New Photos of My Growing Collection!

[coffeecanman]

Thanks Charles! I have a 505, 508, and 510. Any additional Kirbys in my collection will need to be pre-war.

 

[charleskirby66]

Kirby 508

Woah!  That's one of the next ones on my wish list, in honor of my stepdad's birth year.  The 515 is actually in honor of my Mom's birth year (and also, Disneyland's opening year).  You are so fortunate, beautiful collection but of course, Kirbys have a special place in my heart.

 

[fantomfan]

Very nice Apex!

I LOVE the styling on the motor housing!

 

[coffeecanman]

I love the design of the Apex's as well, they were certainly unique and stood out from the competition as far as looks went. This Apex model A3 from around 1923 has an interesting design with a few unusual features. The machine is powered on by turning the end cap on the handle grip, the wire runs through the wooden handle in a notched out channel. The height adjustment lever is on the front of the nozzle, and the bag has graphics on both sides!

 

[westyfan]

Love your collection!

You have some really nice cleaners. Do I spot a GE monitor top in the picture of your Kirby 505? I just recently purchased one and love the way it looks (and works)! What model of monitor top is that? I have a CK unit from 1936. Looks like you have quite the kitchen with a matching antique oven.

 

[hygiene903]

Beautiful Machines Brandon!

Nice collection, great variety, great pics. Love the other vintage appliances in the pics too!
Jeff

 

[northwesty]

Great machines, really vintage.

I rarely sees these now at estate sales, etc., can I ask where you have found some of them...

 

[coffeecanman]

Raymond - Thanks! Yes it's a monitor top, model CK-15-A16 c. 1934

Jeff - I appreciate the compliments!

Brian - Believe it or not I do still find a lot of good machines at estate sale. Craigslist is also a good place to look.

 

[coffeecanman]

My kitchen, for those interested:

 

[durango159]

Quite a nice collection of classic machines!!! You've done quite well at collecting the hard to find, classics that are the vacuum cleaner heritage.

 

[caligula]

I love that kitchen.

In reply 22 you have the base of a coffee maker, I can't see the whole thing, but if it's a Universal I used to have one. Right now my mom has it. Mine was a set, coffee urn, silver cream and sugar containers on a silver tray. Theres an on/off switch in the cord.

That looks like 'Clubware on the stove, my mom had that in yellow when I was a kid, and my grandmother (her mom) had a spice set like yours only in black. I love the refrigerator, General Electric?

As I said I love the kitchen.

 

[westyfan]

That kitchen is fantastic!

I would love to use a kitchen like that on a daily basis. The stove and fridge set it off. I also love the cat clock! Here is a picture of my monitor top in holiday garb. You can't kill those ck units.

 

[coffeecanman]

You can't kill them, but they can kill you! Dying from Sulphur Dioxide poisoning in my sleep has been a concern, but I guess it's proved itself after running for 80 years without fail. The stuff on the stove is Mirro Enamelware. The percolator might be a Universal, I can't recall. I have over a dozen antique percolators, ranging from a rare alcohol burner powered Manning-Bowman Meteor from the turn of the century up to a Pink Aluminum West Bend from the 50s. Old appliances are fun!

 

[caligula]

Universal coffee urn.

I just went to Ebay, there are several, and the type I have is there on an oval nickle plated tray. The cord is in two sections joined with a round connector thingy that has a push switch in the shorter cord, and the female plug (machine end)is for round prongs like that of the Electrolux XXX. On the bottom of the urn is the name UNIVERSAL, and a series of patent numbers.

I wish I had it here with me now as it makes great coffee, up to 12 cups and would look great next to my buffet table. It blends in so nicely with my blue willow china. Perhaps Mrs. Claus (my mom) will bring it with her when she gets here from Indiana. By the way, she turned 90 in April and will be traveling by Amtrak alone. No stopping that lady!!!

 

[coffeecanman]

Just checked - it's a Universal!

 

[bikerray]

Noticed the Eureka next to the Apex in one of the pictures, thought you might like this

 

[kenkart]

Great Kenmore range!

Trust me, you wont die from SO2..you will wake up and RUN!!LOL, It might kill a bird , but any other animals will get as far away as possible, really, its a BAD smell, but I wouldn't worry, just don't chip off frost with a ice pick and you will be fine..another plus, contrary to what the salesmen will tell you, that old Monitor Top is VERY efficient!...It does not run much and when it IS running it draws about 2 amps or less....no defrost heaters drawing 6 or 7 amps and no mullion heaters!!And I know you have noticed how much better it keeps food! No fans to dry out everything!

 

[westyfan]

I Agree with Craig

Yes, you won't die from SO2, at least not in the concentration that you would encounter from a fridge dumping its load into a room. Usually leaks are small and you could easily detect even the smallest leaks since SO2 smells so strongly. As Brandon already pointed out, it has kept its original charge for 80 years...it must not be leaking out hardly anything at all. Heck, GE in all of their wisdom even had a "health" room where they pumped in small ammounts of SO2 to keep dissease at bay. I'm sure it worked! It would kill the germs and probably the pests for a small radius. Ha! Usually people create a leak by being rough with the evaporator coil by chipping away frost or by slamming a bottle into a pipe. Even then, they are pretty forgiving since the pipes are copper and the coil is stainless steel. Just goes to show you that if you treat your appliances with a modicum of respect they will, usually, pay you back in years upon years of reliable service.

 

[coffeecanman]

I was being slightly dramatic about the SO2. I've heard that it REEKS though!

 

[westyfan]

I've never smelt it but...

From what I've read it smells like, well, sulphur. Burning sulfur at that because that is precisely how you produce it. You burn a lump of sulphur, it combines with oxygen and next thing you know you are fumigating a huge wine cask. Seriously, they still use SO2 for that very reason. Have you ever wondered what "contains sulphites" means on a bottle of wine? Winemakers have used it since the dark ages, think 13th century, to curtail the growth of nasty bacteria or nasty by products in wine. The old fridge techs used to call it "volcano breath" since volcanos actually produce SO2 from the burning of sulphur, among many other things, in their normal activity. It just so happens to be an efficient refrigerant as well. Very efficient, part of the reason why the old fridges used to run only about 2-5 minutes at a time.

Wow, this got way off topic but I always love to talk about old fridges...
So, now I need a vintage GE cleaner to compliment my fridge! Just like I have a Westinghouse fridge and vacuum!