Your stunning Model-R Bag
Could you show us a close up shot of the mouth of the bag? I think it is very repairable. If the fabric around the base is not too terribly deteriorated, I would:
1) Open the seam of the pocket holding the rusted metal spring with a seam ripper or a pair of sharp, straight manicure siscors.
2) Discard the spring
3) Clean the trapped dust and rust from the pocket.
4) Repair the damaged fabric ON BOTH SIDES with iron-on black patch fabric (available at most any fabric/sewing notions store). I would then hand stitch the edges of the patch(es) for extra security.
5) Replace the metal spring with a standard-issue Eureka round rubber agitator belt
6) Enclose the rubber belt into the pocket by hand stitching. Make sure the pocket remains generous enough so the belt can stretch and slide easily enough. Also be sure you don't "catch" the belt with the needle.
If the fabric around the base is too far gone to be patched, I would "amputate" at the level of the highest damage, cut a piece of heavy black twill to match, open the seams on the salvaged bag where it will meet the new section and "splice" the two together as meticulously as you see fit. Install the Eureka belt at the base of this new section. Basic sewing techniques will see you through this exercise. A sewing machine would be a help for most of this work, but I, personally, would NOT use a machine to sew the pocket seam discussed above.
As for revitalizing old hoses, I am fascinated as to how we all have "converged" on largely the same solution!
I did not use pure latex, but rather PERFORMIX brand "Plasti Dip." It is available at hardware stores and auto parts stores. It is supposed to come in several colors but I have yet to see anything but black. A 14.5 oz jar costs up to $9.95.
I treated my hose much as you did, Charlie, with the following difference:
1) I washed the hose inside and out, in my bath tub in very warm water, laundry detergent and Clorox 2 (or equivalent). I happened to have a dryer duct cleaning brush set which includes multiple 3-foot rod sections that get attached one to the next as it is fed into the duct, or in this case the hose. The business end can be fitted with a bottle-brush like affair intended for cleaning out the lint trap. I used this to scrub out the deteriorated fabric lining and the considerable soil built up inside the hose.
2) I drip dried the hose, then attached it to the blower end of the vacuum for 10 minutes or so of forced air drying. Only when I was convinced it was completely dry did I proceed to the rubber coating phase.
3) After I filled the innards with the rubber solution and poured out the excess, I did, deliberately, attach the hose to the BLOWER end of the vacuum, and WITH THE OPPOSITE END OF THE HOSE COMPLETELY PLUGGED with a heavy rag, I used the positive pressure of the blower to force the still wet rubber deeply into the pores of the hose.
4) Once it was dry and set, I ran the "bottle brush" through it again to be sure there were no blockages.
Yes, the colored rubber can bleed through to the outer jacket if you are not careful. Minor to moderate boo-boos can be cleaned up with Naptha.
Yours in St. Louis,
Marty Kaplan
