Virtually all these firms specialise in hard-to-find material but read the whole list to find the people most likely to have what you want....

• AGILE TOOLS, Box 1408, London, NW10 9ES (020-8452 6724). Early ICs and transistors.
• ANTIQUE AUDIO, 253 Blanche, Plymouth, MI 48170, USA (00 1 313-455 4169). High-voltage capacitors and other components for valve circuitry.
• ANTIQUE ELECTRONIC SUPPLY, Box 27468, Tempe, AZ 85285-7468, USA (00 1 602-820 5411, fax 00 1 602-820 4643). Comprehensive source of tubes, parts and supplies for restoring old radios. Elaborate 32-page catalogue free, mail order a speciality, credit cards taken. E-commerce enabled web site at http://www.tubesandmore.com
• ASK JAN FIRST GmbH & Co. KG Jan Philipp Wüsten, Preiler Ring 10, D- 25774 Lehe, Germany. Telephone: +49-4882-6054551. Web site: www.die-wuestens.de Transformers, unusual capacitors, cloth-covered wire. Very useful supplier.
• Michel BLANCHARD, 21 Lot Miailhe, F-33720 Barsac, France (00 33 5-5627 0523 after 20.30 local time). Supplies cotton-covered wire.
• BULB DIRECT, Inc. 1 Fishers Road, Pittsford,NY 14534-9511, USA (00 1 800-772 5267, 00 1 716-385 3540, fax 00 1 716-385 4976 or 00 1 800-257 0760) Specialist instrument bulbs and other types of lamp. http://www.bulbdirect.com/
• W. BURCHER, 676 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, IP3 8NQ. Valves and some other valve-era spares.Advertised a closing down sale so may have ceased trading.
• CENTRE ELECTRONICS, 345 Stockfield Road, Yardley, Birmingham, B25 8JP (0121-706 0261). Open Thursday-Saturday. Valves and other components.
• CIEL ELECTRONIQUE, ZI La Vallière - Bât 1, 06730 Saint André de la Roche, France, Europe. Tel: 0493276381, Fax: 0493544432. Web site: www.ciel-electronique.com. Wide range of components and valves for audio and radio enthusiasts. Order online.
• CHELMER VALVE COMPANY LTD., The Stables, Scatterbrook Farm, Rectory Lane, Latchingdon, Essex, CM3 6HB. Tel: +44 (0)1621 745450. Fax: +44 (0)1621 745459. Email: sales@chelmervalve.com  Website: www.chelmervalve.com  Good stock of brand name valves, particularly audio.
• COMPAERO (http://www.compaero.com/) Military-type connectors of all kinds.
• CONNECTOR WORLD SUPPLY, Inc., Seattle, USA (00 1 206-789 7525). Huge selection of plugs and sockets.
• DIAL ELECTRONICS Ltd., Unit E, Burnhope Road, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 8HZ. UK. Tel: 00 44 (0) 191 4177003. Fax: 00 44 (0) 191 4177053. Large resource for audio, radio parts and semiconductors. Website: www.dialelec.com
• DIVERSE DEVICES, 75 Priory Road, St Denys, Southampton, SO17 2JQ (tel/fax 01703-584680). Large quantity of manuals and hard-to-find components, including some germanium transistors.
• DOUGLAS ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES Ltd, 55 Eastfield Road, Louth, LN11 7AL (01507-603643). Wide range of transformers for 'valve' type HT voltages.
• DYPROM Ltd, 0115-844 0333, fax 0115-844 0338, dypromsales@innotts.co.uk . Specialist suppliers of Plessey, Harris and Mitel semiconductors, including obsolete types.
• ELECTRONIQUE DIFFUSION, 15 rue de Rome, 59100 Roubaix, France (00 33 3-2070 2342). RF components including old-pattern valves.
• ETC ELECTRONICS, P.O. Box 253 Sandy, Utah 84091-0253. They buy and sell hard to find - new, old, vintage, obsolete, and current electronics parts and supplies. They sell: IC's, Tubes, Antique Radios, Test Equipment, Diodes, Relays, Capacitors, Industrial, Security, Lamps, LED's, Displays, Vintage Hi-Fi, etc. Web site: www.etcelectronics.com
• F.C. LANE ELECTRONICS Ltd, Slinfold Lodge, Slinfold, Horsham, RH13 7RE (01403-790267, fax 01403-790849). Specialises in obsolete multipole connectors and has taken over the manufacture of some ranges, e.g. Plessey Company.
• J.A. CREW & COMPANY LTD. 6 Station Road, Woodford Halse, Daventry, Northants NN11 3RB. Tel: 01327 263873. Web site: www.jacrew.net Model engineering tools, electronic components, surplus miscellany, materials and fastenings
• Jean-Luc FRADET, 9 rue de l'Égalité, 36130 Déois, France (00 33 2-5434 4951). Components for old radio and hi-fi, repairs.
• W.W. GRAINGER, USA (00 1800-323-0620). Acclaimed as a source of unusual bulbs such as lumiline tubes for Collins speakers and 656s for Johnson transmitters. The phone number is their order number.
• JUST RADIOS, Dave and Babylyn Cantelon, 6 Ferncrest Gate, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, M1W 1C2. They specialize in antique radio schematics, capacitors and resistors for vintage radios. Web site: www.justradios.com
• KAL UK Ltd, Box 84, Herne Bay, CT6 7GA; KAL Germany, Kraichbachstr 1a, D-68766 Hockenheim, Germany (tel/fax 00 49 6205-16504). Buy/sell vintage valves and audio equipment.
