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Re: [TCML] Form materials, losses, carbon tracking, sealing



Hi Bill,

I work for a steel company of sorts. We have our particular products we make, but we make every part (minus electrics). 4 serious laser cutters, CNC's, Punches, Brakes (and 4 plants worth of serious 16" thick steel capability). I realize the cost of something like a toroid. It's not easy. I personally would sell at a 70% margin if I were in that business and no less. For my 9" x 30" spun Al toroid, I paid around $300 (bulk buy) and I was happy to do so. I know cost of a one-off part.

When those bulk buys come along, try to have some cash set aside to take advantage of it. Best to prepare for it ahead of time if possible (hard to do for some, but try to throw 5 dollars a week towards it). By this time next year, you'll be ready for it.

Every now and then, these bulk buy request come along. Best to have funds ready for it when it comes. Nice large toroids in particular are far a few between and quantity price breaks make them affordable.

Take care,
Bart

Bill Lemieux wrote:

On Dec 19, 2007, at 9:42 AM, Dr.Hankenstein wrote:

Tim,

I don't check my email very often, but to answer you question about the toroids, we keep our eyes open for HV gear being scrapped and bargain with the scrap guy and then we build a Tesla Coil around our parts selection. Sometimes it takes years to get just the right combination to make something worthy of construction. For example, I don't particularly care for the appearance of chicken wire although many a good performer has been built with this concept. My coils, as well as Dr. Sparks coils are built to be beautiful and hopefully last a life time. In my opinion, it is worth the extra effort to do the very best work you can and give it your best shot. Sometimes the results are not as gratifying as expected, but then I've never seen a good coil built from an armchair.

John Freau occasionally spins some very nice small corona rings. I have one on my prototype VTTC. Really adds a nice touch. Once in a while I've heard mention of a "bulk buy" on the larger ones....just be prepared to spend alot more money! Seems as the size goes up, the price does exponentially....such as: http://www.drspark.org/images/wwt6.jpg

Almost a decade ago, I found a metal spinning shop who could make up to 3n" inch toroids... if I gave them the tooling! So the company I was working for at the time, which was building and selling Tesla coils, had the two tools required to make 8"x24" toroids. The tools had to be made be a tooling company on large lathes from hard rock maple, with steel mounts for the spinning machine, to the cost of over $800.

We made some batches of those toroids from fairly thick aluminum, ten at a time, and we got them down to I think $85 each, including the cost of the aluminum. But then they had to be sent elsewhere to have the two halves TIG welded together and the weld bead sanded smooth, that was another $40 each pair if a batch job was ordered...

These days, I don't know what they would charge me to make ten of them, but (assuming that little mom-n-pop size company is still around) I suspect my cost would be $150 - $200, and any sane person would want to make some money for their trouble on top of that. If you're doing it as a business, you'd assume your selling price would be double your "real costs"...

Oh, and those weren't polished, either - they still had the spinning marks!

I can see why Ross Engineering charges so much for their pretty, seamless, highly polished corona toroids!

 - Bill "Gomez" Lemieux
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