Thread Number: 3978
HALEY'S COMET Lands at Casa Electrolux!
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Post# 45536   7/3/2008 at 02:18 (5,748 days old) by charles~richard ()        

See the link...

Ĉolian-Dave, would it be possible for you to email me (privately) either a scan or photo of the red and white logo on the sides of your Haley's Comet? The machine I just found is lacking them.

I would like the photo or scan, whichever you can do, in fairly high-resoltion, e.g. 300 dpi x full size.

Thanks, and yes, I am still pinching myself!!



CLICK HERE TO GO TO charles~richard's LINK


Post# 45545 , Reply# 1   7/3/2008 at 06:00 (5,748 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida)        
Unbelieveable!!

arh1953's profile picture
You have to hide that whole thing before somebody runs off with it! Three VCCC Comets now?

Post# 45556 , Reply# 2   7/3/2008 at 08:26 (5,747 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        
Congrats, Charles!!!

aeoliandave's profile picture
Welcome to the Golden Cow Club. LOL looking forward to before pictures of yours - hose? nozzles? wands?

Mine was/is missing the left Logo plate, which is different from the right in that both 'comets' shoot toward the front.

It's a smooth faced clear plastic piece with the pattern reverse molded from the back. The gold & red colors, as you know, are mirror finish 'chrome' plating then the whole back is painted white.

The long & short of it is, I tried many ways to scan it and it reflects back like a mirror making for a terrible scan. Perhaps you can photoshop it back to realism, but I gave up and left the left side logo-less. The scans are on the other computer and I'll dig them out tonight.

My alternate thought was to take a high rez photo of the right one and resize it to fit on the left side...but since the Comet would then be facing the rear I didn't pursue it.

These are photos cropped from pictures of other folk's posted Comets. You can see the distortion as they were not intended to be about the Logo. :-)

What we Haley's Guys need is for someone with a complete Haley's Comet to high rez photograph dead-on both Logos in natural light so we others can complete our Comets.

Right Logo


Post# 45557 , Reply# 3   7/3/2008 at 08:38 (5,747 days old) by rugmaster37 ()        
WOW.......another HALEYS Comet ..w/ ultra rare toolrack.....

Charlie,

Congrat's on your newest find. What a super rare treat that is to have. I must agree with you though on that rugtool! "WHAT" were they thinking. It looks like something you might vacuuum your pool with, not your carpet...LOL

I'm also quite amazed at how Kirby'ish/ FilterQueen'ish the tools are especially the wands. And what is up with that magazine rack style tool stand. I see those all the time at thrift stores,(the magazine racks that is); looking oh so vintage 1955-1965. It does really seem like it was a totally overengineered item to solve a simple problem... But!!! WOW you have the toolstand.....that's gotta take the value "up" a notch or two.....lol

Sounds like you have a plan for the hose issue. Too bad no one else used a gold spiral hose that you could pilfer if you had a "spare one". I think with the black accents, that a black hose would be neat.

Again Congrat's on the Haley's. Look forward to seeing any after photo's you may contribute.....

Chad
Ann Arbor Michigan



Post# 45558 , Reply# 4   7/3/2008 at 08:43 (5,747 days old) by eluxca ()        
Tsk, tsk, Charles

One of the best parts of vac acquisition is the story of how it was found. Such a complete machine must have a more exciting than average journey to your home.

John


Post# 45563 , Reply# 5   7/3/2008 at 08:59 (5,747 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
Left logo.

Rick Asquith (vac-o-matic) in St Louis has what looks to be a Comet with both logos intact. Rick?


Post# 45564 , Reply# 6   7/3/2008 at 09:02 (5,747 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
Good Lord, Charles - I just came back from your link. What a complete find!!!

Post# 45573 , Reply# 7   7/3/2008 at 10:02 (5,747 days old) by williamr1248 (USA)        
Haley's Comet

Does anyone know what the story was on these machines? When they were made and how were they marketed? I have seen them before and several members have examples but I had not seen the tool holder. Very interesting.

