[mikethedruid]

When removing the potting tar in the bakelite blocks here's what I do. I make a little tray out of aluminum foil, folded to double thickness, and a couple of little rolled props to hold up the block. Make sure the sides of the little tray are about 1/2 inch high so all the tar will stay in the tray. I then put the block on the little props in the tray with the tar side down, and put it in my regular stove oven on a baking sheet or pie plate, with the oven set to 350F. After a while you will find all the tar will have melted out and collected in the little aluminum foil tray. Remove carefully from your oven, and set the drained block on a piece of scrap paper to cool, again, open side down. Then remove the guts and rewire with new guts as per specs. It will stink a bit, but the smell will dissipate.