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Registered Member #1517
Joined: Wed Jun 04 2008, 06:55AM
Location: Chico CA
Posts: 304
OK, time for another question.
Should I wind my own secondary coil as a sort of rite of passage? or should I just buy a nice prewound secondary?
I could get the copper for about 20 bucks, and then the piping and enamel will cost another 10.
On ebay secondaries are going for 40 with free shipping... hmm hmm hmmmm
lets see, after I get this SGTC to work, I'm gonna be building a DRSSTC, so I think I should go with the raw materials, but I'd like to know what you guys think.
Registered Member #1225
Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253
coillah wrote ...
OK, time for another question.
Should I wind my own secondary coil as a sort of rite of passage? or should I just buy a nice prewound secondary?
I could get the copper for about 20 bucks, and then the piping and enamel will cost another 10.
On ebay secondaries are going for 40 with free shipping... hmm hmm hmmmm
lets see, after I get this SGTC to work, I'm gonna be building a DRSSTC, so I think I should go with the raw materials, but I'd like to know what you guys think.
Well, we cannot answer that one for you :P. If you ever want to learn how to make secondaries this is a good way to start.
Registered Member #1517
Joined: Wed Jun 04 2008, 06:55AM
Location: Chico CA
Posts: 304
ok, considering: making a jig for winding $30 copper spool $30 pvc/ acrylic: $10 enamel: $6 time
All things considered this sounds like an unessecary choice. In the future I hope to wind my own secondary...
But right now... my budget calls for a cheap method, and ironically enough that is to buy a prewound secondary.
Dont fret though, I'm making my own primary and top load.
So now my caps are otw with my bleed resistors. I'm getting some acrylic for my MMC bank and for the stand. Maybe put in some LEDs for a nice techie touch... we'll see...
Registered Member #1225
Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253
coillah wrote ...
Has anyone made a wood secondary?
A wood secondary? It would not work because it has water in it. Is would be such a shame to wind a wooden secondary and not work..... The water would conduct at these voltages.
Registered Member #1408
Joined: Fri Mar 21 2008, 03:49PM
Location: Oracle, AZ
Posts: 679
My personal feeling is that wood may be a poor choice if you don't plan to turn if from very dense exotic hardwoods. I imagine that some very dense resiny wood may function fine but I wouldn't do that as it's a real unnecessary hassle.
Sometime back Information Unlimited was selling secondaries that many said were really crud. They were loose, unwinding and very poorly sealed. Realistically if you hunt everything but the wire can be free. Even then I knew a young man who painstakingly unwound an existing source and hand wound a fantastic secondary by just working by hand in front of the TV and using tape to keep the turns tight as he took a break.
He then shellacked the coil and it looks quite fine for a beginning coil. A LOT of this depends on where you live. There are places that you can get a LOT of materials for free. The hunt for materials in itself can be fun.
Registered Member #1157
Joined: Thu Dec 06 2007, 12:11PM
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 307
coillah wrote ...
ok, considering: making a jig for winding $30 copper spool $30 pvc/ acrylic: $10 enamel: $6 time
All things considered this sounds like an unessecary choice. In the future I hope to wind my own secondary...
But right now... my budget calls for a cheap method, and ironically enough that is to buy a prewound secondary.
Dont fret though, I'm making my own primary and top load.
So now my caps are otw with my bleed resistors. I'm getting some acrylic for my MMC bank and for the stand. Maybe put in some LEDs for a nice techie touch... we'll see...
Has anyone made a wood secondary?
I wound my own coils since day one. It's like a huge boost to your ego when a buddy says "Whats that red thing?" After you bring him/her closer and they see it is one piece of wire wound around whatever you wound it on, they start getting impressed. After you fire off half a million volts into the air, they really get impressed. Winding them is a bitch, but I enjoy it.
But I say if you want to buy one, go ahead.
Just be sure you get a good one.
PM me with the link to one you plan to buy, and I'll give you my input. There are a few sellers out there to watch out for, but as I want no libel charges filed against me, I will not name them in the open forum.
Registered Member #611
Joined: Wed Mar 28 2007, 11:40PM
Location: Hudsonville, Michigan
Posts: 79
coillah wrote ...
Has anyone made a wood secondary?
Tesla. They didn't have plastic in the 1890's.
As for the cost of the secondary, construction site dumpsters are an excellent source for PVC. Wire can be bought cheap from electric motor repair shops. The winding rig I currently use is the secondary end cap bolts through skateboard wheel barrings mounted in scrap pieces of 2x4 screwed to a scrap piece of 2x6 (lumber from construction dumpster). I turn it by hand for winding. I use a microwave turntable motor (from a microwave I found in a dumpster) to spin it while the poly dries.
I have wound coils on broom handles, such as this 6" x 30" . I have even wound a few completely by hand. These two coils were wound while I was holding the forms in one hand and winding with the other .
I'm sure with a little resourcefulness and patience you could come in under the $40 mark.
Registered Member #1517
Joined: Wed Jun 04 2008, 06:55AM
Location: Chico CA
Posts: 304
OK. I know wood could work, because as Kristian said, The Man did it. I was asking because in my book it mentions using wood for the secondary. I was however wondering if anyone on these forums has had the idea.
I think it might be cool to build a retro tesla coil. One not based on performance alone, but also looks, cause that is really a significant part of why most people really go after building a coil, because they make cool looking sparks. So why not have a really neat looking tesla coil to match.
Im sure you could dry the wood effectively, and its not like they are doused in water either. Anyways, just a thought... and one that I am possibly going to resume later. Oddly enough, the more I think about it... the more I want to do it...
Now, about that secondary... its sounding like making my own will be cheaper... esp if I hunt around for materials. I can't say that I don't want to invest that kind of time... because making a tesla coil takes time... :)
but hey, if I buy it, it'll be way easier, and it'll probably be a lot nicer than if I tried to make one.
that's not to say im never going to make one. Ill make one for my DRSSTC, cause when I build that, I'll have a ton of money and time.
OK i think that takes care of me for now... I'm sure I'll be back again after I get my parts.
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SGTC or DRSSTC?
