ozzy and boxer12- I believe your experiences are accurate. Thank you for the input! According to an email I received from High Fidelity Cables in September " We move cables around often and find that a re-application is not always necessary. In fact, it is maybe every 3rd or 4th disconnection that we will treat again. We recommend evaluating the remaining visible NPS-1260 and re-applying if it shows to be diminished".
My experience is that I need to reapply after several disconnects as I move equipment in and out of systems. I do that much more frequently than most others, as I evaluate pieces of equipment I acquire over time. For example, yesterday I heard a bit of edge in a track I am very familiar with- a xylophone sounded a little harsh. I inspected the RCA and speaker cables, and reapplied a VERY THIN re-coat to them- harshness gone! In fact, after brushing off excess as directed, I didn't need to dip the brush into the solution again to sufficiently cover the 2 ends of RCA and 4 banana plugs. The re-coat, I suspect, was part new NPS 1260 and part redistribution of existing NPS 1260.
So- for me, assessing the need to re apply is a combination of knowing how many times I've disconnected things, noting any changes to sound and visual inspection.