From: peterwieck33@gmail.com   
      
   > Rosin is a band-aid and isn't required if it's strung properly and friction   
   is mitigated. You can use virtually any non-stretching string of a similar   
   diameter and it won't slip.   
      
   I will give a poor analogy to the reason for the Rosin - poor, because   
   technology has changed over the last 20 years, or so. But for us Luddites:   
      
   Those of us, who, back in the day, drove air-cooled VWs which we serviced   
   ourselves for the most part, always used a wee bit of anti-seize on the   
   spark-plugs to avoid head damage, and we adjusted torque accordingly. Most   
   especially those of us who were *   
   really cheap* and used un-plated plugs. Today, plugs are, for the most part,   
   plated from the factory and anti-seize is not recommended by manufacturers any   
   longer. Similarly back in the day VW also used lug bolts, and there was a   
   'whole thing' on anti-   
   seize on the threads (not the bearing face) of the bolt. Again, not so much   
   today due to improved technologies and plating processes.    
      
   Getting back to Rosin - the OP is starting with a vintage German radio - and   
   as I have noted on occasion, the Germans never use one part where   
   three-or-more will do better. So, restringing such a beast is one of more   
   troublesome tasks in the vintage    
   radio hobby. Even getting the chassis out of the case/cabinet is a massive   
   PITA. So, the idea is to do it once and get another 50-75 years out of the   
   effort. The things that mess up dial mechanisms:   
   a) Age: The pulleys wear, the springs (if any) wear, and the bearings wear   
   such that the pulleys wobble.    
   b) Dust and airborne crud contaminate the system causing additional friction,   
   or slippage.    
   c) And many hobbyists rely on their memory rather than looking for a diagram   
   when re-stringing.    
      
   There are few absolute cures for a) - I have found that going to the next   
   higher (or two) string gauges can help for two reasons:  A greater bearing   
   surface, so less tension is required, and therefore less wobble. And the   
   string centerline is further    
   from the edge of the pulley - again, less wobble. Replace the  springs, of   
   course.    
      
   Dust and crud can be cleaned - in fact a radio from a smoker environment will   
   not see the display in our house until absolutely thoroughly cleaned. Most   
   will be rejected prior to purchase in any case.    
      
   And, there are sources for stringing diagrams, even for many/most Euro radios.   
   Further, the generic diagrams are useful to find similar configurations. I   
   need to repeat HAND MATTERS! And may German radios tune from Right-to-Left -   
   matters even more!    
      
   What the rosin does best is reduce the amount of tension required on the   
   string, and together with the slightly larger diameter increase the friction   
   without increasing wear.  And if simple Dacron is used, that first application   
   is well-and-truly life-   
   time. The analogy that comes to mind is the fiber core of elevator ropes - as   
   a reservoir for lubricants - the Dacron acts as a reservoir for the rosin and   
   does not spread it all over the place as a sticky mess - a little goes a long   
   way.     
      
   Yes, I keep high-tack PTFE-impregnated synthetic oil for bearings and such -   
   it is emphatically non-conductive, and stays where-put, does not oxidize and   
   does not turn to varnish even in warm environments. NEVER graphite as it is a   
   conductor, and can '   
   track' even if by accident. Horrible stuff in an electronic environment,   
   especially with tubes involved.    
      
   It is a process - and if done carefully, those next 50 years are a near   
   certainty.   
      
   Peter Wieck   
   Melrose Park, PA    
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)