Tungsten Carbide Spark Gap Tips

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Terry Fritz" <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>

Hi All,

Check out the cool tungsten carbide disks and bullets Marc found for me.

http://hot-streamer-dot-com/temp/CarbidTips.jpg

Perfect for making spark gaps :-))  These large and very nice shapes could
make a substantial spark gap.  Along with being soldered to copper pipe
with water in it, they should stay very cool and hopefully last a very long
time in triggered gap use.  

"I" am going to try the copper plating and then soft silver soldering to
copper pipe fittings approach first.  Silver brazing is certainly another
option for those that have that figured out.

For copper plating:
I did finally find the concentrated sulfuric acid (drain cleaner) and the
copper sulfate (sewer root remover).  The big chain store hardware place
here (Home Depot) does not carry super nasty chemicals.  They didn't even
have solder that contained lead...  So I went to the independent place that
does not worry as much about dangerous stuff and they had about 50 gallons
of concentrated sulfuric acid drain cleaner and copper sulfate root remover
by the pallet along with plenty of lead solder :-))  You just have to shop
around...  The auto parts stores here did not have battery acid in less
than 5 gallon quantities.  I have fancy splash approved chemical safety
goggles and rubber gloves for the acid and such.  I looks pretty nasty, but
not nearly as bad as some of the acids we have at work.  for plating these
small parts, not much is needed at all...

I also have a 1000 ohm resistor and variable power supply and milliamp
meter for current adjustment of the plating thing.

Brazing might be the best approach by far, but I have gotten into the
plating thing...  We'll see what happens...

Cheers,

	Terry