Sunbeam Touch N Go

[funvacfan]

Picked up a real oddity today at the thrift! A very space age looking upright (kinda like a lightweight sweeper). It's 60's blue and actually has a beater bar.

The beater bar is only, maybe 5" long. The really neat thing is, I don't think it was used much (maybe twice). No scratches, original grey Sunbeam paper bag installed (just a bit of lint and hair in it). Oh...and a price sticker on the back that says $29.75 and a hardware store insignia.

Anybody heard of these? OK...who has sunbeam bags and belts these days?

Guy

 

[petek]

Oh Guy, you don't want that dreadful thing I'm sure of it. Prolly full of cooties and who knows what anyways. So being the great guy I am and always thinking of others I'll be up Hamilton way this Saturday to take it off your hands gratis. No need to thank me I'm glad to do it.

 

[petek]

For the UK contingent follow the linky

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-coo2.htm

 

[petek]

And for the Italian contingent follow this linky

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-coo2.htm

 

[petek]

All other countries please follow this linky

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-coo2.htm

 

[eluxomarty]

Guy!

I have one of those too. In blue. Mine does not have a bag and i'm wondering what it looks like? Is it possible to snap a picture of it?

To ward off any Petes that may appear at your doorstep, leave a big cake, any flavor, and that should keep him happy ...for awhile! ;-)

Marty

 

[funvacfan]

I'd stop for cake!

Yes Pete, it is full of cooties! I didn't know other parts of the the world didn't know what cooties are.

Marty, thanks for the advice of setting out cake, it would keep me busy! I don't have a camara, so I can't take a pic. But...when I do get one, and learn how to use it, I will have a lot of pics to take!

Guy

 

[funvacfan]

I'd stop for cake!

Yes Pete, it is full of cooties! I didn't know other parts of the the world didn't know what cooties are.

Marty, thanks for the advice of setting out cake, it would keep me busy! I don't have a camara, so I can't take a pic. But...when I do get one, and learn how to use it, I will have a lot of pics to take!

Guy

 

[marukap]

Look at what I found

here in St. Louis at an estate sale yesterday. When I first espied it leaning against a wall next to a rake, I thought it was some kind of a lady-weed-whacker. But no! What we have is a genUine Sunbeam, model 601, Touch 'n Go Vac with rotating brush. I took it home and gave it the full beauty treatment including motor disassembly and cleaning. I was lucky that it still had a belt in satisfactory condition and a rather full bag in the housing. The bag had either worked itself loose or was never correctly installed so, before the beauty treatment, dust blew everywhere when I turned it on.

I salvaged the bag by cutting it open at the bottom end and dumping out the bulk of the dirt. Then I CAREFULLY turned it inside-out and vacuumed it clean. Then I soaked it down with Lysol spray and let it air dry. Then I turned it right-side-out, re-worked the pleats, folded over the open end and stapled it shut.

Some day next week I'll check one of my local, beautifully dusty and cluttered old vacuum repair shops to see if I can scrounge up some bags and belts.

Best to all,

Marty Kaplan

 

[marukap]

next picture

 

[marukap]

next

 

[marukap]

the bag installed

 

[ian88]

Oh what the hell is that? lol

I love it.

 

[marukap]

the bag removed

 

[ian88]

That's the cutest little doodahd i've seen in a long time!

I presume it's dirty air?

 

[marukap]

Dirty as can be! Even so, there is no cooling fan on the motor. It is cooled by the exhaust air forced through an approximately 2 sq. in. fuzzy-wire-mesh filter (akin to that found on a Hoover Dial-a-Matic) installed at the base of the bag housing.

 

[ian88]

It's a shame you couldn't make the dirty air flow go through the motor like a fan that would cool it quite well imo, alas it would eventually clog up quite badly and, in a lovely bit of irony, overheat the motor.

Either way it looks like a nice clean, yet "chintzy" design..I wouldn't have expected anything less from 1970s Sunbeam :]

 

[arh1953]

Eureka Whisk

Marty, I love your Touch 'n Go, and your resourceful solution to the bag problem. I found two of these wonderful little Eureka Whisks a few years ago. The first one came with its blue vinyl shoulder strap, a blue plastic wand, crevice tool, brush, upholstery tool, and a short white vinyl hose. It did not have the plug in the face where the hose goes, so I taped a piece of cardboard over it. That one, and the one in the picture here, have the original bags and filters in them. One day I did find an opened pack of bags, but since they are so hard to come by, they won't be used until they have to be. The suction is great.

 

[arh1953]

Here it is open. The plug in the front is from a Royal hand vacuum that won't even pick up light dust. I stuck that thing in storage. I think the bag is a V1.

 

[marukap]

Bags and Belts for the Touch 'n Go

After no small amount of obsessive searching in the greater St. Louis area (and online) I've come up empty handed where bags for the Sunbeam Touch 'n Go are concerned.

However, I did find a couple of Eureka style D bags which, needless to say, are also out of production. They rather resemble a miniature Hoover type-C bag. I modified them to fit the Sunbeam by:

1) Tracing the shape of the exhaust opening on the bag, then cutting it open
2) Folding over and taping shut the open end of the bag
3) Tracing the shape of the bag collar onto cardboard and cutting it out. The outer dimensions are not super critical, it just needs to fit snugly within the bag housing.
4) Trace and cut-out the hole in the bag collar, erring on the small side.
5) Pre-fit this collar on the exhaust opening. If you cut the hole too big, throw the collar away and start again. If it is a bit too tight, you're on the right track. Work it down and onto the exhaust opening thereby creating a perfect and snug fit. Remove from machine and take note of which side is toward the bag.
6) Coat the bag side of the collar with white glue, center over the hole you cut in the bag and press on securely.
7) Reinforce seal with packaging tape if you wish.
8) After glue has dired and set, install and use the bag.


I actually found some belts online! See the link below. They have lots of other odd-ball items as well.


So: Bag -- Check
Belt -- Check

Let's VACUUM! It's zippy, kicky and fun BUT it almost immediately gets clogged at the entrance to the bag and, NO, my rugs are NOT that dusty! The dirt path is just too tight and narrow to keep itself clear and that last 90 degree turn at the mouth of the bag is just deadly. Fortunately, I was paying attention to the behavior of the cleaner and quickly shut it off and found the clog. There was little airflow available for motor cooling and, had I continued to vacuum, the motor would have overheated and burnt out.

And that's my story for today.

Yours,

Marty

http://www.avacorp.com
View attachment 10-21-2007-16-44-11--marukap.jpg

 

[marukap]

Here's the picture again

It didn't show up before.

 

[funvacfan]

Hi Martin!

Great ingenuity!! Your Touch n Go looks like the bag opening is at the top? Mine is down at the bottom close to the "rotating brush".

Guy

 

[marukap]

Bag Opening

I'll just bet yours is a later design modification. . .a shorter dirt path = less opportunity for clogs.