Thread Number: 31457  /  Tag: 80s/90s Vacuum Cleaners
Royal Prince 501- Replacement brushes no longer available? So what now? 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 347820   3/17/2016 at 16:43 (3,229 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        

So, I now own two (2) wonderful Royal Prince hand vacs with moderately used brush rolls. In talking to Steve at the Henry Company in Ohio, the replacement brush rolls for the Prince are no longer available. So what are Prince owners supposed to do?

Does anyone know where to source replacement brush rolls? Thinking outside the box here, has anyone contemplated the idea of re-bristling old rollers? If brush rollers for 501 are NLA, why can't existing rollers be refurbished?
If not, are Prince owners out of luck when their brush rolls wear out?
What options do we have if any?

Bill

Post# 347822 , Reply# 1   3/17/2016 at 17:06 (3,229 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
william

 kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Bill,

The bearings were not replaceable on this generation of 501s. All you could do was buy a replacement motor assembly (3050210000).

Good luck finding one of these now!

~Ben

Post# 347825 , Reply# 2   3/17/2016 at 17:35 (3,229 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)        
It's all a conspiracy...

 human's profile picture
That's how the manufacturers retroactively kill legacy products that just keep on chugging along and won't die on their own. They discontinue essential replacement parts in an attempt to force consumers into buying their present range of cheap, made-in-China plasticrap.

Post# 347827 , Reply# 3   3/17/2016 at 18:03 (3,229 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Not fair

This is just not right. There are a ton of Prince 501 users out there who cling to quality manufacture. There has to be a path to sustainability. What are people to do?
Have talented Vac service experts not found a way to re-bristle existing rollers? They can restring a tennis racquet but not a brush roller? I am a newbie here but even I can think of a way out of obsolescence even if impractical! These 501's are too valuable to be left un-retrofitted! Help!
Bill




Post# 347829 , Reply# 4   3/17/2016 at 18:30 (3,229 days old) by vac-o-matic (Saint Louis, Mo.)        

I have seen a name on this website of a man who re-bristles brushrolls, but don't have time right now to search the archives.

Post# 347835 , Reply# 5   3/17/2016 at 20:30 (3,229 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
william

 kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Bill,

I don't how good this brush roll still is. . . if you decide to buy it, good luck!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dirt-Devil-Hand-...

~Ben

Post# 347844 , Reply# 6   3/17/2016 at 23:02 (3,229 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)        

human's profile picture
That brush roll has seen better days but at that price you really don't have much of anything to lose.

Post# 347869 , Reply# 7   3/18/2016 at 05:18 (3,229 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Thanks Guys...

 I appreciate all of your thoughts.
Ben, thank you for the link. I would like to hear from anyone who knows of a serviceman who re-bristles brush rolls. I will look in the archives myself.
Thanks!

Bill

Post# 347881 , Reply# 8   3/18/2016 at 08:59 (3,229 days old) by bikerray (Middle Earth)        

bikerray's profile picture
Henry Vacuum is in Indiana not Ohio, anyway if you hit Goodwill or Salvation Army they have used Dirt Devil hand vacs that use the same brush roll. I've salvaged several brush rolls that look like new and have plenty of bristle length left.

Post# 347892 , Reply# 9   3/18/2016 at 11:37 (3,228 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Thanks!

 Okay Indiana. For some reason thought Ohio.
Good catch!
Bill

Post# 347897 , Reply# 10   3/18/2016 at 13:08 (3,228 days old) by MPN ()        

As far as brushes are concerned, go to your local hardware store (not Home Depot or Lowes) with what's left of your old brushes, and match them to brushes in their Hillman or Jandorf assortment that are roughly the same size or slightly on the PLUS size. You'll have to estimate the length, taking into account what you'll lose when arching them to the commutator.

You might get lucky finding the same dimension brushes, but have a file and wet n' dry sandpaper handy, as you'll likely have to size the brushes to the original brush dimensions.

As far as pigtail leads go, once you get the brushes properly sized, trim them to obtain the correct length then solder the original lead to the new brush lead.

IMPORTANT: Prior to turning on, be absolutely sure the brushes do not bind in their holders. Fit and re-fit until they slide effortlessly, or you'll destroy the commutator.

DON'T get in a hurry. Plan on taking your sweet time, as you can always remove material, but not put it back on.

