kirbykid
New member
And this
Okay kids, get the smelling salts and fainting couch handy...
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kirbykid
New member
Every now and then I get metal that is really badly scratched, so instead of sanding out the scratches and making the metal a lot thinner and weaker I just paint it. The only other option is to throw those metal pieces away. Because if I sand it the metal breaks a lot easier and I get pieces back snapped in two or three pieces. So I paint it instead of throwing it away. And i do agree, the shiny ones so look better than the painted ones
Charles,
I respect your integrity--something that doesn't appear to be so common in our society anymore. While it would have been easy for your friend at the vacuum store to just slip you the Kirby out the back door without an exchange both of you chose to make it an honest transaction by not cheating the company. Still, I wonder if you'd feel better about returning it and running it by the boss, because it technically belonged to him and not the employee? Then you could dispense with the "waiting till the coast was clear" in occasionally bringing it back for parts or service.
An excerpt from Sir Walter Scott's 1808 poem MARMION comes to mind: " ... Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive ... "
That being said, if you choose to keep the cleaner I would encourage you to see if your friend would be willing to contact the former owner and inquire about its history--whether he/she had been the original owner and what other information about it that the person possessed. It would also be interesting to find out if the owner still had a manual or attachments and would be willing to part with them. Now wouldn't that be the cherry on top?
I respect your integrity--something that doesn't appear to be so common in our society anymore. While it would have been easy for your friend at the vacuum store to just slip you the Kirby out the back door without an exchange both of you chose to make it an honest transaction by not cheating the company. Still, I wonder if you'd feel better about returning it and running it by the boss, because it technically belonged to him and not the employee? Then you could dispense with the "waiting till the coast was clear" in occasionally bringing it back for parts or service.
An excerpt from Sir Walter Scott's 1808 poem MARMION comes to mind: " ... Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive ... "
That being said, if you choose to keep the cleaner I would encourage you to see if your friend would be willing to contact the former owner and inquire about its history--whether he/she had been the original owner and what other information about it that the person possessed. It would also be interesting to find out if the owner still had a manual or attachments and would be willing to part with them. Now wouldn't that be the cherry on top?
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No, I would not feel better about it by letting the owner know of the trade. Because he has no interest in old vacuums and has said so many times. He might not even care about this one, but it seemed justifiable not to take a chance on it. Because if he did take a fancy to it, he would just dump it into the corner of his very cluttered and messy office. Not because he cared about it as a vintage machine and much less because he would see it as "collectible," but just as a sort of curiosity or conversation piece.
No one was practicing to deceive or weaving tangled webs. I was just kidding when I said I'd go back when the coast was clear. I could walk right into the store with it at any time.
I've already said that I would never ask my friend to ply a customer with questions. Most people would not appreciate it. And there's no possible way the machine could have attachments since there's no way to connect them.
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No, I would not feel better about it by letting the owner know of the trade. Because he has no interest in old vacuums and has said so many times. He might not even care about this one, but it seemed justifiable not to take a chance on it. Because if he did take a fancy to it, he would just dump it into the corner of his very cluttered and messy office. Not because he cared about it as a vintage machine and much less because he would see it as "collectible," but just as a sort of curiosity or conversation piece.
No one was practicing to deceive or weaving tangled webs. I was just kidding when I said I'd go back when the coast was clear. I could walk right into the store with it at any time.
I've already said that I would never ask my friend to ply a customer with questions. Most people would not appreciate it. And there's no possible way the machine could have attachments since there's no way to connect them.
cb123
Well-known member
Kirbykid,
Fantastic! Have you ever thought of rendering one in bonnie blue or confederate colors, because some stars and bars would surely gussie it up. I must say that is some really fine art and superbly done!
Fantastic! Have you ever thought of rendering one in bonnie blue or confederate colors, because some stars and bars would surely gussie it up. I must say that is some really fine art and superbly done!
super-sweeper
Well-known member
'i must say',
Calem you sure do use some British terms while talking about painting Kirbys in southern colors!
