In article ,
wrote:

I want to re-cap an old tube type shortwave radio. I dont mind using
plastic coated caps to replace the old paper-wax ones in the circuit.
(Meaning the smallish ones, such as .05 .02 .001, etc.)

However, it seems that no one sells the multi-part electrolytic
capacitors anymore. Particularly the ones on aluminum containers that
were mounted on the chassis. Those used to be very common on all old
TVs, radios, and other stuff. Normally, they came with 2, 3, or 4, caps
inside one container. (I never saw more than 4). Something like 50mf
450v 30mf 300v 10mf 150v was common. And not only the aluminum chassis
mounted ones, but many of the old (American Five) sets (5 tubes) had a
wax coated multi-part electrolytic capacitor, which went below the
chassis and was mounted by a strap around the cap body, and had a black
wire (GND), and a different color wire for each internal cap.

I like to restore this stuff to look original, as well as having to
consider that some of these devices dont have much spare space under the
chassis, to add individual caps.

What a lot of people in your situation do, these days, is temporarily
remove the old cap-can, carefully gut it, and install several smaller
modern capacitors inside the shell, connecting them to the appropriate
lugs on the bottom terminal disc. Using modern caps, and a bit of
sleeving on the leads, it's usually possible to fit the necessary
individual parts into the shell.

You can then reinstall the Wolves In Cheap Clothing capacitor-set
in its original location. Cosmetically it will look just like the
original; electrically it will probably be quite a bit superior to
the original.

You might be able to do the same thing with the wax-coated
multicap... or, if its case is already "gone bad" you can probably
make a reasonable look-alike using a cardboard sleeve over a set of
modern caps, and (if you insist on original appearance) dip it in wax
or varnish.