Golden Era Things You've Revived Or Repaired For Use

[LizzieMaine]

I've posted this in another thread before, but it's worth another look here as the project that I'm perhaps proudest of -- my washing machine.

It's a 1934 model Easy, built in Syracuse, N. Y., and given to me somewhere in the late eighties by a friend who'd found it in his cellar. All the mechanicals needed was a bit of oil and fresh grease and it continues to run without problems to this day. But after ten years or so, the rubber on the lower roller started cracking off. Wringer rolls are not interchangeable, and while Maytag and Speed Queen made wringer machines into the 1990s, their roll shafts are incompatible with the Easy, and no replacement could be found. I ended up retiring the machine for a while until I could come up with a solution, and finally hit upon the idea of reinforcing the remaining rubber with waterproof silicone compound and then sheathing the roller surface with a section of bicycle innertube, held in place by "Tommy Tape," a self-sealing rubber tape used by plumbers and electricians.

I have to replace the tape every couple of years, but in general this repair has held up quite nicely. I'm still looking for an Easy drive roller with a t-headed shaft, but until I find one, this make-do-and-mend is still making do.

 

[Feraud]

This one is in Nashville Indiana April 24,25. If your wife goes to a knitting site called Ravelry she can find out more about different conventions, and all about knitting. Also sockknittingmachinefriends at yahoo group will also tell more about the machines and meets. If she is interested pm me and I will let you talk to my wife. She knows much more about this than I do.

Thanks for the info. I'll pass it along to the better half.

 

[St. Louis]

Since this thread started my microwave has left this earthly plane, and so has my air-popcorn-popper. I find I don't miss them. I heat things up in enamelware on the stove and bleach or launder my dishrags. I used to disinfect them in the MW. I've gone back to popping corn on the stove top, but I'd like to find an old-fashioned popper that will work over a flame in my living room hearth. Has anyone tried those? Do you know how they work?

I've rewired most of my lamps and 1930s fans with rayon cord and reproduction plugs -- so much nicer! I also made some extension cords that way. Some time ago I acquired a lot of bakelite switchplate & plug covers and have replaced all the ugly ones in the house. On the suggestion of some of you fine people here, I also am slowly replacing all my ugly plastic clothes hangers with nice old wooden ones. That project is already complete in the living room closet, and it's so much more welcoming when I have company over.

 

[sheeplady]

Since this thread started my microwave has left this earthly plane, and so has my air-popcorn-popper. I find I don't miss them. I heat things up in enamelware on the stove and bleach or launder my dishrags. I used to disinfect them in the MW. I've gone back to popping corn on the stove top, but I'd like to find an old-fashioned popper that will work over a flame in my living room hearth. Has anyone tried those? Do you know how they work?

Our microwave also died. I told my husband if we lived a month without it, we wouldn't get a new one. Helped the budget too.

The popcorn poppers over the fireplace work well- I've used them while camping many years ago. But the only thing I would wonder is would you want to start a fire each time you want popcorn? (I'm thinking the middle of summer when it is hot.) My husband has a WhirleyPop for on the stove top. We eat a lot of popcorn! The one we have is actually the slightly heavier duty version, because the other ones kept wearing out (we have popcorn almost every night): http://www.amazon.com/Wabash-Valley-Farms-Sweet-Machine/dp/B003V8Y6LC/ref=sr_1_17?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1394922299&sr=1-17&keywords=Whirley+Pop+Stovetop+Popcorn+Popper I know you said you're popping it on the stovetop, but I am not sure if you might just be using a pan. (Using just a pan is a pain.)

 

[gear-guy]

The spinning wheel was made by my dad after we cut down a dying walnut tree on my grandfathers farm. Have yet to spin any wool on it but it is fully functional and will work. It will happen one of these days. The Hoosier cabinet was stripped by myself and is now used as my liquor cabinet. As you can see my my popcorn method has become very modern. I grew up shaking the pot over the stove and have also used the fireplace method, but now, let's just say I'm older and lazier.

 

[Shangas]

My microwave blew up last year. One day it just went 'Poof!' and stopped working. Dad and I checked it out and decided that it wasn't worth fixing. So we bought a new one.

 

[St. Louis]

That's what happened to mine, too, Shangas. I gather it's the thermostat. I looked into having it repaired & as happens with so many other modern appliances, discovered that it wouldn't be affordable or safe to do so. Like Sheeplady I decided to try to live without it for a couple of months and discovered that I don't miss it.

Sheeplady, you're absolutely right! (as usual.) I have gas logs in the living room (= not a real fire) but naturally I won't want to light them in the summer time. I'm going to look for one of those hand-crank jobs, though I'm hoping I can find one that's a bit older and not so expensive. The main thing is that I don't want to have to pop the corn with oil.

One other thing I've replaced since this thread started: when my plastic watering can bit the dust I replaced it with one made out of galvanized tin. This is new, but it's made exactly like the ones that have been around for more than a hundred years, and it won't crack or break.

