Originally Posted by soonerbills

Or, you could just rub in a little grease.

And end up with rusty cable covered with grease

I used to re-use shifter cables on my flips, but they are so cheap to replace I just put new ones on anymore. Looks better, functions better, and I feel better when the bike goes out the door.

The tip is mainly for those cables that are some what specialized in their application though obviously can be used in general cable applications.

But the point is cosmetic improvement with preservation as a nice side benefit.
I posted the tip in the hope of passing on a idea that works for me. If you disprove or find it unnecessary I'm sorry if I wasted your time!