Percolator/coffee maker collection

[justjunque]

Thank you so much.
I'm running the cream of tartar perk on the GE as I write this.
It's perking away like a little champ!
I'm always so nervous that everything is going to suffer some sort of catastrophic failure!
I'm such a worrier!

Barry

 

[justjunque]

Cole;
I think it's fun that you don't even drink coffee, but you enjoy coffee makers, and own some.

John;
Through your pictures, I was introduced to Poly Perks.
While I would have the same concerns about chemicals from the plastic potentially getting into the coffee, I have to say...I think they're possibly the most charming coffee makers I've ever seen.
I know I'll eventually own at least one.

Barry

 

[justjunque]

Here they are.
A week ago, I owned zero percolators. Now I have three.
I'm wondering if the Sunbeam and the Universal are related. There are similarities in the styling.
And, at least on mine, the internals are nearly identical.
Sorry for the crappy picture. I just wanted to get one initial group shot.
My phone has no "storage" left, so it usually won't even let me take a picture.
At least it gives you a general sense of them.
Left to right, like I need to tell you:

GE Immersible, Universal Coffeematic, Sunbeam Coffeemaster.

Barry

 

[ea56]

Congrats Barry!

You have a nice start at your electric perk collection. That Universal Coffeematic looks to be in very nice condition, as do the GE Immersible and Sunbeam Coffeemaster.

I’ve owned examples of each over the last 47 years and hands down my favorite was the Universal, maybe because it was my first electric perk, more so for it’s dependability and consistently good performance.

I hope you will enjoy each of them.

Eddie

 

[justjunque]

Thanks!

After three cleaning cycles, spread out over two days, I finally felt comfortable enough with the GE to attempt making coffee in it.
I'm wondering if someone did attempt to clean it with a chemical that wasn't compatible with aluminum.
After three thorough cleanings, and running a brush around the inside in between cleanings, I still can't get it to "look" clean.
I agree with regard to not wanting to use steel wool or anything abrasive on it.
Now...how would you recommend cleaning the inside of it after each use?
I want to do more than just rinse it out. And it will go at least a week in between uses.
Probably longer than that, since I have three of them to play with.

Not having any recollection of how we used to make perked coffee back with my parents, I was nervous about the correct amount of coffee to use, and how to set the brew control.
So, I just went with what seemed like the standard "one level tablespoon of coffee for each cup of water", and I set the control right in the middle.
The result, in my opinion, was stronger than I like it, but still with a good flavor.
I'm sure it's going to take at least a few attempts to find the right combination.
Next time, I don't know if I should use less coffee, or set the control more towards "mild".
And I wonder if each different percolator will yield different results.
I'm thinking the Universal will be the next one that I try making coffee with.
I think I will like the perked coffee better than drip, once I hit the sweet spot with ratios and setting the strength correctly.

Barry

 

[lordkenmore]

Poly Perks

>most charming coffee makers I've ever seen

I really like them...even if they are the among the last coffee pots I'd actually ever use! I'd like to get more. Poly Perks could be an interesting collection on their own.

 

[maytagbear]

Deep yet safe cleaning

I have a small collection of percolators and other coffeemakers. My most frequently used perc is a large oval GE from the 1960s. For deep, yet safe cleaning, I suggest a paste of baking soda and water, applied with four fingers.

Very thin long brushes for basket stems and spouts are still available, though a little more challenging to find, but worthwhile to have.

I personally like strong coffee, two tablespoons per 6 ounce cup. If I want less strong coffee, usually for entertaining, I get results I find more pleasing by decreasing the amount of coffee used than shortening brewing time

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[justjunque]

Agreed, John!
They made a bunch of different styles and colors. I looked at a bunch of them on the interwebs after you taught me that they exist!

I've just run a cleaning cycle with cream of tartar on the Universal now.
It just finished perking, so I don't yet know how it came out.
To begin with, it wasn't anywhere near as discolored inside as the GE was.
It seemed to perk fine, but I'm a little bit bummed. The "coffee's ready" indicator light doesn't work.
And I was looking forward to that. I like lights.
I know, I've seen in threads here or somewhere, that the bulb can be replaced.
But, I'm not about to take it apart to get to the bulb.
Maybe next weekend, I'll try a pot of coffee in that one.
I wonder if there's ever been a "perk in", where percolator collectors gather and drink coffee made in their vintage percs.
I suppose they might get a bit wired after a while. Unless the decaf was flowing!

Barry

 

[justjunque]

Thanks, Lawrence.
That's what I was leaning towards myself.

Now...is that baking soda method safe for aluminum-bodied percolators?
I'm kind of suspecting that someone may have used something on this one that turned the aluminum black. It doesn't look like just coffee residue to me. But, then again, this is my first experience with them.

And, following up on a question that I asked earlier, about checking them with a magnet to determine if they're aluminum.
A magnet doesn't stick to any of my three. And I don't think they're all aluminum.
Eddie; you stated that the Universal might be chrome plated copper.
And I don't know about the Sunbeam. Since they seem similar, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same material as the Universal.

Barry

 

[lordkenmore]

Barry--your three percolators look really nice! Good start!

>Now...how would you recommend cleaning the inside of it after each use?

I'm not an expert, even if I have more percolators than any sane person would ever have.

["Who ever said Lord Kenmore is sane?" comes a mutter from the back of the audience.]

