alanlondon
Well-known member
Hello everyone
Know Keymatics are not new on this website, but thought I would finally out mine to you all. It's been on a bit of a waiting journey I can tell you! As many of you share similar stories on this forum from a young boy I've had a complete fascination of all mechanical machines, and in particularly washing machines. In those early days my father and I would regularly go and pick up all sorts of things at scrap yards and bring them back for me to take apart in the garden (or later on mend some when I learnt more), I was in domestic heaven for hours as a young boy. So many machines came through my finger tips that I now long for, even the allusive Servis Toploader, which I know we all still hope that one is about and will be found in the UK. Anyway, one day along came a 3226 Keymatic, its bearings had gone and I dismantled it completely (I'd be about 12) and it end up back at the tip. However, I regretted it even at this early age that I didn't take more time to save it and later on in my early twenties when I started mending and selling used washing machines, I used to look all the time for another one at the dealers yards of raw appliances, trade machines, warehouses etc. years went by and hundreds of machines went through my hands, but never another keymatic. I advertised in local and national papers in the 'wanted section' and then one day I saw in a local paper 'Twenty or so broken washing machines £10 each', telephoned the guy and found that he only lived a few streets away and he said they were all in a basement. So I went and there at the back I saw her, she'd been there for years and only two streets away from me - how often is that the case! It took two weeks for the man to clear a space and then three of us to get her out of the basement and she then sat in my kitchen for about another two years waiting for me to have some money to give an overhaul, but unfortunately that never came and then everything changed for me and I moved to London, gave up mending washing machines and bought a small flat. I got rid of everything, however the Keymatic went into my parents garage for safe keeping for one day when I'd have space again...
That was over 27 years ago and I recently bought a house and am building a workshop so I will be able to start the long awaited renovation. Inside she's stamped 1965, the year I was born and when I recently sent out my party invites to celebrate my 50th next week the Keymatic was on the background of the invite. I wanted her to be at the party too, so my partner and I finally went this weekend to retrieve her and bring her back to London to be with her other family. The pictures show me in my early 20s when I first brought her home, then in my parents garage and then finally with her younger siblings here in London.
The boot and most of the rubber pipes inside were all perished back when I first picked her up, although I did manage to run her through a wash with water and was very excited to see that she had an intermittent final spin, only to realise that actually the motor was overheating and tripping out. Part of the coils inside the motor are pretty dark coloured too. However, this morning I plugged her in and pushed the key plate and released it so she'd rapid advanced through the cycle and she very nicely ticked and clicked and jolted and tumbled to the end. I have two door boots both I have treasured over the years, the light blue one has not survived, the black one has. I have tried regularly gently washing and using talc to keep it preserved, but would be very interested to hear any thoughts on prolonging the rubber.
So, me and her are on another journey, probably at a similar pace, but at least there is a bit more light at the end of the tunnel than in a basement or at the back of the garage.
Alan
Know Keymatics are not new on this website, but thought I would finally out mine to you all. It's been on a bit of a waiting journey I can tell you! As many of you share similar stories on this forum from a young boy I've had a complete fascination of all mechanical machines, and in particularly washing machines. In those early days my father and I would regularly go and pick up all sorts of things at scrap yards and bring them back for me to take apart in the garden (or later on mend some when I learnt more), I was in domestic heaven for hours as a young boy. So many machines came through my finger tips that I now long for, even the allusive Servis Toploader, which I know we all still hope that one is about and will be found in the UK. Anyway, one day along came a 3226 Keymatic, its bearings had gone and I dismantled it completely (I'd be about 12) and it end up back at the tip. However, I regretted it even at this early age that I didn't take more time to save it and later on in my early twenties when I started mending and selling used washing machines, I used to look all the time for another one at the dealers yards of raw appliances, trade machines, warehouses etc. years went by and hundreds of machines went through my hands, but never another keymatic. I advertised in local and national papers in the 'wanted section' and then one day I saw in a local paper 'Twenty or so broken washing machines £10 each', telephoned the guy and found that he only lived a few streets away and he said they were all in a basement. So I went and there at the back I saw her, she'd been there for years and only two streets away from me - how often is that the case! It took two weeks for the man to clear a space and then three of us to get her out of the basement and she then sat in my kitchen for about another two years waiting for me to have some money to give an overhaul, but unfortunately that never came and then everything changed for me and I moved to London, gave up mending washing machines and bought a small flat. I got rid of everything, however the Keymatic went into my parents garage for safe keeping for one day when I'd have space again...
That was over 27 years ago and I recently bought a house and am building a workshop so I will be able to start the long awaited renovation. Inside she's stamped 1965, the year I was born and when I recently sent out my party invites to celebrate my 50th next week the Keymatic was on the background of the invite. I wanted her to be at the party too, so my partner and I finally went this weekend to retrieve her and bring her back to London to be with her other family. The pictures show me in my early 20s when I first brought her home, then in my parents garage and then finally with her younger siblings here in London.
The boot and most of the rubber pipes inside were all perished back when I first picked her up, although I did manage to run her through a wash with water and was very excited to see that she had an intermittent final spin, only to realise that actually the motor was overheating and tripping out. Part of the coils inside the motor are pretty dark coloured too. However, this morning I plugged her in and pushed the key plate and released it so she'd rapid advanced through the cycle and she very nicely ticked and clicked and jolted and tumbled to the end. I have two door boots both I have treasured over the years, the light blue one has not survived, the black one has. I have tried regularly gently washing and using talc to keep it preserved, but would be very interested to hear any thoughts on prolonging the rubber.
So, me and her are on another journey, probably at a similar pace, but at least there is a bit more light at the end of the tunnel than in a basement or at the back of the garage.
Alan
