It's another one of those things that we got from my husband's father; my husband remembers it being in his grandfather's house before that. Remembering my father-in-law, I'm sure he kept it full of fishing bait and ginger ale in the basement.
It's not very large- I'd say it's about 8 cu.ft., but that was the standard size back in the 1930s & 40s. It has a tiny freezer compartment in the top- just big enough for about 3 ice cube trays. It was originally white and is still white on the inside. It has its original wire and glass shelves, and I have two original metal ice cube trays- the kind with a lever that is supposed to pop the cubes out.
I haven't been able to find the exact model #, but I believe it dates from about 1940. It's a Hotpoint.
We had it painted Coca-Cola red at an auto-body shop, and had the compressor and thermostat restored by a friend that does HVAC. It's been humming along for over two years now.
And the cool thing about vintage fridges is that they're often more energy efficient than new ones. How can that be? Well, new fridges have a lot of bells and whistles that suck electricity. Things like being "frost free" require extra heating elements in the casing of the fridge, and add an ice maker, etc... you get the idea. Plus all that extra cubic feet- this little fridge probably uses half the electric of a new one.
Very cool! I have a 1952 Norge Customatic, with Mamie Eisenhower Pink interior. It was my great grandmothers and after she died it sat unpluged in her house for 20 some odd years until I convinved my dad to help me repaint the white exterior and move it to the Casablanca! Since then, I have also aquired a 1935 Frigidaire THAT STILL WORKS! Dont knwo what im going to do with it though... no more room!
ReplyDeleteWOW! That is awesome! beautiful inside and out
ReplyDeleteOhh, I love it! Very beautiful. I never thought about how vintage fridges could be more energy-efficient, but it makes a lot of sense! Great treasure.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I still use my 1946 Westinghouse! had another one that quit working before that. Imagine anything still working that old! Mine needs more of the rubber seal,as it is getting worn, but can't find anyone to do it. So, I just use it as is. It's pretty cute. Thanks for posting yours! I envy people who take stuff and restore it like you did! Zootsuitmama
ReplyDeleteI have a refridgerator just like that with the model #
ReplyDeleteThat refrigerator is awesome! I have just like that with the model # I can share with you! I can get you pictures too. I seen your blog on a google search I did. I am actually trying to restore this refrigerator myself but Im not having any luck with the compressor. Do you think you and your HVAC friend could lend me a hand?
ReplyDeleteThank You. micahlohrum@gmail.com
Hi Micah, I don't know what kind of help I could be, but I'm sure you could find someone to rebuild the compressor. Just look for someone that does commercial refrigeration, like for a supermarket or restaurant. I know our guy had to build a new bracket to hold the new parts, so find someone that can be creative and mechanical for this job!
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