Post# 45576 , Reply# 8   7/3/2008 at 12:24 (5,747 days old) by charles~richard ()        

I will fill in more details later about how I found it -- I was excited about getting the photos posted and wanted to get them up right away. I know quite a bit about the machine and how it was developed. Will tell about that as well. Stay tuned...

Ĉolian-Dave, if you can just provide a photo of the logo you have in a large, clear photo, I am going to see if I can create something in Photoshop. At this point I will have to content myself with having the same logo on both sides, and of course it will not look 100% original. But I think I can come pretty close.

One big issue is the rubber cuffs on the hose end and wands. They are deteriorating right before my very eyes. Every time I touch one, another chunk of rubber falls off. The rubber is crumbling away and does not hold its integrity. I am probably just going to remove all of it - it's just a cosmetic issue so removing them won't impact the function of the machine. I would prefer to leave them intact of course, but they are literally falling apart. There's no way to save them.


Post# 45608 , Reply# 9   7/3/2008 at 18:35 (5,747 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
Just took these outside in shade, Charles. I'll email you the 1.2 MB, 3072 X 2304 pixel shot asap tonight.

I bet you can turn that Comet around and clean up that surface scuff beside the red core. Btw, The small red core dot IS oval, not round. the ends of the plaque are perfect half circles and the dimensions of the logo are exactly 6.25" long by 2" high.


Post# 45612 , Reply# 10   7/3/2008 at 18:56 (5,747 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
Pictures sent, Charles. Maybe you can also paint in & restore the silver mirror look and remove my pink hand, the camera lense and the green grass. LOL

I have a small can of thick clear liquid pour on laminate stuff that is used on bartops and I used it to put a new thick coat over the chevron marketry on my 1940 Philco Chairside Radio's top, mimicing the original thick laquer finish. So I'm thinking with a left version printed on photo paper & trimmed it should be possible to build up some layers and recreate the third dimension of the logo, right down to the rounded off edges.

Dave


Post# 45613 , Reply# 11   7/3/2008 at 19:01 (5,747 days old) by normvac (COLUMBUS, OHIO)        

Congratulations, Charles, what a great find especially with the iron attachment caddy. So retro !
Don't believe I have every seen a complete machine. Especially the carpet tool.
Norm


Post# 45645 , Reply# 12   7/4/2008 at 01:58 (5,747 days old) by hygiene903 (Galion, OH)        
Nice Find, Charles!

hygiene903's profile picture
Definitely a rare machine, and I don't think I've ever seen one so complete!! Congratulations!!
Jeff


Post# 45676 , Reply# 13   7/4/2008 at 11:57 (5,746 days old) by eluxca ()        

From what I have heard, the Haleys Comet was assembled by Tibetan monks high in the Himalayans with made in USA parts. They were then transported down the frigid slopes on the backs of a herd of sheep to river flatboats, floated to a dock in Rangoon where they were loaded onto a steamer bound for the USA. The flat rug tool was designed by an elderly monk who wanted to see the happy American driven to madness while attempting domestic nirvana.

...or so I've been told. Happy 4th of July!


Post# 45702 , Reply# 14   7/4/2008 at 23:30 (5,746 days old) by charles~richard ()        
"...the rrrest of the story."

Okay, here's the story of how this Haley's Comet landed in my back yard, so to speak.

I say that almost literally -- looking back over my 35+ years as a collector, nearly all the really incredibly rare or special machines have just come out of nowhere, without warning, and usually at little or no cost -- sometimes my not even having to cover the cost of shipping.

True to form, I got the following email a couple of weeks ago from a lady who apparently found my web site (she never did say how she found me).

=======

Hello, I have a Haley's Comet vacuum that came with the house I bought a few years ago. It still works but has had a pretty long and hard life. Interested?

Laurie S.
Brunswick, Maine

=======

I replied with interest, of course, asking her to send me some photos which she did. See below.

Seeing the photos of the machine but almost falling on the floor when I saw the attachment stand that I did not even know existed, I wrote:

=======

Hello, sure I'd love to have it. Let me know your asking price, and if I feel it's reasonable, I have PayPal and we can easily make payment arrangements that way if you wish.

Thx.

