Thread Number: 40008  /  Tag: 50s/60s/70s Vacuum Cleaners
Today’s project...painting an Electrolux AF 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 424679   5/2/2020 at 19:37 (1,453 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        

Decided it was time to repaint my Electrolux AF that I use in the garage and for any remodeling projects. It was looking pretty rough in the standard dark bronze metallic paint I had painted it with several years ago that had chipped off all over. I had bought a can of hammered gold a long time ago and still had it so that’s what I used this time for a “Golden Jubilee” era look. Here’s some pics just before painting and during in the “spray booth” (cardboard box). I dismantled as much as I could and then taped over the wheels, automatic control knob, power wires, suction opening, bag door button and the metal trim around the bag door. The dismantling and taping really only took about 45 minutes which I did yesterday. I did wash it with a damp cloth and also sanded the paint lightly and rewiped it with a damp cloth before painting today. I put several light coats pretty quickly so the paint will be good and thick...hopefully it won’t chip off as easily as the dark bronze non hammered did. Once I take the tape off and put the handle switch assembly, cord and cord halo back on, I’ll take and post a final pic. Hopefully it will stay looking good over some time and then if anyone is curious about a paint to use for any refurbishment projects there will be some experience here.

Honestly I should have never painted it to begin with and just left it with its mild scratches it had and peppered tiny minor rust spots, though it looked not all that great...but at this point there was no turning back and only attempts to improve it. Actually thought about getting the two colors...the sandy gray beige and cream color and painting it those colors to get it back to the original colors but I didn’t want to have to go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and hoping the hammered paint will hold up better too than flats.

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Post# 424681 , Reply# 1   5/2/2020 at 19:48 (1,453 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)        

human's profile picture
The hammered looks good. It's pretty forgiving stuff. I painted a PN4A with Rustoleum hammertone black paint and primer in one couple of years ago and it has proven to be pretty resiliant stuff. Look forward to seeing the finished product.

Post# 424701 , Reply# 2   5/2/2020 at 21:32 (1,453 days old) by Thevacomaticiec (Bathurst New Brunswick Canada )        

thevacomaticiec's profile picture
Looksa good a few years back i repainted my Comapct c9 .
Now that i know how to remoove the bumper and seperate the body this comming weeks i will oep n it up to bare bones and re paint her properly.(Shes use almost every day so shes showing battle scar should i repaint or not hummm...)

Post# 424734 , Reply# 3   5/3/2020 at 04:04 (1,453 days old) by kirbyklekter (Concord,Ca.)        
To paint or not to paint

 I've heard others say that epoxy paints are pretty durable. Some have primer mixed in, I haven't used them as of yet, so can't comment on that. I do know that what ever method you use, regardless of brand or type used, you should have as clean a surface as possible. Just from handling it alone, the oils in our hands can leave an oily residue, slight maybe but the paint will adhere better to a non slick surface better.Since it is metal, you can always wipe it down with rubbing alcohol or similar after your through masking it off and removing parts. I'd give the paint time to harden (cure) before pressing the machine back in to service right away.It may say on the label what the curing time is. Not just the dry times, the curing time. Here's a good one: If you accidentally spray on to any masking tape, it's best to pull that tape off asap before it dries. If allowed to dry, pulling the tape off could also pull some of your paint job off with it! Been there done that!

Post# 424748 , Reply# 4   5/3/2020 at 12:27 (1,452 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        

Thanks for the tip on the masking tape. I did leave it on but will take it off today carefully. Fortunately,There’s not too many places where it actually forms a transition, just non removable separate parts I didn’t want to paint so there’s a natural break so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Yeah, I don’t anticipate any immediate use needs for the machine so right now I have it in my garage on its storage shelf so the paint can harden. They say 48 hours for a full dry time and it wasn’t tacky as of late in the day yesterday.

I did wash it with some all purpose spray cleaner before spraying so hopefully with that and the sanding and the better paint which I put on pretty heavily via multiple coats, I’ll have better luck at durability. I do like that it is quite glossy so far.

Jon

Post# 424760 , Reply# 5   5/3/2020 at 13:36 (1,452 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
Still, that's a pretty nice paint job!

 gottahaveahoove's profile picture
I only painted a Hoover 67 Convertible... I was 15. You can imagine how THAT came out! Luckily, I know my talents, skills, and limitations. Now.
Good luck with your machine! FAR better than my Convertible project.But, that cleaner still operates at peak performance. naturally.


