P.O.D. 10/19/11: Bendix WONDERTUB Washing Machine

[daveamkrayoguy]

There is a mention of it in one of my books by Charles Klamkin, IF IT DOESN'T WORK, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS...

Wonder if any one here has had a washer w/ this tub supposedly made out of this rubber material (& the book criticizes how the tub may be prone to breakage by a sharp object left in a pocket) that doesn't even use a conventional agitator (the water moves in and out of the tub, moving & shifting the clothes in order for them to be washed)...

Any thoughts?

-- Dave

 

[revvinkevin]

 

 

Hi Dave,

 

>> Wonder if any one here has had a washer w/ this tub..... Yes there are a few of these floating around and our webmaster Robert has a couple of them.

 

>> the book criticizes... it doesn't even use a conventional agitator..... The book is wrong.   It does use a conventional agitator that rotates back and forth for washing like most other top load washers.    BUT, as this washer has the rubber tub and does not spin, it uses a vacuum pump to suck the air (and water) out of the tub, which also collapses the tub and squeeses the water out of the clothes.

 

Check out the link below.   It's a thread Robert posted about creating a see thru lid s you can watch the action.   There is a video in the thread too.

 

I hope this helps!

Kevin

Through the Looking Glass...

hmmmmmm, now what in the world might we see through this little home made device in my hand?????

www.automaticwasher.org

 

[vintagekitchen]

Robert's Video..

Robert's Bendix is the Economat.. Perhaps the Wondertub was a diferent model?

 

[tomturbomatic]

No, these were all basically the same machine with a rubber tub, some of a compound called Mexaloy. Some were semi-automatic. Those were called the Dial-A-Mats. The automatics were called Econ-O-Mats. The agitator is almost a dead ringer for the Maytag Gyrator except for the perforations. The washing action was incredibly strong; the extraction not so much, but it could be made cheaply since it only needed a wringer washer tranny for agitation. Since they did not spin, many apartment house owners allowed them which was a prime market for automatic washers in the post war years. The tub had a lifetime warranty, but usually the seals failed and water got into the tranny before the tub failed.

Do a searchalator search for these.

 

[westie2]

My grandmother (dads mother) had the semi-automatic and it was a great washer for her.  Lasted for many years until a big nail was left in my grandadas pocket.  By that time she was ready to get a fully automatic. 

 

 

 

[tomturbomatic]

One of the places that showed the cheapness of the machine was that the Bakelite agitator did not have metal splines where it fit onto the drive shaft of the tranny so with lots of use and age, the agitator got loose which impaired the agitation action. The Maytag Gyrator was Bakelite also, but had metal splines to mate with the tranny.

 

[Jsneaker]

We had a Bendix Economat

I remember only too well, back in 1955 as a 3-year-old, the hand-wringing we used to do(Mom, Grandma & I) to prepare the wash for the 1955 Frigidaire Condenser dryer we had! That Economat washed well, but that "Metaxaloy" tub was bizarre. I have, somewhere, the little rubber grid from the agitator top. We got rid of the Bendix for a beautiful 1957 Whirlpool Imperial with the ozone lamp.

Jason

 

[daveamkrayoguy]

IF IT DOESN'T WORK, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! (Follow-Up

OK now I finally have the book in hand and it states that the Bendix Economat does use a conventional agitator & in a conventional back & forth design, so my apologies on the inaccuracies there...

(I was correct on the other pumping/extracting details, and other vital information, though--also cited by Charles Klamin in this book; probably needed to read the ad some more, too...)

Just thought about the brief chronicle on this machine Klamkin writes about in his book, which is very much, I believe, that very same machine, which we have had featured as P.O.D. here at autowasher.org...

-- Dave