[Philco444]

I have a Variac as well as I had little options for the Philco 444 being rated at 200-260 mains volts so I purchased a Variac that is 110 in and up to 240 out BUT yes you can have very low voltage and slowly crank it up (reforming Electrolytics comes to mind ;-) but even if the voltage is low, isn't the current still up there? If there is something nasty lurking under the chassis, isn't there still a possibility of destruction other than limiting the current with light bulbs or an adjustable current limited supply mentioned by Phlogiston? Another goodie about the light bulbs is if there are problems the brightness increases.