Post# 424772 , Reply# 6   5/3/2020 at 16:31 (1,452 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
I took a look and feel at 24 hours

 Well it seems to be a good hard finish so far, not tacky and I took off the tape but will wait until tomorrow or the next day to reassemble the parts. I did find a tiny spot by one of the wheels that needed paint and I touched that up so didn’t want to fuss with it while that dries and sets. So far I’m pleased with the results and only time will tell how it fares. This machine gets a LOT of use when I have a project going on, get hauled in and out of my SUV with tool boxes and bags etc. I’ve had it for 12 years now of pretty heavy use and it won’t quit. Lasted longer than any shop vac I had previously and also it had a whole life before the last 12 years from 1957 to 61 and judging from the wear when I got it, it was a regular household vacuum for those 50 years ! I may open the back end before I reassemble the top parts and see if there is dust buildup that should be cleaned. I could blow it out with my compressor. If I chip the paint I can always touch it up since I have more left in the spray can. I’ve put this thing through some rough cleanup work.

Surprisingly when I first got it the bearings didn’t sound too good but after using it for about a year or so regularly it’s stopped sounding bad and sounds much better and has stayed quiet. It’s hard to stop these old Electrolux’s.

Jon

Post# 424782 , Reply# 7   5/3/2020 at 18:01 (1,452 days old) by fantomfan57 (Central Texas)        
Very Nice!

 I look forward to using Hammer finish paint again. I used it on my surprise Rainbow D2 found at a back yard sale last year.

The people doing the sale mentioned the owner is a hoarder. It was just the main body, no water pan. I spotted it under a table and knew exactly what it was. Needless to say I snatched it up and paid immediately.

When I was paying the $6, the lady asked if it was a hair dryer. I managed to get the parts that I did not already have and bring it back to life.



Post# 424797 , Reply# 8   5/3/2020 at 21:34 (1,452 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Nice

 lesinutah's profile picture
I like it very nice change. The compact that gotta painted he used I believe an epoxy resin paint. Living where he does it makes sense because of the weather.
How did you get that sent out where the body goes small to large right in the middle. It dissapeard.
Les


Post# 424802 , Reply# 9   5/3/2020 at 22:06 (1,452 days old) by Thevacomaticiec (Bathurst New Brunswick Canada )        

thevacomaticiec's profile picture
Only paint i use is tremclad engien enamel paint blue 2 coat cure in hot shed for 3 hours voila

Post# 424805 , Reply# 10   5/3/2020 at 22:18 (1,452 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Nm

 lesinutah's profile picture
Im was incorrect. The paint I mentioned is not similar to epoxy.
I apologise I've been looking at fiberglass epoxy resin/hardener and that's where It came from.
Les


Post# 424815 , Reply# 11   5/4/2020 at 00:09 (1,452 days old) by gregvacs28 (U.S.)        

It looks like a gold mid 70s Jubilee.  I like.  
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Post# 424839 , Reply# 12   5/4/2020 at 11:39 (1,452 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
Thank You

 Thanks for the compliment. When I first bought the paint, I had in mind the Golden Jubilee and Gold L in mind. But then I started second guessing if that’s what I wanted so I put the project off and there were just so many other things delaying it. Now that the paint is on I’m pleased with the color for sure. This afternoon will be the 48 hours since painting and I will for sure post a photo once I have all the top parts back together. But I think I ought to open the back end up first and clean out any dust buildup since I have things already disassembled far enough.

Jon

Post# 424850 , Reply# 13   5/4/2020 at 14:59 (1,451 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
Thank You

 Thanks for the compliment. When I first bought the paint, I had in mind the Golden Jubilee and Gold L in mind. So far I’m pleased.

Opened up the back end a bit ago and used a soft brsudhbthen my compressor to get all of the dust out of the motor. There was quite a buildup. But now the motor looks as if it just left the factory. I’m really impressed with how well the compressor did. Clearly this is the way to go for cleaning our motors in the future. Even the wiring looks nice and I can now see the colors!

I recommend doing this outside though. I did it in the garage Near the door but had the door open and the car was gone.

I also blew out the back end baffle, they put some sort of fabric in the back end piece...likely for sound absorption and it collects the dust too. That was actually more work to get that cleaned than the motor itself.

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Post# 424876 , Reply# 14   5/4/2020 at 23:04 (1,451 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah)        
Nice

 lesinutah's profile picture
The paint looks good. The top of the motor looks fantastic after cleaning it.
I noticed the wheels before were dirty or something were they able to come out looking good too?
Les

Post# 424888 , Reply# 15   5/5/2020 at 10:10 (1,451 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        

That’s cream colored masking tape covering the back wheels so there’s some overspray on the tape. I will likely reassemble everything today.

I should have taken a before picture of the motor with the dirt coating, it was really bad. There was even quite a buildup on the inside side of the metal bars supporting the bearing.

