Back in the day, dial cord was mostly made from 'natural' fibers of one sort or another. Natural fibers age out and decay. So, now anywhere to around 90 years later, lots-O-dial cords are failing.

Today, there are those who impart magical properties to dial cord. In the words of Gershwin, it ain't necessarily so. All it needs be is a cord that has reasonable friction properties and can take reasonable tension and is reasonably resistant to abrasion, while not being abrasive on its own. Braided Dacron fishing line, gauge-for-gauge is vastly stronger than any 'original' dial cord as was ever made, and will stretch less. It is cheap as hell relative to the amount purchased as there is nothing magical about it as (we all know) there is with true dial cord. Perhaps that lack of magic makes some resistant to the idea of it.

Back in the day, one of the issues with dial-cord was taking knots. Lots-O-accommodations were created to handle this, including neat little brass eyelets that were folded over the ends as hold-opens and knot-makers. Dacron fishing line takes very good knots and those knots tend not to fail. But, a toothpick with a dab of Cyano-Acrylate glue (AKA "Super Glue") will eliminate the possibility in any case. And jewelers' crimps:

https://media1.riogrande.com/Product...rge/630193.jpg

https://img0.etsystatic.com/021/0/64...84104_gprb.jpg

Will eliminate the need for knots altogether. Even if you purchase them in silver-plate, at 20 for $3, they are still cheap.

Springs are available from any ball-point pen, as well as from McMaster-Carr, an old-fashioned hardware store and many more sources.

https://www.mcmaster.com/#extension-springs/=192zprq

Given that one has all sorts of good stuff available for-cheap that save steps and trouble, some other factors now come into play:

Diameter: Generally, I try to use the largest diameter practical that does not hang up or interfere with other parts. Why? More bearing surface on the sheaves and shaft(s), so better grip with less tension and less abrasion. For complex stringing endeavors, some even with two loops, one still has the option of increasing tension if needed. The idea is to stretch the spring to about 50%-60% of capacity and let it absorb the stretch over time.

Knots: Crimps are good. A curved suture needle is useful if one is rigidly old-school. Small hemostats do a great job of holding tension or acting as a third-hand where needed.

Eyelet/grommets: Note that some of the crimps have eyelets built in. And those are only two of many styles. Anyone near a moderate city with a Jewelers' Row - look for a "Findings" company and you will see all this stuff on-the-hoof.

Sam's Dial String Guide - from the 1920s into the 1990s, it's all there.

So, for less than $15, one may have:

200+ feet/70+ meters of appropriate stringing material.
Two or three small hemostats
A variety of curved needles
A variety of jewelers' crimps
A variety of springs

Again, there ain't no magic to it.

Oh, and about those eyelets? https://www.etsy.com/listing/5335054...?ref=related-2

$15 over the course of many radios and other things with dials is picayune.

Peter Wieck