When I got my call in the late fifties, I had my fingers in lots of
equipment. I wanted to know the feel of paper capacitors, disk
ceramic and ceramic capacitors, electrolytic caps. and
resistors. Knowing what they felt like helped me understand how they
worked. And feeling them in circuits also helped me with the
electronic concepts. New amateurs with PC boards and ICs sadly are
missing all of that.
And I also discovered 500 volts from an 807 plate cap!! The smell of
RF ed fingers is unforgettable!! And R F burns took a while to heal!
Pat, K9JAU