 

[sheeplady]

Our microwave made a sad "pop" and that was its end. It is the second one I've been though in my life. Two is enough. Honestly, anything you can do in a microwave you can do just about as fast in the oven. This is especially true if you've got multiple people. Heating up things plate by plate takes 3 minutes a plate, three plates later you get finished, and it's 10 minutes. 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven that would be all heated for you, and you can do a large volume of dishes.

Sheeplady, you're absolutely right! (as usual.)

lol that's honestly the first time I've heard that one.

Keep an eye out at garage sales for older popcorn poppers. I don't see why you couldn't use an older one designed to use over the fireplace on a gas stove as long as you're willing to stand there and shake it to avoid using oil. (I'm assuming you have gas since you have a gas fireplace). I know you can pop corn in a pan without oil, because I used to pop quinoa that way.

WhirleyPop does make one that looks more vintage and is cheaper, but we went through two of those because the gears kept wearing out and couldn't be replaced, but we are a high-volume popcorn household. (My husband also does the popcorn making and he always does a large volume and I'm not sure he is very delicate with the popcorn maker.) I know my in-laws have one that is over a decade old if not two decades old.

 

[Nobert]

Percolator is still the best. We only use ours when the family reunions are at our house. Convenience and quickness has replaced quality and slowness. At least at our home.

I've had about four or five percolators, they've all died mysteriously or fallen into disrepair. I still have a couple I'm hoping to fix someday, one that's a coffee urn with twin handles and a spout at the bottom, the other more of a traditional coffee pot. I'm not sure ho old they are, but old enough to have the larger style of cord jack.

 

[Shangas]

For a couple of years now, I've revived the use of hot-water bottles on cold nights.

 

[rjb1]

Lizzie - Concerning your washing machine and the unavailability of proper rollers, have you considered getting a small lathe that you could use to either turn a roller down or to make a bushing to make one "bigger"? With all the technical things you do, having a small lathe would make the topic of this thread - "Golden Era Things You've Revived or Repaired" - so much easier and would open up a lot of other possibilities beyond washing machines.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, I have thought of getting some extruded rubber, drilling out the center and cementing it onto the existing roller shaft, but the problem then would be one of getting just the right rubber stock -- wringer rubber isn't as hard as the stuff they use to make rollers for machinery, nor is it soft and spongy. It has to be firm enough to extract the water but not so firm that it crushes buttons, which rules out using wooden, metal, or urethane rollers.

 

[3fingers]

There are sites like this one who can provide materials to suit most any need.

http://www.allstategasket.com/info_gasket_material.asp

 

[Atticus Finch]

I've been wanting a vintage Country Store screen door for my Man Deck. I found a few at local antique shops, but they were either too narrow or they cost too much or both. So I made one. I went to Lowes and bought a wooden screen door then rebuilt it. Then I finished it using Valspar's crackle ageing process. I found a real, 1940's Rainbo Bread door pull on eBay and I bought a reproduction Moon Pie sign from a guy in California. I would have preferred to have repurposed a real Country Store door...but his one ended up being affordable and it looks OK, I think.

AF

 

[sheeplady]

That is a neat door.

The only thing is the crackled paint... a lifetime of stripping paint makes me hate any type of crackled paint. It's a visceral reaction at this point. But then I hate paint on wood in general now. I'm going to die a bit on the inside when we have to paint the outside woodwork on our new house. For no good reason other than I hate paint.

 

[Atticus Finch]

The only thing is the crackled paint... a lifetime of stripping paint makes me hate any type of crackled paint.

But this is brand new crackled paint!

AF

 

[Matt Crunk]

Used daily in my profession is an item that has remained basically unchanged for more than a century: The electromagnetic coil tattoo machine. Below is a vintage 40s/50s era Bill "Jonesy" Jones machine from my collection. Although it still works perfectly, I prefer to use a replica, which I built myself, for daily use.

Original "Jonesy";

A recent replica, which I built myself:

 

[gear-guy]

I've been wanting a vintage Country Store screen door for my Man Deck. I found a few at local antique shops, but they were either too narrow or they cost too much or both. So I made one. I went to Lowes and bought a wooden screen door then rebuilt it. Then I finished it using Valspar's crackle ageing process. I found a real, 1940's Rainbo Bread door pull on eBay and I bought a reproduction Moon Pie sign from a guy in California. I would have preferred to have repurposed a real Country Store door...but his one ended up being affordable and it looks OK, I think.

AF

Now that is a great door

 

[Atticus Finch]

Thanks, Gear-Guy. Here's the deck where I'm putting door...but this photo was taken last summer. I plan for lots of ice cold beer to pass through my new door...starting soon, I hope.

AF

 

[sheeplady]

But this is brand new crackled paint!

AF

I'm telling you it's an illogical aversion! lol

But that door is awesome!