Thread Number: 39709  /  Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
Hoover "Conny" Constellation project Model 843 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 421438   3/11/2020 at 15:48 (1,499 days old) by fantomfan57 (Central Texas)        

Last year sometime, I stopped by on my way from south of town and picked up this vacuum. They were not home and had hidden the vacuum in the plants in the front entrance of the home.

It was just the motor unit, weathered but did not look like it had gotten wet.....recently. I stored it away as I did not have a hose. That changed this week when I found all the tools AND the hose. All in excellent condition. They even match this machine.

It is on the bench in the process of being dismantled. After I vacuumed the debris, threw away the "fabric filter", I wiped it down with mild soap and disinfectant. The cleaning will not suffice, especially seeing the seal needs to be scrubbed and the uncovered rust. I have now left it for today dismantled for further cleaning.

Due to the rusting, I will be repainting it. Wish I had taken a picture of the dirty machine when I first put it on the work bench.

I will get some pics Thursday but it is just the dismantled mess.

I am very happy to have finally gotten the hose....oh and the rest of it.

Cheers!


Post# 421440 , Reply# 1   3/11/2020 at 18:48 (1,499 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
Congrats! Connies are great.

 gottahaveahoove's profile picture
What color/model is it?


Post# 421441 , Reply# 2   3/11/2020 at 19:51 (1,499 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)        

huskyvacs's profile picture
I bet they were going to make a "retro hip flowerpot" out of it that they saw on Pinterest.

Post# 421458 , Reply# 3   3/12/2020 at 08:10 (1,499 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
Very possible.

 gottahaveahoove's profile picture
Yikes! Per Martha Stewart, maybe NOT " a good thing".

Post# 421487 , Reply# 4   3/13/2020 at 04:16 (1,498 days old) by fantomfan57 (Central Texas)        
Thanks for the laugh...."flower pot"..

 I don't know where it was before they stashed it, but it could have equally been exposed. They put it there because they were not home and wanted it to be hidden/stashed for me. (I hope).

Model 843 (Tilted). Colors, Mauve & pale yellow. Could have been stored in a shed as there were some leaves inside. Glad there had not been any rodents inside, at least there was no evidence of nesting.

Scrubbed, dried then rust "killer" applied yesterday. Today, I will use the wire wheel on the rustier parts to smooth that out.

I will also do some cleaning up on the motor housing. Motor sounded very good when I tested it, but it looks like it could use a bit of sprucing up...cosmetically. I will take some pics today.

Post# 421797 , Reply# 5   3/17/2020 at 10:26 (1,494 days old) by fantomfan57 (Central Texas)        
So far...

 did some wire wheel work on the worst rust and rewashed it all again. It's weird but, I originally washed the body using Tide powder and as I dried everything off, I felt some stickiness.

So I rewashed with a liquid laundry detergent and dried it again. Next up, sanding. As soon as I can find my sand paper. I may use my multi-tool for this stage.

Once everything is smooth, I will wipe down all with 91% alcohol. Prime and paint after that.

Post# 421804 , Reply# 6   3/17/2020 at 11:31 (1,494 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        

You may wish to use hammerite brand paint, it’s much more durable than rustoleum and has a glass like protective gloss which really gives a long lasting professional looking finish. It’s much more resistant to chipping if say a wand was dropped on it or the cleaner is bumped into something. I painted my Electrolux AF with some dark bronze metallic (more like a deep brown) and it is chipping horribly. I regret it and should have done nothing or used the hammerite I used on my Electrolux Model G that has not chipped at all. The rustoleum began chipping very soon after the job, both machines received the same pre paint preparation, it seemed as if even the slightest bump of anything metal to the AF would chip off the paint off and now I can scrape away at chipped areas with my fingernail and remove the crappy rustoleum product. I think at this point, my only alternative is to try repainting the whole thing with the hammerite and hope it seals in the rustoleum. I worry that the hammerite might stick to the rustoleum fine, but the rustoleum will continue to chip even with the hammerite on top of it and the problem will never go away unless I strip all of the rustoleum off.

