Simple W5M inquiry re: testing and power cable rewire - cdbecker - Tubes Asylum

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Simple W5M inquiry re: testing and power cable rewire

Howdy Tube Asylum denizens,
First time poster, long time reader. Thanks for providing a path to recovery for my thrifted Heathkit W5M monoblocks ($5 ea!!). Fool that I was, I fired 'em up and had a listen. I know now that it was dangerous but it appears nothing major blew. I know better now-- especially since I've been reading up on what to do to bring these amazing amps back to their former glory.
Here's what I've been up to:

First off, I built myself a dim bulb tester, connected the speaker to the proper 8 ohm terminals and started off with a 15w bulb which lit up instantly so I shut the amp off. Looks like I have some capacitors to replace in the power supply (probably elsewhere too). I picked up a 20 amp variac at a local junk shop for $10 so eventually I'll use that to coax it back to life. Perhaps the Sheldon Stokes cap board is the way to go? I keep hoping that I did the dim bulb test wrong and that my amps are ready to rock but realistically I know better. I wired the bulb outlet in line on the postive lead of power cable. Should I have plugged a cable into the amp's input as well? I don't think so.

Couple more questions:
Both of the W5M power cords are brittle so I should probably replace them with some grounded cables. Where to solder the ground? Perhaps screwed to the chassis somewhere? I haven't even taken the bottom cover off to investigate yet. It could be a capacitor swamp for all I know.
Where is the B rail I've been reading so much about. I want to make sure I get these capacitors drained properly before I go mucking about in the guts of these amps. I'm planning on making the "wire wound 100 ohm, 5 watt Ohmite resistor with aligator clips" to ensure I don't fry.
That's a good start. Thanks Asylum. You guys are an invaluable resource.

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Topic - Simple W5M inquiry re: testing and power cable rewire - cdbecker 12:03:27 11/22/05 (11)

Re: Simple W5M inquiry re: testing and power cable rewire - grhughes 06:42:43 11/23/05 (6)

Re: Simple W5M inquiry re: testing and power cable rewire - cdbecker 10:40:48 11/23/05 (5)

If, you're a beginner I would stick with a kit... - grhughes 14:31:18 11/23/05 (2)

Re: If, you're a beginner I would stick with a kit... - cdbecker 15:13:58 11/23/05 (1)

There are many power pentodes that are similar to the KT66 BUT - grhughes 08:18:34 11/24/05 (0)

So what are some tubes I should keep my eyes peeled for? - cdbecker 11:14:50 11/23/05 (1)

I would first find an amp I could live with.. - grhughes 14:50:34 11/23/05 (0)

Re here you go - MIchael Samra 18:38:19 11/22/05 (0)

Re: Simple W5M inquiry re: testing and power cable rewire - MIchael Samra 12:50:17 11/22/05 (2)

Re: Simple W5M inquiry re: testing and power cable rewire - cdbecker 13:48:07 11/22/05 (1)

Re: Simple W5M inquiry re: testing and power cable rewire - MIchael Samra 14:04:53 11/22/05 (0)

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