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New 6" coil



In making my previous secondary coils, I had hand wound my 3-1/2" and 4" coils.
What a time eater.  Those took several hours to wind.  I always ended up with
cramps in my hands and a sore back from staying in the same position for long
periods of time.  I was bound and determined to do this new coil the right way.

I just wound my new 6" coil today.  Let me tell you how easy it was.  I took my
piece of clear 6" acrylic to the local motor repair house.  They had previously
agreed to allow me to use their coiling equipment.  I placed the acrylic former
on the winder at 2:10 PM this afternoon.   At 2:25 PM, I was done coiling it.
This coil has a 26.5" windings of 22 gauge magnet wire with exactly 954 turns.
That's about 3 lbs. of 22 gauge wire.  The wire cost was $7.00.  At 2:35 PM I
began to coat the coil with clear epoxy resin that is used for sealing armature
windings.  This took about 15 minutes to make sure it was on evenly and not took
heavy.  The wire is completely embedded into the epoxy, in one coat.  It took it
about another hour to set up hard enough to move.  I kept the winder spining
during this coating and curing process.  I was home with my finished coil by
4:00 PM.  Total time spent, <2 hours.  Total cost, including the acrylic former,
<$30.00.  Man, does it look sweet.

I still have the ground plate and endcaps to install.  All told, the cost should
be less than $40.00 for the complete secondary.

For those of you that intend to wind more that a couple of coils, I suggest
building a winder of some sort.  This was my first experience using one.  It is
definetely the way to go.  If you have a small local motor repair house that
will let you use their equipment, that is even better.  Their equipment will
have a turn counter and automatic shut-off for when the correct number of turns
is reached.  I even get my wire from them.  They sold me the exact amount that I
used on the coil.

I used to dread the thought of turning a secondary.  Now it seems fun.

Scott Myers