OK, not really repair, more like "made safe again". When I picked up my HP6920B at the hamfest this weekend, I was walking past a table from an estate sale and this huge variac called out to me. I only have a very cheap, low current unit in the lab, and frankly I was afraid it was going to blow its fuse sooner or later - or worse. This thing was beefy enough to handle anything I was likely to throw at it. The people handling the sale said they had powered it up and it worked, but had no idea what a variac should cost, so I Googled variacs and showed them "see - anywhere from $20 to $1000, depending on who made it or how much power." They said "OK, $20." Sold!
I knew it was going to take a little cleanup - the first thing (you can see) is that the previous owner decided it needed a handle, so he bent up a piece of aluminum pipe and screwed it to the case. Yes, through the case, who-knows-how-close to the windings.
The next thing (take my word for it) is that he apparently used it with equipment having grounded plugs, so to make them fit he drilled a hole under the plug.
I disassembled it and undid all the safety hazards. It's not badly made and even has a cheap voltmeter to indicate the voltage. Weighs about 20 pounds at least.
I'm just hoping that this wasn't an estate sale for someone who electrocuted himself...