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Re: spark gap



> I cut a bunch of 1x3 inch paper strips on a paper cutter.  I used the "HP
> Bright White" inkjet paper that is 0.0044 inches thick.  I set each
> cylinder down on the wood base with epoxy between the cylinders and the
> wood.  I used a few slips of the paper between the cylinder to space them
> apart.  Once the epoxy has set, I simply pull out the slips of paper
> leaving a perfectly gaped (parallel) space between the pipe section.  See:
> 
> http://www.peakpeak-dot-com/~terryf/tesla/misc/terrygap.jpg
> 
> This gap is sort of disposable but mine has lasted for years with an
> occasional forcing things in the gaps to clear shorts.  It really does arc
> in the center sections and not at the pipe ends.  It can run 1kW for a
> while and much more with fan cooling.  Finn used it for his coil with much
> better forced cooling as shown at:
> 
> http://home5.inet.tele.dk/f-hammer/tesla/primary/primary.htm
> 
> See my experimental gap at:
> 
> http://users.better-dot-org/tfritz/varigap.jpg
> 
> I just used one, two, three,... slips of paper between each section as a
> simple test part.  The paper slips were left in until the epoxy set and
> then removed to leave a perfectly spaced and parallel surface for arcing.
> It took about 30 minutes to make...
> 
> I would be happy to send it to you if you shoot me your snail mail address.
>  Then you could compare it and see what's up with all this...
> 
> There is a possibility that the taper a pipe cutter leaves and the sanding
> of the edges is not only "nice", but extremely critical which may account
> for your problems...
> 
> Cheers,
> 
>         Terry

Terry:

	Are you saying that you can run for "some time"  (seconds, minutes?)
with the pipes staying cool enough that the epoxy doesn't
disintegrate???  I remember looking at that gap before, thinking it was
a neat idea, but didn't copy because of concern about overheating the
epoxy.

Ed