For a while I was using a cloth bag for some heavy quantity jobs to avoid going through bags really fast and also when having to suck up a lot of Sheetrock sanding dust which quickly clogs the paper bags and unfortunately the cloth bag just lets too much of the finest dust through. In recent years I’ve been avoiding the cloth bag because I’ve realized I have probably more paper bags I could ever use now. Unfortunately though I’ve discovered a chunk of them are only two ply generics even though the packaging says they are 4 ply. The company, Home Care Products, must have been getting them from various different distributors as some packages have the multi filter brand ones in them with the printing on the cardboard tops and those are 4 ply and the others have no printing in the cardboard top and the bag’s paper themselves do have printing on them about filling only to 2/3 full etc but don’t have the “3 inner layers, 1 outer layer” printed on them like the multi filter ones do. I guess Home Care Products was deceived too. Same packaging, different bags. I bought them all at the same time from the same store. It was at a Dollar tree, many years ago, a three pack for a dollar.. I bought 54 packages...all they had as I assumed I would be using a lot. I’ve used close to half in the past 12 years. Some I gave away with some Electrolux’s I’ve given to friends too, probably about 10 packages. I use the genuine 4 ply bags in my other Electrolux vacuums. I know the multi filter ones are better and I may stop using the two ply ones regularly now that I’ve cleaned the motor out and maybe only use them when I have large quantity jobs that will fill the bags fast such as cleaning out demolition dirt and insulation debris from inside walls. Right now I‘m not doing big remodeling or flipping jobs so I don’t anticipate using a lot of bags.

Anyway, I’ve noticed the two ply bags even let some fine dust through as if I flick the outside of the bag, a bit of dust comes off of it but this is mostly when I’ve had to pick up debris that contains a lot of Sheetrock sanding dust.

I’ve considered making a Sheetrock dust bucket to pre capture this type of dust in water. I know how to do it as my Brother in law has one with his vacuum sanding attachment he bought separately years ago. It works pretty good but just a lot to have to cart around with you. The vacuum, the water filled bucket, the two hoses...and make sure the bucket doesn’t dump over and it doesn’t have wheels, so out of laziness I just use the bags and when they get coated, pull them out and shake them down and flick the outside of the bag to get the bulk of the dust off the sides of the bag and that works ok until then bag is about 1/2 filled. I read here someone got a tip from an Electrolux man that filling the bag with some rumpled clean toilet paper or tissues first helps to avoid this clogging of the sides of the bags when picking up Sheetrock plaster dust. I’ll try that in the future. Sounds logical it would allow the dust to accumulate on it.

Jon

Post# 425047 , Reply# 16   5/7/2020 at 20:01 (1,448 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
It’s all done!

 I’ve reassembled everything after a slight hiccup which was a new chip which had to be touched up. Boo. Anyway, I reassembled all of the parts yesterday and here’s some photos of the finished product. While it isn’t quite as Golden as the Gold on a Golden Jubilee or Gold L...I think it looks pretty good and my Sister approved when she saw photos as she has a Gold L and thought it looked pretty good. The bag door came out especially nice I thought. The whole thing has a nicer gloss to it than the bronze paint had.

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Post# 425060 , Reply# 17   5/7/2020 at 21:46 (1,448 days old) by JustJunque (Western MA)        
Looks good, Jon!

 justjunque's profile picture
Do you think you'll try to paint inside the "Electrolux" lettering?
Like a white or cream color maybe?
Although, I know I wouldn't be able to do it if it were me. I don't have a steady enough hand for detail like that.

Barry


Post# 425080 , Reply# 18   5/8/2020 at 01:16 (1,448 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)        
Electrolux Logo Lettering

 electrolux137's profile picture

 

I use artist's oil pastel sticks -- yellow for E & E-A and white or light gray for other models.

 

What I do is heat the motor body in the area of the logo with a blow dryer then apply the pastel. It softens and melts into the indented lettering.

 

Let it cool down and wipe off the excess with a soft towel. It may take a couple of "redos" to get all the lettering filled in evenly. Just keep patient and keep applying and rubbing off.

 

I've done many Electroluxes over the years and have never had a problem with the pastel color. Once it cools and sets, it's very stable as long as you don't bump or scrape the lettering area. I've never had one where the pastel melted.

 

You can get oil pastel sticks at art supply firms and probably Amazon.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO electrolux137's LINK

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Post# 425102 , Reply# 19   5/8/2020 at 11:23 (1,448 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        

That’s interesting about the oil pastels. For this one I don’t think I’ll bother because it’s just a garage and shop vac” I use for any dirty jobs. I do have a model G that I painted a hammered blue some years ago I have stored in my closet and that one would sure look nice with the logo done up in white because it is a darker color blue that I chose.

