Airway model 50

[lesinutah]

Copper/brass

The copper/brass screws are where the two cord leads get mounted and secured. If you have the cord where the leads go I'd use wire connectors attach them to the posts.
Having copper leads bare is risky. I'll tell a story to understand better. I had a Dodge ram charger 1976 with a 440 and Edelbrock carb. It had a circular Edelbrock air filter. It was three pieces. Top filter bottom.
The top and bottom are aluminum.
The battery has two leads on it positive and negative. I touched the positive terminal with aluminum top plate. It arced sparked and the 18 inch diameter top plate got 3 places it disinigrated aluminum. They were silver dollar sized holes. The melted aluminum was on terminal welding the plate to the terminal.
Electricity arcs on metal and it also gives the metal an electric charge.
I think you understand now.
There is an airway special 37 on eBay. I'm not mentioning more as I hope to buy it in a week or 10 days.
The airway was ahead of it's time.
Alex Taber and Tom gasko give history of airway in archive section. It's where I learned about them.
Carbon brushes with grease is bad. Get dish soap and maybe a tooth brush and gently clean. Grease is an excelerent. If you get carbon brush spark it will ignite. The tempature is 1200-1600 degrees. It's pretty blue , green and a flickering yellow. I arced out 2 d80 motors after long restore project.
Les

 

[quebecois]

Here are views from both ends of the handle, showing that it is hollow.

There is a number stamped inside the vacuum casing. Don't know if it could help finding the year of the machine.

I'm not sure that there is an oiling port because there are actually to greasing ports, one for each of top and bottom bushing I think, with grease sticks and springs, as shown on two last pictures.

 

[lesinutah]

Date

3622 r
It's either 3/6/22
22 day of 1936
R is for plant or inspector.
It is really cool the vacuum handle is also where debri travels. That is really cool.
Thanks for the pics.
I only know about old royal oiling ports. These look nothing like I've seen. Thanks for the pics.
Les

 

[caligula]

So I WAS right!

Couldn't tell if the handle was hallow or not, the latest pictures means I was right.

Air-Way is one hard nut to crack! Not only is this model eluding me, but any info on the internet. Lesinutah is right, many years ago I had access to files and posted the history of Air-Way including patent info. but those files are in a box in the basement.

I see components of my model Chief but a lot of this is unfamiliar, like the toggle switch. I was hoping to use my two models to give quick answers, and Wikipedia as history from the company. No luck on either. So as I said, I defer to the experts to help you with the exact date. And if I know this group, it won't take long.

 

[caligula]

Hi Lesinutah.

Can you direct me to where I posted that Air-Way info.? I'd love to read it again.

Alex Taber.

 

[madman]

Clean the carbon brushes with alcohol or brake cleaner or whatever solvent you have handy. Make sure they slide in and out inside their holders very easily, and when you put them back in, make sure you put them in the correct orientation (the concave matching the commutator). They were probably just greasy and stuck, hence the arcing.

As for lubrication... I really want to say use oil, because it has oil wicks, but it's clearly marked 'grease' so I guess it's grease.

 

[lesinutah]

Manual

Here is one thread with the manual and is the thread I mentioned. I bookmarked it lots of cool info.

https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?20884

 

[quebecois]

Really cool, indeed ! Thank you Les and Alex !

Madman, thanks, I'll thoroughly clean the brushes for sure. As for the sliders or holders, this won't be an easy task unless I find a way to open the motor casing up. CLeaning is actually one of the main reasons why Id like to access the motor.

 

[caligula]

The Air-Way info I was looking for.

Hi Quebecois:

Way back in May of 2013 I began a thread on the history of Air-Way, starting with the owners manual. While not the model 50, the general information does apply. As it turns out, this is a long thread, 69 replies. Buried in here is the history of the company, and when I find it I will direct you to the reply number(s.) It may interest you to know that I found my Air-Way Sanitation system in a junk store in Indiana, and had no idea what it was. That was around 1973 and I had my research cut out for me. Clark Masters of Air-Way was very helpful and supplied most of the data in that thread. My friend, the Late Craig Long gave me the manual, and my friend Mike Pupek gave me the one featuring the tank style.

Clearly you have an amazing find, I only wish I still had the box of parts, but I gave those away years ago. No doubt there will be experts here who either have or can locate what you need to get your model 50 in fine working order.

Good luck, you have a treasure, enjoy it.

Alex.

 

[caligula]

Found it!

Hi Quebecois:

Reply # 43 shows the timeline of models that I got from Clark Masters. The model 50 dates back to 1934, and the cost was $69.00.

Seems that this thread is just the two instruction manuals plus a few responses and not what I'm looking for, but I now have the ballpark year where the other data is buried. Fear not I will locate it.

