Anchor Clothes Wringer

This device at Smith’s Tavern is an Anchor Brand Bi-Cycle Clothes Wringer, made by the Lovell Manufacturing Company of Erie Pennsylvania.  The words “Anchor” and “Brand” are on the side of the top wooden crossbar, with “No. 328” along the top.  The words “Bi-Cycle” should be on the second wooden crossbar, but have been worn away.  The words “The Rolls in this Wringer are Warranted 3 Years for Regular Family Use” are on the third wooden plank.  The words “Easy Turning Steel Ball Bearings Patented June 21, 1898” are on the bottom wooden plank.  

The wringer was a device used to extract the excess water from the freshly washed laundry using two rollers under spring tension.  The clothing was pressed one at a time between the rollers as handle was cranked.  Twin screws on the top and two on the bottom adjusted tension and the width of the two sides of the device to accommodate thicker clothes.  Sometimes this type of clothes wringer came with leg supports or (like this version) were suspended over a bucket/basin.  The excess water was caught in the basin and often reused.

Reference:  https://naturesartvillage.com/2015/10/throwback-thursday-at-the-past-antiques-11/

Catalog Items:

Item None

Location:	Floor, Panel 12
Length:	36 cm
Width:	16 cm
Height:	411 cm
Weight:	8618 g