Re: Primary winding

• To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
• Subject: Re: Primary winding
• From: Esondrmn-at-aol-dot-com (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
• Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 22:37:22 -0600
• Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
• Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

In a message dated 5/4/99 3:01:56 AM Pacific Daylight Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com 
writes:

> 
>  Hi --
>  
>  I'm trying to use 1/4" copper tubing as my primary coil, but it isn't
>  working well. I can't get it to bend smoothly - it looks pitiful.
>  
>  Would it work to use some really thick copper wire? If so, what guage
>  should I aim for?
>  
>  Thanks
>  
>  Christopher Michaelis
Christopher,

Copper tubing can be made to work for the primary with a little work.  First, 
buy it in a flat box, all coiled up.  Then buy a tubing bender, the kind that 
looks like a spring and slide it over the tubing.  Now suspend the coil of 
tubing over the primary coil form.  Position the first turn where it goes and 
start to work it into place.  I use waxed lacing cord or nylon tie straps to 
hold the tubing in place where it crosses each support on the primary.  I 
have notches there for the tubing to rest into and a hole drilled under neath 
for the tie strap.  Takes a couple of hours and makes your back sore, but you 
can make a really nice looking primary.  I also use a drill bit of the proper 
diameter to gauge the spacing between adjacent turns as I work.

My small, 3.0" diameter coil uses #10 solid copper wire for the primary.

Ed Sonderman

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