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I meant for this to be about bringing a TV up on a variac. I believe many do that even if they have totally recapped a set. I'm sorry if it's veered into an electrolytic capacitor aging issue
With the radios I've restored I have completely recapped them. I have a 60's radio that I've done nothing with and it's still playing and a 50's communication receiver that I've also not touched, other than realignments, and it works well. Of course it only has a couple of electrolytics and no paper caps. I've had it before I was a teenager.
I've purchased multi-section axial electrolytics off of ebay with the intention of restuffing them to use in some old radios I have. Although I didn't care if they were good or not the seller claimed they had been tested and reformed. However, he didn't know about testing for ESR. All of the ones that just had paper tubes to seal them had extremely high ESR. The others tested out well. I suspect that any electrolytics that seem to reform and then later fail may have had already marginal ESR.
The ones that I've kept in the set I've tested out thoroughly and are not in sections where they are under much strain.
My temperment is such that I question everything and have a need to check things out for myself. I may be making a big mistake, but I wish to see how long electrolytics, that test better than the brand new and fresh electrolytics that I had intended to replace them with, fair.
John
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