Retromom...
An important question for anyone who doesn't know the history of this vacuum.
Jim Kirby was the engineer and inventor who designed all the vacuum cleaners for Scott/Fetzer. They had a company that machined metal tools, expecially fire arms. They had the money and the equipment to manufacture Jim Kirby's inventions. He convinced them it would be a good inventment...and it was indeed!
Jim Kirby invented and designed the Vacuette and the S & F Sanitation system that is pictured above which are anteceedents to the Kirby.
When Mr. Kirby had developed his vacuum cleaner to a level of sophistication that he was comfortable with, he was then willing to give it his own name: KIRBY.
The first models of the machine made by Scott and Fetzer that carried the Kirby name were the Model R and the Model C beginning in 1935.
Charles-Richard Lester has an extensive presentation of this history on his web site.
When you pull it up, scroll down to the section on Vacuum Cleaners. Look first for the Cyberspace Vacuum Cleaner Museum for the section on Scott-Fetzer.
Then go back to his main page and look down further to the section on the Kirby itself -- the Kirby 500 series. All of this is excellent information.
Also you could go to the Kirby web site and pull up the history there.
www.kirby.com
Hope this helps.
http://www.137.com/
