Ron, You seriously should be classified a national treasure. People with tremendous knowledge like you are so very few these days. I’ve watched many videos where there have been issues with a radio and it has taken several weeks to figure out what the problem is. This doesn’t happen when you are working on a radio, you’ve seen it so many times it’s second nature. It’s like you are teaching an online class about the actual operation of these older radios, just hearing you talk is so informative. If you have some time, would you please do a video of your personal collection of radios, explaining a bit about each one, it would be so great to see what you think is collectible. Thank you so much for all you are doing to help others out in the world, I know it’s tough to video what you do, its kind of you to go to the trouble. Many many thanks, Buddy
There are others that can fix these radios such as myself. However I did not know about using the line cord as a resistive element to drop the filament voltage. I have seen selenium rectifiers and a resistor to get the voltage for the filaments.
I am an old timer who repaired a LOT of radios in the 70's (valve ones or transistor ones). I am from Argentina, who hosted the 1978 world soccer championship, so I was simply overwhelmed with customers, because of the "world championship to be". During those times I was involved wit a lot of valve radios. I had (I found It in the dump) an Atwater Kent model 246 without the enclosure, because It was impossible to save, as my "bench radio". I have yet the two bronze insignia+tuning dial "medals" hooked to a wood frame here in my working place. I follow your channel from...say...3 years ago. And I would say that I am constantly impressed by your knowledge and how You transmit Us what You know. I feel transported those ol' fine times when all was so more exciting, more "to explore" ....nowadays, an electronics, computer and networks engineer, soon to be retired, I am kind of returning to those "antique radios" as a hobby...Tanks a lot for the videos, knowledge and memories!!!
Hi Ron, your videos are true archives of knowledge from a past time that must be preserved for the future. Your repair techniques, glass construction should be chapters written in books, information passed on so that this knowledge is not lost. I appreciate the posts you make, which bring back memories of the house where my father had radiola and radios RCA Victor, Telefunken, Philips, GE etc. I'm from 1950 and I lived with these devices. Big hug.
Memories. My Father built crystal radios while in his teens during the 1920's. He continued to build radios for sale, as a young married man during the Great Depression. He served during WW II as a signals tech. Afterward, he still built radios, although there was little call for them.
You make everything look so easy---thanks for sharing such a really *COOL* video!! Those old Depression-era "curtain-burner" radios seem to bear a close resemblance to the much more common post-World War II AA5's. You've demonstrated a pretty effective way of tackling the problem of getting the correct filament voltage--although, in my thinking, a thermistor may provide additional protection from the initial inrush of current. It would be interesting to have a home-made AM transmitter broadcasting material from the era when this radio was new!
There is an old back issue of Radio Electronics magazine from the 90's that details how u can use an old pentagrid converter tube to create a one-watt AM bcb xmitter
I'm close to 73 and watching you work, well it is as if I am 10 yrs old and back on Bank street hanging around the old radio shops learning from the "masters" lol. Thanks for making the video. 73. Leo. k1zek
Awesome! More from the pro!.... I love how everything is just second nature to this genius! Need to bottle all this knowledge! Priceless! Thank you for sharing all you do!... You are the BEST!
Outstanding! So far every one of your videos have been outstanding. You embody everything that makes a TH-cam video watchable to the very end. You move along swiftly with an understandable instruction narrative that keeps things clear and well thought out. I also like that you don't edit straight to the solutions..you let us almost sit beside you while you figure things out. I wish I could spend an afternoon with you and just watch you bring life back to these beautiful old machines from a long ago golden age. I hope you keep on making more and more videos so we can have a decent capture of your knowledge and insight long after the Glasslinger's dial lamp goes dark.
You are truly are an expert, making it look so very easy. I know there is only a handful of people in the country could do what you do. Thank-You for sharing. So very glad your back doing what you love to do.
If the radio was beyond repair, I would upgrade the speaker to a pm type ,reinstall the chassis and knobs and use it as an extension speaker. I did that with a Windsor 1985 reproduction plastic cathedral radio. I installed a good 5x7 car speaker. I hook it up to a GE superadio which I conceal in a duffel bag and play the radio on the beach. The beach crowd couldn’t figure it out. They never saw a cathedral radio playing on the beach. The audio was superb! The Windsor cathedral radio chassis was hit by lightning and fried all the ICs and components on the pc board. I decided to put it back together and use it as an extension speaker. Best sounding unit I ever had!!
