The compression molded phenol formaldehyde (Bakelite) washing machine agitator in the Syracuse University Plastics Collection, probably from the 1930s, and its manufacturer is still unknown. Bakelite impellers similar to this one were used first in the Meadows washing machine in 1927, replacing aluminum, and expanding the use of domestic and industrial plastics. Bakelite was ideal for the purpose since it didn't wear as quickly as aluminum, and it could withstand the hot water and soap used in washing.

This piece is a good example of the quality of industrial design in the interwar period. Its form is entirely dictated by process and function. The result has much in common with abstract sculpture of the period, and we can see how modern art is influenced by mechanization. This is a large piece, beautifully molded from a single cavity mold, demonstrating the ambition and skill of compression molders.

According to Harry Dubois (Plastics History USA, pp. 178-179), " Studies disclosed that aluminum agitators for washing machines roughened and were not completely satisfactory. Bakelite built an experimental mold and delivered pieces to 53 washing machine makers for test. Its 1927 introduction by Meadows Company created another large market. Meadows patented their "use" based on less lint and less clothes destruction. By 1939 all washing machines has phenolic agitators and 120 molds were in operation on that project. Red Brannon of Bakelite sparked this development; other material makers contributed to this market expansion."

The shapes for washing machine agitators continued to evolve to obtain better washing action. Sometime before 1945 the Watertown Manufacturing Company produced a 2-pound spiral design for the Appliance Manufacturing Company of Alliance (Ohio) which they touted as "the only spiral agitator molded from plastics to date."

The shapes for washing machine agitators continued to evolve to obtain better washing action.  Sometime before 1945 the Watertown Manufacturing Company produced a 2-pound spiral design for the Appliance Manufacturing Company of Alliance (Ohio) which they touted as “the only spiral agitator molded from plastics to date.”   The Durez Plastics Division of Hooker Chemical manufactured spiral agitator. (See DiNoto, Art Plastic, p. 4).

In 1950, in an advertisement for Chicago Molded Products, the Maytag washer was touted. “At the heart of this new washing machine is a new Gyratator in the characteristic Maytag red, giving the housewife, for the first time, the advantage of the gyrafoam washing principle in an automatic washer.  Through its experience in building literally millions of washers Maytag has found that the Gyratator of molded phenolic plastics, more than any other material, resists the action of soap and detergent solutions.  It keeps its smooth, sleek surfaces through the years of constant use and combines super-efficient cleansing action with maximum gentleness to fabrics.” CMPC was a major supplier to Maytag and helped develop the technique for molding agitators.