It is likely to work right off. My wife sells antiques and when we pick them up they usally work. Depends though if it was stored in a dry closet or out in a damp garage.
I would plug it in and if it turns on, use it.
You most likely will get an electrical smell out of it mostly do to dust but those motors have brushes and they do not smell like the newer ones when they run.
Give it a shot and watch it the first few times you use it.
if you can open it up and see it you can give the moving parts a lube. Stuff was made to be fixed back then so its probably easy to open it. You might give the coils a blow off with some air, or a vacuum cleaner if they are dusty.
I bet that mixer was actually working when your mother made that cake too!
Why don't you just pony up and buy a new one??? Isn't 50 yrs about time for a replacement?
I have a 50 year old Sunbeam electric cake mixer, and I suspect it was working when my mother made a cake with it 25 years ago. I'd like to test it out and maybe use it for light-duty mixing. Is there some kind of maintenance I should do to the motor before firing it up? Could it have gone bad just sitting in the closet, or is it likely to work as well as it did last time it was turned on? Thx.
She probably has a mixmaster..Better than most you can buy today except maybe a kitchenaid..On those old Mixmasters, they do smell funny when they haven't been used for a long time so don't be too freaked out. Just keep an eye on it..I think there may even be oiler ports somewhere on it..I too have my gramma's old Mixmaster and it runs great..
John
B,
As others have said, give it a try. Before you do look at the insulation of the power cord. If it is cracking then it will need to be replaced.
Dave M.
I used to have two 50 year old waffle irons; one from my mother and one from my mother-in-law. Identical.
I used one a few times and the insulation on the wiring simply disintigated. Opened the 2nd one up and found it was about to do the same.
Based on that limited experience, I wouldn't bother with the mixer.
It's (probably) fine. I'd look at the power cord, and see if it looks brittle or frayed. That would suggest if the rest of the wires are OK.
A new one is a downgrade from the old Mixmasters. I'd use and repair it first.
You'll see a couple of oil holes on the top of your Mixmaster. Just work a few drops of a good grade of oil, like sewing machine oil, in there (please, no WD-40!), and I'll bet it runs. The other posts about the cord is good advice. If it's cracked or split, run it briefly to see if it works, but plan on having it replaced if you're going to use it. Not real hard to replace, but there's some soldering involved to do it right.
Btw, I buy Mixmaster motors for parts if you ever want to sell it. Also have the service and owner's manuals, scanned directly from our originals, available here:
God bless,
Dave Harnish Dave's Repair Service New Albany, PA
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John 3:3
it was
of
it have gone
as it did
I fired her up and she purrs like a Ferrari. Makes me feel sad in way, but not for long. I could probably whip up some of Mama's masterpieces, an all-day affair, and ya'll are invited. Thanks for the advice everybody.
-B
ive got one of those, its on a stand that holds the bowl and lets it spin. its alot older that 50 years too.has some attachments for other food processes,but ive never used em. thing still works good.grama had a knack for saving up and gettin the best when it came to tools and appliances..lucas
mmmm, cake!
So, when do we eat?
Dave M.
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