[TCML] can you help my son and i with this Please

Paul Brodie pbbrodie at bellsouth.net
Mon Nov 23 13:31:28 MST 2009 

I have a question along these lines, sort of. When I first started building 
TC's, I was told that I should seal the ends of the secondary form. I did it 
without question, I suppose like that sheep comment earlier, but I never 
asked why, until now. I hope this is still on thread, since we are talking 
about new coilers and how they go about doing things and why. I have been 
helping a young guy build his first coil and he asked me why I wanted him to 
seal the ends of his PVC pipe and I didn't have a ready answer, other than I 
have always done it and was told that I should.

So, why do we seal the ends of the secondary form? Is it really necessary, 
especially with a small low power coil?
Paul
Think Positive


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "William Noble" <william_b_noble at msn.com>
To: "Tesla list" <tesla at pupman.com>
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2009 12:16 PM
Subject: RE: [TCML] can you help my son and i with this Please



nonsense - I've done it, as have many other people - clearly not a permanent 
solution, but cheap and quick.  Dry wood is only very slightly conductive, 
the losses will be small, and the coil will work, "sort of" - of course it 
is better to use FRP, tungsten electrodes and all sorts of things - but it 
is not necessary to do so.  The next step up from two nails in wood is two 
ceramic insulators scrounged from a wrecked house and some scraps of wire -



And, "plenty of air flow" is also nonsense - it helps quenching and makes 
the coil better - but a coil will work with no added air flow.



As I understand the OP, the idea is that he has little money to spend.  Why 
are we making it so hard for him to get some sparks?  if he only gets 1 inch 
sparks where 12 were possible, it is still success.  Don't over complicate 
things - he doesn't need to buy ANYTHING he doesn't have.   All you need is 
a neon xformer (he has it), a secondary (wind on cardboard using wire from 
anywhere, pretty much any length of 22 or finer wire - 12 to 18 inches is 
good).  5 to 10 turn primary and an aligator clip for tuning, and a 
capacitor - I originally used window glass and aluminum foil.  A spark gap 
is just that - not high tech - anything wil work - literally anything that 
doesn't arc over - two nails and a scrap of wood, scraps of copper pipe, 
etc.  A "terry gap" consisting of a scrap of pvc pipe and some scraps of 
copper pipe works great, but a 1/4 to 1/2 inch air gap between two nails 
works too.



the key thing I didn't understand with my first coil (in high school) was 
that you needed to tune it.  So the only thing in my mind that matters much 
is to have a bare wire primary.



Arrange the circuit in the usual way - xformer, gap, capacitor, primary - 
add secondary, and see what happens - tune for best spark - then make 
improvements - like a salvation army salad bowl for a top load, or a nicer 
gap, or a different capacitor.



> To: tesla at pupman.com
> Subject: Re: [TCML] can you help my son and i with this Please
> Date: Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:49:16 -0500
> From: mddeming at aol.com
>
>
>
> "you need a spark gap - two nails and a piece of wood will work"
>
> IF you want to start a fire or electrocute someone! Wood is conductive at 
> TC primary voltages (10-15 kV). Two nails driven into a piece of wood and 
> attached to an NST secondary can carbon track and smolder or flame within 
> minutes. IMO, NOT a smart move.
>
> Use only good insulators like PVC with plenty of air flow.
>
> Matt D
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Noble <william_b_noble at msn.com>
> To: Tesla Coil Mailing List <tesla at pupman.com>
> Sent: Sun, Nov 22, 2009 5:36 pm
> Subject: Re: [TCML] can you help my son and i with this Please
>
>
> Eric - most of us start small - you don't' need donations, and you don't 
> need more stuff.
>
> you need wire - $5 or so will get you the wire you need from a surplus 
> place, or unwind a transformer or other coil and get it free.
>
> you need a spark gap - two nails and a piece of wood will work (not as 
> well as fancier stuff, but it will work)
>
> you need a cap - beer bottles (or milk bottles) with brine will work
>
> you need wire for a primary - scrounge some old electrical wire - whatever 
> you can find
>
> for a first toy though, make jacob's ladders - all you need are 2 coat 
> hangers and your neon sign xformer
>
> start with the small stuff, ask questions about that, then consider bigger
>
> > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Eric Knutson" 
> > <ericknutson at yahoo.com>
> > To: <tesla at pupman.com>
> > Sent: Saturday, November 21, 2009 5:42 PM
> > Subject: [TCML] can you help my son and i with this Please
> >
> >
> > Vary impressive stuff here Wow .
> >> May i ask for pointers in making one of these , have wanted to for 20 
> >>  >> years , well i have
> >> wife now and a 10 inch pvc tube . but thats all i have , my son is 14 
> >> and >> wants to build
> >> one with me . i can maybe buy one piece at a time every other payday >> 
> >> maybe . Is there
> >> any change you can help me with direction and size on the build . not 
> >>  >> sure how to
> >> connect 2 neon transformers together eather . also i Humbly ask are 
> >> there >> any parts you
> >> could donate to help us build one . any tansformers or a rotary spark 
> >> gap >> , caps ? was thinking
> >> about using one or 15000v 60 Ma , but think with with the size of pipe 
> >> i >> sholud use 2 what do
> >> you think . Sinerly Your Friend Eric A Knutson
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> >
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