Today's Fun Estate Sale Find and a Gift

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Unimatic1140

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So there wasn't a huge amount of sales today, usually after the holidays it takes a few weeks before they are really going again, but there was one sale that was pretty good. You know its going to be good if it smells "old" the second you walk in the door and this house smelled really "old" I love that!

In the house I found a 1950s/60s Kenmore Dryer Sprinkler and this really cool 50s French Fry Cutter which I will use with my vintage deep fryer. In the canning pantry I found two washer timer motors, one for many early 50's washer brands and the other for mid 50s Norge Timeline Timers, this isn’t the first time I've found really vintage washer parts in a basement canning pantry. I'm also a total vintage glass mixing bowl 'ho, while I have as lot of Pyrex bowl sets, I've always wanted a set of white and jade Fire King bowls, but the prices for these have always been outrageous at sales and antique stores. But this was a family run sale and they marked the set $7 so I scooped those up real fast! The best find I will save for last.

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Here is the cutter, I have a vintage Deep Fryer that has never been used so in March or April when its warm enough to fry outside, I will make some fries...

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I also wanted to share this gift I received recently with everyone because its so super cute! Its a Christmas Laundromat scene! Love the "Laundromat" font and I love anything that is lighted...

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Saves the best find for last...

But the best find at the sale today was this FABULOUS apron! It looks like it was ripped right off of Gracie Allen, Harriet Nelson or Ethel!

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Fabulous finds!

Yay for your fabulous Estate sales! Cute Laundromat! Love the apron... It's sooo you. You're just missing the pearls and pumps. Goes nicely with the yellow stove, too.

Feh! There's that blasted modern thing you call a coffeemaker, again. It always seems to find its way into your pictures.

:-)

~Fred
 
Darling!

That apron is crying out for a starched shirtwaist, pumps and pearls! *LOL* I love it!

After you finish loading the dishwasher, maybe you can invite Mrs. Cleaver over for a coffee?

Great finds, especially the French fry cutter. Have a Mandolin which one never uses as find it faster to cut up fries by hand with a sharp knife. Then again really only have fries with either steak or beer battered fish (fish and chips).

L.
 
You look just fab in that apron Robert. Great finds. I love the little lighted Laundromat, is it Department 56?? Next time I visit I will look forward to some delicious homemade french fries!!
 
Great Finds!

Robert:

I have a later version of that french-fry cutter, with a vacuum-lock base to hold it to the counter. Works very well!

That ad copy on the cutter's box brought back a memory: When I was a kid, the pastor of the local Presbyterian church (who was always at my school's PTA meetings) used to fulminate against ads that called products a "miracle", which, in the late '50s and early '60s, was a whole lot of ads. To him, miracles were something in the Bible, not fabrics that didn't need ironing or soaps that lathered in hard water. I still remember him getting all upset about it and disrupting PTA meetings complaining about the latest offending ad he'd seen. Funny what people got upset about then!

Fred- since when do folks in Raleigh-Durham say "Feh!"? Y'all done changed a little! ;-)
 
Once in a while, a potato will be too long, so you just nip

That's how we made fries for the eight of us. It's quite a nice mini-workout, and you'll love the sound it makes- a WET SQUISH/CHOP . We had ours in the sixties, but it looks identical to yours, and it's surprisingly hefty. Back then we peeled the spuds, where today, we leave the skins on; but after all the fun of of the giant potato mousetrap, we then got to grind all the peels in the scary Waste King Disposall.

Thanks for resurrecting a wonderful memory!
 
French fries!!!

Robert,
My mom has had one of those french fry cutters as long as I can remember, and it works great.
When I was very small I remember Saturday night was steak night, with home made fries cut by that cutter. We'd finish dinner watching/listening to the Lawrence Welk show, then on the ABC network.
I found my french fry cutter in Nebraska, at the junk shore in Seward. I have used it many times to make fries, but it is also great for chopping an onion fast too, sans tears!
Congrats on a great find!

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Apparently the patent has run out on that french fry cutter design. I have a chinese made one that I think cost all of $8 at Harbor Freight, new. I used it a couple of times; works well enough. Would be better if I had the patience to make fresh french fries more often (wash and peel potatoes, cut into little bars, soak 20 minutes in ice water, dry thoroughly, fry in 375 oil until golden crisp). Much easier just to throw a handful of frozen fries into the oven for 12 minutes or so.

Have a genuine French made Mandolin which I also seldom use. Too fiddly, even though it's the only cutter that I have that will do crinkle cuts. Either I use a good knife (currently like Santoku) and cutting board, or a cheap plastic Rubbermaid slicing board that does only one thickness, or the Cuisinart Classic DLC-10c (US-made and great for 2 mm slices for salads).

Please let's not get on Robert's case for the drip coffee maker. He probably has it because it's quick, easy, doesn't require polishing, reliable, can be tossed in the trash when it breaks with no regrets, and it's the only thing in the kitchen his SO knows how to work ;-)
 
Feh! There's that blasted modern thing you call a coffeemaker, again. It always seems to find its way into your pictures.
Well then I think you guys are going to have to call Neal at 5:15am when he gets up and give him step by step instructions on how to use the Sunbeam Coffeemaster, thankfully when I get up 3 1/2 hours later, I make a fresh pot of “real coffee” in a Sunbeam!

I love the little lighted Laundromat, is it Department 56?? Next time I visit I will look forward to some delicious homemade French fries!!
You bet ya on the Fries Terry! And the Laundromat is a Lemax.

Back then we peeled the spuds, where today, we leave the skins on;
Oh no they don’t Miked, my skins will be peeled off too, I want real fries!

Please let's not get on Robert's case for the drip coffee maker.
Yeah, see, you go Rich!

Jeff I love that fact that you have one of those potato peelers too!

Fred- since when do folks in Raleigh-Durham say "Feh!"? Y'all done changed a little! ;-)
Yeah Fred, what’s a Wisconsin/NC boy like you using the word Feh? :)
 
Yeah Fred, what’s a Wisconsin/NC boy like you using the word

Probably picked it up from hangin' around folks like you and Toggleswitch on this here website.
I know I've heard it out of your mouths (rather, keyboards) on more than one occasion.

I suppose next time I could say something like:

Feh, y'all...

Better?

:-)
 
Me next...

Nice finds, Robert. I've never used a fry-cutter before, it looks like fun! Next year, we'll add peanut butter balls and spritz cookies to our holiday baking list, so we'll need those bowls!

Here are our finds for the day - a Farberware electric skillet that looks new (supposedly the box had been there but we couldn't find it) a vintage Panasonic clock/radio - with flip-leaves for the clock! A bundt pan for Louis (I will send the box, I just keep adding more ;-) a few cloth napkins and some vintage Downy and Kitchen Klatter bleach.

*Kitchen Klatter was a radio homemaking/cooking program on the radio for many years and they had a line of cooking & cleaning products.

The dog has been here for a couple of weeks now - isn't he cute??

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Gracie, Harriett or Ethel----naaaaa

more like Molly Goldberg, dahlink.

Those FF cutters are great. I used one untill its destruction many years ago. And as someone else mentioned, they are great for dicing up onion.

Been a long time since I last saw one of those old 'Kenmo sprinklers. Pretty kool!
 
Greg- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Greg:

You lucky lucky devil you. I have that same Farberware skillet, in about the same condition, but even my find didn't come with the rare, elusive instruction manual! Any chance that could be scanned and posted at some point? Any point? Pleeeeeeease?

You will absolutely love the skillet. Heats and holds temp much better than the almond-painted cheapies you see everywhere. A real quality piece of equipment. BTW, the high-dome lid you have was not the standard model; you had to pay extra for a skillet with that. The standard version came with a low-dome lid, the same one used for Farberware's 12-inch stove-top skillet.

Great find!
 
It seems that I am the only one...

Who doesn't know about a Kenmore Dryer Sprinkler. I assume that it is the pink object. How must it be used? My idea is that it is like a detergent dispensing ball, but instead filled with water and placed in the dryer with the clothes to be moistened.
 
Coffeemaster woes..

I too cannot get Mitch to use the Sunbeam Coffeemaster, he fears the thing and thinks it'll explode.
For everyday mornings I've mated my GE/Universal Perk with an Intermatic Timer. Starts by itself in the morning and works flawlessly with technology anyone can understand.

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Greg, I love the Farberware Skillet!!! What a find. My aunt had one and loved it!!! Your next dinner party will be so fab!!!
 
Kenmore sprinkler ball-

That's exactly how it's used, Theo. Filled with water, tossed into the dryer with the clotes and tumbled.

Great finds, Robert and Greg!

Lawrence/Maytgbear
 
MF!

As a former Field's employee (may the store rest in peace)
I like that Marshall Field's knife block.

When I heard the company was being turned into Macy's, I went and go my suit there; Jones New York with Field's large, proud embroidered label inside the jacket.
 
Well thank you Lawrence. My guess was right then. It always intrigues me how some artifacts, e.g. the potato cutter, are equally well known in the Netherlands and in the US while others are not. If I was presented with this dryer sprinkler without providing any information it's purpose would have been a total mystery for me.
 
Fabulous Finds Gents...

Love the bowls, love the apron, love the skillet, love the percolator. Love it all!

Robert, that apron brings back memories. My grandmother had a drawer full of crisp, barely used aprons exactly like the one you're wearing. I'm sure my mother threw them all away when my grandmother passed. And, if you need more Fire King or Pyrex let me know. I have a friend in Long Beach, CA who has a booth at an antique mall. They had loads of the stuff when I was there in October. I shipped a box of it back to SF. BTW, that kitchen is spectacular!

Greg, I think you have a new mascot. Newton is so cute. It's almost too much!

Fred, have you been watching too many old movies? Even I'm barely old enough to have heard the term "fey" before.

Mike
 
While looking at the pix of treasures-the Miracle French Fry cutter reminded me of the one my Mom had when I was little-was in the same type of box!don't know where it is now after all of the moves my Mom has gone thru.Yes,she used it to make fries in those older days-was pretty good!
 
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