Glasslinger makes his own tubes and I have watched him remake coils. I have been redoing Radios for many years and can't imagine doing what he does.Amazed at his talents. Thank you for the videos kind sir. OKAY!
Sir, if you were a doctor you would be able to raise the dead. What you do is amazing and we thank you for making these videos and not letting your knowledge to be lost.
Thanks you so much for uploading videos again. I was so worried you would not share anymore your infinite knowledge. I love listening you while repairing these old radios. Wish you the best Sir!
So upset that youtube didn't put your video up on my subscriber feed, but glad to see you again! Keep up the videos, your videos on vintage electronics are some of the best on youtube.
I'm always a day late and a dollar short, but i just found your channel recently. I have some catching up to do. What I learned about brad holes in wood paneling is when they get worn, drill them out just enough to glue a golf tee in the hole tightly. then your brad goes in like it is a new hole. I cut the tee off with a coping saw then wedge it in the hole using carpenter's glue. Works great unless your paneling is too thin to support it. Works for small screw holes too.
It sure did turn out beautiful. Your videos are so entertaining and educational. I'm amazed and I wonder how you acquired all the knowledge and skills you demonstrate. Is there anything you can't do? t
TheMaddogT He’s really a polymath! The videos I like best are when he’s blowing glass making his own tubes or other special projects... He also has a cat that helps him out occasionally 😸
I love the cat, a sweet voice when it speaks to him. I have to admit I had never heard the term "polymath" before but Wikipedia's definition clearly explains why you used the word. A polymath (Greek: πολυμαθής, polymathēs, "having learned much", Latin: homo universalis, "universal man") is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. suits him to a t
53:35 A most beautiful restoration and repair! 10:10 This is true with vacuum tube radios, but with tiny xsistors and diodes I would use a 750W soldering iron. And I'd only use a lot of solder to create a strong mechanical connection, not a simple electronic one! 35:16 Would a ballast choke coil resolve this issue? 41:40 Do modern electrodynamic speakers use "humbucking coils"?
@ 52.20 : ...you get a lil brat that puts her finger.... Muahahaha, nearly cracked up laughing XD.. Another excellent and informative video from the maestro Glasslinger, thank you very much indeed!
To note the camera view edges, put small marks/lines on the desk/work space edges and simply keep anything you are working on within those marks. You of course will need to change this if you move the camera from its default aim-point position/angle.
Ron, I'm curious on your source of knowledge? Former radio/TC First Class engineering? Armed Forces electronics training? Formal education? Or "just" a self-taught brilliant DIYer? Your troubleshooting is a lost art and reminds me so much of my US Navy training in A School at Millington, TN, from 1966 until 1967. Your projects are beyond fascinating!
Did anyone figure out who manufactured the radio? It's bugging me. What a great restoration job! I got more techniques from this single video that all the rest I watched in the last month.
yes; I tried it with chrome, my anonymous browser, then firefox, so I thought it was me. then watched it on my tablet. good thinking by the way with the video. then I went back and it would play. You do excellent work by the way Ron, and enjoy your rapido velocity conclusions, like with the old 47 television. that one had me stumped. silly little coil.
Great job. One day I'll get one of those US 30's radio. Might just cost me a lot in shipping, I have a 110 v transformer though. There are some very stylish American sets.
What about putting paper over the hole in the speaker? The rubber cement is a great idea, but I have also used liquid tape on the cone of the speaker. Also for those that don't know using a dynamic speaker it is not possible to just install a modern fixed magnet speaker as the electromagnet of the speaker is the choke in the power filtering circuit. Meaning that a choke or resistor will need to be added to form a pi filter in the B+ supply.
What you don't like laquered rust . antique cars New trend ?we used to buy bags of nos wax caps on Cortland St .to fix the old sets . always saved the good ones . only wax cap I'd change is coupling to output tube and filters others we tested .🤗
I love this radio. I have a sparton of a similar design and i used a capacitor as a voltage dropper. Just out of curiosity: how many watts was that 200 ohm resistor you used?
