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Re: Fair caps test

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> >From 74040.3317-at-CompuServe.COMWed Jul 10 22:29:08 1996
> Date: 10 Jul 96 14:29:45 EDT
> From: Charles Brush <74040.3317-at-CompuServe.COM>
> To: Tesla List <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
> Subject: Re: Fair caps test
> 
> >Charles,
> >
> >This is the worst treatment you can give a cap or a transformer!  The
> >tests would tend to indicate a very good capacitor for Tesla use, albeit
> >a bit pricey!
> >
> >Richard Hull, TCBOR
> 
> Yes, I suppose so.  These are the first commercial caps I've owned that had a
> high enough voltage rating for Tesla use.  Since the system I'm using them in
> is pretty tiny, I thought I'd try stressing them a bit to see how they held up.
>  By the way, what is a decent price for a cap like this?  Since joining these
> discussion groups I've heard stories of hamfest deals, but I have never
> attended one.  Much of my scrounging is limited to catalogs, and I haven't seen
> much in the way of really high voltage caps other than doorknobs.  My
> re-introduction to coiling came with the discovery of these groups last winter
> (last coil before that was in high school!), and since then I've been using
> homemade caps.
> 
> Charles Brush
> 
> p.s. on the subject of scrounging, I recently found  a small surplus/scrap yard
> in Stamford CT that had a lot of electronics.  Thought I'd mention it if anyone
> here is in the area.  It's called Vulcan, and I have the adress/phone someplace
> at home if anybody wants it.

Charles,
 
The ratio of list price to various other bargain prices varies with the 
wheelin' and dealin', but here goes a little table of relative prices.

item	list price	mailorder surplus	Hamfest		 junkyard

caps	x		.7x-.5x			.1x-.005x	.1x-free
trans	x		.2x-.1x			.01x-free	copper
instr	x		.7x-.3x			.5x-.01x	steel
wire	x		.9x-.2x			.3x-copper	copper

Junkyards are best, but junk is usually what you get.
Hamfests are best overall, and wheelin' and dealin' can get some great 
buys.  Condition may be unknown on instruments though.
Mailorder gives you the right of return- its only saving grace.

To specifically answer your question about the .01 at 100kv; at a hamfest 
you might expect to pay about $25.00 for such an item if the guy was in 
love with it or knew precisely what he had.  If the guy just wanted to 
get it out of his basement, it might fetch $5.00.

Richare Hull, TCBOR