Ideas for kitchen?

[DecoDame]

The cleaning has been going pretty well - no real grease issues. "Barkeeper's Friend" has been very helpful and took off an amazing amount of aged dirt and surface rust on the corners.

BUT. We got it Wednesday afternoon, and waited until just now (Friday aft) to plug 'er in - and it's making a fairly loud rattling sound now. Something it wasn't making when we tested it before, before purchase. The noise cycled off and then on again within minutes, rattling again (It was also making that desired percolating sound in the freezer too). I was alarmed at the rattling tho and unplugged it quickly. Any theories or suggestions as to how to proceed?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Check the nuts holding the compressor in place-- they may have worked loose. Probably be fairly large nuts screwing down over springs.

 

[DecoDame]

Thanks for the reply, Lizzie.

I took off the front floor panel and this is what I'm seeing (this pic is one I found on a google search, same fridge, different owner):


It's seems to be mounted to the back of the unit on metal crossbars. I can't really reach well from the front, but the side bolts by the springs seem to be on tightly, still. To see any better, I'd have to take off the large back panel instead. It has 3 different screws/bolts on the panel and one of those bolts doesn't look like it would be easy to get off - it's not a hex bolt with sides to grip, just round and very small (I'm just peaking behind the fridge to see what I'm in for; didn't want to try and shift it right now).

I'll have to face that tomorrow, I guess, when I have more time.

EDIT to add: What would be my relative safety issues if I left the front floor panel off and peered in while it was plugged in and rattling? Just to get a better sense of what was going on down there!

 

[LizzieMaine]

As long as you keep your hands away from any exposed electrical terminals you should be fine. It looks like everything's pretty well buttoned up in there. If you hear the rattle coming from down inside somewhere, you might unplug the power and poke down into the crevices with a magnet and see if you come up with a loose nut or something. I've come across all kinds of random junk inside the guts of old appliances -- bottle caps, pull tabs, cat toys, you name it. I once fished a dessicated brazil nut out of the guts of my own fridge, and I don't even like brazil nuts.

Another possible source of the rattling could be something as simple as the racks inside the cabinet not being firmly seated. Try taking everything out of the cabinet that comes out and see if that gets rid of the noise.

 

[DecoDame]

I have already found a 60s era daisy flower magnet underneath. lol

I do think it sounds more like the compressor itself shaking. But I will keep all that in mind, too. Thanks!

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm willing to bet it's just that the bolts need to be tightened. If you don't have a good set of nutdrivers handy, now's the time to run over to the hardware store and augment your toolbox.

 

[DecoDame]

Just a quick update on my fridge situation. I got completely and totally sidetracked by the tiling of the kitchen counter and haven't revisited my vintage fridge again (YET). But I did exchange emails with a renovator in Cleveland that agrees with Lizzie that the compressor got knocked loose somewhere. He said there should actually be some bolt that gets locked down for transporting, if he's thinking of the right model. Needless to say, that didn't get done! lol

So, I'm still very hopeful we'll get her cranked right up again soon... Meanwhile, back to thinset and wet saws!

 

[St. Louis]

What did you do with your counters? I'll have to have a couple of cabinets removed to bring in a free-standing gas stove, which (as it turns out) can be done fairly inexpensively. I can paint the cabinets myself -- I think I'll probably just paint them white & add some appropriate hardware -- but I have no idea what to do with the counters. Right now they're white laminate. What would countertops have been like in the 30s and 40s? Linoleum?

 

[sheeplady]

Tile (ceramic), I believe would have been common. The linoleum with the aluminum banding would have been popular too. We looked at doing chrome-edged style on our current house, but it was cost prohibitive. I believe I have some good pictures/ads bookmarked at home of countertops, I'll post them when I get home.

 

[St. Louis]

I would really appreciate that, sheeplady. I've studied a lot of photos of 30s and 40s kitchens, and I've come to the conclusion that most of the work surfaces were achieved through furniture, not counter tops. I.e., cabinets and tables with enameled tops, or else wooden surfaces. But that won't really work for me. If I'm going to replace my modern stove & fridge, then I won't be able to afford to have the whole kitchen redone. I'll have to adapt what's already in here.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have a more-or-less original 1911 kitchen, and there's very little counter space -- all of it in the pantry, about four feet on either side of the sink. It was originally linoleum topped, as far as I can tell, but was replaced with formica at some point before I came on the scene. My grandparents' house, built in 1920, was laid out very much the same way -- the only counters were in the pantry, alongside the sink.

I made my own work table -- it's basically a slab of bare, oiled butcher's wood screwed down on top of an old wooden table I found by the side of the road. Gives a good surface for cutting and food preparation -- I never end up using the actual counters for anything but leaving dishes to dry.

 

[DecoDame]

St. Louis, I highly recommend a book called "Bungalow Kitchens" by Jane Powell. The title is a little misleading; sounds like a more Arts and Crafts style, but in fact it's a very illuminating work on the history of the modern kitchen 1900-1950s, with lots of pictures and tips how to recreate the look, on whatever sliding scale of authentic you want to achieve. It should answer your questions about what was used, when. And then some.

For our kitchen, I'm going with a beefy, black gloss v-cap ceramic edge trim (so apparently "passe" in this land of glass tile and granite that I had to special order it from Lowe's, when even 5 years ago it was just a standard shelf item) and white hexagonal ceramic tile on counter. We have a free standing table and hoosier, both with white enameled surfaces, for xtra work space.

 

[sheeplady]

These are a couple of the magazine ads that I've "collected" on my computer over the years.

http://www.oldhouseweb.com/architecture-and-design/the-old-house-kitchen-magazine-scenes.shtml

http://www.midcenturyhomestyle.com/inside/kitchen/1940s/gallery/index.htm

http://www.midcenturyhomestyle.com/inside/kitchen/1950s/gallery/index.htm

 

[St. Louis]

It does look as though I could just paint the cabinets white and maybe replace the worn white counter tops with something that resembles linoleum. The floor is pine & I have a painted floor cloth on it now, so that's fine. I found someone who's willing to install a gas stove and take out one or two cabinets for about $2-300, which I think is a bargain.

Thanks for all the sources!, ladies. I sent away for those bungalow kitchen & bath books, which were available used on amazon. Since I live in a classic tiny 1929 bungalow, I have a feeling they will be very useful to me.

 

[sheeplady]

St. Louis- I thought about your countertop issue when I saw this article in Old House Journal: http://www.oldhouseonline.com/black-white-bungalow-kitchen-makeover/

That is a bungalow kitchen (likely much larger than yours, by the photographs it doesn't look bungalow sized...) but it has the tiled style of countertops I was referring to.

Do you think there is any chance you could find a salvaged sink that would fit your kitchen space? I'm thinking a single drainboard apron sink, because they are smaller than a double drainboard. You can use the drainboard as counter space- excellent for messy things. Not the "modern" farmhouse apron sinks that they put in today (which I think are pretty hideous)- but the kind that mounts on the wall and is made of cast iron, with legs or a cabinet under it. I'm thinking something like this: http://www.thisoldtubandsink.com/visibapoovca1.html

I'm looking forward to a sink with a drainboard in the new house for the messy countertop appliances I use but also for canning, since canning seems to be the absolute messiest thing you do in a kitchen.

 

[Kim Covell-Campbell]

epr25: I adore your kitchen! BTW, I was born and raised in Ft Wayne until 8th grade. My parents live in Fremont, Indiana.