When you eliminate the field coil, you have to replace the filter caps with a higher mfd rating. Example. 60 mfd at 350 wvdc. The field coil acted originally as a filter choke
Ah yes, I can remember them well, they were known as the "Drape Igniter" radios because of the tendency of farmers to put the radio under the window, the hot wire would burn the drapes, and then the house. Quite fine radios in their day if you kept them away from drapes though.
i am a total beginner at this and i thank you for your knowledge. if you ever need an apprentice ill volunteer. i would love hands on knowledge :) i have an old 1937 knight knight A9710 i am trying to restore.
Caution! Some of the old volume control carbon track elements cannot stand up to harsh contact cleaners, they will dissolve. Use a light oil based potentiometer cleaner-lubricant. And keep your fingers crossed!
Hey glasslinger, if the electrodynamic speaker is a write-off, why not investigate removing the field coil, mounting it separately so as to use its inductance to filter the B+. It's odds-on the effect will be better than that of a resistor. Just a a thought:)
The modern electrolytic capacitors have so much capacitance in the same case size (or smaller!) that using huge value capacitors does the filtering. In this one I used 47mfd capacitors instead of the original 8mfd. No detectable hum. Much easier to mount a small power resistor than trying to find room for that big coil!
Good thought. Make sure to check the ratings on the rectifier valve - they all have a maximum capacitance for the cathode. This is for protection when the rectifier warms up. If the capacitance is too high, the load temporarily overloads the valve. Nice job on the radio & I thank you.
Ron, You seriously should be classified a national treasure. People with tremendous knowledge like you are so very few these days. I’ve watched many videos where there have been issues with a radio and it has taken several weeks to figure out what the problem is. This doesn’t happen when you are working on a radio, you’ve seen it so many times it’s second nature. It’s like you are teaching an online class about the actual operation of these older radios, just hearing you talk is so informative. If you have some time, would you please do a video of your personal collection of radios, explaining a bit about each one, it would be so great to see what you think is collectible. Thank you so much for all you are doing to help others out in the world, I know it’s tough to video what you do, its kind of you to go to the trouble. Many many thanks, Buddy
Buddy Martin, I Agree
Agreed
Aye.
I agree
There are others that can fix these radios such as myself. However I did not know about using the line cord as a resistive element to drop the filament voltage. I have seen selenium rectifiers and a resistor to get the voltage for the filaments.
I am an old timer who repaired a LOT of radios in the 70's (valve ones or transistor ones). I am from Argentina, who hosted the 1978 world soccer championship, so I was simply overwhelmed with customers, because of the "world championship to be". During those times I was involved wit a lot of valve radios. I had (I found It in the dump) an Atwater Kent model 246 without the enclosure, because It was impossible to save, as my "bench radio". I have yet the two bronze insignia+tuning dial "medals" hooked to a wood frame here in my working place. I follow your channel from...say...3 years ago. And I would say that I am constantly impressed by your knowledge and how You transmit Us what You know. I feel transported those ol' fine times when all was so more exciting, more "to explore" ....nowadays, an electronics, computer and networks engineer, soon to be retired, I am kind of returning to those "antique radios" as a hobby...Tanks a lot for the videos, knowledge and memories!!!
Hi Ron, your videos are true archives of knowledge from a past time that must be preserved for the future. Your repair techniques, glass construction should be chapters written in books, information passed on so that this knowledge is not lost. I appreciate the posts you make, which bring back memories of the house where my father had radiola and radios RCA Victor, Telefunken, Philips, GE etc. I'm from 1950 and I lived with these devices. Big hug.
Memories. My Father built crystal radios while in his teens during the 1920's. He continued to build radios for sale, as a young married man during the Great Depression. He served during WW II as a signals tech. Afterward, he still built radios, although there was little call for them.
Ad salutam from Romania!
I thought I was good at restoring and repairing old radio's and record player's, but you are absolutely the best !
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
You make everything look so easy---thanks for sharing such a really *COOL* video!! Those old Depression-era "curtain-burner" radios seem to bear a close resemblance to the much more common post-World War II AA5's. You've demonstrated a pretty effective way of tackling the problem of getting the correct filament voltage--although, in my thinking, a thermistor may provide additional protection from the initial inrush of current. It would be interesting to have a home-made AM transmitter broadcasting material from the era when this radio was new!
