1953 Kirby in action

[northwesty]

Well, here is a recent aquisition, I couldn't resist. Actually I had just read Bill's thread on the rare 511 and I spotted this at the local Goodwill outlet. Now between dumpster diving and going to a high end antique shop, the goodwill outlet is alot like dumpster diving and I don't particularly like the place but I can't resist going there because there are every once in a while a real treasure shows up. Anyway this was buried with a bunch of stuff and I got real exited when I saw it down there. Its a 513.

 

[northwesty]

shined up and ready to go

Well I have been honing my polishing skills, and all I can add to the limited knowledge I have is that I invested in some 3000 grit which is the last I use and it polishes up real nice after that. these are taken with a flash and I think natural light looks a little better. Anyway, this had a broken belt and the bag was full of stuff, but after a new belt it works great. Here it is in front of our early 60's Kroehler couch -- this is like the one Dick Van Dick trips over in his old TV show

 

[northwesty]

Another view

Another note -- due to an industrial accident that damaged some of the oak floor in one of the other rooms the bag got wet and discolored and even had some white lines of stuff forming on them. I read carefully the posts on washing the bag and decided that since it was so terrible looking, and it didn't look too good when I got it either, I might as well skip the hand wash and throw it in the washer on gentle with woolite. I ran it through an extra rinse. Well, it is a replacement bag but it came out looking okay. Here is is in action in front of one of our early 50s lounge chairs, so it is right at home.

 

[northwesty]

Vacuuming away

That piece of funiture in the background is actually a dining room table that seats 9. The leaves are stored inside and it accordians out. It is from the late 40s early 50s. Thanks Bill for the enthusiam and all the rest. Thanks for looking and Happy New Year.

 

[electrolux~137]

Nice Kirby, and that's an excellent spa treatment!

One comment -- in the last photo, there's quite a tight strain on the cord. This will cause the wires inside to break, causing a short or loss of power. Instead of looping the cord around the top cord hook (as appears to be the case), the metal cord hook should be clipped onto the same hanging clip that the bag is attached to.

Or, what I have seen some Kirby users do, to ensure plenty of slack in the cord, is to slip the cord hook over the bag chain, then connect the bag chain to the clip-hanger.

Also, btw there is currently a black Kirby bag on eBay that would look quite lovely on your machine! This listing closes in 10 hours, but the seller has relisted it a couple of times and will presumably do so again. See link.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310205470250&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Does this 513 have a 3 amp motor or a 4 amp motor? If it's the latter, yours is a mid-production model. Early models shared the same 3 amp motor and gray handle grip as models 508-512, while the mid-production models had the same 4 amp motor and the red handle grip as the 514 and 515.

The 515 is the only pre-1956 Kirby model - it's obviously the last model to use the old-style motor design from the 1930s - to get out with a 10-blade metal fan.

~Ben

 

[uprightman]

As far as the "tight" cord....

First of all - you've done a BEAUTIFUL piece of polishing on that Kirby! It has to be very happy that you tripped over it!

Secondly, I noticed the metal grommet part that the bag attaches to....it looks to be updside down.

If you change the position to an inverted "V" where the "loops" are are facing downward, it might give you some slack on the cord. My models aren't from the same era, BUT have the same type of set-up. The bigger loop holds the cord (and there is a part of the cord with that slides into the wider of the two metal grips, then the bag chain slips into the narrower part.

You probably already know that...and as you mentioned, this may not be the original bag, so it may fit differently anyway...

 

[northwesty]

Hero Shot

Thanks for the heads up and advice on some of the little stuff. It looked dull in the other shots, so here goes.

It is the 3 amp with the old logo, but there is the newer 10 blade fan in there. I think it has been serviced over the years.

 

[eurekastar]

Hey Brian! You do excellent work! That looks great! When I get that other stuff to you in the mail, I'll include a new belt lifter for you 513. It will be the correct style for that model. I'm having a hard time scrounging up a box that the DS-80 handle fork will fit into.

 

[twocvbloke]

That black bag isn't the right style for this model Kirby, however the one in my following link is (and is $3.54 cheaper), you just need to get a proper bag slide and hanger for it (available form the same seller, you may have to ask for the bag slide), then it'll look perfect...

And if you have access to a screen printing set, you could print a Kirby logo onto the bag too...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120631853743

 

[kubvan1]

Really Fine Looking Kirby

That is one fine looking machine. Kirbys of all ages are starting to grow on me the more I look at photos here. I know I said I was a Royal fan, but I might just have to consider a Kirby or two.
Now that Royal is effectively a Chinese brand, (seeing as TTI is HK based, and production is offshore) all the more reason to support Kirby.

Regards,
Doug

 

[djtaylor]

She's a pretty one

Brian, that 513 is lovely. I hope I can my Kirbys looking that nice.
Good work.
Justin

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

I would actually like to hear this thing running ...

For now, hear this Kirby 510 (owned by Reggie Ridlen) with a 10-blade fan in place of the original 6-blade one.

~Ben (KirbyClassicIII)