Pulling the Norwalk out of storage

So here it is, my old Norwalk juicer that is in excellent working condition, a testament to how well they're made. The plate on the back lists it as a model #225 and serial #3887. It also states it was made in St. George Utah, and 'Patent Applied For.' The finish is painted on and looks like stainless underneath. Not sure of the era of this juicer. I called Norwalk and all I could get was, "At least fifty years old." If anyone knows how old this bad boy is, please let me know.

Here's how I acquired it:

I bought it at an estate sale, circa 1990. I was checking out another juicer and the person in charge told me there was one in the garage, if I was interested in it. Of course! They hadn't carried it into the house because it was too heavy so I followed her outside. I was thrilled to see it was a Norwalk. The best part is I only paid $20 (or $25) for it.

I used it occasionally over the years, most recently about 10 years ago. It worked fine but the hassle of juicing was a bit too much at that point in my life. So it went back into storage and floated around with me (again). I recently decided it was time to resurrect the ol' juicer so once again I extracted it from storage. This time it got pretty dirty, as you can see from the pix. This juicer does not have a sealed reservoir and oil leaks if its tipped. That's what most of the grime is on it. (I have since cleaned it up.)

Everything was there, right where I left it. The grids, the bag, the pusher, etc. After cleaning it up and getting ready for my first juice, with eager anticipation, carrots and apples, I plugged it in. Bzzzzzt. It tripped the breaker on the wall outlet. Bummer. I tried again. Bzzzzzt. This time there was a small spark near the juicer switch. Well, I knew it wasn't going work so I called my sis, a recent Norwalk enthusiast, to complain and she suggested I call my auto mechanic friend.

"Hello."

"Hey Anton. How's it going? I have something I need fixed. Can you take a look at it?"

"Sure, not problem. Which car is it?"

"Well, it's not exactly a car. In fact, it's not even a car. It's a juicer."

[ha ha ha ha]
"A juicer?! Sure I'll take a look at it. Bring it over."

Once I got the initial explanation out of the way, it was easy. The anticipation, as well as risk of heavy laughter from Anton, was the worst part.

My mechanic friend took one look at it, chuckled and asked, "How does this thing work?" I gave him a quick low-down of the process then we went to work. He immediately pointed to a starter condenser on top of the motor which he thought might be the culprit. Upon further investigation though, he discovered the switch was bad. He send me to NAPA for a new switch, which luckily they carried. Of course, the salesman asked what it was for and he sorta looked sideways at me when I told him it was for a juicer, but oh well. I paid my $7 and took the switch back to Anton. He installed it and it worked fine. Voila!

I've been using my juicer daily since having it fixed. It works great and makes the most incredible juice - ever. I love my juicer.

Oh - If you have an enclosed newer model, this will give you an idea of what is hiding beneath the housing.

Will post more pix soon. Until then...

L'Chaim!