[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: [TCML] Safety gap



Or you could just buy some solid threaded brass balls like these from Reid Tool Supply:
http://www.reidsupply.com/GrpResults.aspx?st=BRASS+BALL&pid=0&aitm=BBF-225&apid=0
I've used the 1/4-20 1-inch balls for safety gaps and they look good and hold up well. Don't bother spending extra for a finished surface, buy the ones marked raw and just screw in a short piece of all-thread and chuck it up in a drill. A little fine grit sand paper followed by some Brasso polish will produce a mirror like finish in very short order.
Dave
Pleasanton, Ca

At 10:09 PM 11/28/2009, you wrote:
I found a good place to get things like brass knobs is at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. They have a lot of old doorknobs and cabinet knobs that have been reclaimed and donated from demolitions and such and at times they are pretty old. Most of the older ones are brass, no cast zinc in the ones I have bought. I even found some doorknobs that are so heavy that I think they might be solid brass. There are also stores that sell reclaimed home hardware but sometimes they get rather pricey, thinking they have antiques.
Paul
Think Positive

----- Original Message ----- From: "jimlux" <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Tesla Coil Mailing List" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, November 28, 2009 8:40 PM
Subject: Re: [TCML] Safety gap


Quarkster wrote:
But be advised that 99% of the hardware store "drawer pulls" are die-cast zinc, with an incredibly thin lacquered "brass finish". The will erode very quickly if they ever actually see an arc.


Easy to find out with a file on the back side (where the screw goes in). Then, if the packaging said "brass" you can take it back and say "uh-uh... this aint the alloy the package said it was"...

OR, don't worry about it. Your safety gap shouldn't be arcing all the time anyway.

BTW, for about $10, you can also buy a nice doorknob/latch set with 2 spherical knobs about 1 1/2" -2" in diameter, and yes, those are solid brass (thin, but solid). Very pretty, and fairly easy to figure out how to mount. They might have a thin layer of some plastic coating on the: it helps them not tarnish.

Places that do a lot of brass beds, lamp stands, coat racks, etc will often have a supply of brass knobs and balls in a variety of colors and sizes (e.g. stainless steel, chrome, etc.) all with convenient threaded fittings on them. The trick is to find the "wholesale/repair" kind of place, as opposed to a retail outlet. My best luck has been with going to a furniture store and asking the repair guy where he gets his parts OR getting the mfr name of the finished unit, and once you find one that is in the US and not China, you call them (or google) and find their distributors. (Turns out that a big maker of this stuff in the Los Angeles area also makes brush guards and decorative metalwork for SUVs... I guess.. once you have all the tubing benders and welding jigs, whether you're welding up a brush guard or a coat stand, it's all the same)
_______________________________________________
Tesla mailing list
Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla

_______________________________________________
Tesla mailing list
Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla

_______________________________________________
Tesla mailing list
Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla