so fast, new car brochures still showed full chrome even though it wasn't available. If the refrigerator was made after late '41 it may also have weird, difficult to document features as the factory scrambled to convert to war production.

 

[jamiel]

I saw a Coolerator icebox from 1944 one time which had wooden dowel shelves in the main part of the icebox...anything to save the metal for war usage!

 

[sudsmaster]

Autos made during the Korean War also had reduced amounts of chrome.