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Re: HV Oil & Neon




From: 	RODERICK MAXWELL[SMTP:tank-at-magnolia-dot-net]
Reply To: 	tank-at-magnolia-dot-net
Sent: 	Saturday, August 30, 1997 4:47 PM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: HV Oil & Neon

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> From:   gweaver[SMTP:gweaver-at-earthlink-dot-net]
> Sent:   Friday, August 29, 1997 1:32 PM
> To:     Tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject:        HV Oil & Neon
> 
> HV Oil & Neon
> 
> I have an unpotted neon that insists on arcing along the side of one of the
> high voltage coils. Today I built a plexaglass box 5" x 5" x 8" and mounted
> the neon to the top inside the box.  I filled the box with oil and left
> about 1/2" air space at the top.  I later had to fill the box with oil all
> the way to the top because it was arcing threw the air space between the HV
> terminals and the metal part of the transformer which is .375".
> 
> I tested the neon with the amp meter and I am getting 15,000. volts 50 ma.
> from a 15K 30 ma transformer.  I used 32 layers of white typing paper as a
> spacer between each coil to hold things on center and in place.  I connected
> the neon to my 4" TC with a .005 uf cap and there is no more arcing between
> the HV terminals and the metal parts of the transformer.   I am getting some
> bubbles coming off the side of the high voltage coil.  This is the same coil
> that was arcing before.  I can see threw the clear plastic box and the HV
> coil is arcing and making the oil boil creating the bubbles.
> 
> I went into the house and returned about one hour later.  I tested the neon
> again and the arcing on the side of the HV coil has stopped.  It must have
> taken a few minutes for the oil to soak into the coil.  It seems to be
> working fine now.  I ran the TC several times with no problems.
> 
> I decided to test the high voltage oil.  I made an adjustable spark gap and
> put it in a container of HV oil.  I connected 15,000. volts across the spark
> gap and turned on the power.  I adjusted the spark gap until I got the 1st
> spark threw the oil.  The spark threw the oil was very thin.  I checked the
> gap and got .116 with feeler guages.
> 
> When I unpotted this neon several months ago I cleaned all the metal parts
> with gasoline and scraped the coils as clean as I could get them with a
> knife.  The HV oil is dissolving the remaining tar that is soaked into the
> coils.  After being in the oil for 2 hours the oil is no longer the clear
> clean looking oil it once was.  The HV oil now looks like coffee.
> 



> I am not sure what type of glue is best for glueing plexaglass together.
> The plexaglass is 1/2 " thick and smells like polycarbonate when I ruff cut
> the pieces on the table saw. After finishing the 6 sides of the plastic box
> on the milling machine I assembled the box and used rubber bands to hold it
> together leaving off the top.  I put several drops of acetone on each seam
> and let it dry for 1 hour. I tried as hard as I could to pull the box apart
> by hand but I couldn't.  I beat the box with a rubber hammer and it stayed
> together.


                       use Methylene Chloride