Historic Hood River
Apple Polisher?
10-31-2011
Notes
I’m sure someone will provide the proper name for this contraption, but with the plumbing, conveyor and brushes I’m guessing it’s for cleaning and polishing apples to a high shine. The reverse has hand-drawn sketches of the mechanism. Perhaps this was a prototype at the Experiment Station, or maybe a salesman was shopping this device around to the area packing plants.
Charlott
If those are water pipes, it would mean that it was some sort of early apple washer. This front part could have somehow served as the washing area, then those back wheels could have been buffing pads of some sort. Whatever it was, the apples went down the left hand side of the machine, as there is no area for possible passage of apples on the right hand side.
l.e.
When I first opened up the photo, I thought, "Oh, a multi press cider press." But, of course, that isn’t what it is.
It appears that the top circle at the back, is partially open for perhaps feeding the apples into.
The frame doesn’t look stout enough to handle the gyrating of that many discs.
And how did they prevent bruising the apples.
Craig McCurdy
I would say that you do have a photo of an early apple polisher, It was more than likely a prototype. We have a couple old apple polishers that are about the same age (maybe a couple years newer) but are very different.
I do have a packing line that was built around 1920 and the wood work that makes up the frame is of the same type as the polisher in the photo.
Most of the first wood framed packing equipment was out dated very fast and was thrown into orchard burn piles.