Re: Unpotting techniques... (The patience pecking order)

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Original poster: "Garry F. by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <garryfre-at-pacbell-dot-net>


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2001 7:20 PM
Subject: Re: Unpotting techniques... (The patience pecking order)


> Original poster: "Chris Dobson by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <cdobson-at-microtech-dot-com.au>
>
> Hi Gary,
>
> I'm sorry you have got worked up over this, but I'm sure the guys on the
> list meant no offence, only the benefit of their experience.

Yep, I figured they meant no offense. Just brings up bad memories.

> I would just like to mention that this wonderful hobby of ours will test
you
> to the limit - - - I can't count how many times I have "given up" on
> coiling, because a cap blew, or a NST died, etc etc. Luckily, I never took
> the hammer to the coil in these situations, just packed 'em up, put 'em
> away, and sheepishly returned to my favourite pastime ( which I have
loved,
> on and off, for close on 40 years) in six months time :^D

Yep, I made my first coil when I was 19 year old in 1974 but due to
inexperience, I blew up my cap and I didn't have the money for another.  I
gave it up till 1985

In 1985, I built another and I had a blast with it for about 3 months and
then one day, the NST shorted. I got another NST and it lasted one minute
total and then blew. I saw an article on how to make a choke to keep RF out
of an NST and it didn't tell me how many windings to use or anything like
that. All it was was two pages of squiggly hyroglyphics I recognized as some
sort of mathematics and lots of terms I never heard of. I gave up till march
of 1999. This time, I have the resources of many web pages an info from this
list. I have heard people who have said they have depotted NST's and had
them last for a long time. It just seems to me that if they can do it, I can
somehow. My biggest problem is not knowing what to expect, and what to do. I
too have "Given up" a number of times.

All in all, I think I have spent close to a thousand bucks on various tries,
fried secondaries, blasted caps, blown NSTs, tools, varnish and other stuff.
Had I known ahead of time how much it was going to cost me in time and
grief, I wouldn't have tried it but as it is, I keep expecting the next $20
or whatever will solve my problem and I'll have a TC that will last awhile.

> My two cents worth on your stubborn tar deposits : maybe its that silicone
> type mixture or something, because of the three or four NST's that I have
> depotted, the stuff has come off pretty well overnight in a barrel of
> mineral spirits. Mind you - I dropped the core into the solvent while
still
> very hot from depotting - its a bit risky 'cos of the low flashpoint of
> spirit, but I put a lid on straight away ;O0
> Hope this helps,
>
> Regards
>
> Chris
>
>
>