Pieces of You

Posted by Bookish Wendy on Feb 26 2008 | Housing Around, General

To continue the newly named, Pieces of You, series about our new home. I bring you “Digger the Dryer”. The dryer that came with the house. The one that upon first look you can determine that it is of a certain “vintage”. The font of the words written across the top swing a certain way, suggesting a typeface from another time.  I was thinking late seventies.  Dryers made during this time period have a certain robustness about them.  They heat.  A lot.  None of this fancy technology that judges moisture and blah, blah.  Energy Efficient?!  Paa-shaw…

So, when Digger was taking 140 minutes to dry a load of cloths diapers, we knew we were in trouble.   Fortunately my dad is quite handy and loves to repair these types of things.  They are “simple” machines, with a certain sparse finesse to the engineering.  All I had to do was figure out the model number and track down the part (we suspected a heating coil).

I started with the ziplock of paperwork on the shelf above the dryer.  Paperwork assembled and left by the prior owner.  And I found this.

dryer

Mr Washie, we have found your match.

dryer2

Note the date written on the top of the first page?  1967 - our Dryer is 41 years old.  God Bless It.

My favorite is the illustration at the top, the hearts coming off the lady.  She clearly is in love with this machine.

I am too.

Mostly because it reminds me on page two not to put my galoshes in the dryer.

19 comments for now

19 Responses to “Pieces of You”

  1. # grace

    When my mother-in-law sold her house a little while ago she ’sold’ with it the dryer purchased when her third child was born — in 1960. I remember pulling diapers out of it when our daughters were babes in the late 80’s and early 90’s and they were nearly hot enough to blister your fingers.

    26 Feb 2008 at 11:15 am

  2. # Carole

    I love vintage stuff like that!

    26 Feb 2008 at 11:59 am

  3. # colleen

    Have fun drying your clothes “the new, carefree, GE way.” GE: We bring good things to life.

    26 Feb 2008 at 12:15 pm

  4. # Heidi

    My house came with an old W/D set too, not quite as ancient as yours, but still working very well. Diapers take about 75 minutes in ours, on the low setting. Can’t wait for summer and the clothesline!

    Lucky you that your dad could keep the old thing going–as long as you keep the lint trap clean it should last forever, so they say!

    26 Feb 2008 at 12:33 pm

  5. # suzanne

    I hears you! Our vintage washer came with our vintage (1960) home and had the same funny settings. I was feeling very tired one day, pulling my own cloth diapers out of the washer, feeling a bit sorry for myself (some of the moms made fun of my cloth diapers and I knew no one else who used them). THEN I saw the setting on the washer:

    Diapers: HOT wash HOT rinse

    and I no longer felt alone.

    26 Feb 2008 at 12:42 pm

  6. # maryse

    everything about this post is just awesome.

    26 Feb 2008 at 1:06 pm

  7. # FiberFeverKate

    Don’t forget to not put your padded bra in there either. Love this post!

    26 Feb 2008 at 1:57 pm

  8. # Wendy

    We just moved in to a new rental and had to buy a washer and dryer and got fancy washer and fancy dryer and…no way are these going to last 40 years. These things are ridiculous with all these stupid redundant settings and digitised doohickeys.

    I miss our old “crappy” washer and dryer. I’m sending your dryer a mash note. (how’s that for dated? ;))

    26 Feb 2008 at 2:25 pm

  9. # Lucia

    I heart the heart lady! And I have no doubt that Mr. Washie would love your dryer, if only appliances could have long-distance romances. (Or short-distance ones, for that matter.)

    26 Feb 2008 at 4:46 pm

  10. # Danielle

    With these newfangled dryers today, how will you ever know NOT to put your galoshes in them?

    26 Feb 2008 at 5:53 pm

  11. # Seanna Lea

    Old manuals are awfully fun to read, though the word galoshes always makes me think of Bulbous Bouffant.

    Macadamia…

    26 Feb 2008 at 6:10 pm

  12. # claudia

    I cannot tell you how much I love this. Keep the ’60’s alive!

    26 Feb 2008 at 6:16 pm

  13. # Kay

    Somebody ought to embroider that lady on something. Priceless. Kitsch, but SINCERE kitsch.

    Keep these posts coming! What else have you got there?

    ox Kay

    26 Feb 2008 at 7:07 pm

  14. # kathleen

    but they last…things today don’t. i miss my old cruddy MA washing machine.

    26 Feb 2008 at 8:17 pm

  15. # cyn

    the heat probably kills off bacteria… right? But, the dryer sounds like it is the enemy of all hand knits.

    26 Feb 2008 at 10:38 pm

  16. # janna

    And don’t forget the directions for damp drying clothes for ironing! ;-)

    26 Feb 2008 at 10:56 pm

  17. # Carie

    Oh. My. Gosh. That’s our old dryer from when I was a kid! I knew it was old when I was young, but I had no idea it was twenty years old already by then!

    That sure took me back!

    And it also explains why mom never put our galoshes in the dryer.

    27 Feb 2008 at 12:51 am

  18. # Norma

    They just don’t make ‘em like they used to. It’s so wonderful that once in a while the right couple comes along for a special find of a house like this. You two ROCK.

    27 Feb 2008 at 8:58 am

  19. # Miss Scarlett

    Priceless advice!

    31 Mar 2008 at 3:27 pm

Comments RSS

Leave a Reply