[TCML] Safety gap

[Dave Leddon]

Or you could just buy some solid threaded brass balls like these from 
Reid Tool Supply:
http://www.reidsupply.com/GrpResults.aspx?st=BRASS+BALL&pid=0&aitm=BBF-225&apid=0
I've used the 1/4-20 1-inch balls for safety gaps and they look good 
and hold up well.
Don't bother spending extra for a finished surface, buy the ones 
marked raw and just screw in
a short piece of all-thread and chuck it up in a drill.  A little 
fine grit sand paper
followed by some Brasso polish will produce a mirror like finish in 
very short order.
Dave
Pleasanton, Ca

At 10:09 PM 11/28/2009, you wrote:
>I found a good place to get things like brass knobs is at the 
>Habitat for Humanity Restore. They have a lot of old doorknobs and 
>cabinet knobs that have been reclaimed and donated from demolitions 
>and such and at times they are pretty old. Most of the older ones 
>are brass, no cast zinc in the ones I have bought. I even found some 
>doorknobs that are so heavy that I think they might be solid brass. 
>There are also stores that sell reclaimed home hardware but 
>sometimes they get rather pricey, thinking they have antiques.
>Paul
>Think Positive
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "jimlux" <jimlux at earthlink.net>
>To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla at pupman.com>
>Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2009 8:40 PM
>Subject: Re: [TCML] Safety gap
>
>
>>Quarkster wrote:
>>>But be advised that 99% of the hardware store "drawer pulls" are 
>>>die-cast zinc, with an incredibly thin lacquered "brass finish". 
>>>The will erode very quickly if they ever actually see an arc.
>>
>>
>>Easy to find out with a file on the back side (where the screw goes 
>>in). Then, if the packaging said "brass" you can take it back and 
>>say "uh-uh... this aint the alloy the package said it was"...
>>
>>OR, don't worry about it.  Your safety gap shouldn't be arcing all 
>>the time anyway.
>>
>>BTW, for about $10, you can also buy a nice doorknob/latch set with 
>>2 spherical knobs about 1 1/2" -2" in diameter, and yes, those are 
>>solid brass (thin, but solid).  Very pretty, and fairly easy to 
>>figure out how to mount.  They might have a thin layer of some 
>>plastic coating on the: it helps them not tarnish.
>>
>>Places that do a lot of brass beds, lamp stands, coat racks, etc 
>>will often have a supply of brass knobs and balls in a variety of 
>>colors and sizes (e.g. stainless steel, chrome, etc.) all with 
>>convenient threaded fittings on them.   The trick is to find the 
>>"wholesale/repair" kind of place, as opposed to a retail 
>>outlet.   My best luck has been with going to a furniture store and 
>>asking the repair guy where he gets his parts OR getting the mfr 
>>name of the finished unit, and once you find one that is in the US 
>>and not China, you call them (or google) and find their 
>>distributors.  (Turns out that a big maker of this stuff in the Los 
>>Angeles area also makes brush guards and decorative metalwork for 
>>SUVs... I guess.. once you have all the tubing benders and welding 
>>jigs, whether you're welding up a brush guard or a coat stand, it's 
>>all the same)
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