westyfan
Member
I finally decided to open up my old 561 Kirby and see if I could grease the bearings. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it is quite easy to grease both front and rear ball bearings (surprised me there, good build quality). It purrs like a Kirby should now. Nice and quiet, I could tell it was strained before. The bearings were pretty damn dry so I'm glad that I went ahead and did this.
I also had to pull the brushes from the armature to pull the bearings out. They look remarkably clean as did the armature itself. I am curious though as to how much life the brushes have in them. I measured them both at a half inch exactly in length. I have no idea how long they started out as or how long they have to be when they need to be replaced.
I also shined up the ol girl. She was extremely oxidized as you can tell in the before photos. Nothing professional, just a rag, mothers aluminum polish, and lots of patience. It is far from perfect but it looks 20x better than it did. If you squint it looks like a mirror! There were quite a few blemishes and stains that I could not get out though.
Oh, and I am on the hunt for a belt, bulb (I'm sure they are easy to find, just haven't searched yet), and I will also need a brushroll rebristle at some point. Have no clue about that last one. I really like the way that this Kirby looks. I'm not too concerned about the bag, although I would like to know how old the replacement bag is. I'm sure that an "original" bag would be inferior / expensive as all get out! I also need a new hose that will fit. It doesn't have to match but that would be awesome! The old one got smashed by a car tire when a roommate ran over it
It still has the attatchments box but a few pieces are missing. All of the important stuff is there though.
Let me know what you guys think! Tips / suggestions are always appreciated. This is no show queen obviously, I plan on using it weekly!
I also had to pull the brushes from the armature to pull the bearings out. They look remarkably clean as did the armature itself. I am curious though as to how much life the brushes have in them. I measured them both at a half inch exactly in length. I have no idea how long they started out as or how long they have to be when they need to be replaced.
I also shined up the ol girl. She was extremely oxidized as you can tell in the before photos. Nothing professional, just a rag, mothers aluminum polish, and lots of patience. It is far from perfect but it looks 20x better than it did. If you squint it looks like a mirror! There were quite a few blemishes and stains that I could not get out though.
Oh, and I am on the hunt for a belt, bulb (I'm sure they are easy to find, just haven't searched yet), and I will also need a brushroll rebristle at some point. Have no clue about that last one. I really like the way that this Kirby looks. I'm not too concerned about the bag, although I would like to know how old the replacement bag is. I'm sure that an "original" bag would be inferior / expensive as all get out! I also need a new hose that will fit. It doesn't have to match but that would be awesome! The old one got smashed by a car tire when a roommate ran over it
It still has the attatchments box but a few pieces are missing. All of the important stuff is there though.
Let me know what you guys think! Tips / suggestions are always appreciated. This is no show queen obviously, I plan on using it weekly!
