Mixer Upper

Dessert has always held a special place in my heart and in my home. Whether it’s cakes, pies, donuts, or ice cream, I’m not one to discriminate.

When I was a kid, we had a 1930s Hamilton Beach milkshake maker that my grandma gave to us. She worked at a soda fountain / restaurant in the ‘50s, and the owner of the shop gave the machine to her. Enjoying custom milkshake creations with a professional machine from the comfort of our home was a real treat, and we used it frequently. Sadly, that shake maker wore out once I went off to college, so my mom disposed of it. In my antiquing adventures over the years, I stumbled upon a beautiful Hamilton Beach milkshake maker, circa 1940, in pristine condition. Snagging that piece brought milkshakes back into my life, and immediately transported me to those sweet, indulgent days of my youth.

Custody Battle

My friends, having known about my obsession and backstory with milkshakes, kindly donated a behemoth of a machine to me back in 2012. It had been sitting in their mom’s garage for some time, and had certainly seen better days. They wanted to see me fix it up and get it back in working order, but I wasn’t sure what could be done to it, if anything. This thing was a dusty, crusty, beast of a rust bucket. Only 2 of the 5 spindles turned, and at a lethargic pace. The sound of the motor was horrendously loud, and the antiquated power cord was frayed, and clearly not safe for use. To be perfectly honest, this machine had me feeling fearful of milkshakes. I felt overwhelmed by the project at hand, and moved the rusty wonder to the garage.

It sat there for 4 years until I got ready to move from my former home. A friend expressed interest in refurbishing it, so I gladly passed it along to him. Under his care, he replaced the scary power cord, and even invested in some shiny new stainless steel cups. However, the dimensions of the cups were not compatible with this particular machine. So, the milkshake maker sat for another 3 years with my friend until he insisted I take it back. I sat there looking at it on his kitchen counter, just as roached as I remembered it. I couldn’t bear the thought of this thing going to the junk yard, so in my car it went, and I found a cozy spot for it on the floor in my current garage.

Early this spring, the machine and I exchanged looks, and I realized it was time to finally dig in and get this project done.

This was no ordinary milkshake maker, but indeed a Multimixer made by Prince Castle Manufacturing!

A Legend ReDiscovered

When I acquired this machine, I didn’t know much about it other than it was loud and heavy as hell. There was no visible branding, and what appeared to be an area for a badge plate on the top cover had been removed somewhere down the line. On the underside of the base, I found a maker plate complete with model information and serial number. This was no ordinary milkshake maker, but indeed a Multimixer made by Prince Castle Manufacturing! If you’ve seen The Founder, you’ll know the important role this very model played in the beginnings of McDonald’s restaurants. Ray Kroc was a salesman for Prince Castle, and sold Multimixer machines to the McDonald brothers in the early ‘50s. He went on to form the global franchise in 1954, and the rest is history.

These Multimixer machines were offered in 3-or-5-spindle varieties making them highly desirable for fast food environments. The spindles featured 2 or 3 aerators, 3 being used for hard ice cream. Stainless steel cups fit inside a groove at the top of the spindle, and rest on a steel peg below. Once the cup is locked in place, the top of the spindle reclines against an interior fly wheel, causing the spindle to rotate rapidly. Each spindle is independent, but works with the same rotating wheel allowing for multiple shakes to be made at one time.

Restoration process

As I mentioned, this machine was non-functioning, rusty and in rough shape. The entire exterior had to be thoroughly sanded, and major dents were hammered out. I applied 2 coats of white primer to the housing. Multimixers were originally offered in a few colors: bright red, creamy yellow, jade green, and stainless steel. I wanted to match the jade green as closely as possible, so I started with Pantone matching. 7472C was the closest option, so rather than lug the unwieldy machine around like Mr. Kroc, I took my swatch book to the hardware store for comparison. To my amazement, Rustoleum offered a new color, Deep Mint, a near perfect match. Better still, it came in a high gloss finish, which is how the original paint would have looked in the ‘50s.

Old fiberglass insulation was scraped from the top cover, and I cut a paper template of the shape. This was traced on to a thick felt blanket, which I attached with spray adhesive. This new lining helps dampen noise when the motor is running.

Inside the machine was what you might expect — years of caked on grease and dirt. It was no wonder the spindles were seized on this machine. I cut through the grime with concentrated degreaser, Barkeepers Friend, and an array of bottle brushes and toothbrushes. Each spindle assembly was removed and thoroughly soaked and scrubbed. Multi-purpose machine oil was used to lubricate each cleaned reservoir. The large fly wheel was also removed and cleaned with the same tools. On the underside of the wheel, I found a handwritten date, “1/10/57”, which I really enjoyed seeing. I’m pretty certain the components hadn’t been maintained since 1957 either. Having an exact date tied to this machine made it even more special, so I was careful to clean around the writing to keep the history in tact.

Getting all of the interior components removed and cleaned took some time and patience, but it resulted in all 5 spindles running freely, and a motor that’s working far less hard than before. There’s something so satisfying about all steel machinery from this era. Appliances were built to last, much like the vintage fridge in my garage, and candy machine in the office. There’s not a single piece of plastic on this milkshake maker, so it’s no wonder it now runs like a charm over 60 years later.

I acquired original vintage stainless steel cups from an online auction for a precise fit, allowing all 5 spindles to be in operation with 5 tasty shake creations. To complete the look, I’m now on the search for an original Multimixer badge to reintroduce to the top cover. If I can’t find that, I may create a more custom emblem with “Mid-Century Maurer” branding. In the meantime, this once forgotten milkshake maker is back to living its glory days, and ready for a made-to-order milkshake party. Here’s to hoping that’s sooner than later.

If all this talk of milkshakes has you craving dessert, here’s a rich and delicious recipe you can make at home!

Chocolate-Banana-Cookie Butter Malt

Ingredients:

2 scoops chocolate ice cream
2 oz milk
1/2 banana (peeled and mashed)
2 tbs cookie butter
2 tbs malted miik powder
1/2 oz chocolate syrup
whipped cream (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in stainless steel cup. Fit onto milkshake maker or blender, and aerate until smooth and fully incorporated (approx. 2-3 min.). Change consistency of your shake by adding more ice cream (to thicken) or more milk (to thin). Spoon contents of cup into milkshake glass or pint glass. Top with whipped cream and banana slice if desired.