=======

She wrote back with a VERY reasonable asking price, and, assuming I'd accept it, said:

It's a deal. I'll stick it back in the shed and await your payment.

Laurie

=======

I PayPal'd the money for the machine and gave her my UPS account to bill me for the shipping.

Why, you might ask, would I be so trusting of a total stranger? I don't know ... I just get a good vibe from people sometimes and instinctively know when I can trust them and when I can't. (I have been "guided" to steer away from a few of these "too good to be true" offers over the years.)

In all these years, going by my gut feeling, I have only been burned once (and boy, was that ever a bad burn, as those who were around when it happened know all to well). But in that case, the person was such a smooth-talking swindler that he fully and completely conned me. Every other time, the arrangements have gone smoothly and in most cases the machine was even nicer than I expected.

=======

But then a couple days later I got an email that kinda scared me, because it sounded like Laurie was unraveling a bit. She wrote:

Are you ready for a story?

I went to the UPS Store on Maine St, with the beast and a box of the parts. The blond at the counter put a form in front of and I filled it out for two parcels. When I asked where to put the account number, she said "Oh that's not the form. It's this one." and hands me another.

"But this one is for 2nd day. I want to send this ground."

"We can't do that."

"You can't ship ground on an account?"

"Well we could, but we need another form, the brown colored one."

"Can I have that form?"

"We don't have any, No one around here does."

"When will you get them?"

"Don't know"

"If I go to Portland do they have them there?" About twenty miles, but it's near my job.

"They might. And sometimes there are some at the drop off box at the mill complex."

So I head out for the mill complex down the street where there was a UPS truck parked. I hailed the driver who said the trucks weren't stocked with shipping forms.

"Did you see any inside at the drop box?"

"No, but you can get them over at the UPS Store."

"No you can't. Apparently there are none in this area."

He rolled his eyes. "Well let me check. This is a new truck and you never know."

He disappears into the back of the truck and soon I hear "I have 2nd Day and International forms."

"Is California International?" I ask.

"Not yet" he says "but a few more earthquakes and maybe it will be,"
Then I hear "Eureka!" And he comes out with two brown forms in hand.
I thanked him grandly and went back to the store where I wrote all the addresses twice again and I figured that was it.

"That'll be $45.19 for the packing."

"Can't you put the packing on the account?"

"No. We're independent and only affiliated with UPS so we can use the name."

"What if I go to the depot in Portland?"

"They won't pack there, you have to have it already boxed."

So out comes the credit card and needless to say he's on his way.

Thank you for listening.

=======

That seemed such a bizarre tale, and written out with such detail, and with her hinting for extra money to cover the packing cost because the 3rd party said they could not bill my UPS account for the packing cost got me worrying a bit. So I just lay low for a few days waiting to see what happened.

Then, thankfully, wonderfully, I got a call from the secretary at my church telling me "There are two huge boxes down here for you."

I went down there and sure enough, there was the Haley's Comet.

BIGGGGGGGGGG sigh of very happy relief.

When I got home, I emailed Laurie to let her know it arrived safe and sound, and did send her the balance owed on the packing costs.

"And, now," as Paul Harvey used to say, "you know ... the rrrest of the story."

(Cue young person to ask: "Who is Paul Harvey?" Oy vey...)



= = = = = = = = = = = = =



THEN, here is what I know about the Haley's Comet. It was designed by a man named Dan Wolf who was one of the original partners of Interstate Engineering Corporation, the company who manufactured the Compact and Revelation vacuum cleaners. He was a national sales manager for about ten years. He invented the Haley's Comet vacuum while selling Compacts, and left IEC in the late 1960's.

The Haley's Comet was intended as a commercial version of the Compact, hence its girth and durable construction. The motor housing is made of magnesium which makes it fairly light weight for its size. Had it been made of aluminum or steel it would have weighed a ton!

Now, how or why the machine ended up with such strange construction and design aesthetics is still a mystery.

Along my life-path I met the son of Dan Wolf, Jack, who told me what you just read above about how the machine came to be.

Then a couple years ago I got an email from a lady named Mary Ellen Little who works for a company called Interstate Electronics, which was a a sister company to the now-defunct Interstate Engineering Corporation.

