On Mon, 13 Mar 2017 11:28:21 -0700 (PDT), Tim R
wrote:

Yeah but those old leads are all sticky now, at least the ones I have.

I don't know what causes it but I dislike touching them.

I never ran into that. But I did have some (in the 70s) that dried up
and the insulation was falling off. (Needless to say, I saved the
probes, and tossed the wire in the trash).

I dont know what would cause them to be sticky, but just a thought...
wipe them down with 91% rubbing alcohol? I cant try this, since I dont
have any to try that on.... (If you try it, let us know if it worked).

I have a pair of the newer plastic ones, that probably date back to
around the late 1980s. The wires are still soft, but they developed a
tiny spot of bare wire where they enter the molded plugs on the meter
end. I fixed them with a small blob of hi temp (red) silicone caulk
intended for automotive use. Worked great!