The first wash in the 1959 Kelvinator - on film!

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

swestoyz

swestoyz

Well-known member
Platinum Member
Joined
Sep 27, 2004
Messages
6,599
Location
Cedar Falls, IA
Hey there folks,

Hope you all had a good weekend. Besides shoveling snow during the waking hours of the weekend, I made some headway with the Kelvinator project. To make a long story short, I discovered yesterday that the drum of the clutch is cracked. It was causing the motor to go from the start winding to the run winding way too soon, and you guessed it, many blown fuses. Greg was a good sport and simply said, "Try a hose clamp, really tight." It worked! Even though it may have some life left in it, I am now on the hunt for a replacement.

With the band-aid in place, I was able to capture some more footage of the Kelvinator doing what it does best - wash! Please keep in mind that I do not have an actual DV Camera, all footage was shot on my Cannon digital camera in 90 second chunks, then edited in iMovie. The quality wasn't too bad until the compression kicked in. For those who do not have a high speed connection, I've included a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy!

Ben



1-21-2007-22-48-43--swestoyz.jpg
 
Fast Forward...

to the spin. I was only able to capture the machine going into a spin with water and suds, with photos. The next three show the progression of the water from the base of the tub, up through the slots, then out to the sides of the outer tub. Way too cool!!

You can see little bits of suds startng to pop out of the slots and drain holes in this photo:

1-21-2007-22-54-18--swestoyz.jpg
 
Very, very nice Ben! I enjoyed the video too! I'm glad someone has this particular one in their collection. The control panel design is one of my favorites.

I love that you know Cheap Trick! That song was big in my senior year, the live version in particular.
 
Hey - thanks Scott! Funny thing about the song. I was just listening to the radio when I was filming, and the machine just happen to go into spin when the song started the chorus. I thought it would be great if I cut the rest of the song from an mp3 for the rest of the clip from that point on.

Darrel - the little knob you are referring to is the off balance trip. When the machine goes off balance, the tub will hit a mechanical lever system. It is mounted half way up on the outside of the outer tub. When it is hit it: trips a micro switch - cutting the ground to the whole washer, and then pops that little knob up. When this happens, the house wife would have re-distributed the clothes, pushed down on the knob, and presto, back in business!
 
Very Nice and Thank YOU

Ben, looks like a very nice restore. Thanks for the pics for us slow dialup people. You do very nice work, it sure cleaned up beautifully. Sure hope you find your replacement part for the clutch. arthur
 
Kelvinator!

Hi Ben,
This is beyond being fantastic. Thank you for the real great video. The Kelvinator has to be the most awsome washer ever made. It is so sad they don't use a design like that today. The time line control even makes this machine real awsome.
Best Wishes
Peter
 
Way to go Ben !

Ben, Great pictures and the movie. I wonder if the ABC adgitator would fit in your Kelvinator? I remember seeing a new Kelvinator in 1963 at the appliance store when my mom was looking to buy a new washer and dryer; it had a turquoise colored adgitator in it.
If you ever come across a Kelvinator or ABC of this vintage, I sure would be interested. Thanks for the great information (hope you find a new clutch) and pics etc. Have fun. Gary
 

Latest posts

Back
Top