The Kirby Quest for a G5 has ended

[texaskirbyguy]

I had tried the small screwdriver method and I broke the first 'loop' so I stopped.
A thin Exacto blade may work better as it is thinner and not wedge shaped.

As I was trying to pull the strap down and off while fully connected, it popped open some, just enough for me to get it off.
I wonder if I could do that again but lube up the 'teeth' with liquid soap first.

Yes the nozzle was nasty. I never would have thought it would have cleaned up nice enough to come in the house!

 

[texaskirbyguy]

There seems to be not much interest in G series restorations so I will let the pics do most of the describing...
Due to the severe tarnishing and corrosion, I decided to wet-sand all of the metal parts before polishing. I used 1000 and 2000 grit.
Below are the pieces before sanding (less the handle)...

 

[texaskirbyguy]

Here is wet-sanding in progress.
I did this in a dish pan in the kitchen sink, with a little dish detergent as a lube and dispersant...
Note the differences in the motor shell and the nozzle when half is done, half not.
This makes polishing easier and faster.

 

[texaskirbyguy]

Here is before polishing with Mother's mag & aluminum polish on a 4" wheel on a drill.
After this was done I wiped the parts down with solvent, then did one last hand polish.

 

[texaskirbyguy]

And here it is all done.
It looks a lot better, but up close some of the stains can still be seen.
Good enough for a daily-use machine..

Next will be to work on the drivetrain and slide mechanism.
After that will be motor bearing replacement and total reassembly!

 

[lesinutah]

Nice

Nice job on the restore. It looks like its coming along great.