Video of a 1957 Philco-Bendix Duomatic!

[norgeway]

DUOMATIC

Is it not amazing how a well engineered quality product could be designed and built in the USA...with very little or no help from a computer...today we cant even come close to this product with all the technological know how we have!!!and if it was built exactly like this it surely would cost a fortune!

 

[golittlesport]

Great videos

Thanks, Kevin, for posting your videos. Great documentation of the operation of John's beautiful machine. Very enjoyable entertainment.

 

[ovrphil]

I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

..another gorgeous machine that has the bomb of a panel - in fact, it reminds me of a bomber throttle cluster in the cockpit. Well done, John and thanks a lot for sharing your video Kevin.

If I had the wherewithall and I don't…I'd replicate this, just like people replicate cars in scale. Now there's a 3D printer challenge in the future. Maybe I'll live long enough to recreate my own favorite appliances.

And…this combo reminds me that I'd be tempted to turn on all the washer lights in my collection(which wouldn't be much right now), sit in the dark and listen to the light years of American appliance history….how do you guys sleep owning shooting star examples like this?

Phil

 

[ovrphil]

Lady Kenmore

love that video - the music was excellent accompaniment and …is the round glass door window flat or slightly curved outward? It's another way cool machine, but I like the Duomatics.

Thanks for sharing your enthusiasm on video and thanks John.

 

[ovrphil]

Kevin - what is that music from - album / artist, please. Thank you again and those are some of my favorite vintage machines, I think.

 

[a440]

Hi John!

Are your gas Duomatic's standing pilots or automatic pilots?
Also just curious as to is it a Modulating burner or does it cycle on and off?
I bet you have so much fun on wash day!!!!
Beautiful Machines!!
Thanks
Brent

 

[alr2903]

Yes John thank You!  for having  your beautiful machines ready for Kevin to film.   Your machines are beautiful.

 

[alr2903]

 I see where the water enters the kenmore,   what clock number at the door does the combo fill in.  Are all fills sprays or is water entering different areas?

 

[gyromatic]

Standing pilot/ water entry

The 57 Gas Duomatic has a standing pilot. and the flame does cycle on and off by the thermostat.Another question was where does the water enter the 69 Kenmore combo.It enters from the upper right back of the tub,behind the cylinder.It is nice to see that people are so interested in these GREAT MACHINES.

 

[a440]

Thanks John for the information on the Bendix pilot.
Do you turn it off when it is not in use?

 

[revvinkevin]

Do you turn it off when it is not in use?

 

 

I can answer that one.... yes he does!   He turns off the gas (and water?) when not in use!  

 

Each time we went to run the machines, he had to turn on the gas (water too?  Yeah I think he turned off the water too.)

 

The water fill on the Lady Kenmore combo goes in through hoses at the back of the blower housing.  I'm told the idea of this was to keep the blower house clear of excess lint.

 

See pic #1 below, I (poorly) traced the red line below the inlet house.  Pic #2 shows one of the two fill points on the blower housing.   This is my '69 Lady Kenmore Combo when John Lefever was inspecting it during my "Big Spring" April 2012 Wash-In.

 

Kevin

[this post was last edited: 1/15/2015-23:58]

 

[a440]

Thanks Kevin for the information.
Love the pictures! So CLEAN!
What a play pin!
Brent

 

[ovrphil]

Duomatic serenade

...Caffè Roma (The Italian Soundtrack)…(sorry, missed the obvious on YouTube).

 

[electron1100]

WOW

You guys across the pond definitely had the best machines, every time I see another machine I am gob smacked by the style and functionality of these beautiful beautiful machines..................

Yours Gary who is sort of envious
but thankful you have them safe and can show them to us.

 

[keymatic3203]

Just wonderfull

Well done John on a fantastic restoration of such a beautiful machine, and such solid and well engineered one too.

Thanks for making and editing this video Kevin, coming from the uk, most of our laundry appliance influence has been the front loading type, so i find myself drawn to these American front loaders, and whilst many indepth films have been made of the top loaders, not so many for these, i have looked forward to seeing such a film for many years and you have done a great job here.

I also enjoy the one you have of your westinghouse laundromat `spacemate'.

Thanks again, have a great year of restorations and wash parties all of you,

Mathew

 

[strongenough78]

Such a beautiful machine! I would love to try using one sometime. I'm curious as to how the washing results are with just the one direction of wash tumble.

 

[revvinkevin]

One way wash tumble

I'm sure the washing results are just as good as the majority of other FL washers. Bi-directional tumbling has less to do with cleaning ability and more to do with preventing tangles and big balls of clothing.

Kevin

 

[frigilux]

Fantastic footage of the Duomatic! What a beautifully restored machine.

A 9-minute wash tumble! My 2010 front-loader washes for 20 minutes at the normal soil setting of the Normal cycle. It tumbles for 70 minutes at the heavy soil setting of the Sanitize cycle, LOL.

 

[combo52]

Bi-Directional tumbling in Washers and dryers

Has almost no proven advantage in either washers or dryers, I have seen plenty of loads of clothing balled and knotted in dryers that reverse as well as tangled balls of clothing in Duet FL washers, the only reason that FL washers reverse is that it is so easy to do with modern designs and it does help get the clothing wet with low water level machines.

For the most part these old Bendix and Kenmore combos with thier large tubs had almost no probling with tangling or cleaning.

 

[jetcone]

Bendix especially

had minimum tangling problems , they had a patent for irregular tumble patterns by making 2 large baffles and 2 smaller baffles in their tubs so clothes tumbling would hit an irregular pattern on the drum.

Thus constantly breaking up the load.