Solder joints deteriorate depending on the content of the solder and the
environmental humidity and other chemicals the solder is exposed to. Most
of us know solder joints outside on copper antenna wire get pretty dull and
corroded over time, even when taped up.
If your climate is high local humidity year round, you might want to look
into putting a "damp chaser" lamp into the radio, or in the vicinity of it
to keep things dried out; use an air conditioned shack which removes local
humidity by the cold coil of a freon air conditioner, or even use desiccant
to provide a more benign environment for your equipment.
The effect of time and humidity can even affect metals like pot metal which
will crack and craze and swell up over time.
Might want to make patterns of any die cast pot metal parts in old radios
against the day you have to have a replacement part made. There is a
silicone rubber mold making casting rubber particularly convenient for
making a faithful cast of a part.
-Stuart Rohre
K5KVH
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