Here is another one I totally forgot about: how fun is it to strip, join, and solder those super-thin leads to the bulbs in an old receiver? Not fun at all says I! The gauge is too small for the smallest notch on my wire strippers and I end up doing bad things to get the insulation off, things that involve my teeth and shredded wire. I got a pack of those clear plastic buttons for phone connections at Home Depot, along with the special needle nose pliers that trap and squish the button's halves together. I am not describing these things well, but I believe they were created for quick, permanent, weather-tight splices on low voltage communications wires. You stick the two ends of the wires you want to join into the little button (no stripping needed at all), hold them there while you squeeze the top and bottom halves of the button with the pliers, and a mini-guillotine thingy presses down, along with a tiny blob of silicone, and you're all done. No soldering iron, no stripping, no teeny tiny heat shrink tubing, no dangerous heat near the damned dial string (yep, I've ruined one or two while soldering). Is it perfect? No. Is is what a professional restorer/tech would do? I'm gonna say no again. Is it good enough for me and my equipment? Oh, hell yeah. If anyone is actually interested in this, I can post some pictures. I doubt any professionals would do this, but it is good enough for any gear I'm keeping for myself.