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My wife recently lost an uncle that lived in the same house he was born in. Purchasing the house from his mothers estate, all the original home furnishings stayed with the home . There are some neat facets to the story, my own father had a milk route in the late 20's and early 30's and delivered milk to my mother-in-laws front door when she was just a little girl right in this very house. Of course, the uncle in the story was just a little boy at that time. He grew up to join the Army during WW II and was one of the surviving members of the second wave to land on Normandy beach.
Never marrying, staying in his childhood home and of course being extremely frugal from living through the Great Depression he never threw anything away that may have a use someday and never wasted money on many new appliances.
In the bright sunlight the original decal can be read: GENEVA VACUUM WASHER Manufactured in Ste. Genevieve, Mo. Very faded though.
The old Geneva was replaced with this new Maytag probably sometime in the 50's (?) and was still in use up to his recent death.
The rear panel slides straight up allowing access to the entire mechanical end to the machine.
Easily seen is the copper wash tub, oval in design. A closer look reveals a counterweight hanging from the top shaft, almost like a pendelum...The counterweight is about 15 pounds of solid brass.
Looking a tad bit closer, you can see that every component in the underbelly is solid brass...The gears, the shafts and the transmission housing. Even the large pipe that houses a vertical steel driveshaft that drives the wringer is brass. Not brass tubing, brass pipe that's 1/4" thick !! The springs are steel, enclosed in the brass turnbuckle.
Still having the copper lid after all these years, it has protected the stainless steel components inside the wash tub very well.
This rocker arm holds the inverted bells that churn up and down trapping air if the level was a little low and creating the "suction" actions that gave it the name of "VACUUM WASHER". This would be engaged by moving the brass lever on the side of the machine forward or backwards.
Putting it in neutral, the one side is just pushed down to show its action...
Then raised to show the other side in operation. The motor bearings are a bit tight, so for now it won't run but that will change sooner or later.
The mechanical arm and the rollers move quite easily by rotating the arm on the lower shaft by hand, but with water and clothing in the tub I'm sure there is a great deal more resistance. It's a little loud with the bells banging on the sides of the washtub while empty too.
Now, you know you can rarely have something sit in one spot for 60 years without a vagabond setting up residence somewhere within....This little fellow looks a "little washed up"....don't you agree? :lol: :lol:
I can say never have I ever seen a washing machine like this one...anyone remember these or have a similar one?
