So while looking for inspiration for the next build, I ran across these instructions for a little old Maytag wringer washer. My Mom and my Grandma each used to have one. My Grandma still washed in hers until she moved in 1970.
I used to wonder why we didn't have a modern washer when I knew they made them. I saw them in the laundromats I would visit with friends. As it turns out, I come from some mighty frugal people. As long as something works, you don't get rid of it. That's just the way I grew up.
So that being a childhood memory for me, I wanted to make one. As it turned out, I had the pill bottles so I dumped out the expired aspirin in one of them and put the generic claritin into another bottle for the inside tub. The plastic bottles were easier to cut with my exacto knife than I thought they would be. Everything else I already had, or made from heavy card except for the electrical cord. I think the inside agitator of ours was black or gray, it wasn't red I'm pretty sure. I might repaint that. The old blue ones had a blue agitator from pictures but I've never seen a red agitator.
I had some soft wire for the drain hose so I just gutted it and replaced it with florist wire so I could bend a hook to imitate the hose end to fit over the sink. That is one thing I remember from my Mom's old washer. The water hose was stored in the tub and you hooked it to the kitchen faucet to fill the tub.
I did have to go get a soft thin cord for the electrical cord. I got a set of white ear buds at the Dollar Tree and cut the wiring apart into long single sections of cord. I colored it gray with an alcohol ink marker and draped it over the swing arm of the wringer. I had to make a little plug with some clay and wire. I have not glued my wringer to the swing arm so it rotates like a real one.
I followed the tutorial at Dollhouse Miniature Furniture and made substitutions and added my own little touches along the way. It's not perfect, I could have sanded it smoother but it's good enough for me and my childhood memories.
I used to wonder why we didn't have a modern washer when I knew they made them. I saw them in the laundromats I would visit with friends. As it turns out, I come from some mighty frugal people. As long as something works, you don't get rid of it. That's just the way I grew up.
So that being a childhood memory for me, I wanted to make one. As it turned out, I had the pill bottles so I dumped out the expired aspirin in one of them and put the generic claritin into another bottle for the inside tub. The plastic bottles were easier to cut with my exacto knife than I thought they would be. Everything else I already had, or made from heavy card except for the electrical cord. I think the inside agitator of ours was black or gray, it wasn't red I'm pretty sure. I might repaint that. The old blue ones had a blue agitator from pictures but I've never seen a red agitator.
I had some soft wire for the drain hose so I just gutted it and replaced it with florist wire so I could bend a hook to imitate the hose end to fit over the sink. That is one thing I remember from my Mom's old washer. The water hose was stored in the tub and you hooked it to the kitchen faucet to fill the tub.
I did have to go get a soft thin cord for the electrical cord. I got a set of white ear buds at the Dollar Tree and cut the wiring apart into long single sections of cord. I colored it gray with an alcohol ink marker and draped it over the swing arm of the wringer. I had to make a little plug with some clay and wire. I have not glued my wringer to the swing arm so it rotates like a real one.
I followed the tutorial at Dollhouse Miniature Furniture and made substitutions and added my own little touches along the way. It's not perfect, I could have sanded it smoother but it's good enough for me and my childhood memories.
SOOOO CLEVER!
ReplyDeleteI remember my mom having one of these wringer washers too! ♥