A Saskatchewan Micro Meet between Doug Smith and Dave Kerr.
Short & sweet - See what happens when you're the first vacuum collector to portage across several Provincial and/or State borders to visit with another collector in Saskatchewan?
Travel Tip - Arrive with a near empty car; it's only for a few days, all you'll need is a change of underwear & socks 'cause its so cold you won't get a chance to sweat & your clothes stay fresh.
Aeolian Dave's treasures are ready to wedge into the Subaru for the Saturday drive back to Winnipeg. Some for Dave, some for Pete and some for others...
Great stuff! I was of course excited to see the blue Electrolux polisher, and the blue Turb-O-Tool. In case you're interested, the latter is VERY rare.
That version was made for just a few months -- it was introduced toward the end of the run of the AE, then when the F came out it was redone in the new matching colors of gray and creme --- and then soon thereafter the rug washer kit was added and the name of the setup was streamlined to "Turbotool." Very lovely to see one pop up somewhere other than Casa Electrolux! You just hardly ever see them.
Did you get all the goodies with it -- cast-iron base for polishing, drill chuck, sanding pads, etc.? There was even an optional circular saw and hedge-clipper set!!
The air powered powerhead-Electroluxes version of a "Handi-butler"?Is something.That device must harness a lot of power from the Lux vacuum to power a circular saw!Want one of those!It would probably saw logs connected to the air intake of my Tornado vacuum!Such a handy device-better than the Handi-butler.
Yup, that kitchen floor treasure pile once again fits in the Subaru behind the back seat. Of course, traveling suitcases are relegated to the back seat but at least I won't have to unpack the vacuums until a few weeks from now when I get home because it's all hidden undetected under the cargo cover.
Oh, and you got that purty Z-54. I just love the color scheme. I have one too, which came from Doug Smith (hi!), and now also have the optional chrome-plated cord winder for it.
I can't say I personally found all these treasures. I'd like to publicly thank my new friend Doug Smith of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Just like Tom and Heather Anderson, he warmly welcomed me into his home without reservation when I arrived Thursday just before sunset. That first evening I was given the educational & jaw dropping tour of his home collection, then taken over to "The Building', wherein resides the other collection and the massive basement parts bins, racks & hanging hoses. You just have to imagine row on row down aisle by aisle stacks of incomplete or less than ideal vacuums of all makes and ages. Reminded me of the idea of the Donor Room in 'Coma'...without the naked bodies hanging on wires and Tom Selleck featured, of course. LOL
As Doug wisely counseled, you have to know what's already here before we go in to Regina to the Vacuum Shops on Friday, so we don't duplicate.
And so the pile began on a bare bit of floor by the door - While I routed through bins not knowing really what I was looking for, Doug kept adding things to the pile he knew I needed from our initial talks and the walk through my reference book of pictures. Rather than have to shift the pile several times we decided to leave the pile until it would be time to load up my car.
I'm so sorry I can't find all the cards I collected on our adventures but as soon as I get the names straightened out they shall be given due credit.
Friday we drove the 30 minutes east to the larger city of Regina SK (Moose Jaw is about the same size as Stratford at 30,000 souls). We visited 2 vacuum stores where Doug is well thought of and got into the 'back rooms'. Doug said, select what you want and we'll take it up front. Kids in a Candy Store Fantasy ensues...
I am thunderstruck to say that at each shop after hauling the heap up front, when I asked how much, each and every owner said, just take 'em! So we did and thankfully I had brought along a little something for everyone I met anyway as a memorable Christmastime keepsake that was all the more appropriate, given the circumstances.
Cards I have found:
Wayne and Marlene Freeland of Vacuum Master, 375 Broad Street., Regina, SK.
Ila Lepage, Store Manager of 1 Stop Vacuum Centre, 1004 - 11th Ave., Regina, SK.
I believe it was Ila that produced a dozen or so various User Manuals after I came upstairs with a FairFax Manual from the basement parts rooms. And so I have two pieces of Lux 89 Literature to swoon over...
We also did the usual round of Thrift stores and an amazing, if highly overpriced, 4 storey Flea Market type building that begged the thought "I shoulda brought the cube van".
Throughout the days and trips anytime Doug or I would think of something we'd write it down. So after returning from Regina and unloading on his kitchen floor, we returned to his Building to retrieve the pile there as well as bits & bobs from the lists. And the picture was taken.
Had to take my leave back to Winnipeg Saturday morning - it is a 7-8 hour drive - as I must pick up my Winnipeg host, Al at the airport on Sunday, when we will begin the week or so's labours of resurrecting the Steinway grand.
