On Sun, 25 Mar 2018 14:20:47 +0100, Andy Burns
wrote:

Archibald Tarquin Blenkinsopp wrote:

I never ever burnt a cable down to a conductor.

Since you've parroted that well-crafted phrase several times, I will
read it as

"I melted through the outer jacket, but was lucky enough
to only partly melt the inner insulation"

I think my old red X25 still bears that scar from when I was about
twelve ...

Pye Line transformers needed two 25W irons to release them,
coordination was difficult and involved the use of Ones gut, if help
wasn't on hand.

Soldering using Ones stomach wasn't a simple task and was prone to the
odd minor disaster.

I was an apprentice then :-)

AB