Calem you sure do use some British terms while talking about painting Kirbys in southern colors!
kirbylux77
Well-known member
Looking at the photos, I think there's only one logical explanation- this must have been an experimental model, & Kirby was using this to test the market for commercial vacuums. Now, what I have to wonder is why they chose to paint the Super Sweeper & American Lincoln models, & why not use the Kirby name when it already had a good established reputation for quality??
Rob
Rob
stricklybojack
Well-known member
kk
That black G series is very cool...great job. Most everybody here will want it the same way it left the factory but some of us know better ;-)
That black G series is very cool...great job. Most everybody here will want it the same way it left the factory but some of us know better ;-)
Sound rationale to be sure, Charles. You've definitely given much thought to your decision. Glad you're satisfied with it.
As for finding out some information from the customer I understood your initial comment to be that you'd never ask for personal information--my mistake. I'm puzzled at how one could be offended if asked a couple questions about a previously-owned appliance or if a manual for it could be acquired--after all we're not talking a lengthy interrogation. Regarding attachments I forgot that you'd mentioned that the power head was permanently attached.
Enjoy.
As for finding out some information from the customer I understood your initial comment to be that you'd never ask for personal information--my mistake. I'm puzzled at how one could be offended if asked a couple questions about a previously-owned appliance or if a manual for it could be acquired--after all we're not talking a lengthy interrogation. Regarding attachments I forgot that you'd mentioned that the power head was permanently attached.
Enjoy.
eurekastar
Well-known member
Adhesive?
A other things to note: 1) It appears that the fan case is from a D50/80; 2) There is no safety switch in place (but I guess there would be no need for one); 3) What appears to be paint and/or oxidation may, in fact, be some kind of sealant or adhesive.
All that, coupled with the fact that the belt lifter/cover seems to be professionally riveted (no vacuum shop would do that), leads me to believe that this is a unit that Kirby was experimenting with before creating a production model.
A other things to note: 1) It appears that the fan case is from a D50/80; 2) There is no safety switch in place (but I guess there would be no need for one); 3) What appears to be paint and/or oxidation may, in fact, be some kind of sealant or adhesive.
All that, coupled with the fact that the belt lifter/cover seems to be professionally riveted (no vacuum shop would do that), leads me to believe that this is a unit that Kirby was experimenting with before creating a production model.
cb123
Well-known member
Alex
Well, everyone knows that England was a southern ally. You couldn't have asked for a better fair-weather friend. They were kinda like...when you need a loan from a bank, and Oh yeah,they will finally lend it to you...only when you don't need it NO MORE! "I must say" some "Stars and Bars" would really look good on that Kirby.
Cheerio!
Well, everyone knows that England was a southern ally. You couldn't have asked for a better fair-weather friend. They were kinda like...when you need a loan from a bank, and Oh yeah,they will finally lend it to you...only when you don't need it NO MORE! "I must say" some "Stars and Bars" would really look good on that Kirby.
Cheerio!
cb123
Well-known member
Just one more thing, Alex.
For at lest a week or so, my language will be a semantic study in logic. I just found this LP, and I have the upmost confidence that my friends at the local astronomy club....are going to seriously, I mean seriously GEEK OUT! Forget the smelling salts, IT'S TIME TO GRAB THE MACE!
For at lest a week or so, my language will be a semantic study in logic. I just found this LP, and I have the upmost confidence that my friends at the local astronomy club....are going to seriously, I mean seriously GEEK OUT! Forget the smelling salts, IT'S TIME TO GRAB THE MACE!
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Well, this thread certainly has wandered all over the place.
To bring it back on-topic:
I went over to the vac shop today to see about getting a brush roll for my mystery Kirby, which I have dubbed the "Super Janitronic 560."
The 18-inch Royal brush roll doesn't work. The end caps are hexagonal shaped and way too large to attempt to whittle down narrowly enough to fit into the rug nozzle.
