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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