I thought about repairing it, but it looked kind of burnt and my grandfather said it used to get hot, so he put it in the basement for parts. I didn't want to risk starting a fire or something so I didn't bother to look further into repairing it. I appreciate the help though! The recycling center wouldn't take the thing so I set it out at the dump. Maybe someone else will pick it up and fix it.
My grandfather remembers the Great Depression and wartime well when it was important to repair and use up everything you had. So, he has always saved lots of things for parts, whether they are actually needed and usable or not. I clean things out every few months because if I don't, I'm afraid his house will start to look like those featured on that Hoarders reality show. This is the first time he's let me tackle the basement. I'm hoping I'll eventually run into another wire recorder. They're just incredibly cool in my opinion.