Thread Number: 23544
Electrolux Era/Color Sets Request |
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Post# 263735 , Reply# 1   1/17/2014 at 16:44 (3,723 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)   |   | |
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I'm unclear as to what you mean by color sets, but I can say there was no B-7 polisher for the LX-LXI-E-EA models. The first B-7 was introduced with the Model F and was designed in matching white and gray colors. There were several polishers preceding the B-7 that were made in Sweden and available in the U.S. The only one I've ever seen was the B-6. It was a metallic green in color and design-wise nothing like the B-7 except that it had three brushes. The orientation of the three brushes was opposite that of the B-7 e.g., with the B-6 the single brush was at the front of the motor machine whereas with the B-7 the single brush was at the rear. See photo. Here's a thread from the VacuumLand archives that might interest you. See link. CLICK HERE TO GO TO electrolux137's LINK |
Post# 263738 , Reply# 2   1/17/2014 at 16:48 (3,723 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)   |   | |
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Post# 263742 , Reply# 3   1/17/2014 at 16:49 (3,723 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)   |   | |
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Post# 263747 , Reply# 4   1/17/2014 at 16:56 (3,723 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut)   |   | |
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Thank you for posting this. While my grandpa acquired the vacuum cleaners for Choate school, he also got the floor polishers and the one posted here, while not an exact match is close. The one I remember was hammer tone blue, the handle was slightly different, and the cord wasn't removable. However, I was also only about 10 years old, so I'm going on memory but this is close. Good to see it again.
Bob Alex Taber. |
Post# 263753 , Reply# 5   1/17/2014 at 17:15 (3,723 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut)   |   | |
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Post# 263759 , Reply# 6   1/17/2014 at 17:38 (3,723 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut)   |   | |
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In your other thread I spoke of Charles Richard Lester getting me to resurrect the V.C.C.C.. Well, it was Tom Gasko who helped us jump start the annual meeting which was simply a gathering of a few club members. We met at my house to talk vacuum cleaner, swap ideas for the newsletter, which I created, wrote and published, and just have fun. However, in 93, Tom and a few friends drove to Naperville, Illinois with a van loaded with vacuum cleaners to give away. This was the turning point, and as my personal collection had outgrown the spare bedroom where it was housed, a few months prior to this gathering, I'd remolded my three car garage into the club museum. Pictured here.
Tom and Charles Richard were the first serious collectors the club knew, and both were able to turn a ragtag group into a serious collectors club. And when I decided to retire from running the club in May of 95, I knew it was in good hands. Through them, it became the club we have today. |
Post# 263773 , Reply# 7   1/17/2014 at 18:48 (3,723 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)   |   | |
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Post# 263814 , Reply# 9   1/17/2014 at 23:30 (3,722 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut)   |   | |
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I've told this story countless times, but for me the interest in vacuum cleaners started at age 2, I'd just seen the Electrolux model LX eject the wrapper, and the obsession was born. Cut to 1972, when I was 22 and acquired my first non electric two person pumper that dated back to circa 1890. From then on, I was a collector.
In late summer of 1980, a friend who owned a vacuum cleaner store asked if I'd been to the Hoover Historical Center? I had not even heard of it, but made arrangements to go there. Stacy Krammes, director of the historical center welcomed me with open arms, and it was a fantastic weekend. A year later a collector from California contacted Hoover, and his letter was forwarded to me. This was John Lucia, and a long distance friendship began. In September of 1982, John drove to northwest Indiana to see me, and together we went to the Hoover Historical Center. Upon leaving Stacy gave us a list of about 5 guys interested in collecting. With this I asked John if we should form a club, his response was that it probably wouldn't get very far, but why not contact the people on the list. On January 2, 1983, the V.C.C.C. was born.
It's been a wild 31 years, and there are countless people to thank. But the fact is, John Lucia, Mike Pupek, Craig Long, Charles Richard Lester, Tom Gasko, and Clay Floyd were the backbone of the original club. The club John and I founded had no officers, and when Tom Gasko became the first president in May of 1995, I decided to retire. Charles Richard is being modest, but the fact is he launched the V.C.C.C. into cyberspace, and it grew like a weed from there.
As Charles said, the club is NOT the same, and there have been a myriad of changes, but it still follows the theme John Lucia and I started. To help people interested in vacuum cleaners learn the history, and find the answers to the question who invented it? |
Post# 263848 , Reply# 10   1/18/2014 at 10:36 (3,722 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)   |   | |
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You are so right Alex. I remember the beginning of the VCCC. We shared our knowledge, and machines, with each other. No alcohol was allowed at the Conventions (what a blessing that was). We shared our instruction manuals (Marty R. has some beautiful ones) and ads. We tried out all the machines, and the owners let us. Your status within the club was not about what you 'owned' but about what you shared and how friendly you were. No 'hands off' signs on the vacs. As a result, we had a blast as a group. As vacuums are meant to be used, it was fun to throw dirt all over the 'suite' at the hotel and clean it up. Remember the 'free pile' at the hotel when we went to Hoover? At least fifty NICE vacuums (gold Rexairs, Air-Way's, Kirby's, coffee can Hoovers with sateen bags, etc.). But that was before eBay and the Internet. After my six years as President, we'd grown to over 100 members. There were so many of my friends whom I am still close to today, that I met during those six years. And now, the Vacuum Cleaner Museum is open to the public, six days per week. And while the Museum has an annual convention (second weekend in June), it's always here anytime any collector wants to come in, learn about vacuums, and try them out.
