Isn't she a beauty?!
It took about 3 weeks to get her ready for her big debut.
If you remember, she looked like this when we brought her home:
Just getting her here was an ordeal and I wish I had taken pictures.
It took two trips from the antique store, which was down the street, to get her home.
Just to get her top here, we had to use those cement blocks you see in the above picture, because the ice tray and all her components could be damaged without keeping her top in the air.
You should have seen me straddling the top and blocks in the back of the truck lol
Bringing the bottom here wasn't too bad, but it was definitely heavy!
Even though they were only made between 1927 and 1936, people kept them for a long time afterwards. I don't think it was just because of the great depression, I think these things stayed in people's homes so long, because nobody wanted to move them again. In fact, I'm surprised they aren't found in old houses to this very day.
They were definitely made to last!
Just to lift the tops, an installer would bring this:
Since the installers are long gone and those lifts are nowhere to be found, we had to make due on our own once she was restored.
Speaking of, here's her restoration story.
First, all of her shelves, legs and door were removed and then the hardware was removed and bagged.
To adjust the hinges someone used whatever cardboard they had on hand, so we found these underneath:
They're from a box of Kellogg's Pep cereal, which was made from 1923 until the 1970s, which is funny, because growing up in the 70s, I don't remember it at all. I dated the green Pep writing to somewhere between the 1930s and 40s.
You know me, I just had to look it up ;)
Anyway, I found the original color under the nameplate and it was an off-white not a pure white, so that's what we decided to go with.
The closest we found was called Antique white by Rust-Oleum.
But first we had to take off all the bad paint jobs she had gone through over the years.
She also had an old suspicious burn mark on one side that looked like someone kept her by a stove and they caught something on fire. It might just be why she was given away in the first place.
Then came the sanding.
Then we covered up the two name plates we couldn't remove.
And then she was ready for her car primer.
Yes, for a car.
And then wet sanding, more primer, more wet sanding and then finally paint, which John did all by himself, because I am the master of paint drips lol
We did all of that to the top too, but I must have been too excited to take pictures ;)
Then it was time to take the other old girl out to be restored.
Eventually, she'll be put into use downstairs next to the deep freezer, for holiday platters and such.
I know, I know.... not true to the period of owning one of these.
So sue me :p
Then I painted the refrigerator area and she was put into place....
using a furniture dolly.
No pictures of that! lol
Here's the same space finished:
A close up of the top:
Here's the inside with Beebee taking a peek:
Although I knew that the coldest items had to go up top, I wasn't sure where to put everything else, so I found a diagram for how things are supposed to be placed.
I did adjust a few things, but pretty much stayed with their suggestions.
All the condiments are in that refrigerator drawer on the third shelf, until I find something better looking to hold them. And the drawer on the second shelf holds cheese and butter.
Anyway, I don't think GE will be coming over to inspect it anytime soon ;)
It's the perfect size for just the two of us, but if we had kids at home, we'd need one of these big boys:
I'm stopping now for fear that y'all are as bored as Beebee is now that the refrigerator door is closed.
But next time, I'll show you the whole kitchen with Miss Julia as the star :)
xo
rue
PS
Thank you to those that got my humor on my last post and apologies to those that didn't, but I did warn you ;)
