Bakelite Hairdryers
 

I rather like Bakelite hairdryers, I currently have about 10 diferent British models in my collection, some doubling up as the same shape but in a diferent colours.
I can't be the only one collecting these interesting and well made objects!

Re: Best Friend Bakelite Hairdryer rewiring
 

I like your hairdryers, especially the green one.

Those Morphy Richards ones in pictures 3 and 5 were made in huge numbers. I bet there are still loads around, and I bet they all still work unlike the modern ones that seem to have short life.

Cheers
Andy

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

The days when things where made rather than stamped out.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

I have seen a few of these old hairdryers at a local market. They do look interesting and well made. I might buy one if I'm looking for a little project.

Do these hairdryers have a cold function? I could see such a feature coming in handy.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

I'm a big fan of the HMV HD1, a pair of which are seen here - they just lift off the optional stands, and sometimes turn up in a nicely fitted out leathercloth-covered wooden carrying case. Quite heavy beasts, but very dependable, and, yes., they do blow hot or cold as required.

Paul

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

All of the ones I have are able to blow air with the heating element off.
Bakelite hairdryers have survived in huge numbers and you shouldn't have to pay very much for one.
Some models are more common than others and regarding colour the attractive dark mottled green ones are by far the rarest to find.
A very interesting collection can be built without breaking the bank.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

Hi,
I think almost everyone had a Morphy Richards hair dryer back in the sixties, be them cream, blue or pink. I know that most of my aunties had one! One or two had lamp holder adaptors fitted, I seem to recall. They ran nice and quiet with their shaded pole induction motors, and nothing like the 'screamers' of today.
Did they make them in other colours besides those three?
Cheers, Pete.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

I think they were supplied with lampholder adaptors fitted, at least for a while.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

I think you're right, I'm always on the look out but only ever seen that model in those colours.
The earlier hairdryers do seem to come in more interesting colour variations, especially the mottled ones. I'll post up some pics of my favourites.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

I have one of those white Morphy Richards purely from nostalgia because I repaired so many and I was a regular visitor to the factory, they were made not far from us.

In fact I think they were the only hair dryers I repaired because when later I came across one with a brush motor I thought it was cheap and nasty, the induction motors on the MR dryers were so quiet, a bit heavy though. My specimen not only works but it still has the original capacitor in it!

Peter

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

We had one of those MR types in the 1960s. It ran *very* hot - the outbound air being so hot that I'm sure it would not be allowed these days on H&S grounds. More like a hot-air-gun than a hairdryer!

On ours, the black bakelite grille in the outlet nozzle crumbled due to the heat, and the white bakelite round the heater-element discoloured to a nasty yellow in places.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

has anyone else noticed how old domestic apps when running seem to have a quiet soothing comforting kind of sound .If they could talk they would be saying .Yes i am doing the washing /vacuuming /drying your hair but dont worry everything is under control unlike their modern counterparts .they would be saying IM SCREAMING MY TITS OFF AND IM STILL NOT HAPPY WONDER IF I CAN MAKE A LITTLE MORE NOISE AND FOR GOOD MEASURE USE UP SOME MORE EXPENSIVE ELECTRICITY. sorry just me having a rant

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

I still have my mum's old pink MR hairdryer like the one in the middle photo in the original post that got made redundant after she bought a later model with hose, head cap, and continuously adjustable heat, from memory, effected by a mechanical baffle that mixed the proportions of heated and unheated air. The original one did start glowing brightly at one time sufficient to start charring the plastic of the nozzle, but that was fixed by cleaning out the build-up of charred fluff from the element that had been restricting the air flow. I use it to gently warm broken items that I have mended with Araldite to shorten the cure time.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

My mum had one of those and when I was little I used it to practice hairstylist at the time it's what I wanted to do. She had it for years I remember also that it was very well suppresed it didn't disturb reception on 247 metres at all. Yes it was almost silent compared to modern machines I have a bright pink modern one the colors loud and so is the motor!!! What was the wattage of those I would think only a few hundred watts if you could run it off the lighting mains modern units are available up too about 2 kilowatts. Scary amount of heat

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

Overheating wasn't normally a problem with the MR hairdryers but if the start-run capacitor was failing or there was lack of motor lubrication it could cause the motor to run slow, that may have been the problem.

Peter

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

Here are a few more hair dryers from my collection for some reason the last one reminds me of a Dan Dare ray gun!

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

What does the spring do on the one it the last photo?
It looks like it goes around the back of the motor housing where the intake slots would be.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

Does anyone remember the conversion kits sold to use an electric fan heater as a hairdryer ?
The heater was placed on a table in front of the victim, and the hot air directed by a short length of flexible ducting. The de-luxe version had a plastic drying hood to be placed over the head and connected via ducting to the heater.
The instructions generally stated that only the lower heat setting was to be used, this was often ignored and the extra heat perished the plastic.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

I'd like to know as well, this hairdryer is the only foreign one I have, made in Germany.

Re: Bakelite Hairdryers
 

I remember that similar hairdryers could be fitted to an accessory "helmet-on-a-stand" thing [for the ladies who wanted to dry their 'Beehive' hairdo] and the spring hooked under a retainer to keep the hairdryer attached.