There is an old back issue of Radio Electronics magazine from the 90's that details how u can use an old pentagrid converter tube to create a one-watt AM bcb xmitter
I'm close to 73 and watching you work, well it is as if I am 10 yrs old and back on Bank street hanging around the old radio shops learning from the "masters" lol. Thanks for making the video. 73. Leo. k1zek
It's really nice to see these old radios get brought to life again ^^
You do a bang up job :D
Awesome! More from the pro!.... I love how everything is just second nature to this genius! Need to bottle all this knowledge! Priceless! Thank you for sharing all you do!... You are the BEST!
Outstanding! So far every one of your videos have been outstanding. You embody everything that makes a TH-cam video watchable to the very end. You move along swiftly with an understandable instruction narrative that keeps things clear and well thought out. I also like that you don't edit straight to the solutions..you let us almost sit beside you while you figure things out. I wish I could spend an afternoon with you and just watch you bring life back to these beautiful old machines from a long ago golden age. I hope you keep on making more and more videos so we can have a decent capture of your knowledge and insight long after the Glasslinger's dial lamp goes dark.
You are truly are an expert, making it look so very easy. I know there is only a handful of people in the country could do what you do. Thank-You for sharing. So very glad your back doing what you love to do.
If the radio was beyond repair, I would upgrade the speaker to a pm type ,reinstall the chassis and knobs and use it as an extension speaker. I did that with a Windsor 1985 reproduction plastic cathedral radio. I installed a good 5x7 car speaker. I hook it up to a GE superadio which I conceal in a duffel bag and play the radio on the beach. The beach crowd couldn’t figure it out. They never saw a cathedral radio playing on the beach. The audio was superb! The Windsor cathedral radio chassis was hit by lightning and fried all the ICs and components on the pc board. I decided to put it back together and use it as an extension speaker. Best sounding unit I ever had!!
Glasslinger makes his own tubes and I have watched him remake coils. I have been redoing Radios for many years and can't imagine doing what he does.Amazed at his talents. Thank you for the videos kind sir.
OKAY!
Nice repair, radio cabinet cleaned up quite nicely. Always like the look of mantle radios.
Excellent video
I thoroughly enjoy watching a pro work on these old gems. Thanks!
Sir, if you were a doctor you would be able to raise the dead.
What you do is amazing and we thank you for making these videos and not letting your knowledge to be lost.
You are an inspiration to me in a number of ways....and not just your work with vacuum tubes (which I find amazing.) I wish to thank you!
Nice job! Gotta love those old radios.
Oh! yeah! glaslinger, good night my friend, I enjoyed seeing Radio in perfect condition, you made Radio great, I liked it a lot
Please keep making videos. I'm so fascinated by them and how much you know about all the old stuff!
Thanks you so much for uploading videos again.
I was so worried you would not share anymore your infinite knowledge.
I love listening you while repairing these old radios.
Wish you the best Sir!
Very nice work. Very efficient.
I think you forgot more than the rest of us will likely ever know.
I'll never know as much about radios as you do, but I was able to pick up some helpful tips by watching you work. Thanks
One of the best technician ever.. I salute you my friend.
great little restoration video. Used to love fixing/building tube radio's as a kid, though being from the UK we called "tubes" valves :)
Wow that came up very well it would look fab on any mantle.
Beautiful job!! Agree with the others that you are really really good, not only as the actual restorations, but the narration as well.
So upset that youtube didn't put your video up on my subscriber feed, but glad to see you again! Keep up the videos, your videos on vintage electronics are some of the best on youtube.
Exceptional work, informative, skills to be
admired, and a absolute joy to watch.
Another amazing restoration! I always pick up a bunch of great tips! Thank you!
Great fun to watch you work .I watch all your videos I turn the tv off and watch your videos.
Mind boggling amount of knowledge here, not in any school today for sure. You are an incredible fellow!
"Esse grande técnico, dono desse excelente canal, é 1 verdadeiro gênio"
PARABÉNS dos amigos do Brasil kk
Ron your a genius.
Such thought went into the styling of these vintage sets. Too bad there aren't decent, entertaining radio programs to listen to anymore.
Rush is entertaining but he is a bit repetitive. The ball game is also on AM. GO ASTROS!
I'm always a day late and a dollar short, but i just found your channel recently. I have some catching up to do. What I learned about brad holes in wood paneling is when they get worn, drill them out just enough to glue a golf tee in the hole tightly. then your brad goes in like it is a new hole. I cut the tee off with a coping saw then wedge it in the hole using carpenter's glue. Works great unless your paneling is too thin to support it. Works for small screw holes too.
