Ninety years ago, the Fahnestock clip was well established in the free world as a convenient method of making electrical connections. They were readily available wherever radio and electrical supplies were sold.

Soviet amateurs, on the other hand, were forced to use a bit more ingenuity, as shown from this issue, 1927 issue number 6 of Радио любитель (Radio Amateur) magazine. The article, by Engineer V.D. Romanov, shows how to make Fahnestock clips! While I can’t read the text, the diagrams are quite clear. The clips can be cut from sheet metal. Or for the truly enterprising Soviet ham, the article shows how to fabricate makeshift Fahnestock clips from wire!

There will undoubtedly come a day when the Fahnestock clip becomes unobtainium. When that happens, you’ll be able to make your own. In the meantime, you can get them at Amazon: