Quenched gap (Re: Fritz vs TCBOR -- initial results in...)

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

Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz" <acmq-at-compuland-dot-com.br> 

Tesla list wrote:
 >
 > Original poster: Ed Phillips <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>

 >         Somewhat similar, but many more SQUARE copper plates serving as fins
 > for AIR cooling.  The central sparking area is very similar.  Spacing
 > washers are fiber instead of mica, which of course would be much
 > better.  Can you tell how the plates were built?  One piece turned down
 > or an electrode placed in the middle of the circular copper fins?

I disassembled the gap again today to take a better look. The disks look
as copper, of bronze, about 3 mm thick and with ~10 cm of diameter.
They have a rised ring, and at the center the actual gap that seems to
be an insert with a harder gray metal. The gaps are made with two of
these disks face to face, separated by three mica washers. The two
lateral washers go only to the rised ring. The central washer separates
the rings and leaves free only the space in front of the central
inserts.

The complete gap has space for three gaps, but only two were installed.
The other was replaced by a metal ring.

 >         I remember those very neat pictures and still am impressed with 
the old
 > equipment you seem to find.  I suspect there's nothing like that left in
 > the U.S., or at least nothing outside a museum.

When my university received those parts as a donation (they were stored
in a basement for 50 years), the idea was to make a museum exhibit with
them, but so far nobody, except myself, become interested in them. I
restored more of less well some parts, but there is a lot to be
done yet.

Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz