What to feature in the uploader this weekend? Over one the Facebook page — almost 22,000 FB friends now! — Michelle suggested:
What about a picture share thread with everyone’s quirky vintage small appliances? What they are, how they work, where you discovered them… I have a couple fun ones!
Well, heck to the yeah, I have a couple fun ones myself, and am getting my camera out stat. Note: Small kitchen appliance only in this session– no hair dryers, alarm clocks, vintage stoves, etc. — we’ll do those another time. Above: feralhousewife.com gets props for a hilarious photo shoot. Read on for instructions — let’s see your small kitchen appliances! –>
Uploader closed — But thanks so much for playing everyone — this was a good one! Come back Fridays around noon, and see what we’ll be sharing this next weekend.
Tips to view slide show: Click on first image… it will enlarge and you can also read my captions… move forward or back via arrows below the photo… you can start or stop at any image:
Janet in CT says
Jeff! Where on earth did you find that marvelous turquoise hood? What a great look! And the pink aluminim coffee pot to match the stove in another photo is wonderful too! That is similar to the stove in my basement that I want to bring up. And yeah, when I removed our manual defrost fridge to put in a self-defrosting one, my electric bill went way up. The discarded fridge was one from the eighties and it wasn’t working right, but I had one from the fifties that was fantastic and I never should have sold it. Again, the newer ones are lousy.
Morgen says
I passed on a mixmaster at a thrift store a few weeks ago and now I’m totally regretting it. I’ll just have to keep my eyes open and hope the thrifting gods are good to me in the future. I love them!
RetroGal says
Was just about to take a picture of my cool Sunbeam toaster with the cool leaves on the side – and then noticed someone already put a pic up of the same one! Darn! 🙂
Janet in CT says
I really enjoy seeing them all anyhow, duplicates or not!
Betsy says
Christa C. — For as much as I love your appliances, I am totally digging the mosaic tiles behind them. Is this your kitchen? Did you do this yourself? (Love love your coffee pot collection.)
Chrsta C says
Hi!-
Yep that is my kitchen…The mosaic tile backsplash I did do myself…I just got the urge one weekend to use all the bits and bobs and discontinued tiles I had collected over the years to use for “something”…it ended up taking me about 2 months to finish, rather than the weekend, and in retrospect I should have replaced the counter top before hand ( but I have plenty more bits to replace if any damage is done) but I had fun.
And thank you…I find it amusing that I collect glass and copper coffee pots/ carafes, but I myself, don’t drink coffee…but I love the way they look! ( I had to put some of the warming stands inside the cabinets, because it made them too tall for the space!)
pam kueber says
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE your backsplash. Wanna send me photos directly, I’ll try to do a post! Did I mention I LOVE it?
Michelle says
Another post with props for the backsplash!! GREAT work!!
Betsy says
That is awesome! My sister-in-law and I designed the tile backsplash in my kitchen. We built, glazed, and fired the tiles in her kiln. I love it, and I look at it as our statement that we built our kitchen to live in and love, and not for some future resale.
Janet in CT says
OHMYGOSH, Betsy, I was JUST going to ask Christa the same thing! I love the turquoise in it and wondered also if they did it themselves!
Janet in GA says
I am impressed that so many have old percolators they can still love and use. Mom and I wore out her two percolators and I wore out the new one I bought a few years ago also. Perked coffee just tastes better to me plus it is much hotter.
Michelle says
I think the key on that is “new” percolator. 🙂
The vast majority of my small appliances are “vintage,” and with the exception of two waffle irons and two blenders (grandma’s avocado Sunbeam shot blue flame out the bottom in an amazing display) none have died of old age – they have broken from stupidity on my part, but that doesn’t count!! Most can be repaired, unlike modern junk, but the problem is finding anyone to do the repair. *sigh*
I know, preaching to the choir here, but it’s so nice to have a sympathetic audience. 🙂 I used to be a member of the Old Appliance Club (or, as my dad called it, the Old Appliance Cult) and their magazine was so fun to read.
Of course, the best thing is that vintage percolators seem to be in every junk shop, Salvation Army, Goodwill and church sale, so even if you do kill one or two you can always find another.
Abigail Grotke says
This is so cool! I have an obsessive amount of ice crushers in the house and I also bring home anything I can get my hands on with o’mat on it. I’ve run out of room to display them all. I posted a few pictures.
I was going to post my collection of antique massagers, but saving them to do an exhibit on my site someday 🙂
wendy says
i also love anything that has “o-matic” as part of its name. i think the 60’s was the “o-matic” decade 🙂
Laura's Last Ditch--Vintage Kitchenwares says
There’s just something about that name.
Ice O Mat
Grind O Mat
Shred O Mat
Juice O Mat
Broil O Mat
Can O Mat
Are there any others?
J D Log says
Hi Laura,
have a look at my shot of the Caddy-matic in the red box not one of my best photos it is a wall mounted tea dispenser made in Great Britan don’t know if they sold them in the States
Michelle says
YES!!!!
There is a knife-o-mat, and I just won one on ebay – new old stock with its original box! and it’s blue!
And I was the ONLY bidder! I’m so excited!!!
pam kueber says
yay for the knife-o-mat!
Janet in CT says
Wendy, I also greatly admire your collection, especially the multi-colored hand mixers and the pink Swing-A-Way! I do remember when the Sunbeam toaster that self-lowered came out – it was so neat and unique at the time! And that domed egg-cooker and the retro looking one, those are fabulous! I still use my 1972 Waring avocado blender, but it is so disgraceful looking, I wouldn’t even post a photo of the poor thing. Whoever has the Lady Vanity one, it has the same user guide as either Waring or Oster has so I would bet it was made exclusively for some store with another name and appearance. All of these are so much fun to see!
wendy says
janet, i actually emailed GE to see if they had any information or archives on the m47 – primarily a list of colors that were made. sadly they had no info. but i think i have all the colors. i do have 2 turquoise, but they are different shades, maybe from storage differences over the years.
i am absolutely lusting for an m47 stand mixer, but i think they were only available overseas. checkie outie:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/32089334@N08/5232808769/
Janet in CT says
Wendy, Neat! You may be right – we went to all the GE sales shows and had all the catalogs and I took care of that branch of the sales floor and I never saw one of them. Never even heard of them! I had a white GE stand mixer when I got married, thought it sounded like the gears were grating, so I found one on ebay in yellow just like my mother’s, belonged to a fellow’s grandmother. Both of them are still running just fine! Personally, I don’t know how people did without one of them – hand mixers are fine for some things but cookie batches need a stand mixer! Wish I still had all of those old catalogs. I even had some for major appliances of the mid-sixties, but I have no idea where it went when I moved. That’s the stuff that doesn’t survive.
Janet in CT says
Oops! Just realized I called it a GE mixer – I have GE on the brain. My stand mixers are Sunbeam Mixmasters. Could someone give me the info to brew coffee in a Farberware or GE perc? I don’t have any manuals so I don’t know the ratio of water to grounds. Thanks!
Jay says
Janet, your Farberware stainless perc should have markings on the inside – fill the waterline to the mark for your desired no. of cups. I have found that a level tablespoon (use the one from your set of measuring spoons) of coffee for each cup works good. i don’t like strong cofee ala Starbucks. I use Maxwell House. Plug it in and away you go- starts automatically; there is no switch. Make sure you have water in the pot before you plug it in. Unplug when coffee is all consumed. Also, not immersible. Carefully wash out interior and keep water from base. Hope this helps.
pam kueber says
Patrick: Are you reading this? Do you have any info on mixer colors?
Will says
St. Louis Wendy, I have the same Rival Ice Crusher and a turquise GE m47 too! I love the quality of vintage appliances… so much nicer than what we get today.
wendy says
i agree on the quality. all of my vintage appliances work, and they work better than most of the new stuff out there. back then we weren’t a ‘disposable nation’, and things were made with pride in the usa.
Claire says
Im really enjoying all of you pictures! I’ll be gathering my vintage kitchen items later on today. Each one will get a photo shoot and I’ll share them with you!!!
Jay says
Wow! Looking at the pictures remind me of all the things that were around when I was a kid but now reside in appliance heaven, having given a life of heavy use – the sunbeam vav coffee pot, the self lowering toaster and mixmaster. Also, the westinghouse roaster oven. Currently residing in the house is an Oster 70’s harvest gold blender and 80s farberware perc, (made in the Bronx, not China). Enjoyed the photos!
Janet in CT says
Lots to answer here this morning. I am SO enjoying all the photos! I have an old fryer and need to take a photo of it. It is OLD for sure as it has a cloth cord. This cord is of concern to my husband because of the currency drawn by that old frier. The cord/plug gets very hot and worries him. I haven’t used it since we moved to this house eight years ago because the wiring in this house isn’t very good either! I have alot of stuff but again, stored in my basement because we moved to a much smaller house with no room upstairs to put anything in the tiny kitchen. There is a place in Hartford CT called Hartford Element, and they do repairs on appliances. They have been around ever since I can remember and did repairs for my father if he couldn’t do them. Of course, the older guys who did repairs are probably long gone but I would say you could call and ask. Make sure you get the one in Hartford, which is the original store. I would also trust them to have parts no-one else has. Years ago, our elderly bookkeeper placed an order for vacuum bags (we also sold them) and didn’t realize the quantity (1) meant a case, not one package! We had fifteen cases of vacuum bags, mostly obsolete ones we hardly ever sold that she wanted to get for our equally obsolete elderly customers! After years of sitting in the basement, I gave them to Hartford Element. Wish I had kept them – there are probably hundreds of vintage vacuum collectors who would kill to get them! Sigh! Hey, maybe Pam could do one on “other” appliances, like clocks, vacuums, hair dryers, etc that don’t fit in the kitchen category!
Michelle says
You can get new replacement cords for most appliances. I use the cloth ones if they are in good shape without dryrot, but some people aren’t comfortable with them. We are such a throwaway culture now. It’s sad. I have a GE X4 monitor top refrigerator (the one with the ball) that I love. Still works after 70 years! But people now think that if their fridge lasts ten years they are ahead of the game.
Janet in CT says
Yeah, for sure the stuff nowadays is crap in comparison. I have a 40″ and a 24″ GE range in my basement. I have the space in my kitchen for a 40″ range and the newer 30″ one there now is junk as far as I am concerned. It can’t even hold a temperature right. I want the guys to bring my old one up but it is so darn heavy, they have no inclination to try to move that monster up here! These old ones survive but you won’t see any of the current new ones around in thirty years!
pam kueber says
Janet, I tend to think you are absolutely correct. We did some rewiring of my 1959 GE Pushbutton range because it was starting to get brittle, but that’s about it. It’s a great stove.
Brian says
When I was a boy (half a century ago) I remember well the excitement of getting a new appliance, usually at Christmas. My now-deceased grandparents and my now-elderly parents kept every single box, instruction booklet, and receipt for the appliances they acquired.
The expectation was that they would last and if they didn’t they would be promptly replaced with ones that would last. I have treasured memories of Grandma and Grandpa moving around their kitchen preparing Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner using their for-a-lifetime appliances while we all stood nearby ready to help.
As an example, the GE electric knife they used to slice the turkey was brought down from the high pantry shelf, carefully removed from the box, carefully cleaned and returned to the box until next year. I have that electric knife still and use it fondly with the same care. It looks like it was just unwrapped still.
It was such a different time, with American companies paying American workers to produce quality products that were built to work well and last a lifetime and that were designed to build a reputation of trust and satisfaction to ensure return business.
If something bad did happen to an appliance customer service was impeccable and there were local repairmen trained by the companies to replace cords, broken knobs, or adjust things for a nominal price. Parts were generally designed to work flawlessly, last forever, look good, and be affordable.
