aeoliandave
Well-known member
This manual is printed on one sheet of heavy glossy cardstock 11" x 25", then tri-folded.
Cover
Cover
1964 Compact Electra C-6 Owners manual
- Thread starter aeoliandave
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aeoliandave
Well-known member
Page 1
aeoliandave
Well-known member
and here we clearly see the screw knob wand lock.
I have never come across any of those carpet pile clips, though...easily lost or discarded. :-(
Page 2
I have never come across any of those carpet pile clips, though...easily lost or discarded. :-(
Page 2
aeoliandave
Well-known member
Page 3
aeoliandave
Well-known member
Page 4
aeoliandave
Well-known member
Page 5 back cover
aeoliandave
Well-known member
Inside this manual was the Owners Certificate entitling one to Bonus'. Copyright is 1963.
aeoliandave
Well-known member
Certificate back side. The rules and regulations for referring your friends to have a home demonstration to earn your bonus were explicit! and only valid for 6 months!
danemodsandy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2007
- Messages
- 1,701
Dave:
Again, just wonderful. This one brings up several thoughts:
1) That chair on the cover may be the ugliest piece of furniture ever- anytime, anywhere, anyhow. I don't even think the Brady Bunch could stand to have it in their house.
2) It looks like the floor and rug tools on the cover got more than a bit of extra buffing before they were photographed. This sort of thing used to be common- the item in the ad was finished to a higher standard than the item you actually received. Now they don't even bother with that- they just PhotoShop hell out of everything.
3) I think that's an optional power nozzle outlet on the top of the canister housing, to the side of the on/off switch. Somewhere around here I have a photo of a Compact from this generation that has a power nozzle. Can anyone confirm that this was a PN outlet?
4) The referral programme certificate is very interesting. Interstate got in a fair amount of legal trouble over the years for the referral programme. A link to just one of the court cases is below. The problem wasn't so much the programme in and of itself, it was the way some distributors represented it to prospects. They'd leave new owners with the impression that their new vac would be all but paid for by referrals, which was very difficult to accomplish in actual practise. The problem was that salespeople would use the referral programme to get people to sign the sales contract: "Oh, but it's not really $269, Mrs. Dimwitty! If you'll just refer ten of your friends, you'll pay only $19!" And Mrs. Dimwitty would think of her bridge and garden club friends, and sign, not really understanding that she'd committed to $269, not $19, and that this was a finance contract with a note due come hell or high water. The legal problem was that every sales prospect had this particular carrot dangled in front of them, which made it something of a pyramid scheme- it's impossible for everyone offered a free vac to get one, because mathematically, you run out of prospects pretty soon.
http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/400/400.F2d.58.7079-7082.html
Again, just wonderful. This one brings up several thoughts:
1) That chair on the cover may be the ugliest piece of furniture ever- anytime, anywhere, anyhow. I don't even think the Brady Bunch could stand to have it in their house.
2) It looks like the floor and rug tools on the cover got more than a bit of extra buffing before they were photographed. This sort of thing used to be common- the item in the ad was finished to a higher standard than the item you actually received. Now they don't even bother with that- they just PhotoShop hell out of everything.
3) I think that's an optional power nozzle outlet on the top of the canister housing, to the side of the on/off switch. Somewhere around here I have a photo of a Compact from this generation that has a power nozzle. Can anyone confirm that this was a PN outlet?
4) The referral programme certificate is very interesting. Interstate got in a fair amount of legal trouble over the years for the referral programme. A link to just one of the court cases is below. The problem wasn't so much the programme in and of itself, it was the way some distributors represented it to prospects. They'd leave new owners with the impression that their new vac would be all but paid for by referrals, which was very difficult to accomplish in actual practise. The problem was that salespeople would use the referral programme to get people to sign the sales contract: "Oh, but it's not really $269, Mrs. Dimwitty! If you'll just refer ten of your friends, you'll pay only $19!" And Mrs. Dimwitty would think of her bridge and garden club friends, and sign, not really understanding that she'd committed to $269, not $19, and that this was a finance contract with a note due come hell or high water. The legal problem was that every sales prospect had this particular carrot dangled in front of them, which made it something of a pyramid scheme- it's impossible for everyone offered a free vac to get one, because mathematically, you run out of prospects pretty soon.
http://bulk.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/400/400.F2d.58.7079-7082.html
camelotshadow
Active member
Thanks Again Dave!
Ohhh a serial #
So in about 9 or so years 800,000 were built
averaging about 90,000 units per year.
I'd say the millionth unit was most likely produced 1 year before my unit which could be a 56 or 57 unit?
Hmmmm
need more serial numbers & dates
Good work Dave~~!!!
Ohhh a serial #
So in about 9 or so years 800,000 were built
averaging about 90,000 units per year.
I'd say the millionth unit was most likely produced 1 year before my unit which could be a 56 or 57 unit?
Hmmmm
need more serial numbers & dates
Good work Dave~~!!!
normvac
Well-known member
Yes, that is a power nozzle plug on the back by the on/off switch. I know, as our neighbors traded a almost new 517 Kirby in on this same compact in 1962 or 1963. They had a
lux lx before. She did not like the kirby upright. So when the
compact salesman came along they went for it. The power nozzle
looked like an early Whirlpool nozzle. It had an attached wand
and hose, yes the hose was attached to the power wand and nozzle. The machine end of the hose had about 1 foot of cord
to reach the plug. I used it a couple of times, the nozzle was a little weak on suction and the brushes were not good.
They ended up junking the power nozzle unit and buying a sears
upright in the late 60's/early 70's. after getting wall/wall.
