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Re: More rotary gap questions...



Subject:  Re: More rotary gap questions...
  Date:   Wed, 23 Apr 1997 05:09:45 +0500
  From:   "Alfred A. Skrocki" <alfred.skrocki-at-cybernetworking-dot-com>
    To:   Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>


On Mon, 21 Apr 1997 17:39:31 -0400 Edward J. Wingate
<ewing7-at-frontiernet-dot-net> wrote;

> Hi Alfred and all,
> 
> I have just one small statement. Please don't confuse tungsten carbide
> with metallic tungsten, they are two very different materials with two
> very different uses. Tungsten carbide is used for cutting tools and must
> be machined with a soft green (silicon carbide) wheel or diamond wheel
> and is not a good material for spark gap studs because it is very
> brittle and not a very good conductor. Metallic tungsten on the other
> hand is an excellent conductor and has a very high melting point (6000
> degrees+ F.) making it a superb choice for rotary gap studs. It works
> well for fixed gaps too.

Ed, I've never used tungsten carbide in a spark gap but I have used 
tungsten metal. I do remember someone on this list several months 
back reporting that tungsten carbide was more durable as a spark gap 
despite it's brittleness and poorer conductivity. One of these days 
I'd like to try platimum in a spark gap, I have several old induction 
coils (by old I mean over 100 years old) and they still work like a 
charm and the interupter (vibrator) on all of them has platinum 
points that show no signs of wear what so ever! The largest of these 
induction coils pulls over 10 amps at 12 volts and the vibrator 
sparks are as bright as a 100 watt lamp (measured with my camera's 
built in meter) it gives nice thick sparks about 10 inches long 
between the secondary posts!


                               Sincerely

                                \\\|///
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                           Alfred A. Skrocki
                   alfred.skrocki-at-cybernetworking-dot-com
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