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kirbyboy1

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2008
Messages
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Hello all. Well yesterday we went to a town here callled altoona. When we got there we past a place callled the antique depot. So I asked my mom if we could go. She said yes but when were on our way home. Well when we got there I couldnt wait to start looking. I went from asile to asile. Seeing nothing. Then I saw a mysterious red trunk. Not a suit case and no way big enough to hold any clothes. It was bright red. So I went over and froze at the sight. Inside I could see a hose. It was a vacuum. But what was it? So i went a lifted the lid. Inside my heart almost stopped. Inside was a compact c2 in mint condition. I couldnt believe it. THe only one I have ever seen is the one of Charles Lester. This one has all of this. The hose which is in mint condition, the floor brush, the carpet nozzle upolstery tool, and dusting brush. Well I looked in the pockets. I now know teh exact vacuum history of the owners from the 30s to the 70s. Inside I found the wand and demother of a early ge vacuum, and a convertible manual. Could this get any better? Well yes it can I kept looking and found a thick booklet it was the compact manual. So i started flipping through the pages. Something fell to the ground. I picked it up. It was the warrenty card. I have everyything possible for the compact excapt the crevice tool.
Well does anybody want to see pictures.
 
Well, of COURSE we want to see pictures! Also, being nosey, how much did it set you back?!

Congratulations on a great find!
 
Well I don think much

Charles actually it was a little high but it was for a antique store I paid 35 bucks.
 
OH I will get pix soon. Oh and a video. i really want to show yall something. I will post it on youtube and give ayh a link.
 
Oh, Yeah...

I think 35 bucks is great! I was in an antique store three months ago. Saw a rusty Fairfax there. No hose, no nothin'. $275.00.It's still there. Way to go Evan!

Rick
 
Sounds like a good deal especially if you found it in one of those "antique malls" where they always want the earth for everything. Same with pawn shops. I was in our local pawn shop the other day and they had Kirby Tradition in worn out condition and were asking over $200 for it, no attachments either
 
I agree, that's quite a bargain. Now, time was when you could get old vacs at antique stores for just a few bucks, and any of us "oldtimers" can think back very fondly to the good old days when we'd make the thrift shop rounds and find more stuff -- OLD stuff -- than we could even haul home. No more.

The internet, eBay in particular, has changed that. I empathize with people who live in rural areas and don't have access to thrift shops, and I certainly have, myself, done my share of both buying and selling on eBay. But that doesn't blind me to the negative impacts that eBay has had on thrift shops and antique stores.

Nowadays, people are taking less and less stuff to charity thrift shops and are, instead, listing it on eBay. Thrift shops, getting less merchandise, are having to raise their prices to stay above water. And some of them are, themselves, listing stuff on eBay instead of just selling it in their stores. And SOME of them have gotten a bit greedy-eyed and have lost touch with reality in terms of what they can get for stuff, especially old vacuum cleaners.

I'll never forget the time I went into a thrift shop and saw an old Eureka canister vacuum. It was just the machine and a stained/dirty plastic replacement hose -- no attachments, and the motor housing was no beauty contest winner. Had a bad case of eczema. It was marked "$75.00."

Surely thinking that was a mistake, I sought out the proprietor and asked, didn't she mean $7.50. "Well certainly not," she snapped. "That's a good deal for that vintage machine! Many collectors would consider it a prized piece in their collection. If I put it on eBay, I could get 2-300 dollars for it."

Right.

I wished her good luck with it, and left the store with a BIG smirk on my face.
 
Price

I think $35 dollars is excellent...a very low price. I would've thrown that down in a heart beat!
 
Well I got a problem. I cant get it to turn back on. Does anybody know how to get into the motor to check the cord. It is the orgional black beldon one but its the cord becasue the plug is brand new. Can somebody help me? Please its a really good machine.
Also the video I want to show you is of the cyclonic action. It looks ten times morepowerfull then a dyson. Well if anybody could help.
 
Re: I cant get it to turn back on.

This indicates that is was running? In the store? When you first plugged it in?

Could be the switch contacts are blocked by something greasy dislodged by being run after a long long time. Could be loose connection screws to the switch or oxidized motor wire connections. don't blame the motor or brushes til you're sure it's not somethingelse.

First thing I'd try is another plug you've got lying around, like from a lamp - it'll do for testing.

Getting at the switch and cord, and removing the motor is relatively easy.

You have to separate the two halves of the vacuum shell. Turn it upside down and you'll see 3 bolt heads, one in the front & two in the bottom of the rear wheel wells. Use a large bladed screwdriver that fits the bolts well, give them a good hammer tap and torque them out. A shot of liquid wrench around the heads for a few hours might help if they are frozen in time.

Pop the two halves apart without damaging the bumper gasket and all will be revealed. The motor has a rubber jacket gasket that is clamped in place by the halves; there's no other way to get it out. You're 17 and have cracked enough Kirbys for this to be a slam dunk.

Btw, if it is a major motor problems, the Compact uses the same motor/fan unit as a Filter Queen. They are interchangable.

Let us know how it goes...and take pictures of the dissasembly for us all.

Dave
 
Dave thanks

Dave I did check the cord. 5 times. It has to be the cord the motor looks fine. Since im in there do yah think I should put on new brushes. When I was looking around it looked like somebody just took a black cord and stuck it in there with a knot to keep it in. It looks like the one you have Charles except your looks orgional. what was the orgional color when I go to get one. My friend joe that owns a vacuum shop said that a fit all cord will work perfectly. Idk about it. Does anybody have the sprayer for this machine. I would love to have a complete set. I just washed the bag it was dusty. Itjust needed a quick dip in some water its drying now. I co
 
Oh I will tell yah when we get it fixed. We might just go and buy a balck extension cord and jsut put that in.
 
Well, I am a bit perplexed. All the Compact machines I've ever seen have hard-wired cords. Are you saying this one has a plug that connects into a socket (like a Kirby??)
 
No No I was going to just cut off the end of the cord. Will that work. I hope it does.the machine is really powerfull. I have the storage hamaper and boy is that heavy. It wieghs more then a kirby with all the attachmetns in one place.
 

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