The idea that there is more damage is bad news, but better to be aware than be surprised. Maybe there will be replacement parts if needed.DC is not a good choice for heaters in displays , lights, or most vacuum tubes, because it tends to produce material migration by a process that I am not clear on, even after reading a detailed description. And probably the VF display in that combination oven would be vastly more difficult to locate a replacement for than the transformer. And now that we are aware that it is not replacing a similar transformer, there is no failed one to examine.
But now I am wondering if there is enough clearance between the winding cover and the transformer laminations to allow a single layer of #24 wire to be added to provide that voltage. That would be the graceful solution for installation with the added benefit of low cost. And even at ten turns per volt that is less than 20 turns. Certainly the task would be tedious but by no means terribly difficult. And even if there does not appear to be a gap. it should be possible to produce a gap wide enough for the thin wire. Just be careful to not scratch the insulation varnish off.
But now, knowing how the original transformer met it's end, I am wondering if any damage was done in the circuits fed by that transformer, given that doubling the input voltage will also double the output voltage in most cases.
I have a transformer with an output of 2.5 volts. Is there any chance that the jump from 2 VAC up to 2.5 VAC would work? Or cause a more problems ? I will spend some time trying to locate the failure in the original winding. I will also take a look at removing windings in the 2.5 VAC transformer.