Hi Dave,
I've thoroughly read through your restoration thread (several times). Yours was the one that convinced me that this was something I wanted to attempt.
As of now, after corresponding with Sonny "The Radiola Guy", I'm still planning on pulling the board. I am apprehensive (because of the 'cons' you listed), but I'm determined to nug through it.
I can't seem to find solder braid / wick here locally, but I did pick up a very nice German-made solder sucker, it is very long and very slender, about the diameter of a fat writing pen, with a nice long, slender point. It will reach into some pretty tight spaces. And I've got several thin 40W solder irons, as well as a big honkin' antique iron for soldering grounds to chassis, and a good old Weller gun.
I've tested the tubes, and all are OK except for the 6BZ7 on the tuner, which is gassy. Ordered the replacement from ETE tubes.
I am following your advise about powering up via Variac without the HOT, then again with it. I was lucky and learned about "just plug it in and see what happens" on my very 1st antique radio. A nice little inexpensive Admiral that went up in a cloud a acrid black smoke as the transformer turned into a skillet full of molten tar.
I definitely don't want to do any harm, but from the looks of this chassis, it has been the victim of a motel TV repairman's 'gitter-done' attentions, so I'm not taking any chances. I'm just replacing all caps & electrolytics, and touching-up every solder point.
I offer these two pics to support my idea of Motel Joe's hack job:
and this:
I don't know, since I've never seen one, but this CAN'T be a fused resistor, can it?
Since I don't have a television signal generator, I intend to use a VCR for the signal. Is this an OK idea, or worthless?