Re: Tungsten electrodes

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: Tungsten electrodes
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 19:44:58 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	Jim Lux[SMTP:jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net]
Sent: 	Saturday, December 13, 1997 5:58 PM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: Tungsten electrodes

> What sizes are tungsten welding rods available in?  All of the RSG
> electrodes I've seen discussed arc from the tip.  Seems to me that a
> geometry that has it arcing in a line along the side of a rod, similar to
> the tubes in an RQ static gap, would result in a cooler, lower impedance,
> faster quenching arc.  Is tungsten available in something like 1/8" rods?
> Also, can tungsten be silver-soldered?

I assume you mean tungsten electrodes. The standard TIG welding electrodes
we use are 1/8" in diam and about 5-6" long. I haven't tried silver
soldering them, but have epoxied them. Several commercial rotary gaps in
the 40's & 50's used the electrodes just as you describe. This is actually
a better configuration, because the axial play in the motor shaft doesn't
cause problems, and it is easier to control the gap.