Re: Wood and plastic spark gap construction

["Gomez ADDams" <gomez-at-netherworld-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

just throwing my $0.02 in for wood used in HV...

on that fateful day 8/16/00 7:16 PM, Tesla list uttered:

> Original poster: CTCDW-at-aol-dot-com
> As far as using wood in TC construction, My entire coil base is basswood,
> painted black and shellacked over.
> The Primary mounts are also wood in the same treatment.
> I have never had an arc through the wood, and no fires to
> date :). 

 The primary mounts for my first high power (12kW) coil were made from
plywood, sealed with Varathane brand clear polyurethane, on a dry day in the
winter.  I just let the wood soak up the polyurethane as much as it wanted,
then let it dry a few days before mounting.  That coil ran at 15kV rms, and
never had any primary problems relating to the wood (although my copper
sheet turns were a bit too close together).

 I once built a secondary form in "open cage style" using plywood disks and
1/2" x 3" common pine (douglas fir? whatever common 1x's are made of).  I
put it together with glue and dowel pins, and saturated it with
polyurethane.  Never had any trouble with it, running 10-15 kw and pulling
8-12 foot streamers.

- Gomez

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