My model 31 Filter Queen is now complete.

[d-jones]

I knew it was just a matter of time before the parts I needed to complete my machine turned up on eBay, and a couple of weeks ago they finally did. With the purchase of a NOS crevice tool and a NOS felt pad for the floor brush, my machine now has its full compliment of basic tools.

But in the process of assembling three machines(one model 31 for myself and one for a sister, plus a model 33 for another sister) I've noticed something worth mentioning. The original hoses from the period seem to come in two colors. My parents machine, which I copied, and my machine have hoses that many describe as having a pinkish tone. Both of these hoses are as soft and pliable as the day they were made without even the slightest hint of stickiness so often associated with vintage vinyl.

But both of the machines I assembled for my sisters were built up with hoses that are more brown or tan in color. Both have stiffened with age and both had to be washed to remove the sticky residue they had acquired with age.

This first photo is my now completed machine with its pinkish hose.

 

[d-jones]

This photo is of my sisters model 31 with its tan hose. The difference in hose color between the two machines is very clear in the two photos. Again, this hose has stiffened with age and had to be cleaned to remove the oily residue before it could be used. Has anyone else noticed this about these hoses?

Finally, I have a question for all you folks that like vintage Filter Queen vacuums and are familiar with the extra tools made for them. As I'd rather not purchase tools that will end up in a box because they don't live up to expectations, are any of them useful enough to be worth buying?

 

[briankirbyclass]

Wow, beautiful Filter Queens,,excellent job!

Im assuming you are refering to the optional tools such as the sudzer gun, vibrator, hair dryer, ect?
If so, then yes, you can certainly live without them. They were more of a gimmick to help seal the sale of the machine than anything else, but some people do find them useful.

The one optional attchment i loved and use often with the Filter Queen is the Floor Polisher. I have used mine to polish my car,,motorcycle, and several pairs of leather boots many many times. It does an A1 excellent job, because its built so well.
The FQ Floor Polisher is by far the best air driven type polisher of its type,,its heavy, solid and does an excellent job.
It can also be used for scrubbing floors,,i have scrubbed my garage floor with it many times, and its worked perfectly.

The only problem with those Floor Polishers is that the turbine that runs the brush works only on the exhaust of the Filter Queen, which means you have to attach the hose to the top exhaust port under the scenting pad, Which in turn makes the Filter Queen awkward and hard to use and pull around behind you.

I would hate to have to polish a large wooden floor with one, and have to try to drag the Filer Queen behind me with the hose attached to the top of the machine. It causes the machine to become top heavy, and tip over.

 

[d-jones]

Thanks for the response, Brian.

And yes, I did mean the optional tools. Believe it or not, the floor polisher is one of the attachments that I thought might be useful, but I never would have purchased one without hearing that it actually works from someone who'd used it. So thanks for chiming in with your opinion.

 

[danemodsandy]

I Don't Know....

....Enough about Filter Queens to add anything meaningful to the discussion, but OH, how I love that kitchen!

 

[briankirbyclass]

lol Sandy!

At one time someone opened a Filter Queen office in the small town i was raised in,,and many people did buy them from the traveling salesmen that came around.
(rural area)

Several of our neighbors, family and friends had Filter Queens, so i kinda grew up around them.
Those that didnt have a FQ had an Electrolux!,,and a few had Kirby's. There were more Electrolux's than anything. The FQ office didnt stay open very long,,evidently to many staunch Electrolux owners in the town.

I think the whole "Air Washing" idea (as Filter Queen called it) sold alot of people on the machine.
Thats what Filter Queen called using their machine,,,AIR WASHING.
Wheather it was just running the machine in the middle of the room, or using it to vacuum with,,,AIR WASH.

(if Rainbow used this term later, they stole if from FQ, as the old FQ literature from way back ALWAYS refers to useing the Filter Queen as "Air Washing".)

Ive always liked the older FQs, especially these pink models, because of the extra quiet motor, and the rubber tight seal on every inch of the business end of the machine, from attachment end to machine. Which was true of all Filter Queens models,,not sure about the new ones.

Many of The attachments of these older FQs are all metal.
The older FQ carpet nozzle, the one you have attached in these pics, is one of if not THE very best and sturdiest of ANY other. The metal S wands make the whole vacuuming chore easier and less stressful.

My only gripe about Filter Queen has always been that its kind of an awkward machine to use, and will fall over easily when you go to pull it behind you,if the hose is too short, or if the dolly is not attached correctly.

If you didnt already know this,,make sure a wheel from the dolly is always DIRECTLY UNDER the air intake of the FQ,,this will help stury the machine, and help keep it from falling over when pulled around.

The FQ is also much easier to use if the hose is at least 8 feet long. I use a 10 foot hose on mine.

