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Post by ckfan on Mar 1, 2017 16:14:56 GMT
Also, 100yearfridge had a great suggestion that I was already mulling over in my head. I still haven't heard back from the museum but I will probably email them today to let them know that I am serious about this project.
This community has really come together and brought forth so much information to the table, thank you all. I therefore think it is only fitting that this video highlight all of the surviving DRs that we can muster. Now, I'm not sure if the museum wants a video that covers all monitor tops or just the DR. My thought is that they wouldn't turn down examples of later models which are still running. Who is up for either filming, recording audio, or taking pictures of their beauties? If you send them to me I can make a slide show with pictures, audio, video, etc. That way people will know just how many of these beauties have survived. I'm open to suggestions. You could even talk a little bit about what makes your particular machine special. With a great number of machines in the video I think it would be stunning.
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Post by sheeplady on Mar 1, 2017 19:29:36 GMT
Thanks in advance- I'll be watching this thread. I have some time off in June and would be very willing to drive up to NY from Virginia to see their anniversary display.
We own a flat top and a CK right now, would love to expand the collection to include all the notably different models (soup can top, waffle top, globe top, etc.). We're moving from NY to VA in a few weeks. I am keen to expand our potential hunt/ collection and have my husband have some more time (and room) for restoration in the new digs.
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Post by elec573 on Mar 4, 2017 7:23:52 GMT
Well Ray I think Travis would be a good place to start on the Drs he has a few I imagine . Then maybe get some tech on them from coldspaces .
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Post by timeswelding on Mar 4, 2017 10:17:49 GMT
Ray, you're welcome to include my D35 on the porcelain 11 cubic foot cabinet. It is a 1931 and I'm certain that it has never been serviced (knock on wood). The service port is still sealed in lead with a tiny GE logo stamped in it.
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Post by ckfan on Mar 4, 2017 16:46:22 GMT
Doug, Gill, and Travis were the first people to pop into my head when I thought about showcasing the DRs of this forum. There are several other members too like vintageliving and Allan. Of course this is a voluntary basis.
Doug, your D 35 is one of the most impressive units I've seen. I love that little lead seal and I really like the evaporators. I would be honored to get to include it in the video. You can even talk about it since you know it's quirks better than anyone. Every DR has quirks.
I'm still waiting to hear back from the museum to see if they want to use my video. If they want to get a broader scope in the video, ie, stuff made before ww2 then most of the members on here can contribute. We will have to wait and see.
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Post by 100yearfridge on Mar 5, 2017 3:05:09 GMT
Before you all go to bed, Bern sent me some interesting stuff you may want to take a look at: drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0leHj0_q8Tra0owWG9FRnVsTzA"Hello Michael, I'm surprised that propane worked in the CK! Propane is pretty much a drop in substitute for R22 and I would have thought the CK motor would have gone out on overload. I agree with you that isobutane would be a much better substitute. As you probably know isobutane was used in some refrigerators in the 1920's most notably by Copeland. I'm attaching some stuff pertaining to the audiffren-OC-DR history chain. Most useful is the article by Walter Goll, the Ft. Wayne Electric Works manager. I got this from the late William Holladay. The article was published in several editions of "On The Top" which was apparently a GE newsletter published by the Electric Refrigeration Division. This publication seems to be super rare! I don't know of any libraries that have any copies of it. There are also a number of US patents you can look at. I do have the numbers but it's easy to do a Google Patent search for patents by Clark Orr, Christian Steenstrup and Christian Dantsizen. The first GE refrigerator using the OC refrigerating system was a limited production. Bill Holladay told me he thought less than a couple thousand were sold. I've not seen an actual magazine ad for it but GE did produce some limited literature. See attached copies I got from the GE Hall of History (now at the Schenectady Museum). I did have a Seeger 9 cubic foot wood cabinet that was used with the OC (belonged to a former GE engineer) - unfortunately the OC was missing. I donated the cabinet to the museum. As far as I know this is the only cabinet around! I really doubt that any OC refrigerating units exist, considering the low number made and the fact that the unit has a copper finned condenser, copper evaporator and the compressor was housed in a bronze casing! That would be a very valuable item, scrap metal wise! Glad your project is continuing. As far as the hold over problem, I think that was a challenge when using a cap tube. I know the Rice refrigerator in the 1920's was the first to use a cap tube and it used a very heavy evaporator - appeared to be cast iron. What a good idea to use the flat plate approach on the heat pump. I used to have a Janitrol "heating only" heat pump that used a spiral wrap fin coil (ha - it was very much like the OC condenser) and it used to freeze up on me - had to defrost it with a garden hose hooked up to the hot water faucet! Bern N."
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Post by coldspaces on Mar 5, 2017 3:57:03 GMT
This is all just amazing. Only a few years ago we wished we had service manuals on all 3 generations of these fine refrigeration machines. Never dreamed we would ever see so much documentation on the OC units. I am so glad I got to see inside of the 0c2 control box, now I wish they all had mercury switches though so I wouldn't have to solder in new contacts.