• KENZEN, Unit 9, 16-20 George Street, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, B12 9RG. (0121-446 4346, fax 0121-446 4245). Valves and valve-era components. Catalogue issued. Please ring for an appointment if you intend visiting the warehouse). This business also has an extensive range of new-production high-voltage electrolytics at advantageous prices. These are good quality, British-made caps, in fact the same brand as the Vintage Wireless Company of Bristol used to sell. They are ideal for replacing problematic caps in old valve equipment. Information sheet/price list will be sent in return for SAE.
• LIVING IN THE PAST. Web site: livinginthepast-audioweb.co.uk/xformer.html Range of original transformers and some other components available.
• LUMITRON Corporation, Box 267, Summit, NJ 07902, USA (00 1 908-273 8998, fax 00 1 908- 273 0853). Specialist instrument bulbs and other types of lamp. www.lumitroncorp.com
• MAJESTIC TRANSFORMER COMPANY, 245 Rossmore Road, Parkstone, Poole, BH12 2HQ (01202-734463). Rewinds old transformers.
• MICROLAMP. Inc., 2942 NW 60th Street, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309, USA (00 1 800 431-4956 or 00 1 954-9707171, fax 00 1 954-970 7196). Specialist instrument bulbs and other types of lamp. http://www.microlamp.com/
• H.J. MORGAN-SMITH, Unit 3, Vernon Bldg., Westbourne Street, High Wycombe, HP11 2PX (01494-532421). Stock item and custom instrument cases, 19" rack cases & other metalwork spraying.
• MUSHROOM COMPONENTS, Unit 3 Bradfield Road, Finedon Road Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, NN8 4HB (01933 -275345, fax 01933-275245). Stocking distributor of electronic components specialising in obsolete semiconductors. Website at http://www.mushroom.co.uk
• OLD TIME SUPPLIES, PO Box 209, Banbury, OX16 1GR. Old radios, books and components. E-mail: sales@oldtimesupplies.co.uk Website: http://www.oldtimesupplies.co.uk
• PREMIUM PARTS, Whitewater, WI, USA (00 1 800-558 9572, fax 00 1 800-887 2727). Comprehensive source for all kinds of drive belts and wheels for tape recorders. They can custom-make stuff, too.
• PROBUS ELECTRONICS Ltd., Findon, Southill Lane, Eastcote, Pinner, HA5 2EQ (020-8866 7272, fax 020-8866 2999). UK distributor of production and servicing products made by Caig Laboratories (USA).
• PROOPS BROTHERS, Saddington Road, Fleckney, Leicester LE8 8AW. A miscellany of all sorts of useful things for model engineers. Web site: www.proopsbrothers.com
• RATA Ltd, Edge Bank House, Skelsmergh, Kendal, LA8 9AS (01539-823247, fax 01539-823317). Some valves, valve bases and coolers, also high grade audiophile components and cables.
• ROCHESTER ELECTRONICS, 10 Malcolm Hoyt Drive, Newburyport, MA 01950, USA (00 1 508-462 9332). Specialises in long-obsolete integrated circuits. Website at http://www.rocelec.com/
• 6V6 VINTAGE COMPONENTS, 3 Baskerville Road, Wandsworth Common, London, SW18 3RJ. Web site: www.6v6.co.uk. A UK source of radio and audio restoration products and spare parts from the 1920's to the 1980's. E-commerce facility now online. They can supply valves, high voltage capacitors, radio kits (based on 1920's designs), transistors, crystal set spares (original and reproduction), and some downloadable circuit diagrams - free when you buy anything.
• SOWTER TRANSFORMERS, The Boatyard, Cullingham Road Ipswich IP1 2EG. Tel: 01473 252794. Web site: www.sowter.co.uk Audio transformer specialist though all types of transformer can be supplied.
• STIFFKEY LAMP SHOP, Stiffkey, Wells-Next-Sea, NR23 1AJ (01328-830460). Fabric-covered mains cable (looks better than PVC-sheathed flex on vintage receivers but has modern blue, brown, yellow-green wires inside). Available in two colours, gold and dark brown; the conductors are twisted and each has its own fabric covering.
• T&J ENTERPRISES, Box 1963, Hall Green, Birmingham, B28 9LP (0121-777 3386). Specialist suppliers of Lucas electrical spares 1930 to date. Mainly automotive but many parts used in other low-voltage applications (e.g. festoon bulbs in radios).
• TECHNICAL LAMPS Ltd, 020-8979 6652. Projector lamps and other specialist items.
• VINTAGE TV & RADIO SUPPLY, 3498 West 105th Street, Cleveland, OH 44111, USA (00 1 216-671 6712). Components, refinishing supplies, reproduction parts, books and literature. Free catalogue.
• VINTAGE-PARTS.COM, 20 Webster Road, Stanford-Le-Hope, SS17 0BD. Tel: 01375 671064. Web site: vintage-parts.com Useful web store for vintage parts, including germanium transistors.
• WHITE TOWN VINTAGE, 50 Meddon Street, Bideford, EX39 2EQ (01237-424280, fax 01237-424280), e-mail: white.vintage@virgin.net Tudor Gwilliam Rees' new vintage electronics business following his sale of Savoy Hill Publications. He buys and sells most British audio, repairs vintage radios and supplies vintage-compatible capacitors and other parts. Also he now can repair damaged CDs and DVDs !   A monthly news sheet is available.