Jason,
thanks for the link. I wouldn't start building one for that money !
Chevyboy62,
the fire thing is sort of a general precaution. All these tube type radios use a highvoltage supply inside of about 200V or more. If there is some kind of conductive dirt or something inside, it could be a problem. I would open it up and clean it out with an artist brush, compressed air and then contact cleaner or rubbing alchohol. Tip it over to let it run out. You can use swaps too. Don't try and pull the tubes out unless you need to because the glass can separate from the base.
I have seen modern solid state stereos do a pretty good job of smoking too!
