I reuse cables often when I restore old road bikes. I clean up the exposed portions, which are usually weathered, with a green scotch pad to shine them up, then lightly coat the entire cable with Tri-Flow, adding a drop to the end of the housing where the cable gets inserted.

Did you say "steel rims" ? I still use them. When I restore wheels, I unlace all spokes from the rims and hubs 1) to make cleaning them up much easier, 2) clean off any corrosion hidden in the spoke threads and nipples, 3) to straighten any bent spokes, 4) flatten the rims and make sure they are not out-of-round prior to re-lacing and trueing.

EDIT: always note spoke pattern or "crossing" before disassembly

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