Re: DARNIT!!! not again

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Ed Phillips <evp@xxxxxxxxxxx>

"In you description, as you don't describe the structure, I see just one
fatal problem: WOOD. Wood is -not- an insulator at all for high
voltages.
If the NST terminals were in contact with wood, very probably there
is a carbon track formed that is short-circuiting everything.
The first thing to do is to see if your transformer produces some
output with its terminals floating in the air.

Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz"

	In my experience wood is OK in such applications, IF it is first dried
carefully and then "boiled in oil", by which I mean melted paraffin
wax.  The latter process is a bit tricky as the molten wax is pretty
flammable.  When the wood is first put in it it gives off a lot of
bubbles as the warm air is driven out.  When the bubbles cease the wood
is removed and excess paraffin is allowed to drip back into the
container.  This works quite well for pieces up to perhaps an inch thick
and 6" square and I've never had any problems with it in TC structures.
I'm sure the process would work for larger pieces if one wanted to mess
with suitable vats for the paraffin.  The wood shrinks in the process so
I apply it before machining to size.

	The finished product works very nicely compared to acrylics or Lexan
and is a lot sturdier than lucite.

Ed

Of course, I still use shellac on coil forms so I'm back in the dark
ages.