"One-Minute" washer

[tolivac]

Anyone here heard of a "One-Minute" auto matic washer? I saw an add in a November 1956 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Bought a box of really old magazines a a bookstore yard sale.Wondered if anyone here has one or has heard of them-how well did they work?Was reading the book while eating my breakfast after I got home from my night shift.also the B&G magazines from those days are LIGHT YEARS better then the ones today-used to subsribe-but the newer B&G was BORING!!The older ones had lots of useful articles and info-and --adds of COOL vintage machines.The add shows a picture of the machine and the family kids taking the Box of Tide detergent from it and saying-"Look what they put in our new One-Minute washer"

 

[jasonl]

My question is...

HOW?

One minute? It takes that much or more to fill with water. Even a front loader.

Can you scan the ad?

 

[tolivac]

the name is the name brand of the machine-the computer I use doesn't have a scanner.There is lots of things in the magazine that folks here would love to see.The add for the "One-Minute" washer intregued me and was wondering if anyone heard of that name or brand.

 

[westytoploader]

I've heard of the Magic Minute of course, but not the One-Minute!

It would be interesting to know what the name was all about...

 

[DADoES]

IIRC, there's a PotD that features a One-Minute Automatic washer.

 

[Unimatic1140]

The One-Minute Company was an old wringer washer company from Newton, Iowa of all places! Like so many other washer companies they introduced their Automatic by outsourcing the production to Beam (just like Speed Queen).

 

[tolivac]

Beam

Sounds like Beam was a "contractor" to both Speed Queen and One-Minute?How good of product was Beam?Now I have run into two name I wasn't famaliar with-just trying to find out.anyone have any wringer machines built by One-minute-or for them by Beam? was wondering what sort of washer it was-Never seen or heard of one until I saw that add.Was One-minute any way related to Maytag?

 

[tolivac]

Big thanx to Unimatic

Unimatics entry helps solve most of the mystery.Have you run into any of those One-Minute machines-they sound like they could be a rare find if you run into one.Was it very similar to or the same as the SQ machines of that time?

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Re: Beam:

Is this Beam company the same as the Central Vac Systems? There is a Beam Vac company here in Sacto, CA.

I've as well as Austin saying never heard of the One-Minute, but I've heard of the "Magic-Minute" on the Kelvinator Washer.

Peace and Happy One-Minute Washing, Steve
SactoTeddyBear...

 

[Unimatic1140]

Beam produced lots of Automatics for off brands in the late 1940's and 1950's such as Easy, Hotpoint, One-Minute, Firestone, AMC Coronado, Wizard-Western Auto, Barton, I'm sure there are quite a few more even.

Beam produced a very reliable machine design which lasted into the early 1970's when Speed Queen redesigned the washer with a reversing motor. All the major components were made slightly different for each brand as they were trying to keep them from being interchangeable. Why they did this I don't know, but it’s true if you compare the same parts from different brands of machines.

I don’t this know for sure but I suspect that Speed Queen bought out Beam sometime in the 1960’s.

 

[runematic]

I have a one-minute wringer washer that I bought at an auction a few years ago. It's a wooden tub on a metal frame base. I just looked through my digital picture files & I do not have a picture on this computer. I'll try and post a pic when I get a chance.

 

[runematic]

here is an older pic that I found in a photo album. I scanned it in. That's another old wringer top sitting on the far side of the one-minute chassis.

 

[jasonl]

Didn't Beam become what we now know as the dreaded Franklin machines?

 

[tolivac]

It would only make sense that SQ bought out Beam since Beam was building washers for them--Wouldn't the parts not interchanging also be for patent requirements-Then one can assume that any SQ machine built in the '60's was built in Beams's old plant.

 

[Unimatic1140]

No I don't believe Beam ever had anything to do with Franklin, there were completely different companies, both in the Appliance outsourcing business.

Then one can assume that any SQ machine built in the '60's was built in Beams's old plant.

I have no idea about that, maybe someone here knows the history of the two.