I have been waiting for someone else to mention this. Am hoping someone has a picture. Really doubting that there is
one around for real. It would be great to see one way or the
other!
Norm
lux lx before. She did not like the kirby upright. So when the
compact salesman came along they went for it. The power nozzle
looked like an early Whirlpool nozzle. It had an attached wand
and hose, yes the hose was attached to the power wand and nozzle. The machine end of the hose had about 1 foot of cord
to reach the plug. I used it a couple of times, the nozzle was a little weak on suction and the brushes were not good.
They ended up junking the power nozzle unit and buying a sears
upright in the late 60's/early 70's. after getting wall/wall.
I have been waiting for someone else to mention this. Am hoping someone has a picture. Really doubting that there is
one around for real. It would be great to see one way or the
other!
Norm
danemodsandy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2007
- Messages
- 1,701
Norm:
There is a picture of the Compact with its power nozzle in Thomas Hine's Populuxe (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, hardcover, 1986).
My copy of Populuxe is packed away, or I'd try to get this scanned for you. The book is more than worth your time to track down; it's a marvellous overview of the consumer culture of the 1950's. I recommend buying it rather than trying to get by with a library reading- it's that good, and that necessary a book. Used copies abound on eBay and Amazon, not too expensively, so long as you're willing to settle for the softcover edition- the hardcover goes for a fortune. It's also available in a reprint edition, I understand, but I don't have any info.
There is a picture of the Compact with its power nozzle in Thomas Hine's Populuxe (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, hardcover, 1986).
My copy of Populuxe is packed away, or I'd try to get this scanned for you. The book is more than worth your time to track down; it's a marvellous overview of the consumer culture of the 1950's. I recommend buying it rather than trying to get by with a library reading- it's that good, and that necessary a book. Used copies abound on eBay and Amazon, not too expensively, so long as you're willing to settle for the softcover edition- the hardcover goes for a fortune. It's also available in a reprint edition, I understand, but I don't have any info.
danemodsandy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2007
- Messages
- 1,701
Oh, and Norm....
....Thanks for confirming that that's a power nozzle outlet. I can see why it might have been short-lived. Its location on top of the machine like that would have made it a prime target of childish curiosity. Really rather dangerous, when you think about it....
....Thanks for confirming that that's a power nozzle outlet. I can see why it might have been short-lived. Its location on top of the machine like that would have made it a prime target of childish curiosity. Really rather dangerous, when you think about it....
Barnes and Noble had tons of nice looking reprints of Populuxe a couple of years ago. They are different from the first edition somehow, without excluding any of the contents. I bought the thing at full cover price in '86. Love that cover with Suzy Parker modeling the new 1955 Plymouth Belvedere! She once worked for Revlon, and made Charles Revson angry because she did not do so exclusively.
kirbyvertibles
Well-known member
Yes the little dohickey on the side is for the power head. I used to have this same model but I sold it. I didn't have the pwr head but I found a really nice compact head to go with it.
It was in great shape and I wish I had kept it. The porwe head for this machine is VERY rare!
It was in great shape and I wish I had kept it. The porwe head for this machine is VERY rare!
briankirbyclass
Well-known member
Isnt that why this model and/or the ones after it are called an "Electra"? - Meaning WITH (or adapted for use with) a Power Nozzle?
Its strange that they show the PN jack in the picture of the vac on the first page, but dont even refer to it, or mention a PN in the Owners Manual at all.
Its strange that they show the PN jack in the picture of the vac on the first page, but dont even refer to it, or mention a PN in the Owners Manual at all.
aeoliandave
Well-known member
I'll just toss this anomoly into the mix
I have two C-8 Electras. Just went upstairs to check that for sure.
One is pale green and has the Flower Power decal on the side. The other is my first Compact C-8 Electra that was mustard yellow with the flower decal. This is the one I stripped and repainted gunmetal gray.
Here's where it gets interesting...
The green C-8 has NO electrical PN socket, not even a internal knockout for one.
The gray C-8 has a bottom front socket with an internal metal strip covered the channel carrying the power cord.
So, both are C-8 Electras but only one has the PN socket.
I have two C-8 Electras. Just went upstairs to check that for sure.
One is pale green and has the Flower Power decal on the side. The other is my first Compact C-8 Electra that was mustard yellow with the flower decal. This is the one I stripped and repainted gunmetal gray.
Here's where it gets interesting...
The green C-8 has NO electrical PN socket, not even a internal knockout for one.
The gray C-8 has a bottom front socket with an internal metal strip covered the channel carrying the power cord.
So, both are C-8 Electras but only one has the PN socket.
aeoliandave
Well-known member
The internal metal plate.
This vacuum suffered greatly from rust and mold which pitted the magnesium. When I repainted it I wire-wheeled the insides as much as possible - still shiny after all these years.
Note also that the caster sockets are molded in for snap-in casters, not drilled through for bolted casters like later/other model Compacts.
This vacuum suffered greatly from rust and mold which pitted the magnesium. When I repainted it I wire-wheeled the insides as much as possible - still shiny after all these years.
Note also that the caster sockets are molded in for snap-in casters, not drilled through for bolted casters like later/other model Compacts.
aeoliandave
Well-known member
And now I notice this formerly yellow C-8 has the clear sparkle handle. I will have to begin looking for the clear sparkle accessories - I have the upholstery nozzle in clear.
This is the vacuum that cleaned my house from top to bottom on moving in week over Hallowe'en 1986. The scrapes and scratches it suffered over that week is what compelled me to repaint it.
This is the vacuum that cleaned my house from top to bottom on moving in week over Hallowe'en 1986. The scrapes and scratches it suffered over that week is what compelled me to repaint it.
