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A modded Hoover Constellation could race that Electrlux hot-rod!

Hi Les, Thanks for your take on my 'theory'. Ah, so the Vents in new plastic canisters are just to prevent the door from blowing open, not to improve airflow through the paper bags? Gotcha. I'm sort-of throwing this idea out there, whilst still trying to get my head around the dynamics, so I...

I think we could probably improve airflow on cloth-bagged vacuums which have inner paper bags, by leaving the zipper slightly ajar. I bought a new replacement Outer Bag for my Kirby Tradition. Its not as well made or nicely finished, as earlier bags; no Kirby label, Bag Topper too deep, raw...

Merry Christmas Ben, Les, Stale cake and a vacuum? I'd welcome that. Beats anything OUR neighbours would offer. Are you missing the Shoulder-Strap too? The one that clips onto the portable-use Handle? It stores rolled-up in that small rectangle, inside the case.

I upgraded to the newer Wooden Four-bar Brushrolls this year. They're readily available everywhere. It's a big improvement on the old Grey Two-bars, but that's just because you get two beats at the same area of carpet in the same time. As for stiffer bristles, I haven't seen any. I presume...

Do you suppose Service Manuals would become available too?

Flocking seems to have been a mainly USA-related custom? I'd never heard of it before. I suppose Australia would have needed it, with their Christmas in the middle of a summer heatwave!

I agree. Vintage quality & design is part of the appeal. Restoration is rewarding in itself, feeling you've preserved something, and if it functions too, that's a bonus. This not only applies to vacuums though; Valve Radios, Sewing Machines, Clocks, Fans... Before you know it, your home looks...

You could ask your neighbour if he wants the leaves. Spend hours raking them up, and boxing them. Then tell him the cost of postage. You'll never hear from him again. I guess that's your aim? This is not how to get on with people. Enjoy the tree. Rake up the leaves. Bin them. And enjoy a...

Kids weren't much safer away from the tree; Boys playing with their new Meccano Electric Motor plugged directly into the 240v light socket. Bare thumbnut contacts with no insulation. Girls with their radioactive Chemistry Sets with Cyanide, Sodium... Today its all "'elf and safety gone mad"

As an interim solution, you might try turning the drive-belt inside out. Showing a lesser-worn face against the roller. I would try taping-up the roller, underneath the belt, with a strip of strong fibre duck tape. Removing the roller until you source a new belt, would be better than having a...

A safer, traditional option from the past; Brass clip-on candle holders, with little candles and naked flames on your dried-out xmas tree. What could possibly go wrong?

Wow @huskyvacs, that's an expensive lesson. There was/is a product called Foamclean?, made by 3M, I think. Its marvellous for all screens, keyboards, and textured plastics. It brings-up old and dirty crud to new. BUT its around £20 a can, if you can find it. We used to 'borrow it' from work!

Polishes specifically made for plastics: Maguires, Novos, Turtle Wax, Polywatch, Mothers... My personal recommendation is Abro Headlight Polish. These will all remove fine scratches and ingrained dirt and discoloration. The important thing to bear in mind is that Brasso, T-Cut, alcohols, or...

Your Hoover looks great. Although consumers had their own unique set of electrical problems to overcome in those days; non-standard voltages, limited to 5 Amps, different plug types, and often only one outlet per room (usually for lighting) - they did have the advantage of having the cord...

Similar problems with SOME Charity Shops here in the UK. Directors on £100,000+ per annum. Staff all unpaid volunteers. Staff cherry-pick from donations. Good stuff goes up on eBay, or to shops in more-affluent areas, not in the window. Poorly-performing shops set ridiculously high prices...

eBay is not the manual marketplace it once was. Automated Bidding Apps will place a buyer's bid on their behalf, in the last one or two seconds of an auction. In the past 'snipers' had to sit there monitoring an auction in real-time, hoping they had bid enough in the one or two bids they could...

I doubt you'll find a Tradition Shag-King Attachment for sale individually. that's why most of us buy another machine, or attachment set, just for the one or two parts we're missing. I did try giving away my spare Tradition trim, parts, tools, cloth-bag, polisher... two large boxes of stuff; I...

If you're mailing it, make sure your courier hasn't excluded it in their non-permitted-items list. Some couriers say 'No antiques, No electricals, No machinery...'. Some UK couriers will kick a parcel around, then claim it must have been inadequately packed. Photos while you're wrapping it...

If you're buying a donor machine anyway, to get all the trim and accessories etc., why not use the Yoke from that?