My Electrolux 50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee

[danemodsandy]

1205 and PNs

The first Lux I ever lusted after was a brand-new 1205 with a PN-2 in the window of the Electrolux agency on Piedmont Avenue; I worked a couple of doors down at the time. Every day, I had to walk past all that turquoise-and-polished-aluminum goodness.

I knew it was too expensive for me at the time, but I eventually went in anyway and asked about it. Well, they were very kind - they soon assessed my finances and said the 1205 was a little (uh, a lot) more than they were willing to finance, but I COULD be approved for a refurbished Model L (in hammertone blue) with a PN-1. All the tools were new. I think it was $129.95 total. A roommate stole it some years later.

I've had a soft spot for Luxes ever since.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

When I took the top off to sanitize.

Original tape on the crystal clear hose. Factory indentifier paint mark. Not even a mark on the sides of the toggle switch.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

Wow danemodsandy.

That is a great story.

 

[danemodsandy]

That Must Be....

....The cleanest metal-bodied Lux I've seen since they were new!

You NEVER see that hose clear any more.

 

[danemodsandy]

Yeah.....

....That 1205 in the window of the Lux agency (close to Ansley Mall) looked like a small Rolls-Royce sitting there. The sales guys had it polished to the point that the aluminum looked like sterling silver. It was gorgeous, and it just SCREAMED "Expensive!"

The demo machine inside looked very nice, but it sure didn't look like the one in the window. I remember they had it displayed with a turquoise B-8 shampooer/polisher, which was also polished to within an inch of its life.

I never dreamed that such wondrous, expensive things would one day end up battered and filthy in thrift stores.

Fortunately for me, eventually they did. ;-)

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

So happy the body had no dents.

There seams to almost always be at least a tiny one.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

Too funny.

I was just down there a few weeks ago. I bought a house about thirty miles north of the city and had not been there in a while. It has changed a lot. Nice area still.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

Even the inlet was clean.......

.......with shiny contacts and no scrapes.

 

[danemodsandy]

Can't Believe...

...That inlet. That thing must have never been used.

By the way, you're right about the changes in that area. Atlanta changed so much I finally gave up and moved up here to Iowa. I like city life, but not THAT fast-paced and expensive.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

Dusting brush love:

My little guy wanted to be part of it.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

Jeolusy and resentment from my other little guy:

He could not take being ignored over the vacuum anymore yesterday as I spent all day finishing it.

 

[danemodsandy]

Glad to See...

Other kitties who appreciate nice vacuums.

My little boy, Tony, has always liked them, was never afraid of them, and then one day, when he was curious about the dusting brush when I was vacuuming, I touched it to his fur, to see if he'd tolerate it.

INSTANT ADDICTION. He loved it, and begs to be vacuumed every time I use the machine. Helps quite a bit with keeping hair off everything, I must say.

 

[danemodsandy]

Nitey!

I just realized it's three in the morning here! I'll check in with this thread tomorrow to see how things have progressed.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

At last my restored and finished Electrolux 50th Anniversary

This was my birthday present to myself this year to get and restore a Golden Jubilee I have wanted for years ! I LOVE THIS Electrolux !

 

[Sanifan]

Wow, that is a fantastic vac in fantastic shape. You are very fortunate!

To tell my story, I picked up a Golden Jubilee off a guy from Craigslist. It was pretty beat up. He originally wanted $20 for it and I told him I was interested. He emailed me back to let me know it was still available. Then I got really busy and forgot about it. The next time I got around to looking, he was giving it away for free. I jumped!

When I got there he was a guy his mid 20's. I bet the vac had belonged to his mom or aunt and he had been using it because it was the vac that had always been around. He said was getting rid of it because it was "old" and he just wanted something newer. As I was loading it into my car, he said wait, there was something else. He went into the house and brought out a cardboard box. It was a bulk box of new original bags, about 50 or so left. I thanked him and drove off.

I was initially interested for the sheer sake of getting and playing with a new-to-me Electrolux for cheap. He hadn't specified a model and the only thing I could tell from the small pic was that it was a metal bodied tank. When I got there, I was taken by the PN. It looks just like yours with the aluminum on top. The bottom plate is different, though. Instead of the wide rollers it has two bigger wheels on either side of the hose/pivot, and the bottom plate is a cream color. PN4? I'm not sure. When he came out of the house with the bags, I thought: well, if I never get around to using or restoring the new vac, at least I got some bags to use in my 80th Anniversary Ultralux.

Now that I see your gorgeous machine, I will definitely restore mine. Truth be told, I was initially going to donate the body to the thrift store as the Cadillac/Kennedy Era styling is not my bag, but the pics of your vac have changed my mind. The exploded view of the PN will be incredibly helpful, btw, so thanks for that.

I think whoever owned my machine took off the Golden Jubilee stickers, but am I right in thinking it must be a Golden Jubilee model if it's gold? Also, the hose is definitely shot. Pretty frayed and probably leaky as heck.

Thanks for sharing your restore. Very inspiring! I hope you enjoy it!

 

[beerad]

a beautiful Lux

You have inspired me to recondition my pn,, the same one.
I have the exact model of Lux.
I have 2 questions.

1. Where did you get the "Perfect" type lux vac bags?

2. Where did you get your hose from?

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

Hi sanifan !

That is great that you have a great Electrolux. I just love the aqua blue decals against the gold being a special model, especially since there were only around 20,000 total produced and find it very intriguing. Sounds like you do have a PN4 which is also an excellent PN. I was'nt sure I would be able to complete this Golden Jubilee, but am very greatful I was able to find the pieces and parts to do a restoration. The PN2 is probably the most simplistic of all the power nozzles but it is nice to see a break down. Glad it was of use. I remember trying to figure out how to get the sole plate off the bottom of a PN2 and after the fact realizing you had to take the top off first to release the "catch" from inside with a flat screwdriver. It's the small things sometimes.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

Hi beerad !