My, how things have changed! Since the current business model seems to be to maximize profits for investors by cutting the expense of using quality parts, offer non-existent, unintelligible, or unresponsive customer service, pay enormous salaries to executives, pay workers as little as possible, and cut losses through tax deductions when the company’s reputation is destroyed by shoddy workmanship and malfunctioning products.
Since Jack Welch “saved” GE by destroying its longstanding quality and reputation I avoid their products at all costs. I purchased a GE toaster oven a couple of years ago with a birthday gift card. On the third use the knob that controlled the timer broke off in my hand. I was able to use a pair of pliers to turn the plastic knob for while until the heating element burned out. A $100 appliance that lasted less than 6 months due to cheap plastic parts and shoddy assembly.
Seeing these old appliances here that are still providing service 2 generations past their purchase makes me nostalgic for an America that is long gone but it also gives me hope that those companies that still follow the old business model will outlast the current greedy crop and America will find its way again.
Michelle says
Well said Brian!!! Very well said!
Laura's Last Ditch--Vintage Kitchenwares says
Have you seen “The Lightbulb Conspiracy”? It’s a documentary about planned obsolescence. Evidently, now the program some printers to die after a certain number of prints, just so you have to buy a new one. But I’m still enjoying my 1997 printer, thank you very much!
pam kueber says
I think it might be on my bucket list that I want a Monitor Top at some point in my life. I think I saw one at an estate sale not too long ago at a great price. These things are supposed to be very energy efficient, because the cooling motor is at the top….
Michelle says
Actually, the reason they are so efficient is that the are not “frost free.” They just run when necessary, which causes frost buildup, but also uses FAR less electricity.
I used my X4 as my primary refrigerator in my last home, and my electricity consumption didn’t change noticeably when I purchased it. I did have to change the gaskets, and I got it painted, but that was all it needed. Unfortunately, though it still runs like a champ, I broke the temperature adjustment knob by turning it when it was frosted over. I never got around to bringing it to the guy north of Albany, NY, to have it repaired; he passed away a few years ago so there it sits, waiting to be put back to work!
I’ll get a picture up before the end of the weekend!
pam kueber says
Ok, Janet, I’ll do an uploader on other small appliances at seom point!
denise says
Janet, thanks for the Hartford Element info. I’m in EH and have been using my vintage range but the oven is 50 degrees off. Maybe they can get it to the correct temp reading.
ps: if you are not far from me, I have 2 guys I know that pulled my range out of a basement, into a truck, then into my house about 4+ years ago, very reasonable, if your men won’t do it, I might be able to hook you up.
Janet in CT says
Wow, Denise, you are close by! I don’t think Hartford Element does major appliances, just small ones. For big appliances, I use a guy who lives in Ashford and he is great. When my mother-in-law lost her fridge in one of those bad storms last year, he came twice to try and fix it and only charged her one service call. And he is just a young fellow! Some day the my son should be able to convince a few friends to help him move that stove, but Phil has to check the wiring first. It has been sitting for so long now, I am afraid the wiring may be dry rotted. An elderly lady came into our store back in the early nineties looking at new stoves. She had this old fifties GE 40″ stove but could not bring herself to part with it. I told her if she EVER got a new one or decided to scrap it to call me. Bless her heart, years later she was moving and called me to come and get it so I have had it in storage for over fifteen years now because my last house had built-ins. I was delighted that this house had the spot for a 40″ (or maybe it is the 39″ size) but it had a brand new stove so that stayed for now. I would much prefer that old one though.
Denise says
Thanks Janet for that info. Good to know anyway for the smalls. Would love to get the guy’s info. from Ashford. If you’d like, email me at vergeofsnapping@gmail.com
This is my second 40″ vintage stove, the first has a long storage story and now it’s at my friend’s cabin in NH. This current one I found after renovating my kitchen and I had a 30″ i was still using but fortunately accounted for the possibility of finding a 40″ and was able to move the end cabinet a few inches over.