Interstate Electronics was incorporated by Interstate Aircraft (parent company to both I.E. and I.E.C.) in 1956. Interstate Electronics rented space from Interstate Engineering in the beginning and did share some history with them.

Ms. Little is an employee of Interstate Electronics Company and is the editor of the company newsletter.

Oh, a final note -- the "Haley's Comet Jingle" inside the lid was written by Dan Wolf's daughter who, if I recall correctly, was about 12 years old at the time. Hmmm. Maybe she designed the strange rug tool as well, hahaha!



Post# 45703 , Reply# 15   7/4/2008 at 23:30 (5,746 days old) by charles~richard ()        





Post# 45704 , Reply# 16   7/4/2008 at 23:31 (5,746 days old) by charles~richard ()        


And the photo that made me have to go and sit down...



Post# 45739 , Reply# 17   7/5/2008 at 18:57 (5,745 days old) by charles~richard ()        

Ĉolian-Dave, can you give me the manufacturer name and color number or name of the gold paint you used, and where you found it?

Also, the name of the clear laminate stuff you mentioned. I think, though, that the way I am going to to is to use a piece of 1/8" thick clear plastic, laminated to the logos with a very fine coat of 3M spray adhvesive.

There's a store near my client's office in West L.A. called PlasticMart that sells every sort of plastic sheeting and paneling known to man. I think I should be able to find something there. It will have to be rigid enough to hold up and keep its shape, yet soft and malleable enough to cleanly cut with an art knife. For that reason, plexiglass won't do but I am sure they have softer, clear plastics that will. I can create rounded or beveled edges with sandpaper.



Post# 45747 , Reply# 18   7/5/2008 at 20:45 (5,745 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
Yes Charles, as soon as I get home in 3 hours - it's 8:30 pm now. I promise you that the engine paint I found is an exact match, that you cannot see a color shift from the original to the new.

Now, the next time I do a paint job like this on a wrinkle/textured finish I will first dab specks of Bondo or modeling putty to the paint chipped/bare metal areas and duplicate the original paint's surface texture for a flawless new paint job - I see your's has the inevitable noticeable chips that would dissappear under a fresh paint job.

PS, the logo edge's cross section profile is not so much rounded as it is squared off with a slight smooth rounding of the sharp corner. So if the flat edge is buffed to a shine with a touch on the sharp edge you'll have it. Like buffing sanded Plexiglas ( or aluminum) to a shiny gleam.


Post# 45749 , Reply# 19   7/5/2008 at 21:06 (5,745 days old) by clarkecombi ()        

Charles do you think u can take some video of it if it isnt to much trouble...i ant never heard one of those,but i always have wanted to

Post# 45750 , Reply# 20   7/5/2008 at 23:13 (5,745 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
Wouldn't you know, I can't find the empty can so maybe I tossed it. But never fear, I know exactly where it is at Canadian Tire Home/Hardware/Automotive Store. I'll get the info tomorrow. What I do remember is its matching dark gold color sample on the cap compared to the bag lid I took in with me.

It's a High Heat Ceramic Engine spray paint in the Automotive section, which is probably an international brand out of the USA.

I had to make up a new switch pedal - topped it off with V-ribbed rubber matting. When you have the machine apart you can adjust the switch upwards to level the pedal.

Here's the link to the archive on mine's Spa Treatment.

Stay tuned.

Any luck reversing the Comet on the background, Charles?


CLICK HERE TO GO TO aeoliandave's LINK


Post# 45752 , Reply# 21   7/5/2008 at 23:20 (5,745 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        
Just noticed something...

aeoliandave's profile picture
Your's doesn't have the cast-in lid dimple depression for the teardrop black rubber bumper for when you open the bag lid and it rests on the handle. But I can see the outline of old rubber cement where it had one stuck on the surface. Mmmm...a variation already!

Post# 45753 , Reply# 22   7/5/2008 at 23:22 (5,745 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
Oh, and the cordwinder is an easy fix, you'll see.

