can pose risk if the impedance gets as low as 2 ohms ... that's not very much resistance between a healthy OT and a dead short.
Actually, a dead short is better than an open/unloaded OT on a tube amp. This is why Fenders have a shorting jack on the speaker terminal as protection if you forget to plug in a speaker and start playing.
A short draws more current, but if there is no load or an abnormally high load under signal conditions, voltages spike and the output transformer can flash over or there can be fireworks inside the tube.
Solid state is the other way around. In that case, low loads or shorts cause excessive current draw which will take out the power transistors promptly.
studies indicate that guys who wimp out on insurance claims suffer from low self-esteem ... :wink:
More like low UPS esteem...like I said, I was a UPS supervisor while in grad school.
My UPS driver agreed with my fears, saying that it seems paying out claims has tightened up with the economic woes. I can think of several ways that package was not up to the shipping "contract" including low burst strength for an 81 pound shipment. They could kick it out in a second.
I already thought of the seamstress idea. There is a good Korean seamstress right down the road. I can do soldering irons but the sewing needle is not my forte! The baffle is not unlike one of those needlepoint hoops, so this should be a plan.
The rust is minor and probably due to some condensation in the presence of dissimilar metals in contact. There is no evidence of water damage.