Re: Kerosene?

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Kerosene?
From: "Adam" <adamsmith-at-mediaone-dot-net> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
Date: Mon, 01 May 2000 16:41:07 -0600
Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

on 5/1/00 8:35 AM, Tesla List at tesla-at-pupman-dot-com wrote:

> Original Poster: "Ed Phillips" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>
> 
> Tesla List wrote:
>> 
>> Original Poster: "Adam" <adamsmith-at-mediaone-dot-net>
>> 
>>> Original Poster: "Chris Russell" <oldmanjamal-at-netzero-dot-net>
>>> 
>>> I read somewhere that kerosene can be used to submerge a polyethylene /
>>> aluminum foil stacked plate capacitor. Is this true?
>> 
>> Oh dear god no!
> 
> Why not?  It's thin, has good insulating properties, and isn't much
> more flammable than typical mineral oil.

It's a lot more flammable than the oil I'm using.  I just tried lighting a
sample of my NST-cleaning kerosene and of my laxative grade mineral oil, and
there's no contest. Light transformer oil must be more flammable than what
I'm using.

In any case, I don't see any reason to use kerosene, particularly in a
homemade cap where there is going to be some air enclosed.  If mineral oil
filled rolled poly caps can explode, I can't help but think that a kerosene
filled cap would only fail in a more dangerous way.

-Adam