The first wash in the 1959 Kelvinator - on film!

[swestoyz]

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

 

[swestoyz]

The start of it all -

The spray. With the top on, you cannot see the fill flume - so I wanted everyone to see this guy in action.

 

[swestoyz]

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:

 

[swestoyz]

Spin 2

Now we see the water enter the outer tub - I'll let the photo do the rest of the 'splain.

 

[swestoyz]

Spin 3:

Most of the water has now left the tub, and is in the base of the outer tub, patiently waiting for the pump to retrieve it.

 

[swestoyz]

A shot of the rinse cycle

With the lid down. Who would ever think to open the lid when this guy is going to town!

 

[swestoyz]

Okay, okay...

It is very tempting, but a mess is what you get!

 

[swestoyz]

Start of spin - with the top on

When you look at this picture, you can just 'see' it starting.

 

[swestoyz]

Just about done ~

But what to do when a guy doesn't have a dryer in service? Line dry - of course!

 

[swestoyz]

The Culprit:

The drum of the clutch assembly. Who knew? A clamp has put a temporary fix on things. We'll see how long it will hold. .

 

[scott55405]

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.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Ben, Youre a Genius!

What a great job! A spectacular machine.
What's the little knob/switch on the right rear of the cabinet top?

 

[swestoyz]

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!

 

[alr2903]

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

 

[peteski50]

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

 

[abcomatic]

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

 

[maytagbear]

Splashy, Splashy

Kelvinator fun!

Looks great, Ben, and as a dialup person, thank you, thank you, thank you for the snapshots.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[christfr]

way cool awesome job !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gansky1]

Great video - isn't it fun to see it working so beautifully? Love that fill-flume too.

 

[tlee618]

Thanks so much for the awesome video Ben!! You just have to love the "magic minute". Sure looks like you had a nice clear rinse as well, you must have been using vintage Dash!! Thanks so much for sharing this with us. That is sure one beautiful machine. Terry

 

[chestermikeuk]

Splashy Water!!!

Congratulations Ben

That water action will certainly get stuff clean with all the extra oxygen airation!!!the splashy action just transfixes you,

I`ve just noticed the control lever for the Timeline, I was expecting a control knob....Does this work like a rachet, like Uni`s ABC???? Do you have to keep moving it up and down to move the timeline indicator??

Happy Washing, Mike

 

[westytoploader]

When's the next wash-in?

Ben, that is AWESOME news, congratulations on the maiden washload! Just that model itself is a sight to behold...definitely a rare treasure. I'm trying to remember, but I think, this one is only one of two existing within Applianceville. I believe Mark has the other one, with the original filter-agitator. Hopefully one of those will turn up shortly for originality!

And Glenn, wasn't this your grandmother's old machine, from the video?

 

[Unimatic1140]

Ben what great pictures and video! That washer is beyond beautiful and what a great restore job you did I must say.

Enjoy it, its the only Kelvinator from the late 1950's known in existence!

 

[mickeyd]

The color just astounds me: in my house, it arrives as a gol

magnificent a hue before. And those photos--the throwing of the water "unwrapped" or unveiled--how I love it, seeing the hidden and the forbidden. You're a man after my own heart. I wish we could have more shots of hidden spots like yours, from other machines in our club.

When my adored grandmother Margaret Crotty's unimatic died in the mid 60's, she got a Kelvinator, breaking a huge tradition of FRIGIDAIRE ONLY. Still, a boy, it was heaven on earth for me. Watching yours which is the only other Kelvi in my life brought back a flood of love. Hers had a flush rinse at the start of the wash throw, but the real treat, the real drama was the rinse which your film reveals so satisfyingly. Is there anything more outrageous than the Kelvinator rinse?

Benjamin, your work is fabulous--mind-blowing!
Thank You and may God bless.

Michael

 

[rickr]

What a fantastic machine! That is some splash action! Love it!

Congrats on the first wash,Ben. You will have the rest of it done in no time. Thanks for making the video of this rare machine for us.

 

[decodriveboy]

Great job Ben, the restoration is beautiful.

When I first saw one as a new member here, I didn't understand how Kelvys operated....a big agi for a little basket, I thought...now I see why. That timeline feature is so cool as well. It's really a once in a lifetime find.

For which years were Kelvinators in production, and was there any particular reason they were phased out?

 

[gyrafoam]

Great job Ben!----

Wonderful film!

One of the things I like about a 'Kelvy is its ability to "roll-over" the wash load.
I've done some really big loads, considering the size of the tub, and it has never failed to roll things over.

I am told there can be some tangling issues with sheets,but I've never had a problem.

The 'Kelvy has the best rinse of any machine I have ever seen.
The "pause & Spray/Overflow" is great for removing any oil or grease residue as it flows right out over the top. (No "re-deposit" like machines that use a "neutral-drain".)

The only improvement they could have made would have been to increase that 'Kenmo-like spin speed!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[mayken4now]

Thanks for sharing your video and new machine pictures with us Ben. Really appreciate all the nice clips, a lot of fun to watch.

Steve

 

[laundramatt]

ABC adgitator would fit in your Kelvinator

So, what are the differences between the two?

 

[danelto]

Suprise, Suprise!

I never knew Kelvinator agitators just shook like that. Too cool! Congratulations, too!