The stationary electrodes burn away quickly, I just rotate the electrode
after a couple of runs. Burn off the other edge for a while. My ARSG has
1/4" tungsten electrodes with heat sinks on the stationary electrones. A
noticeable amount gets burned away each use. My Tesla coil draws around 80
amps at 240V. I have some vids of it in action on utoob. 1oldmountainbkr
Later, James
-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Steve White
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2017 23:16
To: Tesla Coil List
Subject: [TCML] Electrode erosion
In an attempt to reduce the erosion of my stationary RSG tungsten
electrodes, I machined on my lathe a set of small heat sinks that mount 1/2"
away from the spark gap firing point. They are similar to those shown on the
"hvtesla.com" web site except mine are made from aluminum instead of copper.
The problem is that the high temperature seems to be pitting the face of the
heat sinks facing the spark gap. I note that aluminum melts at 1200 degrees
F and copper melts at 1900 degrees F.
In an attempt to correct this pitting problem I have ordered a set of
aluminum nitride sheets. Each is 1.5" x 1.5" x 1 mm. Aluminum nitride is a
ceramic which melts at 4000 degrees F. My idea is to attach these small
sheets to the face of the heat sink closest to the spark gap in order to
prevent the pitting (melting) of the aluminum. I then wondered if attaching
copper sheets to the aluminum would have done the job since copper's melting
point is higher.
Does anyone using copper heat sinks on the stationary tungsten electrodes
have a problem with the copper pitting (melting)?
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