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Re: Tungsten electrodes in static gap?

At 05:24 PM 09/14/1999 -0600, Tesla List wrote:
>Original Poster: "Jeff Behary" <jeff_behary-at-hotmail-dot-com> 

Hi Jeff, Malcolm, all,

I've had great success using the standard RQ cylindrical
static gap, using 11 gaps with a muffin fan. It quenches
well. However, my main issue with this type of gap is that,
with copper, the gaps are a real pain to clean. So much so, 
that I now have two RQ static gaps - one in use and a spare 
which gets rotated when the current one needs cleaning.

Thats why I was asking about, in particular, the HV corrosion
characteristics of tungsten - I just would rather not spend lots
of time cleaning gaps if I don't have to, especially if there is a 
superior material available.

Jeff, you have some beautiful tungsten static gaps on your site.
And yes, they are REAL nice and make me drool with envy. <G>

Does any company still make these types of heat-finned tungsten
spark gaps?

How hard are they to make and where can one find finned heat sinks to
make them? I know that Mark Finnis did something like this, and it 
turned out really nice, based on the pictures I saw on his site.

Don

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

>Tungsten electrodes are the o-n-l-y way to fly!!  I have Tesla Coils that 
>draw 6 and 12 amps from the mains from the 1920s with original series spark 
>gaps that used tungsten, and they STILL work fine!!
>
>Try picking up some tungsten welding rods, 1/8" diameter.  2% thoriated 
>[98%] tungsten  welding rods work really well, supposedly better than pure 
>tungsten.  At any rate, it is really the best way to fly.  It's a real 
>bugger to machine, but if you have a diamond wheel it can be ground and cut, 
>but be VERY careful of the dust, espescially with the radioactive thoriated 
>tungsten.  It's only slightly, but still, don't want to inhale ANY dust from 
>any metal.  Bad stuff.  But GREAT for spark gaps!!
>
>Rods cost about $50 per 10, and come generally in 7" lengths.
>
>Jeff Behary
>For pictures of gaps I've made with tungsten, see:
>http://www.lvstrings-dot-com/quack.htm
>
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