September 2004

Can't Stop 'Em - The Sequel

Your response to our last feature on electric appliances that won't quit was huge. That's why we're bringing a second installment.

Thanks to all the Walton EMC members who responded with their amazing appliance stories. We would like to feature them all, but due to limited space we had to pick just a few.

Merry Christmas

Joyce Handwork wasn't born when her family bought their 1939 General Electric refrigerator. “My mother told me she and my dad got this refrigerator when they moved into their new home in Augusta, Ohio,” says Handwork. “It has a metal tag on the front that says ‘Presented to the Family, Christmas 1939.'”

The refrigerator is a little small by today's standards, but it was perfect for then-especially since it freed the family from the hassle of buying block ice to keep food cool in a wooden icebox. The little freezer compartment inside the main door is about a foot square.

As the family grew, the refrigerator was replaced with a larger model. It then went to rental property behind the family home. After marrying and building a home in North Jackson, Ohio, Handwork put the refrigerator in her basement to store drinks and extra food.

Then next stop was Duluth when the Handworks moved there in 1984. It's now with them in their new Good Hope home.

“One of the movers asked why we didn't get a new refrigerator,” says Handwork. “I asked him ‘Why? This one still works just fine.'”

Tap Tap Tap

Cuyler Brooks of Lilburn has quite a collection of old publishing and office equipment, including mimeograph machines, staplers and desk fans. But the retired NASA engineer's most impressive collection is his typewriters.

The 200-piece collection includes early portables and typewriters for other languages, including Russian and Arabic.

The oldest electric model in the collection is a 1934 IBM Electromatic. “Back then, it probably cost the equivalent of a PC today,” says Brooks. But what the typewriter could do justified its price tag.

The power from the electric motor meant the typist could type faster with less effort.

There were other advanced features. One was the Marginator. The Marginator allowed the typist to produce justified paragraphs of copy right from the typewriter.

The power of the keystroke could also be adjusted to produce multiple copies of a document. “IBM claimed you could make up to eight copies at a time,” says Brooks.   When you consider eight copies and the accompanying carbon paper, that's quite a stack.

When Brooks first tried the typewriter, his hopes were temporarily dashed. “The motor made a terrible sound and there was a burnt smell. But I discovered two oil holes, added some oil and it worked fine.”

Thousands of Waffles

What a treat it would be to have a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two steaming-hot chocolate waffles! That's exactly what Laura Bennewitz remembers from her childhood.

She can rekindle that memory any time she wants on the same waffle iron that prepared those treats for her as a child. Her Mom and Dad received a 660-watt Universal Waffle Iron manufactured by Landers, Fray and Clark of New Britain, Connecticut for a wedding gift in 1950.  

“It has been in continuous use, at least weekly and often daily, for 54 years. It's been working perfectly all that time,” says Bennewitz.

If the iron was used only once a week to cook a ten-waffle meal, it's made close to 30,000 waffles over its lifetime. That estimate is probably on the conservative side.

Dan Hale, Bennewitz's father, still enjoys extra crisp waffles just the way he likes them, thanks to his daughter and a never-tiring Universal Waffle Iron.

(Be sure to check out Mr. Hale's waffle recipe.)

Memories of Dad

“Every time I use the old Broil-King, I feel close to my Dad,” says P.J. Smith of Snellville.

Smith inherited the Broil-King Infrared Bake N' Broil when her Dad passed away in 1978.  “He used this appliance a long time before I got it,” continues Smith. “He cooked everything in it, from fish to toast to burgers. As a result, it was in pretty questionable condition–including a melted Wonder Bread bag on the top.”

But with Smith's elbow grease and determination, the Bake N' Broil looks practically new. “I love a challenge; you wouldn't guess the age of the appliance by the condition it's in now,” says Smith.

“It has never given me trouble and has always worked, sometimes too well if I'm not watching my food.”

Sponsored by Betty Crocker

We're all familiar with General Mills' brands of cereals and cake mixes. But you might not know that they once were in the electric appliance business.

Ms. Ivy Monteith of Lilburn is the proud owner of a General Mills multi-speed mixer. On the side is emblazoned “Sponsored by Betty Crocker” in an obvious attempt to piggyback on the popular line of baking mixes.

Ms. Monteith and her husband purchased the mixer on their first anniversary in 1947. “Every time we moved it went with me. It's made a lot of cakes.” The mixer is still going strong with the original beaters and bowl. Her favorite recipe that she prepares with the mixer is fresh peach pound cake.

The mixer has unique settings on the dial that operates it. Instead of “beat” or “whip,” it's settings name actual foods, like “beat eggs,” “icing,” “candy,” “mashed vegetables” and “whipped cream.”

“My friends tell me if I ever get rid of it not to put it in a garage sale; put it on eBay,” says Monteith.

Old Yellow

Over the last 50 years, Jack and Suzanne Dodson of Loganville have gone through countless coffeemakers. But when the “newer” models break, Old Yellow comes to the rescue.

Old Yellow is a Westbend 9 cup electric percolator the Dodsons received as a wedding gift from Ms. Dodson's boss and CEO at the insurance company where she worked.   She still has the original box and all the paperwork, including the warranty registration card that never got mailed. The box names the official color of Old Yellow as Butterscotch.

“I had just put it up when the call for old appliance stories came out in the Realite,” says Ms. Dodson. “We had used it because a new coffeemaker we bought in May failed after just a few weeks.”

“It makes great coffee, it's simple to use and it doesn't require a filter. The only thing about Old Yellow is that it doesn't have an automatic cut off like the newer models.”

Step Back in Time

When you visit WEMC Line Crew Supervisor Gerald Malcom and wife Sandra's home in Good Hope, it's easy to imagine living in a simpler time.

The couple has totally renovated the home Ms. Malcom lived in as a teenager, restoring, remodeling and adding unique features. The project took about two years of research and then another year of actual construction.

Many of the home's items and furniture came from estate auctions and dealers that specialize in reclaimed goods. For instance, one of the beautiful sinks came from a salvage dealer in Macon and another actually came from a neighbor's pasture–it was being used as a salt lick for their cattle herd. The Malcoms rescued the sink and had it re-glazed.

To make their home of the past complete, Mr. Malcom bought a working wringer washing machine at an estate sale in Maysville, Georgia.  “The old gentleman who lived there probably still used it,” says Mr. Malcom.

To use the washer, the homemaker would first put the clothes in the tub, pour in water from a bucket and add detergent. When the clothes finished agitating, a valve on the bottom would be opened, allowing the water to drain.

The soapy clothes would be dumped in a tin washtub with rinse water. Then each garment would be run through the ringer. “If the clothes were too dry when they were put through the ringer, there was the chance they'd stick to the roller,” explains Mr. Malcom.  “Then you really had a mess.”

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