Thick Felt-like-Material Black Kirby Bag

[electrolux137]

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Speaking of old black Kirby bags...

I have an all original Model 2C Kirby. The bag on it is unlike any other Kirby bag I've ever seen. It's a very thick and heavy material, with an inner lining made of something like felt.

The outer weaving is not herringbone but what kinda looks very fine crochet -- the fabric is sewn all over into tiny little round knots and the surface feels very textured, somewhat like canvas. I have wondered if this heavier-duty bag was made for commercial use such as, say, a hospital or funeral home, where perhaps a softer-sounding motor was called for: Its thickness significantly muffles the sound of the motor.

Here are three photos -- the material is hard to get good shots of -- but at least y'all can get the general idea.

 

[electrolux137]

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Thick Felt-like-Material Black Kirby Bag -- another shot of the outer surface.

 

[electrolux137]

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Thick Felt-like-Material Black Kirby Bag -- a shot of the inner felt-like lining.

 

[eurekastar]

The bag on my Kirby 4C (circa 1941) is like that. I've about it too. Maybe an attempt to improve filtration? I don't know either.

 

[vac-o-matic]

Wow Bill, that's a beautiful 4C! You do such a nice job on your restorations. Glad to see you're back!

 

[kirbymodel2c]

Hi

<span style="font-size: medium; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">Hi, My Kirby 4C has the same <a name="start_24772.278318"> thick and heavy material bag as in Charles's pictures. But does not have the same top with horizontal lines like Bills 4C bag has. My guess is Kirby was experimenting with different fabrics to see which worked best.</a></span>


 


<span style="font-size: medium; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">You have a great looking Kirby 4C there Bill! </span>


<span style="font-size: medium; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">Your 4C has the same style wider front wheels as my 3C and 4C. Both my 3C and 4C still have the same thin wheels on the back that was used on the models C and 2C. I'm guessing they was used to help stabilize the machine and help it maneuver better. The wider wheels used are not he same used on the Kirby 505 onwards.</span>


 


<span style="font-size: medium; font-family: book antiqua,palatino;">James

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[this post was last edited: 4/27/2014-15:18]

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Charles (electrolux137),

Did any of the 505s (those whose nozzles had only a belt cover) also have the metal Emtor bottoms from models 2C-4C?

Because, when Kirby restarted production around September 1945 (when World War II ended), when the 505 was ready to be made, I'd assume that the metal Emtor bottom was still being made until the last few restrictions on Bakelite plastics were lifted.

Thank you,



Ben

 

[bikerray]

My early 505 manual shows the nozzle with the belt cover (not a lifter) metal emtor tray and thin wheels on the front and back.

 

[cb123]

The image to the left is a 2C and the one on the right is a 505. You can see that they heavily relied on their photo morgue to illustrate their newer manuals.

 

[cb123]

Here's a close-up of a Kirby 505 bag, corduroy version.

 

[bikerray]

CB123

I think your going by this edition of the 505 manual

 

[bikerray]

Here is the early 505 manual I have front and back

 

[bikerray]

pages 4 & 5

 

[bikerray]

pages 6 & 7

 

[bikerray]

pages 10 & 11 where you can see the metal emptor

 

[bikerray]

and pages 18 & 19 where you can see the thinner wheels

 

[cb123]

Bakeray, thanks for the picks!

Has anyone ever seen the stick or have a photo of one, because I would really like to see it!? I can see that the front page is nearly blank, perhaps, they are early prints before the 505 was completed. A very interesting mystery. Oh yes, " Please read and keep!" is the manual that I have, and on page 18 of my book it has the same illustration. If you look at the two back screws holding the rear wheel assemble, you can see that it is a Kirby C series. Also that the fan housing is flat and square, and in addition, you have three cooling vents. The Kirby 3C, 4C and 505 had the more rounded fan house and only two vents. Here's a photo of my Early C and you can see that there is a remarkable similarity.

 

[bikerray]

After I posted the scans of the early manual, I thought that was dumb because it really doesn't prove anything. As you mentioned Kirby recycled pictures. I have the 513, 514 & 515 manuals that show the new rug plate with the brushroll but still show the old style switch on the side of the motor.

By the way a very nice Kirby dealer gave me that manual along with an original 518 bag that has never been used. He was digging thru the back room and ran across them, since he had no use for them he gave them to me.

 

[cb123]

Here's a theory, perhaps, it was a 5Cisssh style and they basically had the book material on hand in January 42, when the war was beginning to turn ugly, they decided to cancel the early 505 project. We must remember that B-29s eat up a whole lot of aluminum, and if any came on line, they most likely got scrapped...parish the thought. If Kirby invested its time and resources into these manuals, would they just simply throw them away or use them, they are already printed? But who knows, maybe some survived. I still want to see a photo...I want to believe!

 

[cb123]

P.S. Kirby now had between 1942 and 45 to have a rethink of the 505.

 

[electrolux137]

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It wasn't that complicated. Kirby simply recycled photos from previous models' instruction manuals to cut down on printing costs. Several photos of the 2C still appeared up through the 515 manual.

When the all-new "revolutionary" 516 came out, an all-new manual was prepared, and then some photos from it were reused up through the 561.

When the 562 came out with its new color scheme and bag design, another new manual was produced. (However, there are still a couple of photos that first appeared in the 516 manual.)

Photos from the 562 were used until the Classic came out, etc., etc., etc.

http://www.1377731.com/0000137/etcetcetc.mp4

 

[eurekastar]

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that the earliest Model 505 was just a rebaged 4C. It wasn't until later in the production run that the belt lifter was added. I had a model 505 but gave it away. So I can't remember one thing: Did it have a metal or bakelite emtor tray?