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Re: Hurray, I destroyed my homemade cap! But beware wax!


From: 	Alfred A. Skrocki[SMTP:alfred.skrocki-at-cybernetworking-dot-com]
Sent: 	Sunday, November 30, 1997 6:59 AM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: Hurray, I destroyed my homemade cap!  But beware wax!

On Sunday, November 30, 1997 12:25 AM Terry
[SMTP:terryf-at-verinet-dot-com] wrote;

> Adam,
> 
>         I tried to insulate a small Tesla coil with paraffin wax once.  It
> was a disaster.  The wax shrinks as it cools which causes big problems.
> When cool, it has a tendency to crack in the cold.  The coil arced and has
> made an excellent door stop in my garage for the last five years.  Perhaps
> the addition of bee's wax will solve this????  I once had a recipe for
> vacuum grease that involved adding Vaseline and a few other ingredients to
> wax when it was warmed (beware, it is very flammable!).  It made the wax
> stay soft and fairly pliable.  I don't have the formula anymore but perhaps
> wax mixed with something like that would make a good durable insulating
> material?

Terry, look at my post and you will see; "...BTW paraffin and mineral 
oil can be mixed to change the viscosity to anything from solid to 
liquid and everything in between! I would suggest that after you pour in 
the paraffin that you keep the capacitor at the melting point for the 
parafin for a while (like several hours) to let any bubbles rise out."
Perhaps I should have added that the mixture of paraffin and mineral oil
shrinks less upon coling and is not brittle when cooled. You are right 
though vaseline is also misciable with both paraffin and mineral oil,
infact it is quite comon to see vaseline (petroleum jelly) and mineral oil 
mixed together in various burn and abrasion creams so it will have a 
better consistancy and in many lip balms paraffin or more commonly carnuba 
wax (it's harder than paraffin) is blended with either petroleum jelly or 
mineral oil for better consistancy. I know the pharmacology seems out of 
place here but it exemplifies the misciability of these materials.

                               Sincerely

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                           Alfred A. Skrocki
                   Alfred.Skrocki-at-CyberNetworking-dot-com
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