Thank you Tom for your kind words and generosity. I have you and Pete to thank for seeding this Constellation population explosion. It's such a treat now to have a converter, hose and tools for the blue & pink 2 speed 716. Blessings also to Doug Smith in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan for valiantly filling in many of my knowledge gaps and gifting some rare and precious machines & odd parts to the overall collection. Can I stop now?
Rhetorical plea, of course. LOL
As for hoses (and I'm short 3 later sied mount Connie hose end fittings for those in the back to graft on to spare hoses in the hose bin) I feel coiling the hoses around the base, forming them into a knot on tub canisters such as the Fairfax, GE and Filter Queen or looping them nozzle-in-coupler on the Kirby necks keeps the strain off them yet keeps them close at hand for a run-a-bout.
As for the dangling Luxs, well, I am sorting them out as appropriately as possible to machines with what I've got piled on the couch while marking those few that need the Latex Fix. But that is no way to store or display them. Cylinders are a quandry. I'm going to check out Lowes, Home depot and Rona for out-of-season simple metal Garden hose hangers to mount up high on the walls. If I remember them correctly from when Dads everywhere bolted them to the house foundation by the tap, each one should hold at least 8 hoses safely.
Btw, since I now have correct period hoses for the Compacts C6,7,8 I grafted a silver grey ultra flexible slinky-springy vinyl hose that came with a C7 to the Haleys Comet hose ends. It stretches to 8 feet and springs back to 2.5 feet so it will be 'stored' on the machine by inserting the nozzle in the exhaust port. Truly the ugliest heaviest domestic vacuum ever to be marketed, the silver hose compliments the Gold very nicely. I found a paint match in the Automotive Section at Canadian Tire for the textured dark bronze gold - Dupli-Color Universal Gold High Heat Engine Enamel #DE1604.