The Kirby Classic brush roll is only 16 inches long. I thought about getting one anyway and seeing if I could insert inch-long wooden pieces in each end of the rug nozzle to take up the extra space, but that would be "iffy" and most likely wouldn't work. Without the end caps being secured inside the slots, the brush roll would probably wobble and vibrate all over the place and ruin the brush-roll bearings and maybe even the front motor bearing.
I poked around their multiple "back rooms-o-junk" and didn't find anything that even came close to fitting. (I did, however, find a couple of other treasures that I'll post about after I clean them up and make them presentable -- a Hoover turquoise Convertible and a Eureka "Vibra-Groomer" upright that's really beautiful, with a brushed-aluminum motor cover.)
So I'm pretty much stuck right now, unless someone can come up with a Super Sweep nozzle for me.
[this post was last edited: 8/2/2014-16:36]
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Well, this thread certainly has wandered all over the place.
To bring it back on-topic:
I went over to the vac shop today to see about getting a brush roll for my mystery Kirby, which I have dubbed the "Super Janitronic 560."
The 18-inch Royal brush roll doesn't work. The end caps are hexagonal shaped and way too large to attempt to whittle down narrowly enough to fit into the rug nozzle.
The Kirby Classic brush roll is only 16 inches long. I thought about getting one anyway and seeing if I could insert inch-long wooden pieces in each end of the rug nozzle to take up the extra space, but that would be "iffy" and most likely wouldn't work. Without the end caps being secured inside the slots, the brush roll would probably wobble and vibrate all over the place and ruin the brush-roll bearings and maybe even the front motor bearing.
I poked around their multiple "back rooms-o-junk" and didn't find anything that even came close to fitting. (I did, however, find a couple of other treasures that I'll post about after I clean them up and make them presentable -- a Hoover turquoise Convertible and a Eureka "Vibra-Groomer" upright that's really beautiful, with a brushed-aluminum motor cover.)
So I'm pretty much stuck right now, unless someone can come up with a Super Sweep nozzle for me.
[this post was last edited: 8/2/2014-16:36]
Charles,
That is one rare Franken-Kirby! I never imagined one could transform an American-Lincoln Super-Sweep or Kirby Janitronic into something like this!
~Ben
That is one rare Franken-Kirby! I never imagined one could transform an American-Lincoln Super-Sweep or Kirby Janitronic into something like this!
~Ben
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Ben, as far as I know, this is not a Franken-Kirby. It was found just like you see it. The jury's still out on just what it is, really.......
(Did you read all the preceding posts??)
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Ben, as far as I know, this is not a Franken-Kirby. It was found just like you see it. The jury's still out on just what it is, really.......
(Did you read all the preceding posts??)
kirbylux77
Well-known member
Charles, I have an idea for getting a brushroll to work in your Kirby. Why not go ahead & buy both a Kirby brushroll with ball bearings & removable end caps, & a commercial Royal brushroll, & transplant the Kirby bearings & endcaps to your Royal brushroll? They look similar enough that it should work fine.
Rob
Rob
DesertTortoise
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2014
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That is a very smart idea kirbylux.
DesertTortoise
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2014
- Messages
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As far as painting a Kirby, just as with cars and motorcycles I think there has to be room for both restored original vacs of any brand, and highly customized ones. Sometimes the customized ones are more interesting, a window into the mind of the customizer and often a hint at what could have been had different engineering and styling compromises been chosen by the manufacturer. I have a personal fondness for clean "restifications", where an older something, car bike or vacuum, is both restored and modified to bring it's performance up to modern standards.
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Rob, that's a great idea. I have several spare Kirby brush rolls; I'll take one with me to the vac shop and see if the ends are interchangeable with the Royal. Thanks!
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Rob, that's a great idea. I have several spare Kirby brush rolls; I'll take one with me to the vac shop and see if the ends are interchangeable with the Royal. Thanks!
