Mr Conrad 'Connie' Hoover aka Constellation 821 goes to the Spa.

[aeoliandave]

With the Eureka 50th Anniversary Roto-matic model 860AC from the weekend polished up and put on display I turned my attentions to the Canadian 821 tonight. Had the green floor brush in the partz bin, fixed up the hose coupling repair and added a spare more-green-than-blue Vibra-beat nozzle.

What year was Eureka's 50th Anniversary exactly, eurekaprince Brian?

 

[aeoliandave]

Next number, please. Calling 821...the doctor is reeady for

Oh my, someone dropped you on your head, did they? Then left you in the dirt...snapped your hoser neck, too, I see...

 

[aeoliandave]

Mmm, looks worse on the outside than it is, Conrad.

If you'll just strip down to your basic bones I'll just apply a little tropical anesthetic to the affected area.

 

[aeoliandave]

Just try to relax, Conrad. I've applied a little tropical anesthetic to the affected area. No need to wash up; we'll take care of that deformed trim ring at the same time. I find the repair is much more satisfactory when viewed after the full treatment.

 

[aeoliandave]

a few final taps with the ballpeen and yer right as rain.

Off to the showers with ya now. Don't forget to polish and buff...

 

[aeoliandave]

Good, you took off that filthy blue belt - we'll send that and your other parts off with Mr Clean while the Doctor finesses your trim ring. He's a whizz with that Magic Eraser of his...

 

[aeoliandave]

Feeling better now, Conrad? There will be a small hairline scar under your 'A' but it's barely noticable.

 

[aeoliandave]

Your rubber parts are back from the Scrub & Shine.

How to remove water from grooves...blow and wipe, repeat until yer back at the beginning. Of course, One could use an air compressor but that's so down in the basement and the Doctor is on a roll...

 

[aeoliandave]

Go on upstairs and rest yourself, Conrad. The Doctor is going to work on your digestive system and dryclean your blue pants.

The dark blue paint is known to rub away if one scrubs too vigorously. A gentle touch with Magic Eraser and a wax job & buff is all that's needed.

 

[aeoliandave]

Your muffler felt is slightly musty but a dose of Eucalyptus will have you smelling sweet again. Sure there's a little rust down there but who doesn't have a touch of rust 'down there'.

A touch with the dremeltool and some oil polish and it won't spread to the nether regions. Call 'em STD warts or hard won calluses, we can't eliminate them without a complete off frame repaint and you look pretty darn good as is after 55 years on the job.

Be grateful the moths and mice didn't get atcha...

 

[aeoliandave]

Okey Dokey, Conrad. You've come through the preliminaries with flying colours. That didn't hurt much now did it?

We have a younger cousin of yours in off the streets with very tattered clothing - deep dents and paint chips and mucho nether region rust that has spread - who has agreed to donate his cord and a kidney donut for your engine support. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with with either a gray Hoover or dark blue Kirby cord until a proper blue one comes along.

See you in a few days for the final operation and a fresh bag we've located from 1954. That used WayBack Machine was a good investment. Thanks, Sherman. Your nozzles and hose are enjoying a warm soapy long soak and rubdown in the tub and will join you then. Why, you'll be almost as handsome as the day you were born but for the minor battle scars we've discussed.

Felix is checking security precautions put in place as standard practice to protect your teensy parts like ridiculously small circlip washers for your handle and hinge rods.

 

[eurekaprince]

Eureka was established in 1907, Dr. Dave.....

Therefore, your 50th anniversary Roto-Matic (drool, drool...) is from 1957.

Did Conrad come with his own OHIP (Ontario Heath Insurance Plan) card?

Everytime I see that Eureka woven hose in turquoise or green, it brings me back to fond memories of the attachment kit we had with our Automatic upright in the 1960's. I can still remember the distinctive smell of the outside of the hose....smell is one of our strongest memory triggers....and I don't know what it was, but all Eureka attachments and hoses had a particular fragrance that I will never forget.

Oy...I am one sick Filter Queen, aren't I?

B

 

[electrolux~137]

The smell of vacuum cleaners

I can totally relate to this, as can many others including Stan Kann. He liked to sniff cloth sweeper bags because he liked the scent of them.

One vacuum cleaner that comes to mind whose attachments have a distictive odor is the G.E. Roll-Easy. The dusting brush in particular has a strong "plastic-y" smell that I could detect from 20 paces, and I would immediately be able to identify it by a whiff of it blindfolded! But all the plastic attachments, including the hose, have a similar "olfactory aura."

 

[eurekaprince]

Wouldn't that be a fun contest for the next VCCC convent

Blindfolded contestants have to guess which manufacturer made a certain attachment, or hose, or bag....by smell only! no touching allowed! The winner gets a packet of vintage scent tablets!

ep

 

[aeoliandave]

Once again singing the praises of Mr Clean's Magic Erase

Was studiously scrubbing away at the vinyl hose by the half filled bathtub with a potato brush when I decided to try a Magic Eraser. Wow! Decades of greasy black schmutz came off instantly. So I shucked my duds and climbed into the tub with it, stretching out 12" sections of hose between my knees and left hand. This raises and flattens out the web between coils and a single pass of Mr Eraser wipes it clean as new with special attention to the stubborn spots and coupler crevices. Once again in awe of the amazing Magic Eraser.
Now it's hanging on the curtain rod drying out and looking almost brand new & blue. And I have a perfect excuses to scrub down the tub & surround again this month. LOL

Such a purty blue...

 

[arh1953]

No pictures? Oh well, the vacuum cleaners, especially the Eureka, are to die for. Good old Canadian ingenuity.

 

[aeoliandave]

So sorry Alan, I never thought to think. By then I was all wet and the camera in another room and awkward tripod manipulations would have been called for and so on.

Disregarding post 80s plastic hoses and the like, it is surprising that for all their technical wizardry over the years that Electrolux hoses are so prone to breaking down and leaking. More so the cheaper vinyl hoses of Kenmore, while re-enforced molded hose stock on Sunbeam, Filter Queens, Rainbows and Kirby still do not prevent cracking and splitting in the webs.

And yet humble Hoover made a vinyl hose mix that consistently stands the test of time.

Also, I've yet to come across a GE or Eureka woven saran hose that leaked badly and in fact usually they are airtight and the weave smooth and snagless.

San't say that about Electrolux's saran weave after the 1960s.

The Royal crushless hose construction is a brilliant job of double interlocking coils that resist any attack on their integrity and are quite flexible.

 

[arh1953]

Rubbadubbdub

Well, the end results are rewarding, all in a days work.

 

[aeoliandave]

Transplant is a success. Donor donut in place and grey cord installed.

For those not familiar with the innards of a Connie the rubber donut mount ring fits on top over the fan case and the motor seats in another rubber cup at the bottom that has a keyway to keep the motor from torquing out of position.

Because I hope to some day be able to secure a genuine blue Hoover cord I did as little modification to the grey cord as possible. In this case the cord is tied up to the screw lug by the green arrow which will prevent it from being accidently tugged out.