[codefox1]

I reckon nobody even in a museum will measure overall length, and even if so, probably wasn't recorded. If you are stuffing old ones and need to cut 'em open to get the guts out, fine saw around the bottom, smoke or burn out insides (definitely an outside the house job!) and some nice joining with epoxy and perhaps a touch of paint after buffing seam, and it'd take an expert to tell (present company excepted.) Actually a little length of sliced off silver duct tape with a dot of crazy glue upon the final wind would please almost anyone. Staple or affix a little note as to when and what you have done inside the set so the next person.................