Alex.

 

[rugsucker]

Air Way

The earliest would have had black painted rear wheel bracket.This is newer.The 2 screws and cover in reply 16,pic 4 are over the hole in motor housing that would have held the electric outlet for brush motor cord on the deluxe and famous 2 motor AirWay.
I think the Firestone was an Apex with different motor hood,styling and name.

 

[quebecois]

Yesterday I tried to access the motor itself , without success.

I removed the brushes and the grease sticks, also the fan at the bottom of the motor, and the four small nuts that were on the base of the motor casing.

How and where is the casing supposed to separate ?

I tried to figure it out , but I realy don't see.

 

[lesinutah]

Hmm

The center bearing if you pulled bearing off. Then the the four grease in circular formation there is 4 circular notches closer to center bearing. There is circular ring outside grease fittings.
I'm guessing but I'm probably right. The bearing is pulled those 4 circular notches and center is machine pressed on.
It also could be pulled by using a press on grease fittings hole and bearings.
If you can access other side it's probably easier because your not machine pressing anything easily.
If you have long metal cylindrical tubes they could be used for grease ports. If you look at an oiler Port on a royal bearing plate that's how they got greased. I imagine you have to make new ports yours are toast.
Alex idk if you have a good camera but if you take pics with technology in the last year you can use pics in the same way scanning a pic. I have it on my phone through Google but pic taking is easy compared to scanning and reprint or viewed similar to ebooks.
I have a bunch of old vacuum advertising, a 1960 blakemans order book from 1962, hard copies of Kirby parts 505 to avalir and vacuum manuals.
I'm in process of taking all the pics. When I'm done I can actually read it like a book. I can zoom in and zoom out. It's a PDF file instead of a jpeg.
I will put all on a flash drive and pull out my $50 Amazon fire and read books in front of me instead of pulling out each book.
If you have a vast collection is take pics label what you have pics of and move to next book. This way you don't retake pics. The end of the year Google will be able to read the pics. If they can read them it can also type them.
I hii didn't lose you I am a little bit of a tech geek.
If you go to Costco/Walmart you can get a terabyte portable hard drive. It would be $50 or less. You wouldn't have to buy memory cards this would hold it all.
The cloud storage is great. Putting on them is easy. Pulling them off you may never pull off maybe you don't have Amazon etc. The cloud is potentially going to be lost. The hard drive is yours and is easy to use.
This website I believe is backed up by a terabyte cloud drive he paid for to save website history. It probably will never get maxed out.
By saving or having someone save it will pass encyclopedia of knowledge for future generations and not be lost like everything has been lost.
I'm saying digitize and your legacy and knowledge will inform and never be lost.
Les

 

[caligula]

Pictures.

Hi Les:

I haven't taken pictures in years, all my uploads are from a file that dates back to about 2000. That Air-Way book, like all other pics was scanned. However, my housemate IS good at pictures and I plan to take up to date pics with a smart phone. I may know vacuum cleaners but I stink at computers.

My display wall was completed about a year ago and vastly improved, I plan to take individual pics of the special machines like my Electrolux's, Kirby's and some of the really old ones.

I do welcome ideas and suggestions.

Alex.

 

[lesinutah]

Pics

If you have pics of any era saved and it sounds like you do. Ill look into programs that convert like I mentioned. My phone does it. I took pics with phone and it converts to PDF. I'm sure Google has a program for desktop. I'll look it up and let you know. I could probably help with the process. I'll look into it. I have school tomorrow night but Thursday or Friday Ill look into it.
The thread you mentioned had Tania voigt (sorry if I spelled incorrectly) in it I believe gave a demo at a house or a convention. I seen it and I'll post as soon as I find it.
Les

 

[madman]

I doubt anything is pressed together on this motor. Probably just stuck. Stick a screwdriver in one of the holes on the side of the motor, and try to push or pry the front plate off. Might want to wrap the screwdriver shank in something soft like a rag, to prevent marring the motor housing. You might have to use two screwdrivers on opposite sides to apply even force on the front plate.

Btw, to clean the brush holders, you could just use a Q-tip soaked in alcohol. You can even rotate the motor against the Q-tip to clean the commutator.

 

[caligula]

Quebecois, Air-Way on eBay in Supermarket

is exactly like the one I have, take a look.

I'm so glad I was able to get you some of the information you requested.

 

[quebecois]

Do you mean this one ?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Va...430622?hash=item23c93330de:g:RsMAAOSwkARdtG1B

 

[caligula]

Yes!

It is in awesome condition, but I'm happy with mine, had it since 1973, and the Chief since 1976.

I hope you get your model 50 running, you seem to be putting a lot of work into it. Somewhere out there are two bags, one for each of us.

Alex.