Hi Ben – thanks for the explanation. This is exactly the same method that I use to restuff caps, and is what I meant by ‘melting them’. I used to put them in the oven or barbecue to melt the wax but, like you, found a heat gun to be more convenient. When the wire occasionally breaks off I push the guts out the other end with the eraser-end of a pencil.
For a quicker job, I sometimes use the ‘slit-and-stuff’ method passed on to me by Gerry O’Hara. Simply slit the paper tube lengthwise, pry it open and replace everything inside, glue the slit back together with the hot glue and fill the ends. Orient the cap in the radio with the slit facing the chassis so it isn’t visible.
Gary