a real challange?

[Kevin Kuehn]

Pretty sure they were originally sealed in wax in an attempt to keep out moisture. Possibly vacuum impregnated too. Although I'll have to admit I wasn't around early enough to remember seeing those in NOS form.

[Yamamaya42]

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

Pretty sure they were originally sealed in wax in an attempt to keep out moisture. Possibly vacuum impregnated too. Although I'll have to admit I wasn't around early enough to remember seeing those in NOS form.

but i don't think wax was meant to be dropping off them , so much that you can not read the numbers on them

[Kevin Kuehn]

Originally Posted by Yamamaya42

but i don't think wax was meant to be dropping off them , so much that you can not read the numbers on them

Try a heat gun and quickly wipe the excess wax off. They often look as new underneath that old dirty wax.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

Try a heat gun and quickly wipe the excess wax off. They often look as new underneath that old dirty wax.

If the wax is soft you can scrape it with a fingernail. If you have a lousy soldering iron you can swipe it over the coating to melt and clarify it....I tend to use cheap garage sale irons that fail every 1-4 years so I don't mind doing things like that to them.

If you ever find a set that was used a long time with a badly leaking cap the cap will have bubbles all over it, and the ends will be melted out....