I wonder if Electrolux used something similar to the pastel paint originally. It always seemed to come off or out a bit too easily and if you washed the outside of the vacuum with just a damp cloth it seemed to easily wash away.

I’ll post a Picture of the G I painted a while back in next post, as it’s saved on a different device. I did post it about a month ago when I obtained a genuine Electrolux rubber pigtail hose for it so some may have already seen it. That one required a lot more masking with other non removable wheels, the front door had to be completely masked, the rubber bumpers too and so on...but I did remove as much as I could of items that would disassemble via screws.

Jon

Post# 425103 , Reply# 20   5/8/2020 at 11:36 (1,448 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
Photos of paint model G

 As you can see this one would look really good with the lettering in white and because it was a rarely used G in great condition, (but seemed to have been stored in a basement or humid environment the outside on the top had little tiny spreckled spots of rust all over which made it look not so nice so that’s why I chose to paint it. I had seen one painted in a dark gray and like the contrast with the polished aluminum front and back ends but that may have been a Previous tan one as the rubber handle and bumpers were the off white. I thought that color would look odd with the teal bluish bumpers and handle on this one so I picked the blue paint. Since I did it, I happened to be driving by one of the only few vacuum stores in Dallas and they had one painted just like it on display in their storefront window. I let one of my friends borrow it for a while when her Renaissance quit on her and she was having to pack to move and clean the house and friends who came to help her pack up all commented on how they thought it was a cool vacuum and where’s could they get one like it.

I feel like this one is “missing something” without the name painted in white.

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Post# 425105 , Reply# 21   5/8/2020 at 12:28 (1,447 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)        

human's profile picture
I like Charles' idea of the oil pastels for the lettering and it certainly gives you a wider palate of colors to choose from but for white lettering, I've always just used white out. You don't have to worry about being too exact about getting it just into the recesses. Just give it a minute or two to dry and you can just scrape off the excess with your thumbnail.

Oh, and nice paint job, Jon! I think I actually like that more muted shade of gold better than the factory color used on the Super J and its contemporaries. Although the color has grown on me in the years I've owned my Super J, I still find it a bit garish for my tastes and at one point I even briefly contemplated painting it maroon. I never carried through with that idea but I once posted a photo of it on this site that I'd PhotoShopped to get an idea of how it might look. I have to say it made the idea pretty tempting. I just didn't trust my painting skills enough.

Post# 425106 , Reply# 22   5/8/2020 at 12:34 (1,447 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)        
Beautiful Job Jon

 compactelectra's profile picture

Inspires me to do a touch up job on one of mine (including the white lettering per Charles’ suggestion.). I did the lettering on my Silver G but used acrylic paint and it is a painstaking process.
Post# 425107 , Reply# 23   5/8/2020 at 12:38 (1,447 days old) by Compactelectra (Palm Springs)        
Here’s The Lettering

 compactelectra's profile picture

On my silver rebuilt G.  They didn’t paint the lettering when they rebuilt it.  Used a pin point brush.  I’ll use Charles suggestion. 
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Post# 425117 , Reply# 24   5/8/2020 at 15:49 (1,447 days old) by Jayelux (Dallas, TX)        
Seconding use of Wite Out

 I also have had good luck using Wite Out to make the letters stand out.

Post# 425172 , Reply# 25   5/9/2020 at 19:22 (1,446 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
It occurred to me...

 ...to try white out. Maybe I’ll do it if the mood strikes me and glad to hear my thoughts have been tried successfully by others so I appreciate the feedback. I do have some white out on hand in the house.

Excited to put the new Gold AF into action though, to see if I feel like it’s “more worthy” now of use inside a customer’s home where they may see me using it to clean up afteR any project I have to do. These days I’m not in business like I used to be but I do have a rental property customer I do some maintenance on for the owner still since she lives across the country. But mostly this just makes me happy to have the machine looking nice...it’s a good machine that works well so deserving of a decent finish and I’m pleased I was able to get a lot of that dust buildup out of the motor though I imagine the fans probably still have a coating of their own on them.

I blew out the power switch too. It looks like a replacement as it’s base is clear plastic. But I figured getting all the dust out would be worthwhile to keep it working well. My Model G’s switch sometimes gives me trouble...looking at this one it seems like it is very simple and very difficult for it to not work correctly and perhaps it has a buildup of dirt causing the poor connection at times so I may open it up and take a look at it in some detail, especially since I just observed the properly working on on the AF I’ll be able to compare if something’s off kilter or not on the G’s since they use the same switch.

Jon


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