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Post# 263873 , Reply# 12   1/18/2014 at 11:46 (3,722 days old) by caligula (Wallingford, Connecticut)   |   | |
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Thanks for the kind words, but the fact is, I've always been like that, letting people enjoy themselves. I guess it goes back to the age of about 10, when my grandpa let me play with the discarded vacuum cleaners in the various storerooms at Choate. There were Hoovers by the dozen, assorted Kirby's and Electrolux's galore! To a kid, it was vacuum cleaner heaven. In addition to the vacuum cleaners, there was china, furniture, coffee pots and all sorts of appliances. It was great to see a forest of lamps standing there with assorted shades in every color of the rainbow. And it was his wife, my granny, who instilled in me the are of entertaining. There was always a pot of coffee going, and some Scottish pastry ready for the mailman, or anybody else who might 'drop-in!' I adopted her 'party' attitude of 'make sure there's enough for everybody!'
When John and I decided to form the club, we had no 'agenda,' no pre-set rules to be a member, and expected it to be nothing more than a group of guys sharing experiences. Then I got home from Hoover, and wrote to the people on Stacy's list, inviting them to join a free club, and as a form of incentive I said we would have a newsletter. Here I was, a man who knew nothing about writing professionally, and I was going to embark on a newsletter?
Then I got a call from Craig Long, and he gave me enough personal information to fill 5 newsletters! This was in October of 82, and the only item on the agenda was light educational material, but still no basic structure. Even the name of the club was in limbo, and for the first newsletter, I went with Vacuum Cleaner Collector's Club, though John and I agonized over others. Again Craig came to my rescue, when he asked "why don't we keep the name as it is?" so it stuck!!
After the first newsletter was mailed out on January 2, 1983, John and I knew we needed a logo, letterhead and official registration forms with cover letter. Here I pressed my mom into service, making her our club secretary, and brought in my friend Norbert Miller as assistant editor (mostly to correct my atrocious spelling and grammar) and again I turned to Stacy at the Hoover Historical Center, asking if I could go there and take a photo of the British non electric hand pumper, the 'Baby Daisy' circa 1890. Then Stacy told me that her daughter Liz was studying to be a graphic artist, and would love to research patent rights to copy the machine. As it turned out, Liz decided to bypass that and draw an abstract image. By March, we had letterhead, logo and so on.
The club limped along till November of 84, I was living in Lombard, Illinois ( Chicago suburb) and working for Kirby, when Mike Pupek came to see me. "How about putting together a meeting of the members?" he asked. "I doubt if people are going to travel cross country to see some old vacuum cleaners" I said. Mikes response was direct, "put the question in the newsletter!" I did, and the result was a fantastic meeting. The only fly in the ointment was my partner Doug, who made it clear I could not have the meeting at our house! so I decided to use my mom's house in Chesterton, Indiana, which was about 50 miles away! Therefore, the first meeting of the V.C.C.C. was held on the first weekend of May, 1985.
Not being able to have the meeting at my partner's house was the last straw, Doug and I parted company a few months later when I bought a house in Naperville, and made that the official club headquarters. The smaller bedroom on the second floor was perfect for my collection, and our meeting room, (See photo) but over the years it went through a series of renovations. By 1993, however, the machines overtook the room, and as I didn't use the 3 car garage, it was remolded as a massive display room. But back to the time I bought the house. As this was where all operations took place, I decided that my machines would become the official club museum.
Cut to 1993. When You, Clay, Billy Lipman, Rodger, Dave Watters, Charles Richard, and others showed up, the meeting actually turned into a mini convention. You, Clay, and Charles were the first serious collectors, and the key people who could get us known. However, while I'd started the club, by 94, I was burning out and welcomed the gathering at Hoover. It was good to step back, let the hotel do all the work, and be guests of the Hoover company. The only drawback was the bad press (remember that?) So when you decided to take over in May of 95, I was ready to retire.
It was a fun ride, but I'm glad others are manning the helm now.
Bob Alex Taber. This post was last edited 01/18/2014 at 13:53 |
Post# 264014 , Reply# 15   1/18/2014 at 22:17 (3,722 days old) by electrolux137 (Los Angeles)   |   | |
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