Now let’s keep in mind, I use the AF as a “shop vac”. Because I prefer the 4 ply bag filtration and ease of just changing the self sealing bag on the Electrolux where all the dirt is sealed in compared to the nasty and gross filter cleaning required on shop vacs. I do home repairs and remodels and suck up a lot of nasty stuff from inside walls from older homes so I want and need good filtration and want the dirt and debris sealed away from exposure to me or anyone else permanently. This is my work vacuum so it sees a lot of use, but I’m not that rough on it as I’m generally gentle on my tools and vacuums to avoid dents and breakage of anything. But I still don’t feel it should be chipping and peeling this much.

Post# 421808 , Reply# 7   3/17/2020 at 15:55 (1,493 days old) by fantomfan57 (Central Texas)        
Hey Jon..

 I will consider that. Question, did you once drive down to Austin to pick up a Riccar or Simplicity from me?



Post# 421825 , Reply# 8   3/17/2020 at 20:04 (1,493 days old) by fantomfan57 (Central Texas)        
Jon,

Where in Dallas do you buy Hammerite Spray Paint?



Post# 421898 , Reply# 9   3/19/2020 at 16:20 (1,491 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        

No that was not me. Different Jon I guess.

I was able to get the hammerite in Farmer’s Branch at Turner Hardware but they have changed chains and may have closed down since then as it was some time ago I was in the area. One could probably find a web site for hammerite products and find a store that carries it or buy it on line...maybe Amazon?

I can say I really still am pleased with the product’s long term performance and results. The Model G has had things like the metal hose handle and wands dropped on it etc. and not one chip so far and still maintains its glass like high gloss shine. I did this paint job at least 12 years ago. Perhaps this is the brand of hammered finish paint most vacuum refurbishers used because they probably had already been down the road of using ordinary paint only to discover it didn’t hold up very well.

I have had pretty good luck with rustoleums hammered finish paints but not nearly the gloss and it is peeling a bit but not much. This was on an old cruddy metal dust pan that I use for construction cleanup when demoing a remodel so it sees a lot of abuse. First, I think any brand of hammered finish paint is going to last better and then going with a better brand may even go further. I notice that if one doesn’t like the hammered effect of the paint several very light coats reduce the effect. For more effect, heavier coats accentuate the effect as it’s when the paint flows after hitting the surface that the effect is created. A very light coat will stick right where it is sprayed but a more dense coat will flow and move around a bit.

While using the hammered paints may not create an original look one may be desiring. It seems to definitely be more durable especially if the unit is going to be used and not just set out on a shelf or in a corner strictly for display or in a closet or other protected environment as a collectible.

To me there’s nothing worse than a vintage vacuum with a Repaint job that’s all chipped up, would have been better to just have cleaned up the original as best as possible and leave it alone. But I’m pleased that I’m my experience, the hammered paints are viable alternatives for quality restorations.

Looking back, I realize that Electrolux’s early vacuums were painted with textured paint on the lower portion of the XXX and then hammered paint on the model E and Automatic E direct from the factory on new machines. Most of those models’ paint jobs have held up very well compared to later AF, G’s, R’s, S’s and L’s which scratch off much more easily.

This is inspiring me to paint my AF that I ruined with that basic dark bronze rustoleum with a coat of Gold hammered paint to give it the similar look of the last of the model L’s that were done in the Golden Jubilee metallic gold. Some don’t care for the gold, but with the cream and beige plastic parts on the AF, It will be ok but I may try to find some hammerite in another color. I have the rustoleum hammered metallic gold already in my garage. For me, I grew up during the 1205 and model L years so most Electrolux’s were blue they I encountered but then my Grandmother got a Golden Jubilee and it matched her flocked living room wallpaper which had a gold flocked feather crest design in stripes over a cream background. The Golden Jubilee looked so regal in the livingroom and dining room with that wallpaper and formal furnishings. Plus the new color was just something to admire as it was so different at the time...then things moved on to the Olympia brown and cream which she also purchased to have upstairs as it too looked regal and went well as all of the oak woodwork in the house was varnished in a medium brown and the place had two tone hardwoods with differently colored inlays. My Aunt who lived with my Grandmother at the time was likely the one who pushed those purchases as she did tell me at one time how nice she thought these models of Electrolux looked so much nicer in the house than the previous colors they had which were primarily the blue variety (which by the way...often the blue plastic parts yellowed giving a more teal appearance.)

Sorry so got a little carried away here but it’s still about paint!

Jon


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