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@bikerray OK, so the rear bearing is replaceable with usual pushing/pulling/tapping under the cap. Thx for confirming that. It looked completely inaccessible at 1st glance. I've order 2 sealed replacement bearings. The current ones don't sound well. @huskyvacs Yea, the brown dust didn't...

another thread answers Another thread answered my bearing question. Gotta luv this forum & members! :) Link to bearing thread below. The front, riveted bearing replacement makes sense (drill apart & nut back together). I'm not understanding the rear bearing replacement method ...

My local consignment shop had a complete SuperJ / 1401 for $9. Previous owner had upgraded the hose, the dusting brush is worn, but otherwise it's all there. So I had to rescue it, plugged it in, vacuumed with the PN4 power nozzle, and on suction setting 6 it was tougher to push across my...

museum Lots of hardline opinions, so my 2c: If the machine cannot (or should not) be used, then preserve and donate to museum. My machines are daily drivers, so they're a "converted" / upgraded. (My "collection" of retro / vintage daily drivers is basically every facet of life, from fridge...

red vs blue Ah, thx Rowdy. Red vs Blue label grease. Reminds me of 3-in-1 red vs blue. Color matters -- it's not just marketing fluff, hah! I'll still look for Black Swan's stuff. It's good to see they're based in Chicago, USA.

wet vs dry Good point on dirt sticking to anything wet. I'm less worried about dirt and more thinking that anything wet/goopy being injested by a motor -- especially for those seals intended to prevent such a thing from happening. Maybe the reconditioning process for these gaskets & seals is...

Black Swan Thx Rowdy. I looked up Black Swan's website. They themselves say it's: "Not for use on rubber or synthetic O-rings." :O If my vintage vacs use rubber gaskets / seals, it sounds like I shouldn't use this. But it would be a good choice for gaskets / seals that Red Rubber Grease...

small world - ibasiac Small world -- I was just watching ibasiac's vids. :) That tinyURL link doesn't work for me. But Google-fu gave some results in USA that said Red Rubber Grease is great for rubber seals / gaskets. The website below basically summarizes what others say. That begs the...

beauty She's a beauty! And 3.5amp?! I thought these motors were either 3amp or 4amp. My 514 is 4amp.

What are folks' thoughts on reconditioning vs replacing gaskets, seals, etc.? I've typically replaced but on some models it's hard to get replacements, usually because the gasket / seal sizes aren't made anymore, and even sources that say "will fit" actually need manhandling into place...

Santronic wow, that Santronic price is just :O There's fans of that vintage Kirby, like me :). It's one of the last models before Kirby's front beater bar got huge (with the Tradition if I remember right, which I don't use my Tradition because it's just too dang huge.) But that is still...

Good, I may have a bearing for this model already in storage so I'll try that 1st. ty

My old Kirby 561 started making a whistling sound on 1st start up. The whistle goes away after a few seconds. What would cause this sound? My uninformed guess is a bad bearing or something needs lube/grease ... I've searched Youtube vids of vintage vacs but not found anyone talking about...

flippers Yea, it'd expect something more for that $ eBay & Craigs & auction folks want to make $. I've no problem with making $ off flipping a garage sale find. Yea I understand they drive around all day looking and this is their income. But they gotta offer me as the buyer something for...

thx Les Just ordered some of those. I didn't know they "just fit". Thx Les.

P.S. P.S. I am using Kirby's suds when testing.

What kind of filters work for the inlet & outlet ports of the Kirby shampooer / carpet cleaner? My Tradition has the original outlet filter, and it looks to be a simple, single ply woven fabric. But the original inlet filter disentengrated in the box, and it looked to be some foam material. I...

huh? I don't know what "Duse" is but if you mean a linoleum manufacturer could make it look like wood or anything, then sure. My bigger point is these floors are different: many people see a retro looking floor -- like checkerboard layout, or Grandma's pastel kitchen floor -- and assume it's...

linoleum or vinyl? Are you sure the floor isn't vinyl? I've never heard of wood looking linoleum. We installed linoleum in a previous house. It's hard to find. If I remember right, there were only to manufacturers in the US left who still make it with linseed oil. You'll know because it has...

conversion done & bagged! The conversion is done and 561 is now running w/ bag! Here's what I did: A. grab Tradition ($10) B. buy Heritage 1 top fill adapter ($10)* C. get right-sized plumbing reducers from local hardware ($15) 1. remove Tradition Emptor w/ fill tube assembly 2. remove...