Thread Number: 34220
/ Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
How to clean and polish a Vintage Kirby |
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Post# 370841   4/16/2017 at 21:11 (2,537 days old) by TheBraveKirby (Jackson Nj)   |   | |
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Ok So its been a long time over 890 Days since I have been here but I am back to ask How to clean a Vintage Kirby how do I polish the metal to a nice shine what are some good safe polishes I can use? I have removed the heavy dirt and dust with Glass Plus it has no ammonia. I have looked all over the web and get a lot of different advise not sure what is best for the age of the metal I don't want to damage or discolor the metal I was told Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish is the best but again not sure if I can use it due to the age of the Kirby.
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Post# 370861 , Reply# 2   4/17/2017 at 10:50 (2,537 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)   |   | |
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Rob,
Another excellent aluminum polish is Flitz polish. Flitz is more expensive than Mother's but you do not need to worry about getting it on any trim pieces because Flitz can also be used to clean and shine any type of rubber or plastic pieces as well as polish aluminum. Flitz is what the Kirby rebuild department uses to restore old Kirby's sent in to be refurbished.
I also get a better shine with less elbow grease with Flitz.
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Post# 370897 , Reply# 3   4/17/2017 at 17:44 (2,536 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)   |   | |
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~ Actually, this is what the Kirby Rebuild Department uses to restore old Kirbys.
(These photos were taken by someone, I don't remember who, when the VCCC went to the Kirby Company for a tour a few years ago.) |
Post# 370931 , Reply# 5   4/18/2017 at 07:02 (2,536 days old) by KirbyKleanKarpet (Florida )   |   | |
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(P.S. My "after" picture does almost zero justice for Mother's, as it was 9:30pm when the picture was taken. Camera flash does little for the shine.) ~Tim |
Post# 370935 , Reply# 6   4/18/2017 at 09:14 (2,536 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)   |   | |
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One other thing about hand sanding. Don't sand in circles. Sand in straight lines back and forth. When you switch to a finer grit, sand perpendicular to the way you sanded with the previous grit. This will erase the lines made by the previous grit sandpaper. The perpendicular rule also holds true for sanding out deep scratches.
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Post# 370943 , Reply# 7   4/18/2017 at 14:45 (2,535 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)   |   | |
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Post# 370964 , Reply# 8   4/18/2017 at 17:17 (2,535 days old) by UniversalDave1 (Gardendale, AL)   |   | |
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I have been using Blue Magic polishing cream for years now, and it never ceases to amaze me. I decided that I wanted to use my Sentria to shampoo wall to wall carpeting today, but before I did, I wanted it to be polished. I machine polished the Sentria four years ago, but it has long since tarnished again. So I took a little 0000 steel wool, some Blue Magic, and 15 minutes, and restored the shine quite well for only a 15 minute touch up. On the right is the Sentria II that got machine polished yesterday, and the Sentria after the steel wool touch up.
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