It’s not a hootie ring. Or a huddee ring. It’s a hudee ring. I still don’t know why it’s called that exactly – presumably there was a Mr. Hudee involved. But now, we at least have a paper trail via these 1958 and 1959 ads. At this point the ubiquitous metal ring for porcelain kitchen and bathroom sinks was sold by the Walter E. Selck and Company of Chicago. And according to the second blue ad, there were 1062 different kitchen and bathrooms sinks to take a metal ring!
In my research, I see there are numerous other manufacturers. But by 1958 some 5 million Hudee rings seem to have demonstrated their superiority in the market. Alas. It does not seem their days of ubiquity would last much longer. Although: You can still get metal rimmed sinks today from Kohler and Crane.
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yup, rufus, sometimes procrastination can deliver the best results…
Is there any way to clean up the hootie ring around my kitchen sink? It has several dull areas that I have not been able to get rid of. These dull spots make it loook like it is always dirty.
Thanks.
Beverly, I believe these are stainless steel…. so I imagine a stainless steel cleaner? If you want to get a new one, Vance Industries has 18 sizes in stock or can make you one to order. Oh, and it’s “hudee”, dear! 🙂
Actually, no, Pam, the under-counter sink isn’t a late 20th/early 21st century invention. I grew up in a house (haunted, actually, by a benign former owner) that was built in 1902 in a small city in Connecticut and had the original bathroom when we moved in. There was the ubiquitous claw-foot tub with a circular shower curtain rod suspended from the ceiling. We weren’t allowed to take showers, only baths, as the curtain leaked horribly. The bathroom also had a small marble counter in the bathroom that had wrought iron brackets attached to the wall in back, with a backsplash of a separate piece of marble. Underneath the marble counter was an under-mount porcelain sink that was perfectly good except with a hairline crack. One day, in 1961,while setting my hair in rollers (remember those?), I dropped a comb in the sink. It must have hit that crack at just the right angle, and the whole thing shattered all over the floor. I remember being horrified and afraid my dad would be very upset. Actually, he laughed and said he wondered when that was going to happen. I remember he did have a terrible time finding another under-mount sink the same size, and we had to brush our teeth at the kitchen sink and wash our faces under the tub faucet for weeks. Shortly thereafter my dad rearranged his repair priorities and redid the bathroom in 1960s style, with a regular vanity with drop-in sink and an enclosed tub/shower and this laminate faux tile on the walls of the bath enclosure. I remember being very sad to lose the Victorian tub, even though the new tub was nice and new and easy to clean. That’s probably the day I caught the retro-renovation bug.
Gary, we have a 1982 Terry camp trailer that we have been fixing up, but are avoiding replacing the laminate countertop for the very reason you mention. There is a Hudee ring, not around the sink but 3/4 of the way around the stove, and we are afraid of ripping it up. We got a lot of ideas about fixing up the camper by going online and finding chats about various problems with repairing campers, but there must be a site like this for retro renovating trailers. There’s a great book out of the UK called _My Cool Caravan_, but it’s mostly visuals of restored campers and has no information about where people got their parts or how they installed them.
I am coming late to this thread, but if you are still there and wanting to clean your Hudee ring, Beverly, try a vintage cleaning product, Cameo Aluminum and Stainless Steel Cleaner. If your local grocery or hardware doesn’t have it, you can look it up on line and purchase it from a number of vendors.
Thanks for this clarification. Yes, I also recall seeing Victorian style bathroom sink tops — marble — cut to hold an under counter sink.
Is it possible to re-seal a hudee ring where the seal has broken? I can see mold growing under the one in our bath. We just moved in in June.
I do not know — ask Vance Industries what they recommend.
I’m looking at the kohler tahoe sink with the hudee ring. Does anyone know if the ring is matte or polished?
I have a 1958 green bathroom sink with hudee ring that is sadly rotted out at the drain connection. Where can I find a replacement. The rest of the counter is excellent and I am looking for an actual replacement. I can supply a photo.
We have a story on this (use the Search box, it works really well!) https://retrorenovation.com/2011/08/10/where-to-get-a-metal-sink-frame-in-any-size-sink-clips-too/