It sure did turn out beautiful. Your videos are so entertaining and educational. I'm amazed and I wonder how you acquired all the knowledge and skills you demonstrate. Is there anything you can't do?
t
TheMaddogT He’s really a polymath! The videos I like best are when he’s blowing glass making his own tubes or other special projects... He also has a cat that helps him out occasionally 😸
I love the cat, a sweet voice when it speaks to him. I have to admit I had never heard the term "polymath" before but Wikipedia's definition clearly explains why you used the word. A polymath (Greek: πολυμαθής, polymathēs, "having learned much", Latin: homo universalis, "universal man") is a person whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems. suits him to a t
53:35 A most beautiful restoration and repair!
10:10 This is true with vacuum tube radios, but with tiny xsistors and diodes I would use a 750W soldering iron. And I'd only use a lot of solder to create a strong mechanical connection, not a simple electronic one!
35:16 Would a ballast choke coil resolve this issue?
41:40 Do modern electrodynamic speakers use "humbucking coils"?
@ 52.20 : ...you get a lil brat that puts her finger.... Muahahaha, nearly cracked up laughing XD.. Another excellent and informative video from the maestro Glasslinger, thank you very much indeed!
To note the camera view edges, put small marks/lines on the desk/work space edges and simply keep anything you are working on within those marks. You of course will need to change this if you move the camera from its default aim-point position/angle.
Ron, I'm curious on your source of knowledge? Former radio/TC First Class engineering? Armed Forces electronics training? Formal education? Or "just" a self-taught brilliant DIYer? Your troubleshooting is a lost art and reminds me so much of my US Navy training in A School at Millington, TN, from 1966 until 1967. Your projects are beyond fascinating!
A school at NATTC Millington. That's where I got my start. Thanks, Uncle Sam! ✌
You shout have a Oscar for your Work 🇺🇸🇺🇸 you are one of last old school Guy 👍👍
Great video ,many thanks Ron best wishes
Did anyone figure out who manufactured the radio? It's bugging me. What a great restoration job! I got more techniques from this single video that all the rest I watched in the last month.
Love Love Love your radio repair vids. No nonsense real world repair. Thanks.
my friend you have magic fingers.. another very nice job.. thank you for your videos.. I really enjoy them.. Ben..
Thank you as always and very nice radio as always. Hope to see and learn more. I never knew that those capacitors can have two sides.
you are a magician.
treasure of youtube , please always continued videos.
You did a great job!
Fantastic another heritage radio saved,great video
of all the videos on vintage / antique radio restoration your is the only one of two someone can learn something from
Excellent restoration. Love that cat!!!!!
Thanks for sharing videos again!
Very Nice looking radio
Great expert service man, Wish I had just some of you knowledge knowledge like you are ,wish you could pass it on to me
yes; I tried it with chrome, my anonymous browser, then firefox, so I thought it was me. then watched it on my tablet. good thinking by the way with the video. then I went back and it would play. You do excellent work by the way Ron, and enjoy your rapido velocity conclusions, like with the old 47 television. that one had me stumped. silly little coil.
Nice job and well done as always ,enjoy to watch.
A supper video as always more please Ron.
I like those little mantle radios, they are cool.
Great video.
Perfect, beautiful finish, I want one. So cool, big daddy!
nice hole Puncher'
talk about steady hands....at times I thought the video was on “pause” it’s not....his hands are that steady!
Excellent job ! Mesmerizing.
Great job. One day I'll get one of those US 30's radio. Might just cost me a lot in shipping, I have a 110 v transformer though. There are some very stylish American sets.
Excellent content as always - ATB
I've restored the same model, believe me I understand your LOTS of problems issues. Must be designed in to these sets.
What about putting paper over the hole in the speaker? The rubber cement is a great idea, but I have also used liquid tape on the cone of the speaker. Also for those that don't know using a dynamic speaker it is not possible to just install a modern fixed magnet speaker as the electromagnet of the speaker is the choke in the power filtering circuit. Meaning that a choke or resistor will need to be added to form a pi filter in the B+ supply.
Beautiful radio!
Какое маленькое радио! В детстве наблюдал радио значительно большего размера.
Hello Sir.. i am amazed on your talent on restoring vintage radios. Do you still do this kind of stuff? Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Several dozen radios lined up for restoration. I get more every week! The house is going to burst!