Thank you for posting and tell Bern I said thank you!!!
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Post by 100yearfridge on Mar 5, 2017 4:05:36 GMT
Get some eye drops Ray, cause I got more. Just in case the pics from the museum don't work out, here is a chapter from "Household Refrigeration" 1924. Most of the machines described here are mentioned in the Stevenson Report. You can see the wide variety of extremely heavy machines they were up against. I'll upload this to Internet Archive too. drive.google.com/file/d/0B0leHj0_q8TrNkpjT3NyQUNVbjQ/view?usp=sharingBy the way, I would like to scan whole books and upload to Internet Archive, but I need a better scanning method. I kind of want to avoid the whole camera/tripod thing if I can. Any suggestions?
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Post by timeswelding on Mar 5, 2017 13:34:18 GMT
The reason I got into Monitor Tops is my dad wanted one. As a child, he remembered a neighbor lady had one and he thought it was really neat. He has no knowledge of what model or even what brand machine it was, only that it had a round condenser coil on top. And he swears that it was finned copper tubing. Could it have been an OC that he was remembering? This would have been in the 1950s as he was born in 1949. Now I have to find an OC. Thanks a lot 100 Year Fridge.
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Post by 100yearfridge on Mar 5, 2017 17:34:32 GMT
The reason I got into Monitor Tops is my dad wanted one. As a child, he remembered a neighbor lady had one and he thought it was really neat. He has no knowledge of what model or even what brand machine it was, only that it had a round condenser coil on top. And he swears that it was finned copper tubing. Could it have been an OC that he was remembering? This would have been in the 1950s as he was born in 1949. Now I have to find an OC. Thanks a lot 100 Year Fridge. Hell, if you or anyone finds one, I'll chip in some money for purchase and restoration! I'm happy to help with this research stuff. I was in classic car parts shop the other day looking at a Crosley Shelvador. The owner's family had an appliance business for decades, and he had some Frigidaire manuals from the 50's that i may go back and purchase. It got me thinking that it wouldn't be a bad idea to look for old appliance shops and ask for old manuals or promotional literature they may have.
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Post by ckfan on Mar 5, 2017 18:01:01 GMT
I think we all are on the lookout for an OC-2 now Doug! That is neat that your father thought it was interesting back then as a kid.
Gill, I noticed that mercury switch too. Very neat. I think it still had contacts in the "starting relay" but it is neat to see a mercury switch being used. I also like the "warning buzzer" which I guess goes off when the overload trips. Very, very cool.
Mike,
As usual this stuff is amazing. I especially like the general report from 29 which goes over a shortened history behind the DR. It basically confirms everything that you have provided that goes over how the OC-2 was developed. I also really like the little informative pamphlets that I assume were given out with new units. So neat to see the OC being marketed to the average household. I'm enthralled.
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Post by birkie on Mar 5, 2017 20:39:54 GMT
Neat stuff. The "on the top" article mentioned that they came to the conclusion that an oscillating cylinder design was the most efficient and reliable design they encountered. Given that finding, I wonder why they ended up using a scotch yoke in the CKs, after their brief stint with methyl formate and rotary compressors. Was there an engineering benefit, or a cost benefit, or both? I'm wondering if it has to do with the desire to have the compressor chamber on the low-pressure side in order to eliminate heaters and the risk of refrigerant entrained in the oil.
I think the decision-making process that lead to the CA and finally the CKs et al. would be fascinating to follow as well.. though maybe of limited interest to museumgoers!
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Post by ckfan on Mar 5, 2017 21:43:59 GMT
I too would like to find out what tests and decisions led to the CA and CK. I think that will be out of the scope of this video unless the museum decides that they want an entire history of monitor tops though.
As far as the scotch yoke is concerned, I think it was chosen later vs the oscillating cylinder design for the reason of cost. I think there was less machining and precise fit required and I've also read that the scotch yoke units were self centering so that less bearing wear would develop.
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Post by ckfan on Mar 6, 2017 21:36:22 GMT
Good news everyone! The museum responded to my email and said that they for sure want to proceed with this project. They said that they want a video covering the inception of GE refrigeration through the "monitor top". I asked for clarification since I don't know whether they want to cover all models or just the DR. I kind of get the feeling that they want a video that covers all models. If that is the case, I can open up the video to include any and all working examples of GE glory. Keep that in mind, I am still looking for people who want to share their precious fridge with the world (that means you!). That includes the FEA and the flat tops as well. So, I guess hang tight while I wait for a response. I asked for a time limit that they want and for the model scope of this video. I hope they come up with a reasonable time limit if they want all models covered. I mentioned that I could possibly pull it off in 45 minutes but that I would have to be "brief". Well, as brief as I can stand anyways...
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Post by Travis on Mar 7, 2017 1:40:10 GMT
Yay,
Just make the FEA part really short
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