RE: Exploding wire (fwd)

["High Voltage list" <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxxxx>



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 21:51:24 -0800
From: Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: High Voltage list <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>, hvlist <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: Exploding wire (fwd)

At 08:42 PM 11/22/2006, High Voltage list wrote:
>Original poster: Steven Roys <sroys@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
>
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Wed, 22 Nov 2006 18:53:27 -0800
>From: Jim Mora <jmora@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>To: 'High Voltage list' <hvlist@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Cc: 'Jim Woods' <woodsmachine@xxxxxxxx>
>Subject: RE: Exploding wire (fwd)
>
>Thanks All,
>
>I still love learning experiences! I'll get some steel wool, copper and
>aluminum wire in small gauges.
>
>Would it stress the caps, contacts too much to blow a shorter priece of say
>bailing wire. I have never calculated the C or L of any straight piece of
>wire before. I can get the R no sweat if I have enough of the specimen. The
>return path will be 1.25" rigid copper pipe. I'm going to ask my machinist
>to make me an aluminum buss perhaps 10"wide 3/8' and long enough to span
>past both caps with 2 large holes the size of the "dog bowl" flanges and
>mating holes for the allen bolts. The only thing I want blowing up is the
>target sample!

The inductance of the wire can be estimated as 1 uH/meter (it's not 
strongly dependent on diameter)



>Should the blast contacts have maybe a .5' Lexan blast shield and sit behind
>an arc welder face plate for observers?



That's somewhat overkill... I assume you're just exploding things in 
the AWG30 size?  I just use ordinary safety glasses, ear plugs(!) and 
stand a few meters away.