Mother's Mags Polish?

[briankirbyclass]

Im going to try to restore (or at least clean up) a Kirby Classic Omega(without taking off the motor shell,the motor sounds fine).Dosent have to be pristine, just cleaned up from what condition it is in now is really all it needs.
The brushroll is in pretty good condition, as is the handle,cord, and trim. just needs a good clean up.
Going to wash the bag,wipe the entire machine and all down real good with 409,,and try not to buy any new parts,new bulb and belt of course.
Ive heard about (from this forum, thank you!),, the polish that is used to restore a Kirby. Again, im not looking to restore to A1 condition, just give the machine a good clean up. Evidently the machine was used, but never abused. Has the usual nicks and scratches.
I do have a good usable Kirby Handy Butler from another machine i could use to do the polishing. Or at least enough to bring out the dullness of the metal,,,it is VERY dull and tarnished. But not oxydized at all. There again, dosent have to be a mirror finish,,just get the dullness out.
What do you guys suggest? Thanks in advance!

 

[chuffle]

I've had good results with Ma's.

Be sure to use a little bit at a time, and a lot of elbow grease, and the results will really surprise you.

I'll probably get into trouble for saying this, but I found that a little 0000 steel wool will smoothen out those furniture nicks and scratches (they won't go away, but they won't be as pronounced).

Good luck,

Joe

 

[crevicetool]

Joe.....You're in trouble!!!

Not a thing wrong with using 0000 steel wool on scratched, dulled aluminium parts. AS LONG AS IT'S LUBRICATED. Something slippery, even soap will do. I've even used mineral oil, then a very thorough washing before moving on to the next step.

Brian, If you've got a felt buffing wheel in the Handi-Butler, pick yourself up some polishing compound. Something for soft metals/plastics that will bring up the shine. You will be amazed at the finish you get. Here's a hint, warm the part to be polished somehow...cold metal just gums up the compound.

After that, I clean the parts again and then use a product called Maas (that's how it's spelled), you can get it at grocery stores or smaller hardware stores then polish the heck out of the part by hand. The trick to Maas is when you remove the polish with a clean dry soft cloth - that's when the real "glow" appears.

I have never used the Mother's but have heard it does the same as Maas.

You will be amazed at what you have done! You might even say it's pristine.

BTW, take care NOT to touch the buffer to rubber or plastic parts. It may tear them up.

Good luck!

Rick

 

[sireluxomatic]

I've also found that Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish combined with 0000 steel wool and a soft towel gets good results. Good luck with the polishing job.

Bob

 

[louvac]

Brian,

Also try Fllitz (blue cream) which is a water-based aluminum cleaner found in most old fashioned hardware stores. Also, a little goes a long way. Another, much like Flitz, is Autosol (pink, and oil-based) which was sold by Kirby a while back but is no longer available. Another trick is to use plain 0000 steel wool by itself to remove most of the dirt dirt. You'll be surprised how much the appearance improves just using this method. Then proceed with a good polish.

I am still in search of that "perfect" polish. But up to now, I found all of the ones mentioned in my post to be equally as good. Mother's is also good. You can also use both Tripoli and Rouche which can be found at Home Depot. These are easiest to use with a polisher as they are a solid stick which one holds against a polishing bonnet and burnishes the metal against the lightly coated bonnet/pad. It's also messy as it flicks particles everywhere!

I also have found that the composition of aluminum from one Kirby or Royal to another can vary greatly. Some machines are shinier to begin with. They almost appear to be chrome-like, while still others are more of a mat finish. I don't know exactly why this is, but I am sure there is a degree of manufacturing tolerances when the metal is made.

Another one I've found to be good is, Top-Brite which is found often times at state fairs. Usually, there is person at a booth demonstrating it. It's orange and is oil-based, also.

If you have some deeper stains you can also try Cameo which is sold in larger grocery stores. It's more gritty and seems to clean more than it polishes. I am not a fan of it per se, but it can work to some degree.

 

[lux1521]

Aluminum Differences

Not all aluminum is the same. Elemental aluminum is not what is used, so the composition of other elements in the aluminum alloy the company chooses to use could effect polishing. There are probably other factors, but that just came to mind.

Personally, I've used liquid flitz (green stuff) on a piece of 600 grit sand paper to begin my polishing process. It saves time on the buffing machine. In the next few years I plan on doing some more experimenting with my technique. If done this way from the start, I usually have good results. I have some stuff that I used some more aggressive sand paper on, and I'm still trying to repair it.

I think I used this technique on this project from a little over a year ago. I still have this machine, never sold it, and don't want to anymore.

http://www.vacuumland.org/TD/ARCHIVE/VINTAGE/2008/3947x26.htm

 

[briankirbyclass]

Thanks eveyone! I found some stuff in the back of underneath the sink called Brasso? I know it has to be older than sin,cant even remember buying it, but still sounds liquid when you shake the can. Worth a try or no?

 

[hygiene903]

Mother's Mag

I use Mother's Mag for most of my restoration projects. Usually use it with terry cloth towels, but sometimes use fine steel wool for the stubborn spots. I do have some Brasso but use it mostly for Bakelite or plastic hoods on Hoovers. You can polish metal with it but I don't think it works as well as Mother's or some of the other brands mentioned.
Jeff

 

[briankirbyclass]

Thanks much for all your help everyone,,will let you know how it turns out! Brian