Post# 45845 , Reply# 23   7/7/2008 at 21:41 (5,743 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        
This is the paint match, Charles...

aeoliandave's profile picture
...and anyone else that wants to touch up or repaint their Haley's Comet.

Not High Heat, as I was guessing but...

DUPLICOLOR Engine Enamel with Ceramic, Universal Gold # DE1604


CLICK HERE TO GO TO aeoliandave's LINK


Post# 45865 , Reply# 24   7/8/2008 at 02:28 (5,743 days old) by charles~richard ()        
More info from Jack Wolf

Last week I emailed Jack Wolf, the son of the inventor of the Haley's Comet, to tell him of my good fortune. He gave me some more information on the machine and some insight into its design philosophy:

-------

Hi Charlie! My Dad over built the Haley Comet Vacuum on purpose. He didn't want his customers to say his vacuum was cheaply built! He had the choice on the tool caddy. He could manufacture a heavy duty cardboard box like the Kirby's had, he could make a plastic caddy that could break or he could make a metal caddy that could be repaired if necessary. He chose heavy duty and he went with metal and heavy plastic.

The black boots on the ends of the wands collapsed under pressure. The harder the vacuum sucked, the stronger the seals were on those connections.

The Comet had 3 filters. Open the lid and you'll find a paper bag inside of a special micron cloth bag. Remove those bags and you'll find a foam filter on the motor intake. The cloth bag and the foam filter are washable.

The hose was almost indestructible! My Dad told my cousin, who sold Comets, how strong the hose was. My cousin ran over the hose with a 1/2 ton truck. The hose wasn't damaged! Those pictures were a great selling point!

The greatest selling point on the Haley Comet vacuum was the mystery floor tool. The President of Interstate Engineering Corporation offered my Dad several million dollars for the patent rights on his floor tool. My Dad refused the millions of dollars because he knew the floor tool was the best thing the Comet had going for it! A Ford Motor Company Engineer helped design that floor tool. That floor tool out performed the Compact's floor tool. The Compact salesmen were being self recruited because the Comet out performed the Compact! Many Compact customers sold their Compacts to my Dad so they could buy a Comet! This hurt Interstate Engineering Corporation sales.

The only reason the Haley's Comet vacuum didn't continue was because of politics! The "Tri-State Law" with Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana shut down. That law prevented my Dad to sell to the people he wanted to sell to. The big companies with the money won! That was a very sad day!

I helped my Dad drill the holes at different degrees to see which degree created the most suction at the carpet. You will see the holes drilled in the front and the back of the floor tool. They create a venturi suction effect. The brush agitates the carpet to release the dirt and the vacuum pulls it up. The floor tool was invented because my Step Mother didn't want the normal tracks on their carpet after it was vacuumed. That's another story!



Post# 45872 , Reply# 25   7/8/2008 at 08:47 (5,742 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada)        

aeoliandave's profile picture
Oh Charles, this is utterly fascinating and from the 'horse's mouth' no less. We thank you so much for unearthing these valuable and interesting recollections - more please, if possible.

I can see the engineering logic behind the floor/rug tool design. Not the only company to try a system of inlet holes to set up a swirl inside the nozzle but perhaps the only one to do it with a static nozzle. He put the edge cleaning channels at the corners and the sides (none across the front or back) letting the broad smooth plate eliminate track patterns...and of course it helps overcome the strong leeching action of that bottom plate to the carpet under the Comet's extreme suction, using the same motor & double fans of the Compact and Filter Queen.

Charles, is the central brush supported only at each end, suspended across the middle of the opening with airflow all around it?

I see now from your pictures that the 4 foot hose section that came with mine is likely the original, much faded in color. The farmer fellow in Cottam Onatrio just east of Windsor that I got it from told me he got it at a yard sale and used it to clean up around the barn and after the dog and his scattering of Doggie Chow. I can attest to that...all manner of pellets, mouse nest material, sticks and stones were inside the motor compartment, having fallen or climbed in around the missing switch pedal, also jamming up the cord winder drum. :-)

Old Haley, she's a big golden blonde gal, may not be the prettiest at the dance but she's tough and can out-vacuum most every other gal in the neighborhood.



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