Hunt down an old TIG welder spark gap. They are very large, stout and have
sinks.
Matt
On Aug 17, 2017 5:53 PM, "Phillip Strauss via Tesla" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
>
> Hello Steve,
> I have found that a minimum diameter of 3/8" pure tungsten can cope with
> just about anything you can throw at it. I have used them as flying
> electrodes as well as stationaries and wear is absolutely minimal.Pure 1/4"
> tungstens on the rotor of Phil Tuck's coil to which you alluded survived
> pretty well before their finning days pulling between 30 and 40A. Copper
> fins should hold up perfectly well at a least in our experience.
> Have recently used 1/2" stationary and 3'8" flying electrodes in 40mm
> diameter copper rod columns with no finning and even prolonged runs at 40A
> on a large coil show virtually no wear. Did experiment with copper
> tungsten but ablation was severe.
> Best of luck,Phillip.
>
>
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> From: Steve White <steve.white1@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: Tesla Coil List <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thursday, 17 August 2017, 13:09
> Subject: [TCML] Electrode erosion
>
> In an attempt to reduce the erosion of my stationary RSG tungsten
> electrodes, I machined on my lathe a set of small heat sinks that mount
> 1/2" away from the spark gap firing point. They are similar to those shown
> on the "hvtesla.com" web site except mine are made from aluminum instead
> of copper. The problem is that the high temperature seems to be pitting the
> face of the heat sinks facing the spark gap. I note that aluminum melts at
> 1200 degrees F and copper melts at 1900 degrees F.
>
> In an attempt to correct this pitting problem I have ordered a set of
> aluminum nitride sheets. Each is 1.5" x 1.5" x 1 mm. Aluminum nitride is a
> ceramic which melts at 4000 degrees F. My idea is to attach these small
> sheets to the face of the heat sink closest to the spark gap in order to
> prevent the pitting (melting) of the aluminum. I then wondered if attaching
> copper sheets to the aluminum would have done the job since copper's
> melting point is higher.
>
> Does anyone using copper heat sinks on the stationary tungsten electrodes
> have a problem with the copper pitting (melting)?
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