Kirby Utility Model H

[davevac]

Every once in a while you find something cool..
I collect mainly Cleveland vacuums that are pre WW11 manufacture...
Apex, Vital, Kirby, Electro-Hygiene, Royal, etc.
I just acquired this (I believe) rare Kirby. From what I've read it's not well
known and there seems to be very little as far as documentation.
I'm wondering if Kirby gave those out to distributors as models and they were
never really sold to the public ?
I most likely will not polish it like I have others...I'd like to keep the
patina..maybe ?

Any info. anyone has would be appreciated.
Here are a few pics...
dave

 

[lesinutah]

Hi

It's documented. The reason you don't see many it was a prototype. The bag looks brand new. I'd dare say it was reproduced. It is a really sweet bag. I wonder if baldo made the bag. I know he likes making bags for older machines.
The value of this you will be told is how much someone will pay.
Rare piece.
Les

 

[kirbyg6]

That’s really cool

 

[davevac]

The bag

I know the bag is reproduced because my wife made it...
there was no bag when I bought it......owner said he has no idea what happened
to it

dave

 

[lesinutah]

Hey

You can just see the print on it. If your wife made it kudos. Mike makes best repo bags and yours looks just as nice.
There are not slot of these vacuums. I'd I've one but I doubt I ever get one.
Les

 

[dysonman1]

Those machines were very much sold to the public. The nozzle moves up or down, depending if you want a blowing action or a suction action. Moth crystals are put in the little canister, The nozzle is placed on blowing, and the machine is put down on an article of clothing or furniture that you want to demoth. Of course, it is also a hand vacuum cleaner. They were first introduced to the market when the company was making the Scott and Fetzer sanitation system. When the “Kirby“ was brought out, the hand vac changed names, but continued to be produced until World War II.

 

[kirbyklekter]

I wonder why

they stopped producing these or similar. It would be a lot easier using that as opposed to converting the upright to a "portable". The whole concept of "portable" was fairly new I believe back then anyway. Somebody here has one, they posted a picture over a year ago and it's absolutely beautiful.

 

[davevac]

documentation

If anyone has any documentation on this model...and especially if it was sold to the public, I'd like to see it.
The only "thing" I could find was an old post by a guy stating that he had a copy of the patent for it.
I know a guy (around 86 years of age) that sold Kirby's while attending college and, upon graduation, opened a number of Kirby distributorships and later worked in the executive offices of Scott and Fetzer. I emailed him to see if he had any knowledge of this model....this is his response:

Hi Dave,

Nice to hear from you.

Very interesting Kirby model, but I'm afraid I have no knowledge of it. It's actually a bit of a surprise to me - and I thought I had seen all the models, going back to the non-electric Vacuete.

 

[lesinutah]

Dysonman

If anyone's word carries creedence it would be Tom's. His running and owning vacuum cleaner museum and being a published on vacuum cleaner history is unparalleled. I'd like proof but questioning his word even as brass and arragont as I am isn't advised.
Can you post a pic of the bag. That I'd like to see. I'm not being rude just blunt. No harm no foul.
Les

 

[davevac]

Dysonman1

So sorry...I'm not questioning anyone...I don't know anyone on this site and am only looking for any pictures, ads, advice, etc. on my machines. I admire old vacuums but have little knowledge of them..I'm in the early learning phase.
My posts may come across the wrong way.

I could post a picture of the bag but have no idea if it's any where near correct.
My wife made it to fit and placed an older Kirby logo on it. I don't think
the original had that same logo on it.

dave

 

[lesinutah]

Hey

I have a 505 bag. The 3c 4c and 505 used the same bag. I believe the 505 bag instead of multiple colors it's was all white or grey colored. It also had a line across the top similar to line through the center of the bag.
It's a rare bag and I may be off on description.
Les

 

[fantomfan]

I had one of these...

A local vacuum cleaner store gave it to me a couple of years ago. After they moved to a new location they stopped displaying old vacuums. It didn’t have a cord on it and I never tested it. I gave it to Greg Palmer who then gave it to Adam Mercer. I think it has found its forever home.

 

[dysonman1]

Adam's Kirby Hand Vac

Adam's hand vac Kirby is one of two that I have seen in person. One of them was mine. Two decades ago, I traded it for a Rexair model A. Which I still have.

Mine was called the Vacuette Jr. Later models were called the Kirby Utility. The hand vac was produced before the 1935 model C Kirby, as they were selling them alongside the Vacuette Electric and the Scott & Fetzer Sanitation System.

The old VCCC newsletters had an ad for it in one of them. The ad showed the nozzle sliding up and down, for suction or blowing through the nozzle. Air was sucked up through the bottom of the crystal chamber, over the moth crystals which turned them into a gas, and out through the nozzle into a piece of overstuffed furniture.

 

[Miss Mercy]

Hello! Just thought I'd share a picture of mine.

 

[davevac]

Adambomb

Hello - if your bag is original, does it have any writing or logo on it ?
And how does it attach ?

Mine did not have the bag so my wife made one out of heavy black material.
She printed an old Kirby logo on it. I attached mine by sewing a ring into the
opening of the material that slips over the vacuum opening into the indented
part...I slipped a heavy black rubber (plumbing) ring over the outside..
I run the vacuum and the bag stays on...
dave

 

[kirby519]

Nice find. It is the Holy grail of Kirby's. A very Rare bird indeed.

 

[kirby519]

Can you get some pictures to share with us of the guts of the machine I E the under side, opening where the fan is ETC?

 

[davevac]

more pics

I did not take the entire front off to show the 2 ports for suction or blowing out
but, here are some more pics....I do show the front in suction mode and by moving the lever, raised the entire front to blowing mode. Pics 4 and 5 show to vacuum in blowing mode.
I have no idea what the small hole is in the rear "axle". Could be for oiling
but not sure ??
Still have not polished it.

 

[lesinutah]

Hey

Hey it look like Adam has a black Kirby bag. The bag looks similar to one I'm showing.
Your Kirby bag is sweet. If you have any eureka or Royal f&g bags the ring that holds the bag on should fit.
Les