You guys make quite the team. Some great find there. Especially the owners manuals. Those are always a win! Next time your in WNY, swing by and pick me up and I'll show my haunts. :) Paul
You guys make quite the team. Some great find there. Especially the owners manuals. Those are always a win! Next time your in WNY, swing by and pick me up and I'll show my haunts. :) Paul
Went out shopping for liquid latex (at the Art Supply Store), real rubber contact cement and some lighter fluid this morning.
Saw this post had been accessed lately so thought I'd jump back in with the Winnipeg latest breaking news:
Charles, I was thrilled to find the Turbotool and polisher - and many other delighful objects - on the guest bed when I arrived at Doug's. That is indeed a blue hammertone Turb-o-tool Power Unit with the drill chuck and a polisher pad on a mandrel. I have the later gray/cream Turbotool as part of a gray/cream floor waxer/dispenser. But I don't have the sleek polisher base for either...YET! And I have several hammertone blue earlier Lux Polishers but imagine my joy that this one is GRAY Hammertone. :-)
As for the Kirby Dual Sanitronic 80, well, it is utterly complete with ALL matching green components & accesories box and I'm sorry to say, no extra spare parts. :-(
Doug had begun collecting up bits for Pete's Omega from his bins to partly fill up an extra Tool Kit box...and then we found the complete Omega Kit already full in fantastic condition at one of the Vacuum Shops in Regina. I may have the sequence of events and particulars mixed up, Doug, but the story does more or less go like that, right?
We were also able to find for my Kirby Tradition back home, the matching hose, floor polisher head w brush and rug shampoo agitator brush.
Kind & generous Doug, in the course of digging over days in various places came up with ALL the pieces for the Fairfax including the real hose (even tho as I said I like the solid red kirby hose that came with mine.) Then that manual came to light in yet another Regina Parts Bin. LOL
Now, the story that goes with this picture...
I knew my buddy Al had his Mom's Compact but hadn't examined it closely last year. Well, it's a Turquoise Beauty Queen C6, for sure. The original cloth hose is as porous as cheescloth but Al was using it upstairs in the piano workshop anyway sucking up dry crumbled rubber, hide glue sanding dust & other noxious stuff - it's a credit to the 80" suction of the Compact and thank gawd the filters are in place and he's using the paper liner in the cloth bag.
Well, one of the things on the Moose Jaw list was to see what we could come up with to replace that leaky hose. Genuine cloth weave turquoise hosery being in short supply, Doug found this bojacked Electrolux blue/gray vinyl weave that had been jammed & packing taped on to mutilated Canadian Lux ends. The mangled ends are almost a loss but the hose, after clipping off 2" is flexible and fairly airtight. I'm going to give it the Latex treatment before grafting on the Compact ends, which are in like new condition. I can tell that was an original Compact hose assembly because the hose came off so easily - as in, glued in Once. The protected part of the cloth weave shows a very vibrant Turquoise on Gray weave.
But Al is not a vacuum collector, and I have a Turquoise C6, he uses other modern vacuums on the main floor and in the basement so I just wanted to fix up Mom's vacuum nice-like and for him to be able to use it and make it look as good as possible thanks to Mr Clean Magic Eraser, without resorting to a modern stiff plastic hose. As you can see Al has the turquoise parts but Doug has identified the floor & rug tools as American in origin. Another lovely Compact brought back to the Land of the Living.
Doug & I had earlier been discussing the last Compact model before it became the Tristar. Dark burgundy crinkle with a dark gray bag chamber lid. Well, what do we see on the In For Service shelf in Regina? Missing 3 wheels, with a crack in the casting by the cord, with a big ol' yellow replacement plug and deeply gouged & scraped along one side, Doug asked the service guy about it.
Seems it is still used by the guys on an air transport cargo plane and they keep bringing it in for service because it WILL NOT DIE. Nothing sucks Big Time in such a small rugged package as a COMPACT!!!
Nice green Panasonic model MC-V9620C with Power Brush and all the tools under the lid.
He says the central vac system is useless on carpets and the hose is too stiff & awkward to heave around. So he's really looking forward to using the Compact again, now I showed him how strong it pulls air. :-)
Here's the dirt he's been filling the Compact with...
It's old dried black rubber & hot glue sanding dust and fragments from the workroom floor. Thank goodness he was using a paper liner - but he didn't know Compacts used paper liners - it was just in there. We lifted out the cloth bag, which was clean as was the interior soot-free, and showed him the motor filter.
