Hi folks, First post. I have been reading just about every thread on here regarding the Tradition. I am a total vintage vacuum newbie, but the info I have gained on this site thus far has been amazing.
My Story:
Last year our plastic vacuum broke, we replaced it with another cheap plastic model, of course I was totally disgusted with the options available and costs and knew I was just buying yet another vacuum destined to break in short order. I vowed then that I would keep an eye out on Craigslist, yard sales, etc for a vintage vacuum, one that would make me happy to use instead of the disposables on the market today.
That day came last week when a Kirby Tradition (serial G665305) appeared on Craigslist for $20. The lady could not meet until the following day, that's when I first found myself here cramming to know all I could about the vacuum before meeting her. When I got there I was actually able to pretend like I knew a thing or two as I inspected the speed switch, (mounted on the front, with the blue plastic cover still in place) fan, etc. I knew right away I was going to buy it, all in all it was in great shape for it's age, even still has some shine to it. I asked about attachments, she had no idea about any, said it belonged to her husband before they were married. It was about that time when she said, I'll take $10 for it if you want it. SCORE! I kept my poker face, but boy was I grinning on the inside like the chesire cat. $10 for my first vintage Kirby, I could not be more happy. It needs a little sprucing up and some maintenance, but it sounds great and does its thing as is, which means it can only improve from here.
They clearly used it as their dog bed vacuum. I noticed on their porch several carpet remnants for the dogs. The brush roller was full, and I mean FULL of dog hair and the zipper bag smells like wet dog. But I think that should be easy to overcome with some cleaning, I am not too worried about it.
Thanks to ebay links here for a Kirby parts seller, I've already ordered a couple parts for things I know it needs and I have a wish list for the pricier parts (i.e. speed switch, brush roller)
Brings me to my question, I consider myself pretty handy and like to tinker and I have fixed the occasional electronic or two so I thought I wanted to see what I could do with the speed switch, turns out, not much. But I was able to get it to operate manually, meaning I can pull it up with my fingers to kill the power and I can push it down to re-engage. What I don't know is if it is re-engaging on high or low speed? With nothing to compare it to and never owning one before I don't know what speed it's running at? Can someone explain to me with a properly operating switch how it works? Does it have 3 positions (off,lo,hi) that are triggered depending on what attachment is in play? Is there a way to determine if mine is running on high or low until I can get a new switch?
Thanks in advance for reading my lengthy post.
My Story:
Last year our plastic vacuum broke, we replaced it with another cheap plastic model, of course I was totally disgusted with the options available and costs and knew I was just buying yet another vacuum destined to break in short order. I vowed then that I would keep an eye out on Craigslist, yard sales, etc for a vintage vacuum, one that would make me happy to use instead of the disposables on the market today.
That day came last week when a Kirby Tradition (serial G665305) appeared on Craigslist for $20. The lady could not meet until the following day, that's when I first found myself here cramming to know all I could about the vacuum before meeting her. When I got there I was actually able to pretend like I knew a thing or two as I inspected the speed switch, (mounted on the front, with the blue plastic cover still in place) fan, etc. I knew right away I was going to buy it, all in all it was in great shape for it's age, even still has some shine to it. I asked about attachments, she had no idea about any, said it belonged to her husband before they were married. It was about that time when she said, I'll take $10 for it if you want it. SCORE! I kept my poker face, but boy was I grinning on the inside like the chesire cat. $10 for my first vintage Kirby, I could not be more happy. It needs a little sprucing up and some maintenance, but it sounds great and does its thing as is, which means it can only improve from here.
They clearly used it as their dog bed vacuum. I noticed on their porch several carpet remnants for the dogs. The brush roller was full, and I mean FULL of dog hair and the zipper bag smells like wet dog. But I think that should be easy to overcome with some cleaning, I am not too worried about it.
Thanks to ebay links here for a Kirby parts seller, I've already ordered a couple parts for things I know it needs and I have a wish list for the pricier parts (i.e. speed switch, brush roller)
Brings me to my question, I consider myself pretty handy and like to tinker and I have fixed the occasional electronic or two so I thought I wanted to see what I could do with the speed switch, turns out, not much. But I was able to get it to operate manually, meaning I can pull it up with my fingers to kill the power and I can push it down to re-engage. What I don't know is if it is re-engaging on high or low speed? With nothing to compare it to and never owning one before I don't know what speed it's running at? Can someone explain to me with a properly operating switch how it works? Does it have 3 positions (off,lo,hi) that are triggered depending on what attachment is in play? Is there a way to determine if mine is running on high or low until I can get a new switch?
Thanks in advance for reading my lengthy post.