where can I find old components such as old capacitors?
or is it simply easier to use a modern component in it's
place??

thanks!

If you can find a new part that will equate to the
old one you want to replace, I would go for it. New
parts implement the latest technology, and will
probably give a more satisfactory replacement than an
old one would. Not only that, but it should last much
longer as well. I order a lot of stuff through Mouser
Electronics (www.mouser.com). They carry most of the
new stuff that you would want. If you want parts that
they don't have, try Antique Electronic Supply
(www.tubesandmore.com). They carry a lot of antique
radio replacement parts, old and new. Of course, there
are many other places on the net that others may be
able to post for your information; these are the only
two that I have has business with myself.

Tim Stephens
tstephen@spsu.edu

Hi George, Tim has given a good answer to your question but just to fill it out a bit; It depends what old parts you need. The old style waxed or oil filled paper capacitors common up till the end of the fifties are prone to absorb moisture and become electrically leaky. Likewise electrolytic capacitors can become inefficient and short, possibly leading to damage to rectifiers and power transformers. It's normally standard practice with most restorers to replace all these in an old set as a matter of course. Old stock of these are likely to be damaged through the passage of time even if they're unused, only use new fresh stock for these. Old resistors, particularly carbon varieties, can drift in value or completely go open circuit, also go noisy in operation, particularly as plate load resistors. However they can easilly be measured for resistance and if within tolerance be used, they normally don't cause further damage if they do fail. Other parts such as pots. switches, knobs, transformers can be sourced from old sets or bought as new old stock from the various vendors. The best value for restorers I've found is to join a vintage radio club. They are in most countries of the world and provide friendship, help with problems, a chance to display your collection and the auctions and swap meets are a great place to find that needed part or set to restore. The problem of replacing parts or keeping the set original is an ongoing one, if you want to preserve the appearance. You can often hollow out old capacitors and place new ones inside, the size has shrunk greatly over the years and there's plenty of room inside the old ones. Otherwise you can replace the old with new hidden under chassis and store the old parts in a plastic ziplock bag for future reference if needed. You can find resource on this web site and there are many others on the net. Antique Radios online at http://www.antiqueradios.com/ have many sources for parts and services, these two sites complement each other. Companies like AES at http://www.tubesandmore.com have online catalogs and will send one out to you if you apply. If you've got a particular problem post it on the forum and usually someone can help you out. Hope you enjoy the hobby, Don Black.

: where can I find old components such as old capacitors?
: or is it simply easier to use a modern component in it's
: place??

: thanks!