Friday 22 May 2020

Keeping The Old Mixer Going

 I posted a picture of this old mixer the other day and a builder friend of mine laughed at how dirty it was.

Yes, her best days might be behind her, but she's had a long hard life! 

Dad bought this about 30 years ago for £25 from a farm sale. It has done countless other jobs since then. It's main down side is it's not easy to move but otherwise it's a great bit of kit. I think it's been here for the last 7 years at least and used to do so many jobs. 


It did snap the belt that runs up to the chain drive a while ago, so I managed to take out the motor and replace this. Then as soon as I did it snapped and destroyed the chain! This proved a bit harder to change as we picked up the wrong size. Luckily dad got me the right one and although it was a messy job now it's changed it seems to be running well again. 

When it broke part of me thought, shall I just get a new mixer? But it would take me far longer than the hour to fix it than the £300 or so to buy a new one and what would then happen to this one. I like to think I'm the type of guy that will fix and make good but it is very easy to have lazy thoughts and that's something I should try not to do. 


Now it's fixed it seems to be running fine. The barrel is not as round as it once was but I've been mixing lots of mortar and concrete, trying to finish off some of the hard landscaping by the house. There is a bit between the shed and the patio that has been a mess since we did it, so I'm using this lockdown time to get a few jobs done and hopefully make future maintenance a bit easier as well as keeping it clean.

What's the oldest bit of kit you've got that still doesn't let you down?

19 comments:

  1. That would have to be my husband, but he never lets me down!!

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  2. Oldest bit of kit indeed, I'm married to Poppypatchwork and she is now definitely in trouble.

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  3. I had an electric whisk that was 40 years old. It died last year but I have my late fathers identical model. Hopefully it will continue to beat cakes for many years.

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    1. new kitchen appliances seem rubbish. Our kitchen food processor decided to process part of itself the other day, Much to my disappointment!

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  4. An electric early 1970’s food mixer/mincer still going strong. Gets used every week.

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    1. That's so good - mine decided to process itself the other day! Wish they were built to last now!

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  5. My sweet farmer friend down south uses an old mixer like that to make his own soil for planting. Brilliant!
    Glad you got it fixed.

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  6. Oldest kit? It's a tool actually. I have my grandfather's Stanley 55 molding plane complete with ALL the stock cutters. I can make specialty shapes with just a piece of flat tool steel. I love using it, and love that it was Granddad's. It was my secret weapon all during my furniture restoration career.

    As for the mixer: I have a modern cheapy. Keep fixing yours! I use mine mostly to mix potting soil and to wash potatoes. I'll post a 'how to' sometime in my blog. I added a belt inside with rubber chicken plucker fingers to do the washing job. Lastly, I have a mixer that looks much like yours. I paid $5 US for it at an auction. I put the bid in just to get the bidding started for a friend. I didn't want the thing. I got it anyway. It doesn't work, and I ain't fixin' it either.

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    1. That's brilliant with your grandads old plane. I'd love one like that. I was playing with some old wooden moulding planes the other day, adding rope bead to some work. They still have a place.
      Washing potatoes that way sounds interesting! I never really thought about mixing soil that way but it's a great idea.

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  7. Probably me. My favourite tools are my English t shaped handle shovel and my Azada. Do you use the mixer to make your own compost Kev?

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    1. I don't but it's such a good idea I might have to. I always call T shaped handles "pocket rippers" AS that's what has happened a few times to me.

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  8. ha! when i read the title i assumed it was your bread mixer.

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    1. That gets used more than this I'd say! Not many days we don't make bread!

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  9. Grandma's potato masher circa 1900.

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    1. Brilliant - I bet its better than our modern one I keep bending!

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