Re: Aluminum electrodes in TCBOR static gap

• To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
• Subject: Re: Aluminum electrodes in TCBOR static gap
• From: Don Allen <dona-at-amigo-dot-net> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
• Date: Tue, 19 Oct 1999 06:21:47 -0600
• Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
• Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

At 07:31 PM 10/17/1999 -0600, Tesla List wrote:

Hi John, Reinhard, Malcolm, All,

>Original Poster: FutureT-at-aol-dot-com 
>
>In a message dated 99-10-17 10:24:29 EDT, you write:
>
><< Snip
> >> The gap unit WAS firing and making a huge glow, but no spark. I
>> >Snip
> 
>> What do you mean by this? Did the gap have a different sound than
>> usual?. Usually, I do rough tuning, etc "by gap hearing". The sound of
>> the gap is a good story teller. It will tell you if you are in tune,
>> warn  snip

Not quite sure who the above quoted section is from, as I never saw
the original come through, nor the mirrors of my two responses. :-(

To answer the above - I also do rough tuning "by ear" and do indeed
listen to the sound of the gap, however, this was not a gap sound issue.
The gap was firing, but as was pointed out, the firing on the Al electrodes
may have caused a type of carbonization that promoted high resistance. 
 
Antonio suggested I use steel wool to remove the fine spray carbonization
from the aluminum electrodes and see if I could get them to spark again.
I will probably try that at some point in the next few days and see what
happens. 

I don't necessarily think this is an issue having to do with quenching,
per se'.  If that was the case, the air-assist underneath the unit would
have removed all the hot ionized gases. There's something going on
with the carbonizing of the aluminum that is the key here, I believe. 

Don

====================================================


>Reinhard, Don, Malcolm, all,
>
>This sounds very much like something that Malcolm mentioned about
>his single static gap running well at low voltages, but just "fizzing" at
>higher voltages.  This sounds like a total power input power arc....no
>quenching at all.  In other words, like just arcing a NST as in a Jacob's
>ladder more or less, possibly caused by overheating of the gap.
>
>cheers,
>John Freau
> 
> 
> 
>> Coiler greets from Germany,
>> Reinhard
>  >>
>

http://www.fwpd-dot-net/dona/tesla/teslacoil.htm 

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