THE FLATLEY DRYER

[Phil]

I remember the "keymatic" but it was made by Hoover, not Hotpoint, bloody heavy things to lift but there was a handy grip just under the door.

[Stanley]

I like the idea of technology used for war production being turned to the civvy market. It makes sense. I still have some Cascamite glue, the adhesive used in the Mosquito and the use of alloy makes sense. In 1945 my dad managed to get hold of a Servis washing machine for a mate of his and it was delivered to our house. Mother thought it was hers and washed everything! She was so disappointed that he had to get one for her as well!

[Stanley]

Re. use of surplus war materials. A bloke called Harry White, a sign writer in Stockport, saw an opportunity when lots of surplus aluminium came on the market and decided to start building caravans. Only problem he had was that the material he bought was Duraluminium, the hardened alloy used in aircraft production. He also bought a big lot of surplus soap which was very scarce at the time. Turned out it was ex-army foot soap that contained abrasive. Another bummer.....

[Bodger]

Afriend of mine was more successful, he sold as ex WD rust remover on market stalls, the rust remover was actually cement, his wife used to pack a couple of tablespoons full into small brown packets, these he would sell for a shilling making good profit on a bag of cement.
His sales patter was to stop a person with rust on their pram or bike, wet his thum and apply the "rust remover" a little rubbing and the rust was gone, but of course cement is abrasive, so the first time it rained the rust was back

[Stanley]

I like that Bodge! Could have made a good substitute for Victory Compound!

[EileenDavid]

I remember the Hoover Keymatic, my boyfriend at the time had one given him only problem was his friend lived in Abergele and we had to get it to Manchester. Can't remember what happened to it.

Loved the adverts Stanley but don't remember any of the products. Eileen

[Stanley]

I love old adverts. A very good historian once told me that the only things in newspapers that could be relied on to be totally accurate were the adverts and the 'Hatched, Matched and Dispatched'. My research experiance agrees with this.

[EileenDavid]

I'm with you on that Stanley Eileen

[Stanley]

When I was a lad there was always a cylindrical container in the fireplace filled with coloured wooden 'spills' that you could buy in bundles. They were used for getting a light from the fire. My mother used to roll a bit of paper up into a tight cylinder for the same purpose. It saved a match when lighting the gas cooker. She would light one ring from another using the same method.

[EileenDavid]

I remember the spills our neighbour had one in a brass container. We used the same method as your mother prior to getting one of those long gas lighters for the cooker. Fire lighting used one match after newspaper and kindling and a few pieces of coal strategically spaced, with the shovel and a full sheet of newspaper at the front to get the draught. Many's the time this went up in flames and had to be speedily put into the grate. Eileen

[Stanley]

And the burning paper going up the flue fired the loose soot. What my mother used to call 'sweeling' the chimney. Can't ever remember having the sweep or a chimney fire. Funnily enough, with a modern stove and a lined flue an occasional very hot fire is recommended for cleaning the tar from the flue. (Same goes for washing machines, an occasional hot wash cleans out the innards.)

[Whyperion]

While wandering about a local Car Boot sale I came across a copy ( 4th ) of the 1962/63 'This Is Britain' The Annual Review of British Industrial Achievement, Published by The Blackacre Press, London under the auspices of the Board of Trade priced at 42s ( 2Gns though only the s price is shown ) . While somewhat attempting to sell coals to newcastle in some of the features - the book was aimed at showing USA , The Former Colonies and Europe what could be made and done in Britain , realistically rather ( other than some specialised industrial and consumer products ) selling the actual items overseas I have read it as being a way of attracting inward investment from overseas companies - particularly into the New Towns in Wales and Scotland. I would imagine a copy of the book is available on library order or google books ( its about 15% bigger than A4 hence the slight out of focus scanning problem ).

Couple of Ads that might be of interest. (cotton and aircraft steels)

[Stanley]

Industrial advertising literature and catalogues are a much under-rated source of research info. I used to have a Brown Brothers Catalogue from the 1930s. Ideal bed time reading! G S Singleton at Blackburn had a library of such literature and after the Record Office had their pick his son John gave me the rest of what they were throwing out. Wonderful things... The Record Office missed some goodies!

[Stanley]

Advertising in 1961. My latest Cronin read is from the Companion Book Club and this flyer was inside it being used as a bookmark.

[Stanley]

I realised last night while watching an old film that it's years since I saw a 'fish-tail' exhaust pipe.....

[EileenDavid]

Don't think I have ever seen one Eileen

[Bodger]

Eileen, a fish tail was an extension on your exhaust see the link
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w145 ... _venom.jpg
And congrats for sticking with the "male" theme subjects, Tony, aka bodger

[Stanley]

I never connected fish tail exhausts with gender! But you're right Bodge.
I don't know why but my mind went back to the Penny Libraries that used to flourish on the high street. Remember when Boots chemists had a lending library?
From there I got to Green Shield stamps.....

[EileenDavid]

Greenshield stamps. I bought my brother's wedding present with them, a black and decker drill Eileen

[Wendyf]

I got a little waste bin and a clothes airer. I can't remember the fate of the airer, but the bin is still in use.

[Stanley]

I think the only thing we ever got with the stamps was a very useful cutter for making chips. You put a full potato in it, pushed the lever down and bingo, perfectly formed chips. Just for once, a really useful and well-used kitchen tool.

[EileenDavid]

I remember the chipper but could never do it not enough strength to force the potatoe through. Talking about useful kitchen tools Mam and Dad every year went to the ideal homes exhibition and came back with something. An odd clamp one year for going over a piece of beef which was strips of plastic which clamped over the meat and the knife went through the slats so that the meat was cut in even slices , it was never used. Also the wonder cleaners which worked when they were at IDE but not when they bought the product and brought them home. I remember we always had a good laugh at Dad's expense Eileen

[Stanley]

I used to love the sellers demonstrating their wonder products on Stockport Market when I was a lad. The one that impressed me most was a small tin-plated gizmo that you used to keep the stitches even when darning socks. There's a thing, I wonder who darns socks and clothes these days?

[Wendyf]

Col got me to darn one of his socks a couple of months ago and then he complained that it rubbed his heel! He's always wanting me to mend holes in his pockets...and I try to explain to him that you cant turn the collars on modern shirts, they just aren't made that way

[EileenDavid]

We are a throw away instead of make do and mend. Dave and I took a load of stuff to the charity shop half the stuff not worn impulse buys. Still the local hospice shop will do ok hopefully Eileen