Info on Cloth Hose

[meba2233]

Hello Everyone...

I picked up this reasonably nice cloth hose recently. It was found in a box with some attachments that were plainly marked Filtex, however, there was no vacuum cleaner in sight. So, I have no knowledge this is a Filtex hose and am hoping to confirm that, or find out what kind of hose it is.

It's a nice woven cloth hose with two chromed metal ends. The wand end is curved. The machine end is a short stub with a small metal nub on the top, like a push and twist design. Both ends are two pieces of metal, one crimped on to the other I believe, that allow you to rotate the ends 360 degrees.

Any help is appreciated and thanks in advance.

Mark

 

[meba2233]

Close Up of Ends..

Here is a better picture of the two ends.

 

[collector2]

Hey Mark:

Yes it is a Filtex hose from a machine like this.

 

[meba2233]

Thanks

I appreciate the reply. I had no idea.

Mark

 

[aeoliandave]

Yup, Filtex for sure. Mine still has about 90% suction.

Does yours pass the thump test? Looks nice...much prettier than mine. :-(

Dave

 

[meba2233]

Thump Test?

I have no idea.

Mark

 

[aeoliandave]

Mark, it has another official VCCC name but essentially do this with any hose to determine its state of usability.

Close off any suction relief valves on the handle end, if it has one.

Thump your palm against either open end. A good hose will reward you with lovely resonant 'wump' sound. The more porous the hose the the less wump to the point of nothing with a badly leaking hose. Try it from both hose ends - this can help diagnose if the leak is only at one end or throughout the length.

Try it on a brand new tight vinyl hose for comparison. That ringing wobblythump sound qualifies as a musical note.

Readings from a vacuum gauge taken at the vacuum inlet and then with hose connected is more precise. As with most swiveling couplers in older vacuums there is always a 1"-2" loss through the nested sleeves.

BTW, the ends can be removed by prying out the circlip ring - that hose pattern would look good on a older Compact or other vintage vac with the same diameter inner sleeve.

Manufacturers used many methods to secure the hose stock inside the ferrules. All are glued in with a rubber cement, some are then secured with rivets, pressed in arrow points, embossed screw threads and even tied around with butcher's cord or twisted wire over a lip. But you can always get a hose you want to save out of it's sleeve even it it involves cutting it off and pulling out the wire coil & wrapped rubber/canvas layers with vicegrips.

The worst hose I ever had to remove from it's coupler is the 1950s woven vinyl Eureka Roto-matics and 1010 ham canisters with the 90 degree plastic swivel inlet fitting because its circlip is hidden by the molding at the very end...but it can be done! Here the couplers were on the wrong hoses so I was determined to match up the colours.

Dave

 

[electrolux~137]

 


 


 


It's called the Roger Proehl Hose Test, named after the collector who (as far as we know) first discovered it.


 


 

 

[kenkart]

Charles!

Im glad you remembered, I hope to get to see Roger sometime soon.