Be sure to empty the bucket often, and dont just dump it ito the trash.
Hold a plastic garbage bag tightly around the bucket, THEN turn it over and shake.
Keeping the trash bag tight around the bucket,Wait a few seconds for the dust to settle, then remove the bucket. - Easy!
Also i like to wipe down the inside of the bucket with damp rag, and Windex, and wipe dry before re-clamping the motor back on.

(you prob know all of this already)

Excellent job on restoring those machines!,,the pinkish tan FQs like these are the ones i remember from childhood. Good memories!

 

[d-jones]

Thanks for the compliment, Brian. But to be honest, for the most part these machines were just dirty and scuffed up from crashing into walls and such. So my restorations consisted of thorough cleaning, polishing, and tracking down a few missing parts.

By the way, it’s good to know that I’m not the only one tipping over Filter Queens. You see I’ve had trouble with them doing face plants in the past (thought I was doing something wrong) and as a result I learned to place the front wheel just as you suggested. In the photos of the two machines above, they are both set up that way, though you really can't tell on my sisters. But hey, a little instability just gives them character, and it's a small price to pay for such an attractive and durable machine.

I mentioned in an earlier post (back when I was still looking for a couple of missing tools) that in spite of taking a tumble down the stairs, the only damage my parents model 31 received was a broken tool caddy. So apart from a new tool caddy(in the correct cream color of course), their machine has been trouble free for thirty seven years, which seems all the more remarkable to me considering I grew up with two brothers and five sisters in a two story house that had a large dirt back yard. As you can imagine, with eight kids around, the dirt seldom stayed in the yard. The Filter Queen was busy, carried up and down the stairs several times a week, and on the weekend it was often out in the driveway vacuuming out the carpet in the family van. That poor vacuum saw a lot of use, and perhaps even some abuse, but somehow, whatever we asked it to do, it was always up to the task, a fact that can be attributed to both the quality of its build and the simplicity of its design. When run correctly and treated with care, a vintage Filter Queen should easily outlast its owner.

As for the new machines, made with all the plastic they could get away with, the design might be the same, and they may be a bit lighter, but I can’t help but wonder how well they’ll hold up over time. Will they be around in forty years like so many of the older models? And the price tag! No thanks, I’ll keep my model 31.

And Sandy, I’ve decided that for your viewing pleasure all future photos of vacuum cleaners or accessories, when possible, will be taken in the kitchen. : )

 

[danemodsandy]

David:

Thanks! That kitchen is SO "Mildred Pierce." If it were mine, I would probably spend my days in it making pies to sell to neighbors and nearby restaurants.

 

[pnluxconvlvr]

David that is sharp !

You did a great job of detailing and making it pristine and it clearly shows the quality you put into it. Nice when all the color tones come together to make a true original like yours! I had an original Hoover convertible hose that had turned a yellowish tan in every line and crevice in the stretch "beads" and it felt slightly sticky and it actually came off with a lot of cleaner wipes and a lot of pressure every single inch and took days to get the residue off. I really think it is the outer layer of vinyl that turns from age. I really like your Filter Queen. Tyler

 

[mieles7]

I see a lot of those filter queens, but I've always wondered when they were sold.

 

[d-jones]

Hey Tyler, thanks for the kind words. I'm really happy with the way these two came out, and my sister loves hers. Regarding the sticky residue on the hoses, it is a well known trait of old vinyl. The thing that puzzles me is that the pink colored hoses on my machine and my parents machine don't seem to have been effected, while the few brown or tan hoses I've encountered have. Why would one color of vinyl age so much better than another, or is it just a coincidence? I'd love to here from other Filter Queen owners that have the pink hoses to see if any of them went sticky or stiffened up with age.

As far as when the model 31's were sold goes, my folks have a receipt for theirs from 1975. Like mine, theirs is a two tone single speed. My older sisters, pictured above in my kitchen, is all one color(except for the tool caddy)and is also a model 31, but it's a two speed machine. I think it's safe to assume that it's newer than mine. The machine I put together for my younger sister is almost identical to that of my older sister. It's the same color and it's a two speed, but it's a model 33 and has a cord reel on the bottom. Obviously, it's even newer still.

Like Ian, I would love to hear from someone here on the blog that could sort out when the various models were introduced. All I can say with any certainty is that the two tone model 31 was available in 1975. But when did production begin? When did the monotone model 31 replace it? When did the model 33 come along? Hopefully, someone here will chime in with the answer.

 

[d-jones]

The machine that sparked my interest in Filter Queens!

I took this photo of my parents model 31 while visiting today. This is the closet it's called home for thirty seven years, and as you can see, it's held up pretty well, though I did notice it has a replacement cord. I asked my dad about that and he simply said the old one was too short. Anyways, I also noticed that their machine has an outlet for a power nozzle, something I had managed to completely overlook and which mine does not have. So I guess mine is not quite the spitting image I thought it was. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Though this machine does show its age some, I think its overall condition speaks very highly of the quality of these older models. All of the tools in this photo came with the machine, as did the hose and wands, and in spite of much use over the years, all are still in good serviceable condition.