[Raleigh]

What wire to use is a hot topic. I've mostly used the 20 gauge cloth covered wire as xray does, even though it doesn't look original to replace the rubber covered wires in the pre-war Philco sets.

Wire from Radio Shack would probably work fine, but I'm a little concerned about whether the thin insulation on modern wires would stand up to the high voltage. Those wires also look very skinny, and to me they just don't look good in old radios. I've seen photos of restorations done with the plastic insulated wire from Radio Daze, which has thicker insulation, and it looks much more like the rubber covered wire.

I almost always use stranded wire because I've had some problems with solid wire breaking inside the insulation, which can create interments that are hard to find. Solid vs. stranded is another hot topic, and everyone has his own preference. Solid is a lot easier to work with. In the end the radio will work well with either, so if you prefer the ease of working with solid, do it.

I've never used Ron's method of sleeving the original wires with heat shrink, but I think I'll try it next time around. I'll need to order heat-shrink tubing in all the right colors beforehand.