Stupid appliance trivia.

[paulg]

Strange thread - let's see where this goes.
Been perusing old legal documents.
Did you know that Dormeyer and Webcor were related? Apparently owned by the Haffa family (Chicago).
It appears that assets between the two companies went back and forth.
I also found out that Cory, Fresh-n'd-Aire and Mitchell Manufacturing (radios, TVs, Air conditioners etc) were also interrelated in Chicago. I believe CORY still exists as a unit of Nestle. Not sure.
Admiral Corporation marketed power-tools (drills, saws) for a time.. as well as kitchen cabinets.
.. My interest in these silly subjects began at the Salvation Army Store. I picked up a "Webcor" brand ice-crusher. Thought to myself " What the heck happened here???" Found out later that they were tied to Dormeyer.
More stupid trivia. Years ago, Dormeyer had a Chicago mixer parts manufacturing plant that exploded. It blew their staff out of the building and onto North Avenue. (Cause: Aluminum powder explosion).
... Living in Chicago I am proud to say that I have Mitchell, Cory, Fresh n'd Aire, Dormeyer and Admiral products in my home and all work to this day. Alas, no Webcor at this time.

 

[whirlcool]

Interesting stuff you have there. I thought Webcor only made radios, tape recorders and phonographs. I sure do remember them in their hey day in the 1960's. But an ice maker? Who knew?

 

[petek]

I had no idea. I find this stuff interesting, let me know if you find out anymore. Dormeyer was a fairly big player in the small appliance market. Certainly not GE or Sunbeam big but significant all the same. I've a few Dormeyer mixers, one is a Wards rebadge. They also rebadged mixers in Canada for Eatons etc up into the 60's I believe when the name vanished.. Can't remember who bought them out.. do you know

 

[retro-man]

I find this type of information very interesting. You can see how the families would split things up or go their own way and take up manufacturing. I am sure it was a good way for money transfers (speaking of launduring). The goverment accounting offices were not that great back then, or now for that matter.LOL I guess this was and is a business practice. Keep it in the family. Works for me. I hate asking this but any chance of you posting some pics of those items you mentioned that you have. I know we would all love to see them.
Thanks. Jon

 

[rp2813]

We had a Webcor portable color TV in the late 60's or early 70's, purchased at White Front I think and if memory serves me, a Webcor reel-to-reel tape deck. I sort of remember seeing something non audio/visual made by Webcor in a thrift store a while back and recall wondering how that badge ended up on whatever it was. Now I know!

 

[paulg]

Some additional info...

I DO have a sales brochure for Admiral Super-Tools, "By Admiral World's largest Television Manufacturer". However it is large. Maybe I can scan part of it. Very 1950's.
... I think (but am not sure at all....) that Dormeyer morphed into a relay manufacturer outside Chicago. Still investigating.
I DID find a bankruptcy records for Webcor in 1968. Perhaps after they regained their grip they started marketing oddball products (ice crushers, B&W TVs etc). Webcor brand popped back up in the 1980s I think. Know nothing about that situation.

 

[goatfarmer]

Where does Dominion fit into all of this? I remember my aunt had a fan, and I believe some kitchen appliances with this name.

I remember traveling to Wisconsin in the early 70's, and seeing a huge Admiral sign, along I294, must have been around Northlake, IL.

 

[hydralique]

Stupid appliance trivia on AW? Surely not

 

[rp2813]

I think we had a Dominion toaster oven/broiler. It was one of those where you flipped the entire appliance over depending on whether you wanted to bake or broil.

 

[petek]

Here's that Dominion toaster/broiler

 

[alr2903]

Grandma had a superlectric fan, i see some of their fans and waffle-makers over on the Bay from time to time. I think they were made somewhere in Mo. Knapp-Monarch too, a great product of St.Louis, makes you wonder who bought who and what companies just died out. alr2903

 

[iheartmaytag]

I know that a lot of toaster/broilers were the same so I may be off tract. But, didn't/doesn't Oster make a Pizza oven very simular to the one pictured above?

 

[danemodsandy]

Petek:

"I've a few Dormeyer mixers, one is a Wards rebadge. They also rebadged mixers in Canada for Eatons etc up into the 60's I believe when the name vanished."

Petek: Dormeyer's mixers were known as Camfield mixers north of the border, in line with the 1950s practise of giving Canada its own, distinctive brand names. The Camfield-branded Dormeyers I've seen look to be identical to American units, but there could have been models with Canada-specific features, because Dormeyer was infamous for changing handles, trim, etc., and calling it a new model. Dormeyers were very solid, conservatively engineered machines, extremely well-made, every bit the equal of Sunbeam's more famous Mixmaster. I grew up with a Dormeyer, and I'm presently looking for the chrome version of the white one we had. It's called the Dormeyer "Princess", and I keep hoping a good one turns up on eBay. A photo of the white version is below:

 

[countryguy]

My mom had a Dormeyer mixer but if I remember correctly it had a black handle. I loved how the entire motor head would move in order to accommodate the different size bowls.

Gary

 

[reversajet]

Silver Chef

The Dormeyer mixer in white was named "Food Fixer," while the chrome version you'll easily find are labeled "Silver Chef." Try to hold out for one with meat grinder attachment and possibly a feature hang tag, they come up often! Not as classy as the Mixmaster but needs no oiling, easier attachment use and stronger gearing.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[danemodsandy]

Mike:

That's a very pretty Silver Chef, in very nice condition, but it isn't the one I'm looking for. The "Silver Chef" name was used in the late '40s and early '50s, so far as I can determine, and again in the '60s. The mixer I've shown dates from around '57 or so. At that time, the chrome version was called the "Princess." It's very hard to nail down much info on Dormeyer, because there are no archives left from their appliance days. Also, the company had a habit of changing trim almost at will; you see handles (or other parts) that should belong on "this" mixer on "that" mixer, where you've never seen them before.

There is currently a Camfield (Dormeyer's Canadian brand) on eBay that is almost identical to the Princess, but which has a different handle more frequently seen on later Dormeyers, and a black-painted base; the Princess was all-chrome, at least the ones I've seen on eBay thus far. It's very hard for me to say anything definitive about Dormeyers, because the second I do, along comes a mixer that proves me wrong. So, take what I've said here for what it's worth, which is strictly info gleaned from observation.

Hopefully, one day, a Princess that hasn't been beaten to death will turn up on eBay.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[rp2813]

Yep, that's the Dominion flip-over job up there. Do you use it much and is it a better performer than modern toaster ovens? As I recall, it did a pretty good job.

 

[paulg]

Admiral billboard / Camfield appliances.

I clearly remember the Admiral billboard. Yes it was on I294 near O'Hare and just North of the Zenith building. I believe it said "Admiral Color TV Stereo Appliances". It was there for many years. After the Magic-Chef acquisition in approx 1979, the sign became a Magic-Chef sign with a light-bulb animated chef doing a bow. The sign is still there but someone else has ads running.
I run into Camfield branded coffeemakers a few times. The bottom is stamped as made in Michigan. Very plain.

 

[jaytag]

SuperElectric Made in Cape Girardeau Missouri

They were a product of Southeast Missouri. McGraw Edision, Eskimo and later toastmaster fans were made in Booneville, Missouri near Columbia.