Another bit of Sweeper Serendipity!


Forum Topics & Rules Manuals & Literature	New users Click-here to sign-up

Thread Number: 4457
Another bit of Sweeper Serendipity!

[Down to Last]

Post# 49975 8/29/2008 at 15:12 (5,711 days old) by charles~richard ()
Checkrate/Likes I occasionally get emails from people who have found my web site and write along the lines of, "Hello, we found an old vacuum when cleaning out dearly-departed Aunt Agatha's house. We'll be happy to send it to you if you want it..." Indeed, just a month or so ago, a nice lady [from St. Louis btw!] wrote that her grandmother had moved into a retirement community and left the chore of cleaning out her large old house to her family. "Thanks, Grannie!" she said. One of the things they found in an upstairs closet was "an old Kirby sweeper that appeared to have been hardly used." She said they had a big yard sale and the Kirby was out there but no one bought it, so she was wondering if I would want it for the cost of shipping. I asked her to please send me a photo of it. I have "learned me lesson" and now always ask for a photo or two, having received too many old vacs in pathetic condition, for which I was then obliged to cover the shipping cost, with the machine going to the dumpster. And since this particular specimen had gone unsold at her yard sale, I figured it was probably junk. So imagine my surprise when she replied back with a photo of a Kirby 515 (1955 vintage) with the original bag and cord. It appeared to be in excellent condition, so of course I was delighted to have it. I -did- wonder why the shipping was $75.00, but just assumed the lady had wanted a little something for her trouble and I certainly didn't mind covering that. So, a couple weeks later I got a call from the church secretary telling me there was "a huge box" down there for me. What the...? I wondered?! I wasn't expecting anything like that. I went down there that evening to see what it was. Imagine my elated astonishment when I opened the water-heater-sized carton and found, beautifully and professionally packed, one Kirby 515, with all the cartons and attachments and instruction booklet! It doesn't look like the attachments were ever used. (See photo -- I also have the HandiButler but forgot to include it in the photo session, so excited was I!) Now ... CAN YOU IMAGINE ... walking up to a yard sale and seeing something like THIS sitting there??! Would you not just plotz on the spot! Especially if you got there 30 seconds too late and saw some bedraggled family dragging the machine down the sidewalk to their car.... "Oh the pain, the pain...!" (That actually happened to me once, with a gorgeous and all-original Lux XXX - I got there just as an old man was dumping it into the trunk of his beat-up old car. I overheard him telling someone at the sale that it would make "a great shop vac." Ohhhhhh, the heartache!!) I can't imagine why "no one wanted" this beautiful Kirby! Well, I guess other folks' indifference is my incredibly good luck! The machine as you see it is exactly as I received it. I have not done a thing to it, other than stand there sighing with great amazement!! I am debating whether or not to take it all apart and buff it out. On the one hand, it would look stunning. On the other hand, it is all original, and it might be kinda tragic to do anything to it. Decisions, decisions...! Hey, here's a thought... I do have the original owner's manual, with the serial number recorded in it. I -could- take off all the original trim & bag and send it to Kirby for refurbishment. You think that would be totally honest...?! Oh btw, the glass jar contains a folded pad of cheese-cloth-covered cotton, impregnated with paste wax. It's a genuine Kirby product -- the label reads "Kirby [logo] Wax Pad For Use With Kirby Home Renovator - Price $1.50." More photos to come....... Oh, you can also see it in this YouTube video. I used it as a "before" comparison for my 508 restoration project. See link. CLICK HERE TO GO TO charles~richard's LINK

Post# 49977 , Reply# 1 8/29/2008 at 15:23 (5,711 days old) by kirbyvertibles (Independence, KS)
Checkrate/Likes OMG, that is a happy ending for a happy and deserving Kirby 515. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!

Post# 49978 , Reply# 2 8/29/2008 at 15:31 (5,711 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida)
Checkrate/Likes She certainly did you a good turn, I got an email from someone regarding a Singer canister one day, and I didn't answer it because I didn't know the address or the sender. I feel a little guilty, but didn't want to get into it with another sadist setting a trap. I'm glad you got the Kirby.

Post# 49982 , Reply# 3 8/29/2008 at 16:12 (5,711 days old) by vacuumkid3 ()
Checkrate/Likes Charles, My first vacuum, as you might remember, was a Franken-Kirby with a 515 nameplate on it. I am so glad to finally have seen a 100% original 515 with boxes! I have already saved that picture to my computer! Congratulations, and in my opinion, I think you ought to buff it out and save the trim, as I think you do a great job, if not better than Kirby! You are truly an expert in buffing and restoring these Kirbys! Oh, and a quick question...does the cord have "Kirby" printed anywhere on it? I have a cord for a 519 that might've gone to a 515, but I'm not for certain. ~~K~~

Post# 50006 , Reply# 4 8/29/2008 at 19:37 (5,711 days old) by charles~richard ()
Checkrate/Likes The wall-end of the plug has the Kirby logo on it, the new, more angular style that appears on the bag. This cord would not fit any machine later than a 515 as it has the large round machine-end plug. The cord for models 516-561 was grey with red, flat plugs on both ends.

Post# 50020 , Reply# 5 8/29/2008 at 22:53 (5,711 days old) by xraytech ()
Checkrate/Likes Charles, That is a wonderful find and you are very lucky to find that. I think that it is great in it's all original condition. But if you wanted to have it polished to like new I think you should do it yourself instead of sending it to Kirby since you do just as nice of a job if not better. Congrats again on the great find Sam

Post# 50056 , Reply# 6 8/30/2008 at 11:34 (5,710 days old) by hoovercelebrity (Germany)
Checkrate/Likes *Wow!* Fabulous find! Absoulutely gorgeous! Personally, I might give it a shine-by hand... but leave it in its all original state! Love the logo on the bag! ~Fred

Post# 50058 , Reply# 7 8/30/2008 at 12:16 (5,710 days old) by vinvac (Dubuque IA)
Checkrate/Likes Charlie, What a wonderful find! I never seem to find things in such mint condition. You and Tania need to share your secretes. I would love to find a 508 in original condition. At least we know this one has gone to a good home. Morgan

Post# 50347 , Reply# 8 9/2/2008 at 01:35 (5,708 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)
Checkrate/Likes *Congratulations Charles!!* What a beautiful machine!! And so complete with the original boxes and instruction book!! And I agree, you should probably polish it yourself instad of sending it to Kirby--might come back looking like a D-50, which is of course my favorite Kirby, but I wouldn't want my 512 or 517 looking like a D-50 either!! Jeff

Forum Index:

Other Forums:

Comes to the Rescue!

Woops, Time to Check the Bag!!!
Either you need to change your vacuum bag or you forgot to LOG-IN?
Discuss-O-MAT Log-In

New Members Click Here To Sign Up.

automaticwasher.org home
Discuss-o-Mat Forums
Vintage Brochures, Service and Owners Manuals
Fun Vintage Washer Ephemera
See It Wash!
Video Downloads
Audio Downloads
Picture of the Day
Patent of the Day
Photos of our Collections
The Old Aberdeen Farm
Vintage Service Manuals Vintage washer/dryer/dishwasher to sell?
Technical/service questions?
Looking for Parts?
Website related questions?
Digital Millennium Copyright Act Policy
Our Privacy Policy