Just acquired a Heritage 1HD

[human]

I teach humanities courses as well as English so I try to be 'humane' with those not in my English classes when it comes to grammar and punctuation. As for my students' writing ability, it does seem to get worse and worse. I blame the high schools for not teaching grammar (they have no idea how to diagram a sentence, much less conjugate a verb) and the fact that the only "writing" they do outside of school is texting, in which not only punctuation but also most vowels are seen as superfluous.

Wow, what an embarrassment of riches to have not one but two orange bags now available to me and I'd be quite happy with either of them. Thanks to both of you for making those available. That said, I feel a little funny about giving the impression of pitting one of you against the other. I'll contact each of you privately and we'll work something out. Look for an email with the subject line "Orange Bag for Human".

 

[human]

Les,

Since your e-mail address isn't on your profile, please e-mail me at the address in my profile so we can discuss the bag.

Cheers!

 

[lesinutah]

Human

Human doesn't wish to have email shown.
Mine is [email protected].
I'll make mine visible in my profile.
Les

 

[human]

Shine Time!

So I finished grading papers today and decided to give the Heritage some much needed attention. It was a little chilly to sit outside and I didn't want to sling polish all over the kitchen using the polishng wheel on my drill, so I opted for a round of hand polishing, using my 'one-two punch' of Nevr-Dull wadding and Mother's. As the photos below (taken with and without flash) will attest, it's looking a helluva lot better. Also, I was kind of lazy and didn't dismantle the machine any further than to remove the handle (which didn't get polished), the nozzle and the plastic cover from the back of the motor housing.

I stumbled onto the 'one-two punch' last fall and it basically consists of vigorously rubbing the Nevr-Dull onto the metal until there is a visible coating of polish, then without wiping it off, rubbing Mothers on top of it and continuing rubbing the metal until the paper towel is black and most of the polish appears to be absorbed. The final step is to buff it with a clean paper towel until the metal gleams, repeating the entire procedure two or more times until the desired sheen is achieved or your arms give out, whichever comes first. The two products together work much better and achieve superior results to using either product by itself.

I also took the opportunity to tear down the floor nozzle, remove a whole bunch of crud and replace the belt, which was intact but worn ridiculously thin.

Anywho, here are some 'after' photos that you can compare to 'before' photos posted earlier in the thread. Does it look like it just came back from Kirby? Hell no. but for an hour's work, I'm pretty pleased. On a warmer day when I have some time, I'll go back over it with the little buffing wheel I have for my drill.

 

[kirbyklekter]

Nice Human

Now you can say you have the Heritage Trio! They are definitely a favorite among many a Kirby collector and others who just know a good cleaner when they use one. When you polish your vacuums using your drill, what routine or method do you use? if you have a deep scratch do you use something else to get rid of it. I tell people that I decided to leave some scratches as is for posterity. Truth be known, I just don't have the know how or experience. Someone here said they've used the Handy Butler with the cable that has the drill bit attached and the various pads and rouges. I would think that using a variable speed drill would be easier if you were to go that route.

 

[human]

I tend not to worry about getting all the scratches—or battle scars, as I like to call them—out of my machines. I just leave them as the badges of honor that they are. That said, I try to do my best to avoid adding any additional scars.

The drill I like to polish with is a Black & Decker 20v variable speed cordless with a lithium ion battery pack. The battery pack will run for quite a while and I have a second one as a backup. I basically use the same procedure as for hand polishing, except I'm doing the heavy buffing with the drill. Either way, patience and persistence are key to a great shine.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Edgar,

Speaking of long waits between getting certain things you want, I finally got the original red air adjustment plate for my Kirby Classic III!

I mean, its shipping route was shocking: it mistakenly went to Guam, and when that was realized, it was then shipped off to Hawaii before finally arriving here in Portland, OR yesterday!

~Ben

 

[human]

That kind of reminds me of those old "Family Circus" comic strips where they send the little boy on some simple errand and then show the convoluted route he took to accomplish it. I had a similar experience this week with hood I ordered for one of my camera lenses. It arrived Thursday, some three months after I'd ordered it. Yeah, it came from China but that usually takes about three weeks, not three months! I have no idea where all it went during that time as tracking ceased once the package left China Post's hands but the refund made it to my PayPal account before the lens hood made it to my mailbox.

