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Thread Number: 36004
/ Tag: Brand New Vacuum Cleaners
Kirby Maintenance Questions |
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| Post# 386177 , Reply# 2 2/15/2018 at 23:03 (2,253 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
I would plan on doing a little bit of disassembly before polishing it--remove the bag assembly and the cord, take the nozzle off and pull the rubber bumper off. The nice thing about the Sentria and Avalir is the rubber bumper just slides on, whereas the older ones are riveted. Taking that much apart will make it easier to handle and allow you better access to the nooks and crannies.
Mother's is great stuff and probably all you'll need. An old, worn out T-shirt that you never intend to wear again will also make a good polishing cloth. Judging from the photos you published in a different thread, a good hand polishing will likely be sufficient. | ||
| Post# 386179 , Reply# 3 2/15/2018 at 23:08 (2,253 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana) | ||
I'd like to know too, because you see half the people talking about using a polishing wheel or steel wool and sandpaper and all this and all that. I don't have the money nor the access to an entire machine shop and all that equipment, so I'd have to do hand polishing. I bought a bunch of soft auto cloths from the dollar store, just need to go to walmart for the polish.
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| Post# 386190 , Reply# 5 2/16/2018 at 02:13 (2,253 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
huskyVacs - Harbor Freight 7" polisher $40, couple of 6" stitched cotton buffing wheels $5 each, aluminum polishing kit $20. You could skip the big polisher and just use an electric drill, the polishing kit comes with all the buffer thingies. Then I finish with Mother's on a loose cotton wheel.
I'm a very patient man, but if there's a way for me to use electricity in place of elbow grease and time, I'm doin it. Hey, they have a smaller kit for $6. CLICK HERE TO GO TO MadMan's LINK | ||
| Post# 386194 , Reply# 6 2/16/2018 at 02:41 (2,253 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana) | ||
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| Post# 386218 , Reply# 7 2/16/2018 at 11:44 (2,253 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
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What to use on the aluminum shell of a Kirby--or other machine with a polished aluminum shell--largely depends on what kind of shape it's in. Joe's Sentria 2 is already very clean and shiny so the use of any abrasives would do more harm than good. But older machines that have been abused or neglected or stored in dank places like basements or garages are going to need some tougher love to bring back their true luster.
Sandpaper is for deep scratches. You'll need to start with something sort of coarse, like maybe 100 grit and sand perpendicular to the scratch(es) to erase them, then move up to progressively finer (higher number) grades of sandpaper, alternating sanding directions each time to eventually bring the surface back to an even finish. At some point, you'll need to graduate from sandpaper to the milder abrasives below. Milder abrasives (#0000 steel wool, Barkeeper's Friend, automotive buffing compounds, etc.) are good for shallow surface scratches or getting rid of that dull, gray appearance that looks like lead. You might actually want to try this first before attacking your machine with coarser sandpaper. I brought my G5 back from the leaden look with Barkeeper's Friend and then brought it up to an acceptable satin sheen with a good hand polishing with Mother's. At some point, I may eventually go back and machine polish it with my drill to give it a higher gloss. A good quality automotive wax should be the final step for any polishing effort, not so much to enhance the shine but to provide a protective seal against further oxidation. After you've done whatever of the above is necessary or desired, you can maintain your machine's finish by periodically (like once or twice a year) polishing with Mother's or a similar product and then re-applying the wax. | ||
| Post# 386271 , Reply# 9 2/17/2018 at 10:31 (2,252 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
Flitz Polish... I have been using Flitz Polish lately. This is the same polish that Kirby uses in their Rebuild dept.
I find That Flitz not only gives you a better shine than Mother's on Aluminum, but it is also a rubber and plastic cleaner as well. You do not need to remove the rubber bumper and other rubber or plastic trim when you use Flitz. Flitz not only removes scuff marks from the rubber bumper like magic, it is also a better Aluminum polish as well. Try it and you will see.
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| Post# 386291 , Reply# 11 2/17/2018 at 16:55 (2,252 days old) by bikerray (Middle Earth) | ||
Washing the bag | ||
| Post# 386293 , Reply# 12 2/17/2018 at 17:52 (2,252 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana) | ||
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@ bikerray
Those of us with front load drum washers can't do that. I'd say toss the plastic bits from the bag into a dishwasher if you have one, and then the bag in the wash.
I have neither a top load or a dishwasher so I think I'll have to wait until summer and leave a black storage bin out in the lawn and let it heat up and then wash the bag there. I have the 1981 pink Kirby bag, a Kirby Classic bag, and a Ultimate G bag, can all of those be hand-washed? | ||
| Post# 386296 , Reply# 13 2/17/2018 at 18:18 (2,252 days old) by luxflairguy (Wilmington, NC) | ||
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I washed a orange Heritage bag in the front loader today and am thrilled with the results! I always add the 2nd rinse and the highest spin speed. Results are great! | ||
| Post# 386334 , Reply# 16 2/18/2018 at 10:04 (2,251 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
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