'Retro-Grading' the microwave in Ogden

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Even early Amana MW ovens had a flat glass. John showed me one he has. on my RR2, the glass tray was missing so there's currently a newer one in it. I can't tell if the original was flat like the one in John's microwave of the same style as newer Amana trays.
Frigidaire MW ovens also had the same style of tray. That's probably because they were made by Amana!

BTW, Paul's Tappan is made by Litton and at the back, it says it's made by Litton for Okeefe & Merritt!

Frigidaire RCM-10 on the left, Amana RR-2 on the right.

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BTW, Paul's Tappan is made by Litton

I remember very early Kenmore microwaves were also made by Litton. Had a coworker in 1978, 1979 whose family had a early 1970s Kenmore and they made the comment it was made by Litton and it had an SS interior. by that time I had my own meal-in-one Litton 500 and it had the sealed in glass liner.
 
I know my glass try in the R-2 has to be original.  It's cooking area is smaller than the residential units so Amana tray wouldn't fit.  I imagine that your tray Phil probably looked something like that originally, as our patterns match and would have been made at the same time.  

 

Good luck finding the tray, Paul.  If you post a picture of what an original looked like I'll keep an eye out at the thrift stores.
 
Clunk!

Sandy, I think you're right that Chris will hear the cooking cycle kick in on the other side of the pond! I used the oven to cook some scrambled eggs this morning and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard it. I thought it was going to blow up!! LOL
 
This is too funny...

Hubby got back from the UK Wednesday evening and we headed down to Ogden on Thursday evening. On his 'what the hell did you buy and not tell me about' patrol on Friday, he DID notice that the Tappan microwave had replaced the Kenmore. Well, he wasn't too thrilled, but I assured him it still worked fine.
He challenged me to prove that, so at about 12:45 PM yesterday, I was using the Tappan to cook the base for his favourite cold soup. He was working outside, but we both heard the 'BANG' and I was able to see right away that the power was out....

The local Fire Chief drove up not long thereafter (large bangs and power outages are often associated with me in Ogden) but it turned out to be a tree branch that hit a power line and shorted a transformer.

Now, guess who will never trust that microwave?? LOL I did make the corn on the cob in it last night with no 'earth-shattering kaboom' though....
 
Paul:

Chris wouldn't be the first person not to trust a vintage MW. That huge "clunk" unnerves a lot of people who weren't around when the first generation of variable-power MWs was new - they take some persuading that it's normal, and harmless.
 
Well after that report, Paul - we're just going to look at the newly acquired Amana Radarange-saw enough lighting and thunder today coming and going to Fayettville..live right next to a forest, some of the trees just a few feet from our windows...vintage radio waves have far reaching energy. ;-)
 
Love the lights

Hey, I love the lights on the micro! Super stylish, that must have been a top of the range model, great to see them, and the 'now cooking' sign, love it!
It looks great in the cabinet too ;-)

Happy micro cooking!

Ian
 
That's so cool! :)

What was the power of those old microwaves compared to a modern one?
I read 1,5 kW on the first one so that would be around 850-900W of a modern oven of given microwave power but is it so? Or was less, in the range of 550-700W?
Thanks
 
Effective radiated power on most of those old microwaves was around 500 W.

I notice on the label that it gives the operating frequency as "2450 MC". I thought Hz as the international unit for cycles/second was pretty universal by the late '60s.
 
Tappan Microwave - 1968 - 2014

Sad news from Ogden - the Tappan Microwave gave up the ghost on me this weekend.

I had used it the weekend of April 26th with no issues or hints of impending failure, but this weekend, I hit the 'cook' button and although I heard the familiar 'clunk', the food I was trying to heat was still stone cold.

I don't recall hearing any odd noises and there were no flashes, sparks, or smoke that usually accompany my appliance problems. Could it be that the magnetron went bad on me? Is it possible to fix or replace it? Or should I keep my eyes out for an even older version of a microwave??
smiley-laughing.gif
 
Well,  I swapped the poor old Tappan with the 86 Kenmore (my first microwave, believe it or not!).  It's nice to have a microwave in the kitchen again, but dang it, I want an 'Electronic Oven'!!

 

I've never done any work on a microwave oven - what would be the suggested procedure for diagnosing trouble?  What pecautions should I take before attempting any service (ie - discharging capacitors).   Would parts for an oven like the Tappan still be obtainable?  

 
 

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