Speaking of refunds, eBay Buyer Protection has ruled in my favor and issued a refund for the orange bag I bought but was never shipped.

 

[human]

I just can't stop tinkering with that Heritage. Earlier, when I put what I felt were the best pieces of the two handles together, I was a bit dissatisfied by some tape or decal residue on the front of the one with the better looking metal that I just couldn't seem to remove, so I got out my drill and my polishing supplies and went to work on the other handle, which was the more tarnished of the two—but not anymore! I ran one battery completely out on my drill and probably took a good chunk of the charge off of the other one but it's now nice and shiny, or at least shiny enough to look like it belongs with the rest of the machine, which I polished by hand on Friday. It still won't win any beauty contests and it surely would never be mistaken for one that's just come back from a trip home to the Kirby mothership, but it's lightyears ahead of where it was when it arrived on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago. It should once again have a proper orange bag very soon and I'll post some photos of the finished product, once that's in place. I can't think of much more to do to it right now, other than replace the fan and the brush roll, but those items aren't totally mission critical at this juncture.

 

[lesinutah]

Human

I was wondering if you were interested or if you found a bag? I found the topper.
Les
[email protected]

 

[lesinutah]

Charlie

You have a heritage 2 legend 2 belt lifter stcker. I'm not sure on the chrome hub caps if it's legend color or early red heritage color.
The wooden brush roll, the chrome polished, 84 insignia and tags. That is truly a beautiful vacuum.
Les

 

[air-waycharlie]

Les

When Kirby did the rebuild I was informed that not all parts would be original. The original belt lifter sticker was replaced as well as he hubcaps. Kirby no longer makes those items in the original color/style so they use the Legend II replacements as they work with the HD-1 color scheme and they can keep less inventory for older vacuums.

I removed the bag topper and original bag before shipping as I knew I would not get the original ones with the, "84", insignia returned.

Thanks for your nice comment!

 

[air-waycharlie]

Les

When Kirby did the rebuild I was informed that not all parts would be original. The original belt lifter sticker was replaced as well as he hubcaps. Kirby no longer makes those items in the original color/style so they use the Legend II replacements as they work with the HD-1 color scheme and they can keep less inventory for older vacuums.

I removed the bag topper and original bag before shipping as I knew I would not get the original ones with the, "84", insignia returned.

Thanks for your nice comment!

 

[human]

Orange is the New Bag!

Thanks to the generosity of Air-Way Charlie, My Heritage 1HD now has a new (and by that I mean brand new) original style orange bag! It's one that had come back from the Kirby mothership with his fully restored Heritage 84. Aside from the black zipper, the bag also differs from the vintage Heritage style bags in that the strap inside that secures the fill tube is made of woven nylon instead of the bag material and has Velcro to secure the end of the strap. I'd call that a minor design improvement. For what it's worth, the Heritage II style emptor and fill tube assembly went in with no problems.

The only extremely minor issue is the original gray bag guard band is a bit stretched out from spending many years on the shakeout bag's older style emptor. I haven't decided yet, but the black Heritage II band that was on the gray bag may be in its future. I think it would blend into the mini emptor and look okay. I realize some folks might see the later style mini emptor as incorrect, but it's functional and it allows the vacuum to use the same style filter bags as the rest of my Kirbys and would even allow it to use newer HEPA style bags, so I see it as an improvement over the older design, sort of like a restomod.

Below is a complete rundown of the repairs and improvements I've made to this machine:
• Temporarily replaced missing handle pin with appropriate sized carriage bolt and nut.
• Replaced original orange shakeout bag assembly with a Heritage II filter bag assembly.
• Replaced damaged cord with a better used one.
• Rebuilt handle with the best parts of two.
• Replaced carriage bolt with original handle pin.
• Replaced missing 'Heritage' decal on bag header.
• Replaced broken handle yoke and set spring tension.
• Polished oxidized aluminum.
• Replaced worn belt, cleaned and adjusted bush roll.
• Replaced gray Heritage II bag with new orange Heritage I bag, using H2 emptor and fill tube

All in all, I'm vey happy with the way things turned out and since Charlie was so kind to provide me the orange bag I needed, I'll be happy to pay that forward if someone would like to have the orange shakeout bag with its original emptor but sans the bag header, let me know and I'll be happy to pass it along.

