'Air-way' to Heaven!

[vintagehoover]

Got a very interesting new addition this morning - an Airway 'Fleetwood Special'. I don't know much about it - production dates, model number etc, but I do know it's pretty rare to find one in the UK. I've wanted one for ages, too, never dreaming one would turn up on eBay!

It's not in bad condition, although it really needs a serious polish to get the tarnishing and corrosion off the surface.

Initially it didn't run as the motor seemed to have seized, but having given it an oil through the greasing holes, and manually rotating the armature for 5 mins, it does run now, although with a lot of sparking. I don't know if it just needs new carbons or something more extensive. The switch is jammed 'on', too. I'll be doing as much restoration on it as I can when I get a chance - hopefully I can fix these glitches.

If anyone has an instruction manual for this machine which they would be willing to sell me, PLEASE let me know because I need one to complete the ensemble! Also, can anyone give me the production dates for this model?

 

[vintagehoover]

Tools

The tool set - the 'spare' impellor turns out to be THE impellor - mysteriously removed from the machine! I've put it back in place now.

Can anyone tell me what the 4 connecting pipes are for?

 

[vintagehoover]

Bags

Inner and outer cloth bags, both almost perfect! What an interesting bag arrangement, too - I'd never seen this before I got the machine.

 

[vintagehoover]

Starting to look a bit better...

The motor housing following some polishing. Wish I had a buffing machine, would really speed the process up!

 

[vintagehoover]

Ratings plate

Ratings plate - serial no. 994857

 

[vintagehoover]

Motor video

Here's a youtube video of the motor when in use...any ideas how to fix it??

 

[luxg]

That is a real nice machine Jack, please share pictures of it when you are done with the restoration. Thanks for sharing.

 

[eluxomarty]

Jack

Very cool machine! The rear wheels are backwards though. Place them so the are facing outwards so they will be out of the way during operation and when swiveling the nozzle. I will post a picture of what i mean. Again great find! BYW what type of plug is that? Does it go into a light socket?

Marty

 

[eluxomarty]

first pic

showing position of rear wheels

 

[eluxomarty]

next, the attaching cuffs

there are two in your picture that look like they go to your machine. One is the wide cuff that goes on the curved handle so you can use tools from the handle end. The other small one goes on the part where the bag assembly goes. It is to attach the hose to use as a blower. I don't know what the other two are for. The skinny one looks like a toilet paper roll holder.

 

[eluxomarty]

and

with the crevice tool in place

 

[eluxomarty]

full set

of attachments! I don't think the larger brush attachment goes with this vacuum but then i may be wrong.

 

[eluxomarty]

the bag

I have not seen the inner cloth bag. My thought on AirWay was that they were about hygiene and cleanliness. Hence, they were among the first companies to produce a paper throw away bag. Very innovative for the times! The nineteen twenties i think. AirWay upright bags are extremely hard to find. I was told to try a Hoover C bag in my Airway upright and it works fine.

 

[vintagehoover]

Wow, thanks Marty - very kind of you to post those manual pages for me! I'll put the wheels the right way round - the seller had removed them for postage, and I just had to guess how they fitted on! I'm very much a 'beginner' with this machine - until now, the only one I've ever seen in person is behind glass in the Science Museum in London!

The plug is a complicated business - firstly, attached to the flex is the moulded original US/Canada 2 flat pin plug. This slots into a convertor which makes the plug suitable for an old UK 2 round pin socket. This in turn slots into a bayonet light fitting adaptor. I then have a homemade adaptor which consists of a bayonet receptor from a lamp, a length of flex and a modern UK 3-pin plug, which finally plugs into the wall!

The Airway's beginning to shine up a bit better now, after an afternoon of hand-polishing with a duster and metal polish! NOT easy work, but I'm sure it's good excercise!

 

[eluxomarty]

You are very Welcome!!

Jack, I'm glad you know about electricity and wiring because most people here know about MY wiring capabilities or shall i say, the lack of wiring capabilities LOL!

Your AirWay will look perfectly at home alongside your other metal vacuums.

Marty

 

[vintagehoover]

Can anyone help me out with a manual for it? Or production dates? Would be very much appreciated!

 

[vintagehoover]

Completing the set...

Managed to get hold of an Airway manual on eBay, so the set's almost complete now! Turns out the metal brush is correct, it's shown in the manual - maybe it's a later manual to the one posted here by eluxomarty - it also shows componants for the 'Junior Service' - ie, a smaller bag, additional cord with on/off switch and carrying handle to convert the Airway into a hand-held machine. One of the unidentified metal rings is in fact the paper bag clamp.

 

[vintagehoover]

Paperwork

Manual, advertising leaflet and grease-tube envelope.

 

[vintagehoover]

Ongoing restoration process...

The Airway as it is at the moment, stripped right down for renovation. Hopefully, having cleaned the armature with an abrasive stick from Seamus will have helped to solve the excessive arcing problem. I'm gonna make some new carbons too, by filing down some Hoover Junior ones!

I also bought a Dremel Multipro 395 powertool, with 26 accessories and a set of 16 metal polishing pads and some polishing compound to help with restorations in general - hopefully it will speed up the process and give better results than I get by hand!