Holy Toledo!

[aeoliandave]

Yup, had a fine day's adventurous journey to Toledo and back. Went primarily to pick up the factory depot refurb & hammertoned 1947 XXX. Yes, it is what Charles surmised. Flat runners like a rapier blade cxross section, original cloth hose that DOESN"T LEAK, Aluminum wands, painted flip around floor tool and floor & dusting brush, one piece exhaust grill that 'submerges' when the hose is inserted.

As for the rest...well, I yellowpaged all the thrift store addresses in Toledo area Sunday morning, loaded them in the Garmin GPS and managed to visit 6 of them, as well as the two Air-Way Factory sites. One exists, the other is indeed a field of rubble.

Left to Right
another Electrolux Shampooer/waxer model 2101A.
Yellow Hoover Convertible for Pete.
Nilfisk 500 watt 115 vac model GAE & hose. no wands or tools...
Salmon Filter Queen 2 speed model 33 with power hose, cordwinder base and lots of tools, and a brown & chrome plastic FP pn.
Hoover new Constellation model S3341 with hose & collapsing wand only. Tools & tool nozzle is missing. One shallow dent seen - easily popped out.
General Electric Swiveltop model V14CII in clean shape.
and up front - all the stuff that came with the 1947 refurbed XXX. 7 aluminum wands, two more good hoses and two flip-around floor tools - one is white & bannana yellow. (?)

Easy traffic all the way down and back 75 & 94 - the commuter crowds were always going the other way.

Dropped in on Pete at 7:30 and took the Garage Door Shot. Drove home in thundering rainstorms, arriving at 10:30. Vacuums in the house.

Now for a shower, some ice cream and pleasant dreams...

Details later this week as its a horrendous 11 shows in 6 days workweek. Ugh. Davy batteries running low.

 

[aeoliandave]

Where I found Pete's Converible...

at Goodwill.

 

[aeoliandave]

Close ups

FQ-33, New Connie S3341, GE V14CII.

Is anyone a New Hoover Dealer I could purchase the missing parts for it?

 

[aeoliandave]

The XXX & the NILFISK.

TWO supple no-leak cloth weave hoses!

I've never seen a Nilfisk and this just bowled me over. All aluminum that will polish up gleaming - no dents. Love the hose ends - thay have universal joint type ball & socket joints under the blue bands. No cord, unfortunately but I have an orphaned blue cord that matches the color.

Anyone got a Nilfisk cord with the angled power blades?

 

[xraytech]

Dave,
Did you pick up that Decade 800 at the good will where you got the convertible?

 

[aeoliandave]

No Sam, I left it behind in Toledo. They wanted $20, Pete & I both have one and the car was filling up fast.

His Convertible was $10..or was it $8? And they wanted $25 for the Bagless ones!

 

[charles~richard]

Yeah, I was about to ask the same question about the Decade 800! It's really an excellent vacuum cleaner --

Congrats on the Lux haul - the "banana and white" floor tool is from the Golden Jubilee 50th anniversary model.

The painted XXX floor tool clinches my hunch that this was a bojack rebuild. Electrolux, to my knowledge (vast that it is, haha!) -never- painted these tools. Every single one I've seen, except bojack ones, has been polished.

 

[xraytech]

I would have loved to have had that decade, and $ 25 for a bagless vacuum that costs $45 new is crazy.
That was a great deal for the Convertible and I am sure that the Nilfisk will be beautiful when polished.

 

[arh1953]

You have my GE Swivel-Top, and I love Pete's new Convertible! And leave it to you to get a new Constellation! I hope you can get the missing tools for it. As for the rest of the finds, your luck is continually great.

 

[aeoliandave]

Oh darn. Sorry guys. if only I'd known I would have picked it up. I'll get the paper map from the car and post the address for the Goodwill in hopes someone might be able to retrieve it.

As for the XXX, everything metal except the end cap is painted in baked hammertone. From the looks of it everything had to first be removed and painted separately. Absolutely no overspray or masking. Bojacked it may be but it was bojacked by the next best - an Electrolux Branch.

 

[aeoliandave]

These two cloth hoses were worth the price of admission, I think. They don't leak and have no snags.

The painted tools, well, they just complete the set...

Now, about aluminum wands. Were these common issue in the United States? Because all the Canadian ones I've found over the years are chromed steel and heavy. It's a bonus to me to have 3 sets of aluminum to compliment other XXXs & LXs.

 

[arh1953]

I have at least one set of chromed steel wands, and the rest are aluminum. I believe the steel ones are on the Model XXX. Oh, yes they are.

 

[aeoliandave]

The Decade 800...

...is/was at the GoodWill Shop at 2021 S Reynolds Rd, between the Airport Freeway 2 and Interstate 90.

I believe we have a VCCC member in Toledo? The man I got the XXX from mentioned a feller who told him about the Convention.

 

[buffalo-joe]

Nilfisk.......

That Nilfisk looks like what we had in the copier labs at Kodak. They were explosion proof and were able to filter out toner. They were very powerful and quiet. We had hundreds of them. I would have liked to get my hands on one when they auctioned surplus equipment, but I could not get to the auction that day. Good find with that Nilfisk. Its also strange to see a new Connie winding up at a thrift store. It does look like it had a rough life. Its got a good home now.

Joe

 

[aeoliandave]

Dinner break discoveries

The Nilfisk cord socket has the same spacing and dimensions as the Canadian ZB 30/55/57 etc. Now I know it runs great. By happenstance I have a Canlux female end with no cord...and a nicely matching sky blue cord from something else (like a Hoover upright maybe?) - going with this particular shade of blue thats on the Nilfisk hose and the handle. And then there's the FQ similar orphanned Royal floor nozzle with the matching sky blue rubber bumper. Add a pair of aluminum wands and the Nilfisk is ready for action rolling across the floor behind me.