So without any further ado, here are some photos of the finished project, along with a 'family photo' of my three Heritage/Legend series machines.

 

[kirbyklekter]

Well, they all look great.

To my taste it's the middle one that's my favorite. Are the bag rings at the bottom all the same size whether shake out or mini-emptor? I think they are. Anyway, nice additions to your collection. When you've completed a resto and there's nothing waiting in the wings to do next, do you experience a mild withdrawal, because the project consumed a good deal of time, and then it's over and crickets.. This is where I have to exercise restraint. Running out of space helps with the discipline,if I had a barn as many of you do there's no telling how many vacuums I'd have by now. I'd have to attend a 12 step program for vacoholics as you once alluded to! Cheers.

 

[air-waycharlie]

Edgar,
Absolutely beautiful lineup! At one time I had a Legend II rebuilt by Kirby with all the original attachments. It was stunning. I gave it to a friend so she could enjoy the wonders of a Kirby. I kind of regret letting it go. There are still plenty of them out there and maybe there will be one in my future.

Many Kirby dealers that I have spoken with raved about the Lengend II--it's wonderful balance when vacuuming, the maneuverability of the smaller head and most of all the pleasing color which is so attractive to the eye.

The one I had, had come from a club member that was a vac store owner so it was in damn nice shape to begin with. Kirby rebuild did their magic and like I said, it was stunning. The tools and hose were in, "like new", condition.

Thanks for the pics and I'm glad the bag has a new home! Now I'll just have to see about a Legend II in my future...…………...

 

[human]

Yes, I'm quite fond of the Heritage II Legend and I think the red Legend II bag on it makes the other red accents pop a little more. Conversely, the gray bag on Legend II actually works to tone down all that red a notch. Since acquiring these three machines, I've definitely become more of a fan of the Heritage/Legend series.

 

[human]

Surprise Package

I found pleasant surprise waiting for me on my doorstep today. Another little care package had had arrived from Air-Way Charlie, who had previously supplied me with a beautiful, brand new orange bag for my Heritage 1HD. This one contained a pair of shiny gray cord hooks to replace the ones on my Heritage, which had taken on that faded, almost chalky appearance. These replacements just set the machine off quite nicely. I look at the machine now and it's hard to believe it's the same decrepit looking device that hit my doorstep almost a month ago. It's come a long way in a short amount of time. I have to admit I had my doubts early on as to how it might turn out but its 'ugly duckling' transformation has been truly amazing. I've just been leaving it in the kitchen where I can admire it every time I go in there.

 

[lesinutah]

Human

Nice job on the vac restoration.
I was looking at your pics. The legend 2 is suppose to have the bag that the middle heritage legend has. The legend should have the bag the legend 2 has.
I believe you already know this. It just threw me off. I have 2 legend 2s.
Les

 

[human]

A whole lotta bag swappin' goin' on...

Yes, I'm aware those bags are swapped. I'm the one who swapped them. I've always thought it was fun to swap parts of similar things around to achieve a unique look. Sometimes it looks dumb and sometimes it looks really cool.

I acquired both of those machines last fall, the Legend II in mid-September and then the Heritage II Legend a few weeks later. The Legend II with a smashed mini emptor and the best deal I could find for a replacement was to purchase an entire Heritage II Legend bag assembly. The vacuum came a day or so after the bag assembly arrived, so out of convenience, I just put the whole Heritage II assembly onto the Legend II, then tore down the red Legend II bag assembly to launder the outer bag. I kind of liked the look of the black bag on that red machine, so I ended up swapping the red Legend II header and bag guard band over onto the black bag, knowing I could always swap them back at a later time.

By the time I acquired the Heritage II Legend in late October, I had lucked up on a mini emptor for cheap and so ordered a new fill tube to replace the one from the Legend II, which was in "Swiss cheese" condition. I rebuilt the Legend II bag assembly using the red outer bag and the black topper and band from the Heritage II bag assembly and then just for fun, I stuck it on the Heritage II Legend when I got it and really liked the look so I left the bags swapped.

I put the complete Heritage II Legend bag assembly on a shelf until I got the Heritage 1HD and first put it on that machine in lieu of the shakeout assembly. I ultimately scavenged the emptor and fill tube from it to put onto the new orange bag, along with the shakeout bag's topper and bag guard band.