Can opener test #2

[Mr. Whippy]

This is part 2 of my can opener tests AND it's part 2 of utensils from the 60's and 70's.

Today, I needed to use my mom's can opener.  It's electric and it's old.  Maybe built before the invention of electricity.  I'm not sure.

It was made by a now obscure appliance manufacturer, General Electric:



If you're interested, here's the model number.  Note country of manufacture.



Well, it wasn't cutting very well.  It left long sections where the lid was pushed down, but not cut through.  It took me a while to find a useable manual can opener in the house.  This in itself is weird, since she's swiss and you'd think she'd own at LEAST one SAK, but no.

With a little time on my hands, I decided to see if I could tune up the can opener.  The cutter and gear are removable for easy cleaning:



Yes, that slotted fastener is a simple bolt.  I unbolted the cutting wheel (first time EVER for this 40+ year old can opener), cleaned it and ran the cutter over a sharpening stone to restore the edge.

The result? return of performance (under 20 seconds, Lynn )

[nuphoria]

Excellent stuff, great to see it running again

I've always quite fancied one of those.... I have no end of bother opening old style tins when my hands are shot

[Lynn LeFey]

On an electric? I'm impressed.

I'm sure your mom is THRILLED. (I can hear the brownie points ringing up as I speak).

[dks]

I had a newer electric  Kenwwood one, with knife sharpening stones on the back.

Never really used it as when I did I had to take the blade off and wash it every time, it took too long to set the can on properly so as to cut it and in the end I just found a manual one better and quicker. Maybe if i was openning 20 cans a day it would have been usefull.

Gave it away as a present.

[Buzzbait]

Those GE can openers were built to last. I grew up in upstate New York, down the street from the GE repair center in Latham, NY. You could go there and get refurbished GE stuff for next to nothing. Everybody in my neighborhood had GE everything in their houses.

Here is what my Mom's GE can opener looked like, mounted on the kitchen wall. I always marveled at how you could stick a can to it, then it would rotate and open the can for you, and the can would never accidentally fall down.

[nuphoria]

No can would be safe in that thing!

[Mr. Whippy]

LOVE that thing!

[ryan1835]

we used to have one, i cant imagine we bought it was it must be the ultimate lazy person gadget surely?

[jzmtl]

It was made by a now obscure appliance manufacturer, General Electric:

General Electric has another model of can opener too, although a bit harder to acquire than yours, and doesn't open cans as cleanly.

[Lynn LeFey]

In the U.S. Air Force song, there's a line 'Minds of men fashioned a crate of thunder, sent it high into the blue'.

I always thought 'Crate of Thunder' was a great turn of phrase, but when applied to the AC-130 Specter, I always thought they should change the phrase to 'Can o' Whup-@$$'. The Specter has a few of those style can openers.

[jerseydevil]

I've got a T-shirt with that model superimposed over a GE logo.  At the bottom is simply, "We Bring Good Things to Life!"  Gotta love it. 

[Mr. Whippy]

I would love one of those can openers.  There seems to be two obstacles:

1.  I couldn't afford to open very many cans

2.  I suspect it falls under the automatic weapons ban 

[Lynn LeFey]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, you probably also couldn't afford to pay for 2 seconds of sustained fire. So...

And, maybe if we reclassify is as 'Rapid Can Opening Apparatus'...

[Mr. Whippy]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, you probably also couldn't afford to pay for 2 seconds of sustained fire. So...

And, maybe if we reclassify is as 'Rapid Can Opening Apparatus'...

Yup. Exactly.