POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

'The Daily Maid Mixer' food mixer

Object No. 85/2070

This mixer is of interest as much for its materials as for its function. Urea formaldehyde was patented by Hanns John in 1918, and the first commercial moulding powder was developed by British Cyanides Company in 1926. In 1933 the various firms making urea formaldehyde materials agreed to exchange patent rights in order to avoid possible disputes, and rapid developments followed. This plastic had the advantage that it was not limited in its colour range. Thus, though more expensive to produce than phenol formaldehyde, it was used in applications like this mixer where colour was important. It is significant that, though the material used in production of the mixer was innovative, the machine itself was decidedly old fashioned. Hand powered mixers with bowls had been available since the 1870s and did little to reduce the labour involved in beating eggs and making cakes and puddings. The fact that there was a market for such a device in the 1930s and 1940s reflects the limited uptake of electrical appliances in Australia at that time. Although a majority of Australia's urban homes had mains electricity, both appliances and energy were expensive. Only the electric kettle and toaster had significant market penetration before the late 1950s. In rural Australia the uptake was even slower, as many properties did not become connected to the electricity grid until the 1960s. The mixer's manufacturer, WE Deutsher, was founded in 1917 in Victoria and was one of a number of Australian companies to experiment with new plastic production and moulding techniques in the 1930s and 1940s. Today the company is ITW Buildex and is Australia's leading manufacturer and supplier of self drilling screws. It is part of the Illinois Tool Works Group.