But I just always did something like put some hot water into the pot, a bit of dish soap, and then used a dish cloth to scrub. I'd think that should be good enough day to day.

One dumb question--like I ask any other kind! LOL--but does "Immersible" refer to a design that can theoretically be washed in a sink of water? Even if this is the case, I, myself, would probably refrain from submerging the percolator. Just because who knows how good the seals are after all these years.

>Next time, I don't know if I should use less coffee, or set the control more towards "mild".

No idea. I suppose less coffee means coffee savings, but it could also mean less optimal operation resulting in watery coffee. One reason I don't use my percolators these days is that I don't make much coffee at once. Even if one of my percolators could theoretically do two cups, I wonder if it wouldn't do poorly, since overall design is geared for 8+ cups.

The mention of the strength dial has started to make me wonder about the ideal position of the control. As I recall from something I read when I was a teenager, these strength dials control how long the percolator percolates. (IIRC the idea was that there were two heating elements used in brewing--one that heated the coffee pot as a whole, and one that was for the percolation. The strength dial was connected to a thermostat that controlled the element that heated the pot as a whole. The "stronger" the setting, the sooner that second element turns off, which means the percolation element stays on longer.) I now wonder what the ideal setting would be for coffee quality, and if perhaps "Mild" would be best, since it would minimize the percolation time (reducing the risk of "cooking" the coffee down in the well.)

 

[lordkenmore]

>I personally like strong coffee, two tablespoons per 6 ounce cup. If I want less strong coffee, usually for entertaining, I get results I find more pleasing by decreasing the amount of coffee used than shortening brewing time

This is a standard recommended amount by coffee experts. I remember one saying that actually he didn't think it worked well using less coffee, and if weaker coffee was wanted, he suggested making a smaller amount of strong coffee, and diluting that down with hot water.

 

[maytagbear]

Baking soda

is safe on aluminum, will polish safely. Baking soda is non-scratching, and food safe (Cream of Tartar is also food safe...it is a derivitive of grapes/wine making.)

L/Mb

 

[justjunque]

John,

Yes. I believe the Immersible was designed so that you can dunk the whole thing in water.
Or, at least under running water.
I'm not going to do it either though. I'm a big chicken. Plus, like you said; who knows how the seals have aged?

Barry

 

[ea56]

The GE Immersible that we had was washed in the sink with the dishes, and worked fine, but with age the seals may have dried up and be not sealing like when it was new, so to be safe I wouldn’t submerge it. Just wash the inside with dish soap and water after each use, rinse well and dry.

The Sunbeam is chrome plated copper just like the Universal. Try to find a narrow brush to clean the inside of the stem once in a while. As far as the amount of coffee to use, I like strong coffee, black, and always used 1 tbs. per cup, plus one for the pot, and used the strong setting.

It’s been so long since I used a Universal, but could it be possible that the ready light works in reverse? Some electric perks are backwards this way, in other words, the signal light stays on while brewing and shuts off when the brew cycle is complete. Next time you use it see if thats the case.

You may be able to replace the light bulb, but this is at least 60 years old now, I personally wouldn’t chance taking it apart to replace the bulb, you may break something else in the process that could be irreplaceable. I always say, “If it ain’t broke, ain’t fix it”.

Eddie

 

[justjunque]

Eddie,

The red light didn't come on during perking or when it was done.
From videos, I believe it's supposed to light up when the coffee is ready.
The Sunbeam, I believe works the opposite way.
Hopefully, I'll find out next weekend. That's when I plan on getting into that one for cleaning.
It really doesn't need much on the outside, but I want to make sure the inside is clean before I try to use it.

Barry

 

[lordkenmore]

Universal light

I have an old Universal that looks a lot like the one in the photo above. (I don't think I posted a photo of mine--it photographed poorly, then the camera died before I go do a redo.) I just ran a cycle of water, and the light works (turning one when done)...but--for me, at least--it's not the most exciting light I've seen.

I'd be leery about replacing the light. Eddie raises a good point about possibly breaking something that can't be replaced. Also a possible problem: finding a replacement bulb, which may or may not still be available.

I just ran a cycle (again only with water) using one of the Sunbeams, and it appears it's a "light on when brewing" design.

One thing that interests me with both: they seem to run more quietly than I'd expected, based on my memories of percolators I've used in the past. I suppose noise can vary brand to brand. Or else my memories are faulty. Or there is some other variable at work.

 

[justjunque]

When I ran my Universal through a cleaning perk, I felt that it was quieter than my GE.
It's a lot heavier too though. I wonder if that factors into it.

Barry

 

[lordkenmore]

I have to think weight would make a difference with how loud a percolator is.

Quieter operation probably gives a sense of quality--but I have admit I like louder, more dramatic operation!

 

[lordkenmore]

I ran another plain water cycle, this time on that white Poly Perk. There was a definite heated plastic smell. One wonders what chemicals might get leeched into a pot of brewing coffee!

 

[lordkenmore]

I went window shopping at Goodwill earlier. (You know your cash flow situation could use more cash flowing in when you only window shop Goodwill! LOL) There was what I think was a newish Chinese-made percolator. Interesting in that it didn't look that horrible...but it wasn't as nice a vintage model. (But then, I may be biased here...) It certainly doesn't have the weight of a vintage model.

It may be modern, but it does definitely share one thing in common with many vintage percolators that turn up: it desperately needed a good cleaning inside. (The last owner actually drank the coffee made in this thing? Yuck!)