A minor EUREKA moment

[aeoliandave]

Popped into the local Salvation Army on the way home from the grocery store.

First thing I noticed was this Bissell Carpet Shampooer Machine thing, complete-in-box. Don't need one of these and it's kinda much-to-big ugly.

But what's that scuttling about loose up the aisle in the distance?

 

[aeoliandave]

It's a wee lonely homely Eureka Model 506. No wands and no tools except the crevicetool and it does have the hose...

Let's check it out. All metal body with pale green paint with a few minor scratches, no dents, perfect cord, no cracked or busted plastic bits, clean inside, runs smooth, good rubber and seals and a new bag.

Hey, for $6.99 this little MiniHam cutey is coming home. ('Cause I know what I have back home in the Partz Bins...)

 

[electroluxxxx]

I would have went for that bissell, they are getting kind of hard to find as all good and well made cleaners, that eureka standing in the back is a beautiful canister, did it come with attachments dave?

 

[aeoliandave]

Hey, what's this stuffed in with the hockey sticks and curtain rods? Another Carpet Sweeper? Unlike any carpet sweeper I have among the 6 or so already? Only $2.99, I better have this, too.

 

[aeoliandave]

Back home, the examination begins.

Bissell Grand Rapids carpet sweeper is older than I thought. Liberally flecked with the usual white paint polka-dot splatters, nickel plated hardware, oak body, the usual metal swivel dirt pans, and even tho the bumper strip is mostly gone all four tack nails are still in place. No splintered wood and no deep gouges.

As for the baby Ham, a pleasing color and unpretentious shape.

 

[aeoliandave]

Label on the bottom appears black stained and ruined but a swipe with Magic Eraser reveals the text coming through. And the spiral brush is in fine shape.

In fact, the bottom bin plates are not scraped and worn as they appear. The schmutz streaks obscuring the label is a tar-like built up waxy scum that is cleaning off completely down to the clean painted surface.

 

[aeoliandave]

Cleaned up real good! The wood pole is straight and painted dark brown, again with no scratches.

I'll burrow in the rubber trim bitz bin to replace the corner bumper strips later.

 

[aeoliandave]

A little more rubbing by Mr Clean and the white polkadots dissapear. The printed logo on the top of the brown printed woodgrain metal top is in superb condition. It is not a transfer decal - it is lino-typed or silkscreened in ivory and green paint.

Beautiful graphics.

A session at the steel wool and metal polish Spa will have to wait, but that nickel trim is gonna sparkle.

But back to the Eureka baby ham...

 

[aeoliandave]

Model 506 Made in Canada.

 

[aeoliandave]

As found insides.

Clean with a new empty bag and motor filter. This ham was used well and respectfully up to its donation to Sally Ann. Perhaps it was left over from Curb Weekend and no one wanted it.

 

[aeoliandave]

Odd how the tapered ham shape looks to be going backwards -

Up to the Partz Bins and back down with Eureka/Viking parts.

Naturally I had to give it a regular hard floor & carpet nozzle...and a quirky-quacky rackety Vibra-Beat nozzle in white, too. LOL

 

[aeoliandave]

But which dusting brush to assign?

Neither, it turns out...

On a hunch I looked up this Eaton's catalog scan from 1976. Vikings were Eureka clones made by Onward Mfg.

'Our Good Quality' model had no dusting brush. I may be off by a few years but the Eureka 506 is a dead ringer in every detail for the Viking V508A.

 

[aeoliandave]

Does this colour & fake wood veneer make me look less cheap?

The next page of the better 'Duo-Power' Viking Eurekas.
Still no dusting brush but I must have a white Eureka/Viking upholstery nozzle kicking around somewhere...

 

[aeoliandave]

I'll call this color Pontiac Sea Foam green. It has a hi

Tis a very cute and capable sucking and blowing mini ham/big bag vacuum pulling 55".

Dave.

So, how's it going in Austin Texas?

 

[electrolux~137]

Nice finds. I have Miss Bissell's Great Aunt Gertrude -- the same basic machine but with a wooden housing instead of "geuine woodgrain metal."

It was a gift from one of my graphics clients; it had belonged to her grandmother. It's in really nice condition but the rubber tires were shot. I came up with a brilliant replacement -- Kirby belts!! A perfect fit once I scratched off all the bits of fossilized rubber which was no easy task.

 

[arh1953]

Great save Dave! Beautiful little Eureka and color!