Yes Joe, I'm impressed with the serious build and air filtering. The motor housing top piece clamps to the hanging filter double-back filter basket shroud, which clamps to the dirt drum. Very thick & clean filter medium - thickly padded. No wonder the Nilfisk is so quiet. I expect I'll find a paper bag that will fit, so the filter assembly can stay as clean as it is now. Not like I can go to my local Nilfisk dealer and get a new one. LOL

 

[aeoliandave]

I have the .pdf NewConnie Owners 'manual' so I know what the parts look like. Frankly, I may just order a whole new hose assembly, but the longer one for the Stainless model. Other than the dent and missing hose handlegrip its in 'just out of the box' condition. Perhaps it was a demonstrator and when it got dented, it couldn't be sold?

Boy oh boy, it sure does float nice! I attribute its lesser weight to the plastic Bag Locator frame and other assorted plastic bits. Nice square replaceable motor filter - no fussing with spring clamps.

 

[electroluxxxx]

Damn Dave how come the vacs always pop up where ever you are???
lol

Mike

 

[turboace]

I was just thinking the same thing. I never find anything worthwhile. Just crap. Maybe we could send Dave an attachment or something to rub, then we carry it aound with us as good luck when we go thrifting...

 

[rugmaster37]

I never find anything worthwhile. Just crap.

I used to think the same thing guys.

Everywhere I looked it seemed all I would find was Dirt Devils, Regina Housekeepers (later models), Hoover Elites and Eureka Bravo's.

You must understand that when I started my collecting around 15 years ago, these were quite prominent and everywhere especially in resale, junk and thrift stores. These machines (then) had No interest to me whatsoever. I felt always that I couldn't win.

Then slowly I began to "find" the older machnes that I sought after. The Convertibles , The F&G ESP Eureka's , and the older uprights and canisters, many of which you saw at the convention if you were there.

It did help some that I worked for a vacuum cleaner sales and service organization sure, but I still have found many thru searching, and patience. Also, some came to me thru the generous hearts and souls we know here in this club.

I found that there were a few haunts that would always provide me every few months or so with different options, and thru perserverence and timing.....I found some of my favorites.

You must have these things in mind when you go "a searchin" for the vintage dust pumps.

1. You must be prepared to use anywhere from a 1/2 tank or more of gas to drive you from haunt to haunt. i usually pack a luch to save some cash, and a few bottles of water or soda.

2. Map out "all" your haunts you wish to visit, including vacuum stores, resale, thrift and junk stops. Plan a route that is economical, and doesn't have you zizzagging all over a particular city or state for that matter.

I have one BIG trip I take that takes me to my haunts in : Plymouth, Livonia, Garden City, Westland, Dearborn Heights, Dearborn, Allen Park, Lincoln Park and finally Taylor all in southeast Michigan.. I have a small one that hits all the Ann Arbor haunts (3), and a medium sized one that hits up all my old haunts in the Lansing area (5 ).

This BIG trip takes me from the upper west side of Detroit, all the way downriver, and I hit 12 haunts on this trip. If I plan everything perfectly, I can hit all of them within three to four hours, and use for my car less than a half a tank of gas.

3. Plan out in your mind where they usually keep the small electris and vacuums. That way when you get there you can quickly beeline past all the other stuff, and look to see if you can find something. I never usually spend more than 5 to 10 minutes per store. Always sweetly ask those working there if there are any that might be in the back. Some place will tell you to "bugger off", or like English wording, but some are more than happy to look for you.

4. Have a list or a mental list in your mind of what you wish to find. I'm always looking for myself and others when i'm thrifting. More times often than not I'm looking for three to four people when I'm out on the trail. Not all for just vacuum cleaners but other things as well. Have a fast scanning eye, and don't waste any time. If I look at it once and pass it up, unless I have that HARD second thought I never usually go back.

5. Always consider what you've found. You may find a machine that is one of your dream vacuum cleaners, but It may not be complete, or in the greatest shape. It's does NOT always pay to pass it up...

(For example...I found a Premier Deluxe Swivel-Top canister, two speeds with the pushbutton suction control and bag check light. Similar to the one that was G.E. badged on fleabay. All it had was the hose, and the incorrect one at that. Due to my purchasing it for five diollars, and a trip thru Morrisons in Canton Ohio, I now have an almost complete machine that to me seems rarer than hens teeth) Including cost of parts I've spent 35.00 on the whole machine.

6. Estate sales. Once ignored and detested by me with the swing upwards of my fairly large proboscis, I never went to them. What a mistake. You may have to do this on a seperate day, but suffice to say I have found a few really nice items over the last few months.

(example- I found a really nice early 1400 series Eureka upright and a very nice with the box early Eureka Canned Ham Vibra Beat Canister for the grand sum of eight dollars. Becasue of this change of heart regarding Estate Sales, I found two machines that now please me, and another collector.

7.Plan to come home empty handed!!! I have driven that BIG trip thru southeastern Michigan many a time and have come home with nothing. It's a let down for sure, but you can also make a note or mental one which ones provide you with the most hits. Out of twelve stores that I go to...maybe three or four are really ever any good. Remember those places for times where maybe you can only make a "short trip", on a day when you cannot spend alot of time wasting.

8. Remember: There are ALWAYS more to be had. I learned that from a fellow collector, and it has time and time again born out to be quite true to the words. Be perservering, and patient, don't fall into the FleaBay trap, and just keep looking.

I understand all areas are different around the country. I used to think Michigan NEVER had anything that I wold wnat or like. And well that just isn't the case.

Just some ideas for you all.....


Chad