non-copper components, was RE: Forwarded mail.... (fwd)

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 22:10:09 -0400
From: Scott Bogard <teslas-intern@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Forwarded mail....

Tom
     The biggest problem with steel is the components will overheat.  While 
brass will conduct better, I think the performance improvement will be 
fairly small.  The big improvement comes with the life of the parts (and the 
life of the parts touching them).  As far as brass plated bolts go, it 
depends on where they are, if they are in the active spark gap, the brass 
will quickly erode diminishing the benefit.  However, if the parts are not 
exposed to open plasma,they should work fairly well (because of the skin 
effect).  At least as far as I know, others feel free to correct me.
Scott Bogard.


>From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
>To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Forwarded mail....
>Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:11:44 -0600 (MDT)
>
>
>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:46:55 +0100
>From: Tom Trevethan <t.trevethan@xxxxxxxxx>
>To: Tesla list <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
>
>Hi all,
>
>I've been 'lurking' on the list for a while now - soaking up lots of useful
>information. Now I have a question to ask: how critical to performance are 
>the
>materials that make the tank circuit? I've read that steel is best avoided 
>(due
>to it being ferromagnetic) - but it is dificult and expensive to construct 
>the
>circuit entirely out of copper and tungsten. In my coil I use thick copper
>cable (8 awg) with copper pipe lugs and I've tried to use brass bolts where
>possible (but I use steel nuts and bolts in some places). My primary tap is
>made of steel and I also recently found out that the 'brass' bolts I am 
>using
>for stationary electrodes in my rotaty gap are actually brass plated steel. 
>Am
>I likely to see significant improvements in performance if I go to the 
>effort
>of replacing these parts? After all, it seems overkill when the wires 
>leaving
>the capacitors of my (and everybody elses) MMC are made of (thin) steel.
>
>Thanks in adavance for any advice.
>
>Tom
>
>
>

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