Clogged cleaners.
Hi Guy's,
I can relate to the clogged machines, and this is an all too common thing, and why so many machines suffer a premature demise.
When you have collected as I have, most of my machines coming from the local coucil tips, and car boot sales e.t.c., then you get used to the amount of dirt that comes from these dear old machines. Rosie (the famous 652 now in the care of none other than Jack!), was clogged to the hilt, had been lying unloved in a skip at one the tips I used to visit, and had seen all kinds of weather, most of it miserable and wet.
Her, along with the first of my original model 1346 Juniors were both rescued, and taken home. It was there I firstly allowed them 48 hours in the understairs cupboard which backs onto the chimney breast of my parents house. This dried out most of the moisture which was still hanging around. (something for which I was duely chided as it left a certain smell in the cupboard which was less than pleasant).
Following this, I stripped down the two of them, and left the motors in the dismantled state in a couple of trays in front of the living room fireplace. This required just one night to dry the internal components out.
I then rebuilt both motors, cleaning out as much debris as possible and then connected them one at a time to an old car battery charger which I have. This proved the motors to still be working. I left them both on the charger for 2 hours each. This ensured that the commutator and brushes were making clean contact to that when I fired them up on mains supply they would stand their best chance of surviving.
The next day was the proof of the pudding, by this time, I had laundered the 1346 bag, and wiped the 652's vinyl bag down with kitchen wipes. Both chassis were cleaned, and I used T-Cut car polish to finish their appearance.
The 1346 had required a whole lot more clearing that the 652 as it was already packed tight with dust and carpet fibres, which when they had got wet had managed to cement themselves to every plastic surface they could, and to the weave of the cloth bag aswell. It took about 4 hours of careful soaking and gentle rubbing to clean the bag, and about the same to clear the chassis to it's now superb look.
I reassembled the two of them together, and connected the 652 to the mains. I had ensured that the switch was OFF before I started on mains.
With a nervous click, closed eyes and both hands off the handle, I stepped on the switch and Rosie immediately sprang to life sounding pretty much as she would have done the day she left Perivale in 1960. I must have then sat for around 10 minutes just listening to her purr and run herself in.
The same is true of the 1346, although there was a moment I thought the 1346 was dying, it was just the carbons were not making 100% full contact. This cleared very quickly and she settled down to run like new!
I very quickly learned from this, that unless the machine is smashed to bits, or has already died a smouldering, fiery death that no cleaner (of that era anyway) is completely dead. A goodly number of my other machines have been saved from states such as this, and couple of them even worse!!!
Take a look at the pictures of both of them on my website. (Click the link below).
Anyway, I have probabley bored the pants of most of you now.
Happy hoovering guys and gals.
Clark.
http://www.freewebs.com/bfg75
