[TCML] Lacquer

Bill Noble william_b_noble at msn.com
Thu Apr 8 13:20:05 MDT 2010 

if it just so happens that you have a container you can seal that will hold 
the coil and the mechanism to rotate it while the epoxy cures, and that it 
so happens that you have a vacuum pump, and you use grease with a low vapor 
point on the bearings of the motor, then you could get rid of the bubbles by 
drawing a vacuum - not a high vacuum - 20 to 25 inches would be fine

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Phillip Slawinski" <pslawinski at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 10:18 AM
To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla at pupman.com>
Subject: Re: [TCML] Lacquer

> Rob,
>
> Well, it took me a lot of practice to get results like that (and believe 
> it
> or not, I'm still not entirely satisfied with it).  I use a plastic 
> spreader
> to apply the epoxy.  On the first few coils I did I tried using a foam 
> brush
> (that's a BAD idea).  I have a DC gear motor to spin the form.  I have 
> that
> hooked to a variable DC supply and I can adjust the speed down to about 
> four
> RPM.  It's important to apply the epoxy at a slightly higher speed than 
> you
> let it cure at.  This ensures minimal dripping.  After you ensure that the
> epoxy is spread evenly over the form you can slow the speed down.  I use a
> heat gun to remove small bubbles from the finish.  You have to experiment
> with this, because if you heat up one spot too much it will bubble, or it
> will become so runny that it drips off the form.  One more important note:
> you should do this in a low or preferably no traffic room.  Be careful not
> to move too quickly and stir up dust.  If dust lands on the form during 
> the
> initial phase of curing it will make a dimple in the finish.
>
> -Phillip Slawinski
>
> On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 10:43, Rob Byron <mustang_5l87 at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Phillip,
>> How do you get your epoxy so crystal clear? I use a two-part epoxy ( not
>> cheap stuff) and it allways ends up foggy looking because of microsopic
>> bubbles. I use a 24h cure and have it set up on a rotating assembly with 
>> a
>> microwave turntable motor. Is it how you mix it that matters? Or how you
>> apply it?  Your coils look amazing by the way!
>>
>> Rob.
>>
>> ________________________
>>
>> On 2010-04-08 09:33:32 -0600 Phillip Slawinski <pslawinski at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> >
>> > Hi All,
>> >
>> > I too use the two-part epoxy coating on all my coils.  I built a coil
>> from
>> > the ground up to produce a long spark length compared to the secondary
>> > length.  It has taken a lot of work, but I think the results were worth
>> it.
>> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/pslawinski/4354745760/  During the process
>> of
>> > developing this coil I have had multiple flash overs.
>> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/pslawinski/4309814799/  I haven't lost a
>> > secondary to a flash over or spark related event.  My secondary is 
>> > wound
>> > with 34 AWG on a 12" x 3.5" form.  Not coating a form with such fine 
>> > wire
>> is
>> > simply not an option.  The wire is very fragile, and will break with 
>> > only
>> a
>> > mild amount of force, also with wire this fine expansion and 
>> > contraction
>> of
>> > the form due to temperature change will cause the windings to loosen up
>> and
>> > fall down.  Sadly, I know this from experience.
>> >
>> > -Phillip Slawinski
>> >
>> > On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 08:22, Peter Terren <pterren at iinet.net.au> 
>> > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Firstly, the experiment with the conventional coil is not conclusive,
>> >> sorry.  Power was "about 20%" in the pre shot with racing sparks. No
>> >> mention
>> >> of actual values for the post shot and the sparks look very different 
>> >> on
>> >> the
>> >> pics.
>> >> I am not saying the result is wrong, but it is highly likely the
>> original
>> >> power level was not reproduced.
>> >>
>> >> Secondly, DRSSTC's are different beasts in terms of coupling. 
>> >> Obtaining
>> >> better Watt's ratios (spark length/sec length) seems a lot easier. 
>> >> 13:4
>> =
>> >> 3.25 does not seem remarkably efficient in this regard.
>> >> On the other hand using an SGTC coil with no special insulation, I 
>> >> have
>> >> Watt's ratios of 3.0 (96inches/32in).  Others have claimed larger 
>> >> ratios
>> >> for
>> >> SGTC's but I have not seen clear photos to show this.  If you want to
>> >> follow
>> >> this link copy and paste it into your browser.
>> >> http://tesladownunder.com/tesla_coil_sparks.htm#6 inch coil (the best
>> >> ones)
>> >>
>> >> Nevertheless, the previous discussion of using ?Envirotex as a very
>> thick
>> >> layer does really seem to provide a lot of protection.
>> >> Some years ago I started a TC project to dramatically outperform this
>> 3.0
>> >> Watts number. A lot of special fabrication was done and I still have
>> >> everything ready to start some final plans and construction. One day
>> when I
>> >> have a few moments........
>> >>
>> >> Peter
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> On 8/04/2010 1:16 PM, Dr.Hankenstein wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> Greetings,
>> >>>
>> >>> If you're not too sure on the effects of a good coating (or two or
>> >>> three) of varnish; please refer to a scientific evaluation on the
>> >>> following link:
>> >>>
>> >>> http://www.audiotesla.org/corona%20experiment.htm
>> >>>
>> >>> This should remove all doubt that varnish does more than just hold 
>> >>> the
>> >>> winding in place and end the hypothetical armchair speculation. Dr.
>> >>> Spark has at least 80 coats of varnish on "Fatboy"---13+ footers out 
>> >>> of
>> >>> a 4 foot secondary proves it:
>> http://www.drspark.org/fatboy1_rebuild.htm
>> >>>
>> >>> Regards,
>> >>> Hank
>> >>>
>> >>>   _______________________________________________
>> >> Tesla mailing list
>> >> Tesla at pupman.com
>> >> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
>> >>
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > Tesla mailing list
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>> >
>>
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