I just repaired my great-uncle's Atwater Kent 60C. The internal components are all original to the best of my knowledge.

I noticed that the 80 rectifier has developed a pinkish-purple glow when power is applied and while the radio plays. This does not affect the quality of sound. There is no hum to indicate filer caps opening.

I've heard about gassy tubes, and was wondering if this is a sign of one. Or, is the rectifier overloaded in some way? Thanks!

This is the indication of a gassy tube. If it is a blue glow, this may be the sign of an overload....check electrolytics. If it's pinkish-purplish, though, that means that the tube is gassy. If the radio works fine, most likely you can leave it alone. It may get better. It may get worse. I have burned off the gas in a couple of #80 tubes that I found that had been sitting for years. I don't believe that any reverse current flows really, because of the hot cathode, so this probably won't do any damage to the electrolytics. If someone else in here feels that this is bad, well, maybe it is, but I've never had a problem. Sometimes when tubes get really gassy, they flash over. This usually happens in really high voltage circuits, where the tube is handling about 400 volts or more. If your radio operates fine, use it that way and see if eventually the glow goes away for the most part. Sometimes it'll burn off.

Thomas