[TCML] Winding the primary

[Stephen J. Hobley]

Thanks, these are closed standoffs - that is they have holes drilled through them and so are not open along the top edge. It is 0.25" copper tubing.
 
I'll have another go starting from the middle.
 
Steve
 
 
Stephen Hobley Photography
www.stephenhobley.com
317 201 4281
 
The Laser Harp Project - www.stephenhobley.com/build

________________________________

From: tesla-bounces at pupman.com on behalf of Quarkster
Sent: Wed 7/9/2008 12:30 AM
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
Subject: Re: [TCML] Winding the primary



Steve -
  
  What is your primary conductor? If you're using copper tubing, here are a few tips:
  
  1. Use virgin refrigeration tubing, and leave it in the coiled shape that it comes in. Don't try to re-use "salvaged" tubing if you want a nice looking primary. Copper tubing "work-hardens" and stiffens very rapidly as you deform it, so deform it as little as possible.
  
  2. DO NOT try to straighten the tubing, then re-form it into a spiral. The tubing will work-harden, then is likely to kink and become unmanagable.
  
  3. Have an assistant hold the coil of tubing about a foot above your primary forms, and just let one coil drop down at a time. The typical diameter of a coil of rerfigeration tubing is around 18", so I start at the end of the primary that is closest in diameter to the diameter of the coil of tubing. For a small diameter primary this means starting at the OUTSIDE of the primary form and wind inward. For a large diameter primary, this means starting at the INSIDE of the primary form and winding outward. This way the tubing requires minimum deformation initially, and then must be gradually formed into a larger or smaller radius as you move outward or inward.
  
  Regards,
  Herr Zappp
 

"Stephen J. Hobley" <shobley at userfs.com> wrote:
  We just realized that we can't get the primary wound into the standoffs without some major kinking.

Is there a trick to winding the copper tubing into the standoffs with the minimum of distortion?
It's proving to be harder than we first thought.

Steve

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