Welcome Kevin! I haven't tried the liquid latex method myself, so I couldn't help you much there. The XXX was made from 1937 to 1954, except for the years 1942-1945, when the plant, as well as most other US factories switched over production for the war effort. Charles Lester could give you more detailed info for dating it, but I'll tell you what little I know. From the beginning until about 1948, they had a 475-watt motor, then beginning in 1948 they built it with a 565-watt motor. Also in 1948, the runners were changed from flat to round, the way they were mounted changed, and the louvered exhaust door was changed from being a single door that swung up when you plugged in the hose to a split "saloon door" style that opened to the sides. My XXX is kind of a hybrid--has all of the newer features but still has the older 475-watt motor, which tells me that it MUST have been built in early 1948, at a time when they were trying to use up the 475's before they started building them with the bigger motors. Then in the last years of production, 1953 and 54, The rear end and front cover were painted hammertone blue. Here's mine.
