Re: Touchy toroids

To: tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Touchy toroids
From: Tesla List <storey-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sat, 15 Mar 1997 09:44:02 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net
Subject: 
        Re: Touchy toroids
  Date: 
        Sat, 15 Mar 1997 08:51:24 -0500 (EST)
  From: 
        richard hull <rhull-at-richmond.infi-dot-net>
    To: 
        Tesla List <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>


At 02:11 PM 3/14/97 -0600, you wrote:
>Subject: 
>        Re: Touchy toroids
>  Date: 
>        Fri, 14 Mar 1997 14:22:00 -0500
>  From: 
>        "Robert W. Stephens" <rwstephens-at-headwaters-dot-com>
>    To: 
>        tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>
>snip
>> 
>> Ok now for the question (sorry it took so long to get here)
>> 
>> What other methods can I use for a center ?
>> 
>> Someone had told me of 2 pie pans back-to-back but I can't imagine
>> how the ducting will stay on the pans' edges. I find my self looking
>> in kitchen stores and department stores and hardware stores looking
>> for something to jump out at me. Service people at these stores ask me
>> 'Can I help you find something?' or "What are you looking for?'.
>> 
>> I always tell them that I will know what it is when I see it!
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> Bob Schumann
>> 
>> tesla-at-america-dot-com
>> http://www.america-dot-com/~tesla
>> 
>> 
>Bob,
>
>Get yourself a hot glue gun!  After forming the ducting into the 
>desired circle size to fit my chosen center form I hot glue the ends 
>together.  I then glue the donut to the center piece.  One great 
>center piece is the removable lid from a 50 gallon steel oil drum.  
>With 10 to 14 inch diameter duct this can make one mean topload.
>I use the identical, but smaller diameter lids from those green
>re-sealable 
>metal cans that military equipment comes packaged in for smaller 
>toploads.   I still use aluminum tape over the joint where the flexduct
>joins 
>itself.   To speed the cooling of the hotglue while one hand is 
>applying stabilizing pressure on the joint I have a small squirrel 
>cage blower set up like a hand held hair dryer.  It is used to 
>quicken the setting of the joint.
>
>This method results in a beautiful looking toroid in minimal time.  
>I'd sure like to find a source of two part (like epoxy) foam that I 
>could pump into these toploads to make them more dent resistant.  You 
>can't play frisbee with flexduct toroids.
>
>BTW, knitting is mostly for girls, and fishermen.
>
>rwstephens
>
>Bob,

Robert's advice on the hot glue gun is well taken it is the stuff I use
for
many projects in High voltage ad wood work.

I thought I mentioned this one time before, But I no long use the
Aluminum
ducting for giant toroids.  I think kit was on tape #44 that I showed
how to
construct a great toroid from the black plastic flex drain pipe.  This
stuff
is hard and very rigid, can be bent into a circle and locked closed
(with
lots of effort) into a perfect toroidal structure. 

 I used a 1/2" piece of plywood for the central web.  It was wired into
place at 8 points with safety wire through holes in the web and the
inner
part of the torus.  Finally, I covered the whole affair with Aluminum
foil
using one of the industrial scotch (3M) spray adhesivies (#90).  It is a
bit
heavier and a hell of a lot more robust than the dry duct type toroids.
(I
have about 6 of the dryer type toroids on hand too)  If an inadvertent
drop
of scuff ruins a part of the foil covering, just spray on adhesive and
smooth over another aluminum patch.

Hope this helps or offers an alternate construction.

Richard Hull, TCBOR