Kirby 518

[kirbykid]

i just bought a kirby model 518. it costed me 90 bucks but im happy. it has the original bag and cord but the cord is all dried up and one of the plugs has been replaced. i want to know if the kirby box is original. and if anyone has a good hose for it, i would love to have a nice one. here are pics. this is before the clean up. i havent done it yet.

 

[kirbykid]

her is the back of the bag. it was so faded

 

[kirbykid]

here is the cord

 

[kirbykid]

and here are the boxes

 

[kirbykid]

i have heard about people sending there kirbies to the kirby company to have them shine it up and fix everything, i also heard that you need the instruction manual, how do i send it to them.

 

[super-sweeper]

Not sure on how to send a kirby for a factory rebuild,But was the original bag supposed to be black?

-Alex.

 

[eurekastar]

Those are the correct boxes for the 518.  I think that box carried over to the 519 as well.  You can tell from the one photo how much the photo has faded.  It originally was a medium gray. 

 

[vacman1961]

Everything you have there is all original, it all is for the 518. As for sending it to the factory, it will come back like new, the only thing is the last 500 series I sent back came back with all tan trim, there was no red trim on the machine, now I think they have done away with tan bags, the new bag is black, I wonder if they are going to replace all the trim with black trim, would look nice. Good luck in your decision.

 

[kirbykid]

i gues i will do it all my self because i dont want tan trim. i was hoping that they would keap the red trim. and no the original bag was not suposed to be black, it is dark gray. and i have a question. i had 2 sets of 518 atachments and the 2 handy butlers and boxes look different. here are some pics.

 

[kirbykid]

handy sharpener?

 

[eurekastar]

You can paint the tan trim red using plastic/vinyl paint.  It's a simple process.  First, wash it with soap and water.  Dry.  Second, wipe it down with methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) in order to remove the final slick finish on the trim.  The goal here is to create a rough surface to which the paint will adhere. Third, spray it down with a sandless primer.  Fourth, while the primer is still wet, paint with plastic/vinyl paint.  Let the first coat dry and spray it again.  Let it cure for about a week and you'll be good to go.  I use SEM paint that's made for use in the automotive industry.  It's used to paint trim, floor mats, etc. and is very durable. 

 

[kirbykid]

do you know anything about the handy butler?

 

[kirbykid]

does anyone have a handle screw? mine has been replaced with a bolt and im not to happy about that, also does anyone have new berings that would fit this? i am also looking for the brush atachment. i forgot what number. i will try to post a pic later today of the brush that i want. and what do people use for hand polishing? thanks for info. oh i almost forgot something. is it posible to bring back the original color of the bag?

 

[kirbyguy]

Kirby rebuild information

I don't have the Kirby factory rebuild anymore. However I got the number from a local Kirby salesmen.

If I remember corrrectly the gal at the Kirby rebuild plant said the cost for a rebuild/refurbish is between $325.00 to $400.00 now. And many machines like yours, and one of my vintage Kirby's, Kirby's rebuild dept no longer had many of the trim parts, including the cloth bag for the machine available.

I told the gal. I'll take a pass. If I'm going to spend that kind of money on a rebuild. I want my machine rebuilt back to its original look JUST like it did when it was new.

All in all, I found most of what I was looking for on eBay under vintage Kirby vacuum parts and or Vintage Kirby vacuum cleaner. Your bag and cord with the red ends are tough ones to find, good luck with those. But a hose, trim pieces and other vintage Kirby parts eventually do show up on eBay.

There's a seller on eBay that goes under the seller name of (kirbyfans) this guy seems to have quite a large selection of new and NOS Kirby parts. Especially for the vintage models.

Hope this info helps. Good luck & enjoy your Kirby.

 

[djtaylor]

Evan,
I know you want original parts, grey and red cord and grey bag, but it would look great with a new red cord and the new black bag.
Just a suggestion.
Justin

 

[kirbykid]

yes it would look good with a new black bag and red cord but i would realy like to have the kirby logo on the bag. and the red cord im fine with but i want a original one.

 

[kirbyguy]

NEW original Red Kirby cord.

A seller (vacuum shop)by the name of TotalVac sells through eBay.

TotalVac has NEW orininal Kirby cords for the older machines. I just purchased one and it was $14.95 + S&H. The cords do have Kirby name molded into the wall socket end of the cord. Actually I prefer the look of the red cord better then the gray on my machines with red trim and red emptor collar.

You may even be able find a replacement after market cloth bag for your machine at totalVac as well. However, the bag will not be the same as what you machine has on it now. The bag you have now is original and very, very hard to find. Your other option might be to try and dye your current bag a light to medium gray. However I don't know how this will affect the red color cloth trim. It may just turn your red cloth trim and logo black?

 

[kirbyguy]

Bearings,Handle screw,Polish & Brush attachment.

Hope this helps.

Bearings & Handle screw: eBay seller name (Kirbyfans)

Polish: Mothers aluminum polish: Walmart or auto parts store. Works GREAT for hand polishing the metal finish, and it also contains an anti tarnishing inhibitor. This polish works fantastic on all metals. Brass, aluminum, silver, copper etc. wipe on and wipe off. No break your arm rubbing necessary. I Love it. about $7.00 at Walmart for the large jar.

 

[kirbykid]

thanks. ive been wet sanding it and that takes forever. i will try it. i already tried nevr dull and it didnt work that well but it still worked