Hoover 425

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hooverbaby

hooverbaby

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Joined
Dec 29, 2009
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391
Location
Dalton in Furness, UK
I managed to find time this weekend to do a bit more work on one of my 425s, the one with the badge saying 'rebuilt by Hoover Limited at Perivale'.

I'd already freed off a seized brush-roll bearing, regreased the brushroll and tested the motor, which still runs very well. However, the machine was looking a little tatty, needed some attention to straightening of the handle bail, a good clean and polish and a repaint of the black dome and handle parts.

Here are some pictures. I still need to find a black furniture guard; I've removed the fitted one, which was virtually falling off and crumbling away, due to going hard. The sprung-in brushes could also do with re-bristling when I get round to it. They are quite tightly stuck in position so I've tapped around a bit with a hammer and punch and put some easing oil in the gaps. Using the machine a few times will help to work them loose I reckon...and I don't want to break them!

Stephen

3-15-2010-04-48-41--hooverbaby.jpg
 
Grub Screws

These were tight in the handle bail and had to be eased slowly to remove. Fortunately, they came out in one piece. It's possible to manage without them with the steel bails, since they can be sprung in slightly by hand..not so sure about the aluminium ones though, such as on the 575.

This raises an interesting point; I know that some of the early handle bails are cast and these can't be bent back into shape..or they'll snap..but does this apply to all the aluminium bails? I could do with knowing, since one of my Specials needs it's bail straightening..and it's an aluminium one.

Stephen
 
Stephen,

Looking good, love that bag. Is it a 210 or 240 watt motor / flat or round belt. Mine is 210 and flat belt; it goes very well. The 425 / 450/75 models were very efficient and easy to handle. the combination of the motor type and general design turned out to be spot on, sadly not much good with tools but you can't have everything.

Regards, Walter.
 
Hi Walter

This particular one is 210 watt. Strangely, it's also the only 425 out of the four which I have, which has the round belt pulley and the round groove in the brushroll; the others have flat belts - I use a Dyson DC01 or early Hoover Turbo belt on them.

This one's been retro fitted with a kind of v-belt, which isn't correct...but it's working well at the moment and seems to have the right tension so I've left it. I suppose I should be careful not to use one that's too tight; they often work OK for a while but I've known things to happen, such as brushrolls breaking in two. Of course, if it's not tight enough, the belt just slips and a very tight one will usually snap before it does too much damage.

I actually am lucky in having one or two new old stock 425 parts, including flat and round belt pulleys. These are unusual in being recessed where they fit into the fan. However I'm wondering if the one on this machine is actually off a later 450 or 475; it looks more like a 450 pulley.

Stephen
 
Model 875 Bag!

Wow - the best part of your 425 is the bag - if I'm not mistaken it is the bag from a Model 875. The first Bakelite hood model after the 825 - late 1930s. A rare bag indeed!
 
You could be right there!?

You could be right there, though Seamus has/had one, which appears to have a slightly different bag - I think it has blue underlining.

That's one of the things that attracted me to the auction; I'd not got that particular bag.

One or two collectors have been saying that the 875 was the first bakelite hood model. However, one of my 475s has a bakelite hood/motor cap...and the others have alloy ones.

Stephen
 
a) I believe the 425's transition from flat belt to round belt actually occurred during production; late models came new from the factory with the round belt set-up.

b) The 875 shared the same bag design as the 160: blue underlining, and no vertical stripes.

b) Quite right, Stephen, late 475s had the first bakelite caps. Some also had a bakelite knob for the height adjuster. I'm sure if this forum had been around at the time, the usual suspects would have been whining 'Ugh, plastic! Hoover are cheapening the quality of their cleaners blah blah blah.' lol.
 
Jack, you're probably right about the transition from flat belt to round belt occuring during production..only I'm wondering whether mine has been modified since new. This is quite possible, since it's been reconditioned by Hoover in the past and though it's a 210 watt model appears to have the later (round) style pulley...plus the brushroll to go with it. For all I know it could be a 'hybrid' machine with bits and pieces off various 400 series machines!

Presumably the 210 watt machine came out before the 240 watt one?

As for the bag, if it's not an 875 one, is it some sort of manufacturer's replacement bag..only the others in my possession don't have this particular pattern. There were quite a few different Hoover black bags!

Stephen
 
875 Bag.....

Hi Stephen /All :)

The 875 used the same bag as the 160 - with Blue underlining to match the detail on the motor cap and badge. Id guess that one is a period replacement lacking the underlining in the same way replacement 375 bags were missing the Red underlining.... ?

Seamus

3-19-2010-09-50-59--SeamusUK.jpg
 
What I dont get is why the Servicing Information has a picture showing the 160 to have a jet black bag with White stripes.

Mine came with this bag,

I really ought to get cracking with the restoation of the 5 pre war cleaners I got a few months ago especially the 475 which also has the same bag as Hooverbabys 425. Can anyone confirm this is the 475's correct bag?
 
Hi Rob,

In a couple of cases, the pictures in the Hoover service manuals do not show the cleaners with their original bags. The pictures are not contemporary of the cleaners themselves, they were taken, in some cases, decades later.

The generic black Hoover cloth bags with the white striping were manufactured in huge quantities as replacements for when the originals wore out in the 1930s and 40s.

The correct bag for the 475 looks like this:

3-19-2010-12-20-15--VintageHoover.jpg
 
Not too hard to make an 'original' 475 bag

I suppose you could create an original 475 bag by matching the right orange colour and painting the white stripes etc. on a black replacement Hoover bag - that is so long as you have the bag with the 4 blocks of vertical strips, not 2 like some of them.
Im sure you are right about the Hoover bag on your rebuilt 425 - it matches it because it was the one they were using in the 40s/50s when they rebuilt it.
 
Original 475 bag

I only have one of these at present, fitted to one of my British 541s...but the black has faded to grey; I've been wondering whether this will dye black without affecting the orange writing..in which case I may fit it onto one of my 475s.

Stephen
 
Painting Hoover Bags

Jonathan I know what you mean about the different numbers of blocks of vertical white stripes on some of the early Hoover bags. It's worth considering this idea...but what would be the best paint to use?...possibly the lines could be painted using Humbrol enammel, if it's still available?

Stephen
 
? Bag

Presumably, this is the one you mean, Walter?

I've just temportarily fitted it to one of my 725s for this photoshoot. Eventually I'll probably put in on another machine with the original orange triangular badge. I know that the steel band on this has lost some of its orange paint but that doesn't bother me unduly. I've also borrowed a spring off the other bag; the original has a bracket, which clips onto the bag slide.

This one looks good though, even if the furniture guard isn't original. It has the early style of rubber grip with the little diamond shapes in it - they're often perished but this one is OK. I know that there was another earlier more angular type, as used on the 700, which was partly wooden. I only ever had one of those but it had fallen to bits!

Stephen

3-21-2010-09-45-49--hooverbaby.jpg
 

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