GE A-66 new refurbish job

[leadlike]

The base of the 5z4 tube is the same as all of the other tubes in that set, right? If it is, then you'll need to find what is called an octal socket. Luckily, this has to be the most common socket type out there. There are plenty on ebay right now that could be had for less than a dollar.

You can still do a little more while you wait for your socket in the mail. Disconnect your transformer leads that run to the 5z4 socket. That should stop the arcing. The only thing that should be hooked up now is the filament string. You could try to light up the other tubes with the 5z4 unhooked to see if at least that part of the radio is functional.

As for drying out the chassis, it should probably be fine after sitting around for the couple of days that it would take for the new socket to arrive. Some folks may suggest putting it into an oven to dry it out, but that could cause other issues. Actually, some people claim to wash their radio chassis in the dishwasher! After that bad socket incident, I just go over the chassis with a damp cloth, I never spray the chassis with anything unless it is in really bad shape.