Good luck,
Mike

Post# 347904 , Reply# 11   3/18/2016 at 15:21 (3,228 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)        
william

 kirbyclassiciii's profile picture
Bill,

Were you looking at a replacement brush roll or internal motor brushes?

But since I noticed it was about brush rolls, I too would like to know where to get these re-bristled if ever I found a 501 or equivalent hand vacuum.

I hope there is someone out there with a whole box of NOS 2050221000 brush rolls.

~Ben

Post# 347946 , Reply# 12   3/18/2016 at 20:33 (3,228 days old) by vac-o-matic (Saint Louis, Mo.)        
Rebristler info...

 I found this in the archives, worth a phone call, sounds like he really does a nice job!

CLICK HERE TO GO TO vac-o-matic's LINK
Post# 347953 , Reply# 13   3/18/2016 at 21:32 (3,228 days old) by Packardmanken (atlanta ga)        
re-tufting

 I have talked to the man at O'connors and he still does re-tufting. make sure you TALK VERY LOUDLY as he is hard of hearing and I have received some things that I did not want after ordering!!!! He's great!

Post# 347956 , Reply# 14   3/18/2016 at 22:02 (3,228 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
From Bill...

 Thanks to everyone who helped on this one. Let's keep the re-bristling fellows info handy as I am sure others will want to reach out.

Ben, I was referring to replacement brush rolls. Since the rollers themselves are extremely limited in availability, it only seems logical to sustain the proprietary part and rebristle it. I guess this is not a easy service to provide but if other experts are looking for a new revenue stream, this seems to be a great way to earn money AND provide a wonderful service to the Vintage community. Community.

Consider the Royal 501. They are the best hand Vac our there. I bought two and they are available on eBay for am under $50.
Bill








Post# 347957 , Reply# 15   3/18/2016 at 22:05 (3,228 days old) by william (Philadelphia)        
Re-tufting

Much thanks goes to MPN and Vac-O-matic for bringing key info to the forefront! I will investigate. Thanks all!

Post# 347962 , Reply# 16   3/18/2016 at 22:13 (3,228 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)        

human's profile picture
I love my 501's. I've got two of them, an early one from the '60s with a red and gray bag and gray handle and a late '80s version with a light blue bag and handle. I snagged the blue one at a thrift shop a little over a year ago for just under $3 and had to put a belt on it and clean a bunch of pet hair out of it. The red and gray one came from eBay and cost me about $17, including shipping. It was clean as a whistle and ready to go. I now use them both with paper liners. I had to flip the bags upside down to accommodate the liners' cardboard collars.

Post# 474898 , Reply# 17   12/29/2024 at 13:40 by torqueflite (Longmont)        
Re-bristling Royal Prince 501 brushrolls

 Hello Vacuumland,

I found this very old thread on the re-bristling options for Royal Prince 501 hand vacs. I don't think O'Connors is still in business. Does anyone still do this re-bristling commercially and if not, are there written instructions or a YouTube video where I can learn re-bristling a brushroll myself? I have five working 501s and two parts 501s.

Thanks for any assistance.

Regards,

Mel

Post# 474951 , Reply# 18   1/1/2025 at 17:44 by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, IN)        

huskyvacs's profile picture


Vintagehoover posted a guide here way back in 2008, but it might be difficult to interpret when you've never done it before. I think it's related to old Hoovers that have threading holes in their brushroller bar, but the process should be similar. I learn easier with videos. Make sure you use real horsehair (mainly antique vacs) or soft nylon or whatever they used on most modern vacuums, and not hard plastic nylon like whats on a toilet brush.

www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bi...



Post# 474990 , Reply# 19   1/3/2025 at 13:43 by Tylerhawkins84 (Elkhart, IN)        
NOS Listing on eBay

 This seller currently has 3 NOS brush rolls listed for sale (eBay listing No. 395970331385). They are the newer version used in the last Dirt Devil original hand vacs that weren’t painted silver and don’t have the concentric adjustable bearing housings with 1-3 settings to compensate for brush wear but they will work in the 501. You could pull the bearings off the 501 brush roll and put them on this one so they would still work as original. Dirt Devil made millions of these and you can still find them with near new brush rolls and it’s not even that rare to still find NOS units for sale at very reasonable prices.


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