Help in identifying Electrolux

[pat]

Hi,
This is my first antique vacuum cleaner. I think that it is an Electrolux XXX from the early 1940's. From the posts I've read indicate that it is pre-war and the last patent date is from 1940, but it has a saloon style gate which is from 1947 or so. The legs that it is on are NOT round, but seem to be a rail instead. I got this from an estate and the weird thing is that it seems to be mostly all there and it still works! Unfortunately I am missing the handle as it was replaced by a canvas strap which doesn't look original. Any help in locating one would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Pat

 

[vinvac]

That is a beautiful machine. Looking at the pictures you are missing three things.

There should be a metal round dusting brush, a metal upholstery tool and a card board crevice tool. Which I am told was not always sold with the machine as some dealers felt the crevice tool was hard on the motor when it reduce the air flow. The three spare tools I see, the floor brush and dusting brush are Eureka I beleive and the upholstery tool is from a Shop Vac.

Does the hose carry good suction?


I will look and see if I have any of those spare parts, If I do I would be willing to ship them to you for the cost of postage.

Morgan

 

[kirbylux77]

Morgan, that is so nice of you to offer Pat some spare tools! To be so generous to a total stranger on the Internet is heartwarming to see.

Pat, I would leave it alone and leave the strap in place. Unless you find a reproduction handle, any you find online for sale are likely going to have been taken off a XXX that was scrapped for parts. If that's the case, who knows how long the rubber would last before it cracks and breaks. The strap also gives the vacuum some character and history. You might also be interested to know that the first Electrolux canister, the Model V that came to North America in 1924, had a long strap for a carrying handle.

Good luck acquiring the rest of the pieces to finish your Electrolux XXX and make it complete.

 

[paul]

Hi Pat,

Congratulations on scoring one of Electrolux Corporation's Model XXX as your first antique vacuum cleaner!

By the way, your hose is not an original. It was made during the aquamarine green-painted cleaners from 1961 to 1966.

The Model XXX was manufactured from 1937 to c.1942 and again from 1945 to 1954. The most reliable way to find out the exact year—or close to it—is to open the back cover and look on the switch cover for a date stamp if it's the original.

Beyond that, patents can narrow it down. I was unable to find one for the exhaust opening split louvers but will keep looking if someone else doesn't post it first. 1947 is often used to determine that change, but that's because of the 1947 user instructions that pictures it. From 1945 until 1947 it's likely that the company used up its pre-war stock of instructions; although the new-style louvers may have been introduced during that time.


P.S. Morgan, I agree with Kirbylux77's comment about your kindness.



Attached are some patents for nozzles that can also provide manufacturing clues if yours are original:

1. Dual-Purpose Rug Nozzle - 01.12.40 patent filing by Gustav Axel Peterson

2. Dual-Purpose Rug Nozzle - 04.23.41 patent filing by George Horace Crammer

3. Dual-Purpose Rug Nozzle - 10.9.41 patent filing by Chas. L. Brown, Jr.

4. Dual-Purpose Rug Nozzle - 08.21.45 patent filing by Gustav Axel Peterson

5. Dual-Purpose Rug Nozzle - 11.8.47 patent filing by Oliver L. Allen

 

[pat]

Update on my first vacuum cleaner

I did take the cover off, but I didn't see any dates on the switch itself. Also, I turned the vacuum cleaner on and it had a lot of suction, but when I put the hose on, there was hardly any suction at all. Do these old cloth hoses leak air? Is there a fix for that like painting the inside with Plastic-Dip?
On the under side, I did notice an original sticker price of $69.75. In today's money, $69.75 in 1941 is worth about $1,500 today. Wow, that was an expensive machine!

 

[paul]

Yes, most of those old braided hoses leak like sieves, and coating the inside with Plasti-Dip or similar product can reseal them to nearly 100%. Here is one process posted on another thread: https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?22656

Another option would be to check with a local vac shop to see if they have any used vinyl ones or just purchase a new one.

Other ways to ensure that suction is at its peak are:

1) Clean or replace worn motor fans.
2) Check the hose inlet seal for deterioration and replace if necessary.
3) Replace the air filter located on the inside of the exhaust port.
4) Tighten the two screws of the inlet (see photo 1)

Also, thought you'd like to know that the serial number is stamped on the metal bag chamber trim on top and the specs are stamped on the bottom of the same trim (photos 2 & 3). The serial number (2-letter series and 5-digit production number) is not date coded, but someone may post a shipping record at some point as others have done with Hoover and Eureka inventories; Or, you could copy it for possible theft recovery. Regarding the specs—another clue of determining the production period is the motor watts rating. A 475-watter is pre-1949 and a 535-watter is 1949-1954.

 

[pat]

I found that this is a 475 watt machine so this is a pre-1949 model for sure. I would prefer an older machine rather than a newer one. Not sure why, but I think the older the better.