Sourced a major part of "the self sufficient laundry"

[British Red]

As I said a "Wonderwash" is on the cards for sure - but the copper was used for so much - from bathwater to brewing - basically a hot water tank with manual fill.

One day it'll be a solar powered well pump and a pump for domestic hot water off a solid fuel back boiler. But till then....

 

[John Fenna]

That is a great find!

 

[Stew]

Now, forgive my ignorance but what's so good about a mangle? It's one of those items I've seen pictured but never really thought about.

I assume they just force teh water out so a reduced drying time on the line? Is there something else to them?

 

[British Red]

Pretty much that stew - the equivalent of a spin drier (but not a tumble drier - no heat is applied). Wringing out the water by hand from a families worth of sheets is finger and wrist numbing work

 

[Toddy]

Well, if you get it right, and a decent housewife would try for that, you can squeeze the water out in a neatly folded bundle so that it cuts down on your ironing later on. Anything made of linen for instance, bedding, towels, dishcloths, trousers (with a great deal of care, the mangle rolls them so imagine trying to roll up sheets of wet stuff and not have them slip out of line).
What most folks don't pay heed to is that it really works best if things are pre wrung, 'cos otherwise all your nice soapy hot water is lost or chilled, or squeezed out first. It's all very tidy looking, but in reality you can quickly make the scullery, kitchen or laundry room floor into a treacherously slippy mess.

cheers,
M

 

[British Red]

I'm a bit muddled there Mary - why would soapy water be in clothes being mangled? Surely you rinsed the soapy water out first (that's how I've always done it anyway?)

 

[John Fenna]

I did that hand wringing bit for years - I was a house husband for quite a while - then one year I bought the wife a spin dryer for her birthday

 

[British Red]

Yeah I was in my thirties before the delights of the washing machine occurred to me. They are a real labour saver no doubt about it - particularly with washer / driers in the winter.

 

[Toddy]

You wring out the soapy water before the clothes go into the rinsing water, then they're wrung out again.
Otherwise it's just a waste of the hot soapy water and you have masses or rinsing to do to get the water to run clear.

You don't just do one load in all that hard worked for hot water

cheers,
Toddy

 

[British Red]

Oh I agree there - but I never used the mangle to wring the soap - or you get soap all over the mangle Just a hand wring and into the cool rinse water...different families, different techniques I suppose

This mangle has got a drip catcher with a drain hole - you can see it most clearly in the second photo. I'm thinking a drain hose could be rigged to that to control the water a bit

 

[Toddy]

The mangle wipes clean very quickly using the cloth that's kept for that very purpose and for drying it and the copper off when the washing's done, and that way you limit any loss of the hot soapy water. Things are lightly hand wrung, mangled, then rinsed and mangled again (folded if linens). Sorted in neatly tidy economy of motion
Don't know how the mangle would do with modern fabric conditioners though we just rinsed with a little lavender water in the final rinse sometimes.
I do know that if you use washing soda you need to really, really, dry the mangle rollers off when you're finished though. For some reason it can aid the cracking on the old rubber ones.
We had an older set of rollers too, kind of like the corrugated rolling pin used for oatmeal. Those ones only got dropped in and latched down for heavy towels and the cotton bump curtain linings.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Imagedude]

I've got my gran's mangle rusting away in the garden, I doubt that my domestic staff would know how to use it. It's because of the mangle that I know how to sew on buttons.

 

[Nemesis]

Red, that's beautiful. Really pleased for you!
As Mary said, would a copper domestic water heater tank not work or would it be too thin to deal with a flame?

 

[tombear]

I wonder if you could use a Soyer stove as a copper along side a mangle? Not that I've acquired a real full sized one, yet.

ATB

tom

 

[British Red]

Tom I think you have hit on something there - A soyer stove would be perfect - effectively a portable wash copper....now...where can I get one cheaply????

 

[mrcharly]

The "Wonderwash" manual washing machines are surprisingly effective - I am looking out for one of those!

I have one of those, used it when living on a narrowboat. They work surprisingly well but of course you don't have a spin out bit.

The frame is flimsy so in use you have to be careful or the drum comes out of the frame.

A full load is about 4 shirts or two pairs of trousers.

 

[British Red]

Nice to hear real user feedback mrcharly - I have borrowed one and found it good - but not used one for a protracted period. I'm guessing someone handy with a welder could make a better frame?

 

[mrcharly]

Even a wooden frame would be better and not too hard to do. Bolting down on a bench would make a big difference.

They claim that the pressure increases in the sealed drum once you start tumbling; that's certainly true. It's also true that you use very little water (which was a major factor for me in living on a boat).

MrsC, who has dyed the odd bit of clothing now and then, reckoned they'd be great for dying, as you wouldn't have a big volume of dye to dispose of afterwards.

 

[tombear]

Tom I think you have hit on something there - A soyer stove would be perfect - effectively a portable wash copper....now...where can I get one cheaply????

Its the cheaply bit that's foxed me, the last one I saw sell went for £280. Mind you they seam to mainly belong to Militaria dealers/collectors and I do have a deactivated Bren that I have no interest in keeping that's worth about the same so I may "swap" ( as in sell and use the money but mentally it's. a swap,rather like a L4A3 I had turned into a Tormek-7 and bits, but I digress as ever). I think they are 12 gallon although I saw something similar but with a even bigger tank at the iron industry museum in.

atb

Tom

 

[British Red]

Thanks Mrcharly - I'll keep looking - postage on the second hand ones is the killer so I'll look for a local one

Tom, I'll keep looking - if I find one closer to you I'll give you the heads up - even a 6 gallon model would be good - 12 would be better though!