Electrolux Model XXX Attachment Bumper & Trim Colors

[paul]

I have a Model XXX canister with a bottom that's painted teal, so I'm taking for granted that the canister was manufactured around 1952-1954. It came with the dark gray bakelite small tools, a teal-trimmed rug tool (like the LX and LXI versions) and a floor tool with a gray bumper. I'm wondering what color of trim and bumpers would likely have come with the machine. Would there have been a dusting brush with a teal bumper?

I am also curious to know if someone has a general idea of what color trim and bumpers went with what years.
Were the small tools ever factory painted in teal (like the front covers and flanges of the later versions)? What colors of narrow space cleaners went with what years? I recently saw a dusting brush with a brick red-colored bumper which has also piqued my interest.

 

[electrolux137]

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If the bottom is painted in turquoise (not technically teal -- teal is a much greener color) then it is indeed either a late XXX or a factory-rebuilt machine.

If the bottom &/or sides are painted in hammertone blue, it's a bojack "reconditioned" machine. Electrolux never painted the XXX bodies in hammertone, but did sometimes paint the front cover and rear blower/filter assembly in hammertone. However, that would have been factory-applied, baked-on hammertone and not spray paint. There is a difference and you can tell immediately -- yon can easily scratch the surface of painted hammertone with your fingernail. The true baked hammertone is a very tough and durable surface that's very difficult to scratch, which, along with wrinkle-finish paint, is the reason it was a favored finish for many household appliances, tools, office equipment & furniture, etc.

It sounds like you have all the correct tools. There was a dust brush with a blue rubber bumper and a metal upholstery nozzle, same as with the LX or, on some machines blue plastic dusting brushes and nozzles. It's likely that the floor tool with the gray bumper is original -- I've even seen them on LXs.

An interesting note about the blue, gray, and blue-gray rubber on the attachments -- the material was inferior to the original black rubber. Something about the chemical compound made it break down and disintegrate and eventually crumble away to nothing over the years. I have a number of early XXX dusting brushes with black rubber in perfect condition but have hardly any of the other colors that are still intact.

I have a couple of baked-hammertone dusting brushes and upholstery nozzles and also have a baked-hammertone floor brush. My assumption has always been that they were done up for the factory-rebuilt machines.

Crevice tools, made of compressed fiber, originally were black glossy finish, then flat black, then flat gray, then flat bluish-gray and they stayed the latter color until the new plastic tool was introduced with the Model G. The first Model G tool was made in the same shape as the earlier tool and was made of a rather brittle, hard plastic. Soon, that material was replaced with a softer plastic and a narrower tool.

The dusting brush with the red-brick color would have been for a late XII tool. I've seen them in both brown and dark red.

I think that covers all your questions.......

 

[paul]

Thanks for the information, Charles. As always I value your wisdom and enjoy hearing the anecdotes such as the reason so many appliances back in the day had hammertone finishes.

I do wonder if you have an idea of the the approximate years for the colors--just as a reference?

Also, I'm confused about "turquoise". I have heard the light-colored Model Gs, C-As, and B-8s described with that hue, along with the darker color like what I have on the bottom of my Model XXX. I suppose there could be a spectrum of turquoise colors, so then I'd personally rather go by "turquoise-green" or "turquoise-blue" just to differentiate. I do know teal includes a range of colors, because I have heard of teal-green and teal-blue. Whatever ... I won't lose any sleep over it! haha ("You say toe-MAY-toe, and I say toe-MA-toe ...")

Regarding my Model XXX the bottom color is not hammertone but wrinkle-finish paint; although I also have a floor tool with a hammertone color and a bumper of similar color. The floor tool I have (that came with the machine) with the gray bumper doesn't quite match the holes of the tool's frame, so the former owners just used thick rubber bands to secure it. Given the fact that the carpet tool has the turquoise color I thought maybe that other floor tool I described above would be the match. Since I'm missing the dusting brush, I will take for granted that the one you described with the blue rubber bumper would match the rest; that is, except the crevice tool which is the blue-gray; or should I be looking for a bakelite tool in dark gray?

I also wanted to mention that the exhaust filter is a dark gray foam. Would that have been original or a later replacement?

Very interesting that the colored rubber bumpers were of a different composition than the black. I wonder if it was a cheaper alternative at the time or just a different type to which they had switched?

Other information I'd appreciate knowing at some point is Model XXX hose colors according to time periods. I am especially interested in learning which hose would have likely have been sold with my machine?

 

[tig21er]

the

color of the model G ,CA, and Bi8 was referred to as Aquamarine Green.

 

[paul]

Thanks, John. I've seen many simply refer to the first Model Gs, C-As, and B-8s of that era as aqua.

Do you have the names of the colors of all the machines and attachments? If so, please post.

 

[electrolux137]

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My brain is too tired to reply to all your questions, so I'll limit this post to two answers. (Maybe someone else can jump in -- Tom Gasko, where are you?!)

All genuine XXX filters are made of cotton batting covered with gray felt on one side and soft white cotton on the other. Foam filters are bad for the motor because they trap too much airflow and cause the motor to heat up excessively. You should find a genuine filter. They come up on eBay all the time. If you can't find one, a better replacement would be a circular piece cut out of an air conditioner filter. You can use the foam filter as a pattern to cut around. You may need to use two layers to make it thick enough.

All XXX hoses were the same except for slight differences in the metal ends. Some of the very last blue models may have had LX-style hoses. I've seen them both ways. I had an aunt in Virginia who had a blue XXX that had a standard gray XXX hose with black and white "XXX" tracing. Her machine also had the Companion and optional hammertone blue cord winder. Through an amazing course of serendipity, I now have her XXX.

 

[paul]

Thanks again, Charles. I will definitely replace that foam filter. I'm guessing, then, that it was not a factory item.

I will also be on the lookout for a Model XXX hose. I'm thinking that my machine may have come with an LX-type; so I will be satisfied with either that or the version that's unique to the Model XXX.

Thanks again for your time and the information you provided. Much appreciated!!!