RE: [TCML] phillips question about wax and more

["Lau, Gary" <Gary.Lau@xxxxxx>]

I have doubts that toilet rings are beeswax.  I've seen and held beeswax candles, and they don't remotely resemble the soft, gooey, sticky stuff that toilet rings are made of.  I strongly suspect that some synthetic blend, much cheaper than beeswax, is used for toilet rings.

I would also take Tesla's reported best insulating medium with a grain of salt.  Tesla's best salt water capacitors can't hold a candle to the best commercial caps today, and I would expect that insulators have advanced similarly.  How many beeswax and silk insulated transformers do you see in industry?

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
> Behalf Of Frank
> Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 3:05 PM
> To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [TCML] phillips question about wax and more
>
> Hi all,
> Beeswax and rosin was found to be the "best" insulating medium for a
> Tesla coil, such as a pancake. Tesla himself found that to be most effective.
> All insulating mediums have different characteristics at different
> frequencies, just like capacitors of different materials.
> Tesla stated shellacs and varnish are not good insulators for Tesla
> coils but that is all we have today.
> Trying to find beeswax or rosin in large quantities at reasonable
> prices is not easy.
> The closest substitute are toilet rings for the beeswax. Of course
> that is new rings.
>
> Now insulating medium for a HV transformer can be a variety of
> materials as discussed in this group.
> Re-potting a NST without shunts is mainly for heat transfer as you
> are now operating a NST up to 10 times its original rating, you need
> to take the heat away.
>
> Now, when you re-pot a transformer, or motor or even a capacitor,
> there will always be tiny air pockets in and around the windings due
> to surface tension of the insulating medium. Oil is better at filling
> those pockets and wax, varnish, tar, and etc is worse.
> These pockets of air are a potential source for arcing due to reduced
> insulation resistance in those areas.
>
> Vacuum impregnation is the only way to remove the air pockets and
> insure the system is at its best for insulation.
>
> As stated, not all of us have means to draw a vacuum on our devices
> but most of us have simple wood working tools.
> Pre heat the transformer before pouring the medium, this is very
> important for wax/ tar as the cold iron will cool the wax/ tar and
> form air pockets preventing the wax/tar from effectively insulating
> the windings
> Take a vibrating sander and remove the paper, put the pad of the
> sander on the case of the transformer, coil, cap or etc when you are
> pouring the wax, tar, oil or etc. The vibrations will help "pop" the
> air bubbles and get the insulating medium more effectively
> distributed into the windings or plates.
> Not as good as drawing a vacuum but works well and simple.
>
> Now, using a ASRSG, there will be periods where the NST is "unloaded"
> and higher voltages will be across the windings. NST's do not like to
> run open circuited at all, they are not insulated to handle the open
> voltage for long periods of time.
> As your transformer gets older, it is more susceptible  to shorting
> out as the insulation starts to break down.
> This could be a possible reason for your NST dying with a ASRSG.
>
> Frank
>
> At 10:56 PM 6/10/2008 -0500, you wrote:
> >While we're on the topic of NSTs, ASRGs are pretty bad for them right?
> >  It seems that my NST keeps shorting, and I think it's due to the
> >ASRG.
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