The Perfect bags I did an internet search on and different online stores have them at different times. I have not seen the Perfect bags in person in a store though as of yet. The last box I bought on Amazon a week ago. The hose I found on Ebay almost a year ago. I had to really search for the tan/beige as most I see are the gray. Wish they made them in blue as well. May have to get a newer model blue hose and change the ends.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

I'll follow up with you danemodsandy this weekend.

My two buys are not scared of the vacuums but don't care for the suction on their fur. I bet that is cute and fun. I will be more than happy to send you the motor free of charge. I have a few other pieces I will put a picture of up to see if anybody wants. They are not mint pieces but hate to throw them out because of the rarety. Would rather spend a little on some shipping than discard.

 

[Sanifan]

Thanks! Finding out about these machines is fun. I did not realize the Golden Jubilee was that rare. Turns out the one I have may be a Super J, not the Golden Jubilee. It's the same color as the Golden Jubilee but has a more powerful (and noisier) motor, apparently. See the link below. Maybe that's why there was no sticker on it. It may not be as rare as the GJ, either. I'm not sure. Is there any way of telling the difference between the two?

I do like the turquoise models and the Silverado a lot. All these older Luxes sure were classy!

http://www.1377731.com/lux/luxlall.html

 

[kenkart]

PN-2

I think a PN-2 was the finest power nozzle ever!

 

[briankirbyclass]

WOW, what a beauty! Sure brings back memories! The Golden J was one of the first Lux's i was ever in love with and is my favorite of all the models!
My Grandma bought one new in the Spring of 1976,,,it was evidently one of the last Golden Js, before the Super Js came out. It is the exact same machine you have. I know she gave around 400 dollars for it.
I used the heck out of that machine over the years,Grandma's house was one of those big old 2 stories with 4 bedrooms upstairs, all with wall to wall carpet, and a huge carpeted stair case.
The Golden J and i spent many hours up and down those stairs!
It really was a serious work out vacuuming that whole house, and the Golden J never missed a beat!
It was Grandma's only vacuum for over 15 yrs. It finally got to be too heavy for her to carry up and down the strairs, so i got her a Lux Discovery upright for the upstairs, and she used the Golden J for the main floor.
When Grandma went to the rest home in the late 1990s, and we went to clean out the house to get it ready to sell,,,you can be sure the Golden J came home with me after cleaning that huge house for the last time!
Its now settled into quiet retirement, and gets used occasionally. The motor is a little tired now,but still has that Electrolux smell.
I would restore it, if it would come out as nice as yours, but i think ill keep it the way Grandma left it. Thanks for the memory!

 

[danemodsandy]

Tyler:

Now that I've had some beauty sleep (HA!), I'm really bowled over by the final product you've posted here. That is ONE GORGEOUS MACHINE.

I see that you've done the same thing I do with Luxes - put the new, genuine Aerus hose and the new, genuine wand sheath on it. Both are much better designs than the originals, and make the vac much more fun to use. And since both are the original manufacturer's current parts, there's no question of "bojacking."

I am truly impressed. I wish I could find a 1205 "sleeper" like that! P.S.: I've emailed you about the PN-2 motor; get back to me when you have time.

Again, congratulations on a fantastic machine and a super-impressive restoration.

 

[danemodsandy]

P.S., Tyler:

If you name your vacuum cleaners, as I do, you might consider the moniker I gave my Model L, which is a late one, and the same color as your machine:

Goldielux.

 

[danemodsandy]

Hans:

"I think a PN-2 was the finest power nozzle ever!"

I think the PN-4 is equally good, but I can definitely agree that those two PNs are the finest ones Lux ever made.

My guess is that a lot of the performance is down to the weight of the head; that cast-aluminum shell gives the PN some necessary heft. The PN-5 is not nearly so good a performer, due to both its lightness and that idiotic "floating" feature.

The other thing I enjoy about my PN-2s and PN-4s is that they're very rebuildable, due to the polished aluminum housing. You can take a very nasty one and make it look like new if you're willing to put in the work polishing it.

 

[Sanifan]

I discovered mine is a Super J, not a Golden J. There are some scuffs and marks, but not nearly as bad as I recalled. It will clean up well! Thanks for your inspiring restore.

 

[floor-a-matic]

Where did U find the aqua telescopic wand? I have yet to find one!

btw, my Model L & 1205s are still in pristine shape. However, I ended up buying a gray electrified hose for the 1205 & I'm thinking about changing the machine end coupling to use the hose on a Model L.

I couldn't find an elecric hose that swivels, w/slider vent & ON/OFF switch for the L. Either the hose handle is non-swivel OR does not have the suction control & switch.

This is as closest to what I can find; but I'm NOT willing to pay the high price!

http://www.totalvac.com/electrolux_hoses.htm

 

[rainbowjoel]

It's beautiful Tyler! I admire your work!

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

Same here BrianKirbyClass

That is a great story. I used an Electrolux 1205 and a Hoover Convertible Special to vacuum the five bedroom house I grew up in once a week. I remember using the 1205 with the power nozzle and crevice tool on the two sets (front and back) split entry carpeted staircases. All three bathrooms and the kitchen were even carpeted. No wonder I love Electrolux and Hoover to this day. They were my best friends.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

That's cute danemodsandy.......

.......that your cat likes to be vacuumed. Mine are not scared of them but won't let the suction end come too close. I like the Goldielux nickname