I don't think I've seen those dual capacitors before. I do have a few curtain burner radios.
when you first showed the cabinet , I thought philco, but when I saw under the radio how it was stuffed I knew it was not philco
Worth all the trouble of manufacturing double capacitors?
Interesting! Thank you.
Mostly for the historic value of the radio. To keep it from going into the dumpster!
Awesome Ron!
What you don't like laquered rust . antique cars New trend ?we used to buy bags of nos wax caps on Cortland St .to fix the old sets . always saved the good ones . only wax cap I'd change is coupling to output tube and filters others we tested .🤗
50yrs ago the caps weren't as bad as now most have deteriorated .you really know your stuff.glasswork amazing .never saw anyone make a tube.
50yrs ago the caps weren't as bad as now most have deteriorated .you really know your stuff.glasswork amazing .never saw anyone make a tube.
That's a handsome radio!!!
Love the video, and like the 4:3 format :-)
I think the radios from the 20s and 30s were the best, before they started to become more standardised
this radio is heaven to the eyes!
Wowww glasslinger adorei a linda reconstrução do radio ficou jóia! parabéns
I love this radio. I have a sparton of a similar design and i used a capacitor as a voltage dropper. Just out of curiosity: how many watts was that 200 ohm resistor you used?
fifteen watts. A ten watt would work and be a bit smaller.
Wasnt the resistive line cord on these models wrapped in Asbestos?
David K if your interested I made a video on resistive line cords th-cam.com/video/A-Yo2s6daZQ/w-d-xo.html
When you eliminate the field coil, you have to replace the filter caps with a higher mfd rating. Example. 60 mfd at 350 wvdc. The field coil acted originally as a filter choke
My OCD would compel me to put that box of condensers into some kind of order 😲
Have you ever looked into capacitive dropper? Its a common way in my side of the world for replacing resistive line cord or large power slresistors
Most of the mantle radios I get are packed so tightly there is no room for the capacitor, which is much larger than an equivalent resistor.
Thank you for a Great Video!!
Ah yes, I can remember them well, they were known as the "Drape Igniter" radios because of the tendency of farmers to put the radio under the window, the hot wire would burn the drapes, and then the house. Quite fine radios in their day if you kept them away from drapes though.
I've always heard them described by the old timers as "curtain burners". I haven't watched the video so I don't know what Ron called it if anything.
Another great video! Thanks!
i am a total beginner at this and i thank you for your knowledge. if you ever need an apprentice ill volunteer. i would love hands on knowledge :) i have an old 1937 knight knight A9710 i am trying to restore.
THANK YOU RON FOR ANOTHER FANTASTIC VIDEO. 73 KI7DYM
I had three of these radios in perfect condition. What I did was,I threw them in my fire place,they went up nice.
Excellent! This makes the value of mine go up in proportion!
What a very silly comment , why watch
super boulot moi je mis serais pas aventurée merci pour la vidéo
Thanks I really enjoyed this one!
Many of those plugs were made in Butte, Montana and were commonly known as Butt plugs.
Oh for heaven's sake! He, he, he!
Phew... I knew you'd have a sense of humor. I really enjoy your videos Glasslinger. Thanks for sharing your passion.
Out w/ the curtain-burner! :D
Caution! Some of the old volume control carbon track elements cannot stand up to harsh contact cleaners, they will dissolve. Use a light oil based potentiometer cleaner-lubricant. And keep your fingers crossed!
Good project !
Hey glasslinger, if the electrodynamic speaker is a write-off, why not investigate removing the field coil, mounting it separately so as to use its inductance to filter the B+. It's odds-on the effect will be better than that of a resistor. Just a a thought:)
The modern electrolytic capacitors have so much capacitance in the same case size (or smaller!) that using huge value capacitors does the filtering. In this one I used 47mfd capacitors instead of the original 8mfd. No detectable hum. Much easier to mount a small power resistor than trying to find room for that big coil!
Good thought. Make sure to check the ratings on the rectifier valve - they all have a maximum capacitance for the cathode. This is for protection when the rectifier warms up. If the capacitance is too high, the load temporarily overloads the valve. Nice job on the radio & I thank you.
It also has to do with the peak ripple current the tube is constantly subject to. I have never had a tube fail from this though.