Poor Poor Rescued Kirby

[rodknock95]

What were they thinking sucking all this crap up. The filter bag was empty, and the emptor was jammed packed even in the fan housing with all this stuff you see. Looks like they vacuumed pieces of thick wire and a bunch of nails. The poor roller brush, flops around like it aint even connected on one end. This would be my first restore on one of these Kirbys, but Ill give it a whirl!

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

rodknock95

Blaze,

Speaking of finding vacuums in poor condition, here's my 1984 Kirby Heritage II in bad shape when I first got it!

~Ben

 

[suckolux]

Never, Ever! underestimate stupid! Not much common sense around anymore it seems.

 

[kirby519]

Don't be to surprised. A Kirby can ingest items that a domestic dirty air vacuum wasn't designed for. I know I have done it. Also heard stories from the Kirby repairmen about the things that a Kirby vacuum has ingested.

The best one was about the young boys that used their mom's Kirby as a mud gun.

The boys took the bag off the vacuum. Attached the hose and a wand and sucked mud & water thru the vacuum and blasted each other with it. Not sure of what model Kirby this was.

Another one was a member here used a Kirby he bought at a rummage sale.
Vintage 1940's if I remember correctly. To suck the oil sludge out of an engine of a car he was rebuilding.

 

[seanoliver77]

Hello,

I also have a Kirby Tradition. It too had a full bag when I got it. Not nails or that kind of waste, but lots of hair and dirt. I was able to clean it out somewhat but more needs to be done. Mine also had a belt that looked like it was made out of car tire inner tube. I am new to the forum and have found it to be very helpful.

-Sean

 

[human]

Long Live Kirbys!!!

It just speaks to how damned bulletproof a Kirby can be. And the beauty of it is they're designed to be rebuilt so the only thing that can truly do one in is a lack of replacement parts. So despite its pitiable condition, we have confidence you'll be able to bring it back to form. All you need is the three P's—Patience, Perseverance, and Parts!

 

[huskyvacs]

Ah, the old "contractor finds a vacuum in the basement and uses it to suck up construction debris".

My 1950's Kirby I bought had the same thing happen and it is full of either concrete or drywall dust, possibly could be asbestos (but I hope not).

 

[tolivac]

Why is it that some folks like to use old Kirbys as shop vacuums? An actual shop vacuum would be better for those jobs.One Kirby dealer in the Wash DC area told me of a pool owner that vacuumed gravel,water and other debris from a drains swimming pool.The bag was wet and stuffed full of junk from the pool.The dealer cleaned up the Kirby and it worked just fine.Forgot what model it was.The pool owner used the Kirby in the upright carpet mode for the pool "cleanup".Also tore up the brushroll and wore the bristles off it.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

While my Dad was working on my 1972 Kirby Classic 1CR, he apparently found signs of past abuse: there was no insulation tubing for the speed switch wiring, and the armature cooling fan had one bent fin!

~Ben

 

[rodknock95]

Wow

Whoever had this, used it with no filter bag in it...I am assuming they thought it was a shake out bag. But they had to vacuum a bunch at once because it was all packed behind the hose hole for the filter bag in the emptor, packed tight in the fan housing all around it. And my phillips screwdrivers just want to strip the screw heads so Im going to have to find some better fitting tools. and find some filter bags

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

rodknock95

Blaze,

Well... you can use the cloth bag with the long zipper as a shake-out bag, but you have to remove the fill tube assembly first.

And those screws you mention that secure the fan case to the motor housing: an impact driver might help you remove them, but in the worst-case scenario, you can drill a hole in the stripped screw head and use an EZ Out the rest of the way through.

~Ben

 

[seanoliver77]

Blaze,

The conversion that was described, where you remove the fill tube from the bag has been done to my vacuum at some point. It seems to work well. I don not know how it is done though, as I bought it that way. Hope this helps.

-Sean

 

[scudo]

Dont despair, Kirby`s were built to be restored.
Have a look at this mess which I brought back to a reasonable condition within a week, I am retired so have the time.

https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?38353_25

Also renovating a friends Sentria, I should really start charging for the amount that now want me to do work on them, trouble is I cant resist the challenge.

The images are of the Sentria I have overhauled, it just needed tidying up and the casings polished. The 4th image is how it came to me so not too bad.

 

[rodknock95]

It runs!!

I took it outside and fired it up, looked like it blew a muskrat out the hole, but it runs and sounds good.

 

[seanoliver77]

Blaze,
There is something to the feeling when something that has not worked for some time is started and it, 1. actually works, 2. does not fry/blow up/catastrophically fail in some way. Be it a car, tractor, vacuum cleaner etc. it is always fun when it runs. Even if there is more work to do, the step of hearing it run makes it feel more worth while.

-Sean

 

[rodknock95]

How could I forget

So as Im sitting here...I remember I bought a G5 new, and a G4 from a yard sale, but the G4 locked up one day just sitting there running with the hose on it. It locked up so violently, that it jerked sideways. It wasn't sucking up anything at the time so Im pretty sure it was a motor failure of some nature and I never investigated it. Just crammed it in the garage and forgot about them both. Time to dig them out!!!!

 

[lesinutah]

Hey

I've seen everything w Kirby's. I got a d,up litterslly overflowing full. My 509 had a d80/ bag jammed full with like a poodle doghair. I took it to place we gets cars wdashed. I taking others garbage home used there vacuum vsucked everything out.
If I find a good vacuum at the thrift store
that needs cleaned out. I use some vacuum in thrift store to clean it out.
When I go to thrift store I bring a box cutter
To get hair out. I also use another vacuum to
Clean hose.
I'm a germaphobe I don't like
It never suprised me.
Les