Re: Polish the Gap

["John Philip Sanderson" <John.Sanderson-at-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-xxxxxxxxxx>)]

----- Original Message -----
From: Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Date: Wednesday, November 1, 2000 1:34 am
Subject: Re: Polish the Gap

> Original poster: "Albert Hassick" <uncadoc-at-juno-dot-com> 

<snips>

Dear Al, 

Thanks very much for your detailed explanation of the static gap.  I 
really like the idea of using cable lugs to mount the electrode 
material. -A great basis from which to try all manner of different 
electrodes, as you clearly have done.  Your comments about tungsten 
carbide also agree with Marc Metlica's observations, that this is indeed 
a good SG electrode material.  Since I have so many of these little 
silver "buttons" from contactors, (I am now reasonably certain that they 
are solid silver), I will give them a go in a small series gap for my 
little 15/60 setup, replacing the carriage-bolt arrangement I currently 
use.  In the next incarnation of my 5kVA beast, I'll give tunsgsten 
carbide a try.

And since we're talking SG electrode materials, I guess I should also 
take a peek inside my old electrosurgical cutting machine (yet another 
interesting Tesla coil application) to see what sort of gap material was 
used by the manufacturer.  Of course, power levels in that thing are 
pretty low, but I think the spark-gaps would have been fairly robustly 
designed.  (I wouldn't expect any doctors to be opening it up in the 
surgery to clean the gaps!)

Cheers, 

John.