How do you clean a kirby?
- Thread starter josh1998
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bikerray
Well-known member
First off the Kirby is aluminum so chrome polish isn't going to do much.
Use Mothers Mag polish, I also use a little Dremel Polishing Compound on some of the scratches and dark spots.
Use Mothers Mag polish, I also use a little Dremel Polishing Compound on some of the scratches and dark spots.
sptyks
Well-known member
How to polish your Kirby...
Josh1998:
Since all Kirby's are made of Aluminum, what you need is some good Aluminum polish and some elbow grease.
The best aluminum polish is Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish which is sold at WalMart and also on Amazon.com. You should remove the rubber bumper and any plastic parts before you use Mother's. Another great polish is Flitz polish which is what I use because it also cleans the plastic and rubber parts of the Kirby as well as the metal. Flitz is the polish used by Kirby Co. in their refurbishing department. Flitz can be found on Amazon.
The best type of cloth to use is a Microfiber cloth. You can buy a bundle of microfiber cloths cheap at most automotive stores and maybe at WalMart as well.
Josh1998:
Since all Kirby's are made of Aluminum, what you need is some good Aluminum polish and some elbow grease.
The best aluminum polish is Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish which is sold at WalMart and also on Amazon.com. You should remove the rubber bumper and any plastic parts before you use Mother's. Another great polish is Flitz polish which is what I use because it also cleans the plastic and rubber parts of the Kirby as well as the metal. Flitz is the polish used by Kirby Co. in their refurbishing department. Flitz can be found on Amazon.
The best type of cloth to use is a Microfiber cloth. You can buy a bundle of microfiber cloths cheap at most automotive stores and maybe at WalMart as well.
completenutt
Well-known member
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texaskirbyguy
Well-known member
As mentioned, Mothers Mag & aluminum polish is the best to use for the average collector. (Mag means for mag-style wheels that are often aluminum).
Do it by hand first and see how it does. I like applying it with white Viva brand paper towels and removing with the same or microfiber cloths. If you want to get more aggressive, use a polishing wheel in a drill. I did 4 old Kirbys this way and was very happy with the results. Deeper scratches will need sanding but I often leave those as battle scars.
If you plan on entering some sort of competitive event you will want to invest in finer polish and equipment. But for typical restos, Mother's is the cheapest and easiest to find for the job.
Do it by hand first and see how it does. I like applying it with white Viva brand paper towels and removing with the same or microfiber cloths. If you want to get more aggressive, use a polishing wheel in a drill. I did 4 old Kirbys this way and was very happy with the results. Deeper scratches will need sanding but I often leave those as battle scars.
If you plan on entering some sort of competitive event you will want to invest in finer polish and equipment. But for typical restos, Mother's is the cheapest and easiest to find for the job.
madman
Well-known member
Mother's polish is available at most car parts stores, by the car cleaning products.
kirbyklekter
Well-known member
Josh, some have also suggested...
that when you're done and have the shine you want, to put a final coat of regular car polish or paste/wax to help protect or slow the oxidation down. You can apply the Mothers over and over until you've got the results you are after. I do the same as texaskirbyguy using viva paper towels and then maybe a final rub down with a soft cloth. All auto parts stores carry Mothers and many hardware stores.
that when you're done and have the shine you want, to put a final coat of regular car polish or paste/wax to help protect or slow the oxidation down. You can apply the Mothers over and over until you've got the results you are after. I do the same as texaskirbyguy using viva paper towels and then maybe a final rub down with a soft cloth. All auto parts stores carry Mothers and many hardware stores.
texaskirbyguy
Well-known member
Why Viva paper towels?
For those who are wondering why...
-They are cheap and plentiful - a $1 roll will do several Kirbys. You are supposed to change them out as they get black with aluminum residue, and they blacken within seconds.
-They are as close to cloth as you can get for the price. I have tried several brands and they did not come close.
-They last during the job and do not shred easy or leave a lot of lint. Even when wet with polish, they do not fall apart.
-They do not scratch. I had tried old clean terry cotton socks but they left fine scratches in the aluminum. I had to use the Viva PT to rid the scratches.
-They are cheap and plentiful - in case you missed it the first time.
Happy polishing!
)
-Rob
For those who are wondering why...
-They are cheap and plentiful - a $1 roll will do several Kirbys. You are supposed to change them out as they get black with aluminum residue, and they blacken within seconds.
-They are as close to cloth as you can get for the price. I have tried several brands and they did not come close.
-They last during the job and do not shred easy or leave a lot of lint. Even when wet with polish, they do not fall apart.
-They do not scratch. I had tried old clean terry cotton socks but they left fine scratches in the aluminum. I had to use the Viva PT to rid the scratches.
-They are cheap and plentiful - in case you missed it the first time.
Happy polishing!
)-Rob
human
Well-known member
If the aluminum is heavily oxidized, you can start by cleaning it with Barkeeper's Friend, which is a very mild abrasive. You can quickly and easily bring the metal to a satiny sheen with that and then start polishing with Mothers until you turn the sheen to a shine. As others have stated, a buffing wheel on a drill will work wonders.
The same procedure also works on Electrolux PN2 and PN4 upper shells with a polished aluminum finish. I actually tried stripping a painted PN4-A shell last year with the idea of polishing it up, but I ended up giving up and painting it instead. It ended up coming out pretty nice in the end.
The same procedure also works on Electrolux PN2 and PN4 upper shells with a polished aluminum finish. I actually tried stripping a painted PN4-A shell last year with the idea of polishing it up, but I ended up giving up and painting it instead. It ended up coming out pretty nice in the end.
See Thread 33949
Hi Josh!
See a threat that I previously posted 33949.
I have been using this for quite some time and it is wonderful! And, you can get it at most hardware stores. It's inexpensive also and you get quite a bit!
My post was written before I started using it on a regular basis. Now that I have I swear by it!
Let me know what you think!
Hi Josh!
See a threat that I previously posted 33949.
I have been using this for quite some time and it is wonderful! And, you can get it at most hardware stores. It's inexpensive also and you get quite a bit!
My post was written before I started using it on a regular basis. Now that I have I swear by it!
Let me know what you think!
rivstg1
Well-known member
how does one search for a specific thread #? I put that number in the search field and only brought me back to this thread
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