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FrozenGate by Avery

Tesla Coil Build Thread






The first Tiny Teslas have shipped. I see Fiddy posted he got his tracking number but who knows how long it'll take to get to Australia. Hopefully I'll see mine within a month or so.
 
LtKernelPanic, I look forward to your progress. Just remember to take it slow during construction. I'm sure you will or already have but read all the material thats available for the tiny tesla.
I watched the videos they have on the website. Looks really cool
 
Down with Umbrella said:
LtKernelPanic, I look forward to your progress. Just remember to take it slow during construction. I'm sure you will or already have but read all the material thats available for the tiny tesla.
I watched the videos they have on the website. Looks really cool
Click to expand...
It's portable too, so it could easily be used for a classroom demo.
 
Oh ya. I like my big coil but a smaller coil would be much more conducive to showing friends or in a practical apartment setting.
Mark my words my next big project will be a medium sized SSTC.
Im sorta waiting for my 4hv.org account to be activated.
I built the SSTC 1.0 from EVR but it doesn't have enought power to excite my Xenon tube I bought from sigurthr.

Right now I'm reading about the basics of the main components in a SSTC. I might buy a flyback sigurthr is making.
Cheers and good luck my friends.

Ps I know a guy that blows his own glass for neon signs. I wonder if he could custom make some tubes with different gas.
 
Down with Umbrella said:
LtKernelPanic, I look forward to your progress. Just remember to take it slow during construction. I'm sure you will or already have but read all the material thats available for the tiny tesla.
I watched the videos they have on the website. Looks really cool
Click to expand...

Yeah I've already read the the PDF manual and I ordered a bound printed copy when I backed the project. I've never built a coil so I plan on taking it slowly and not rushing things. The one thing that I'm kinda disappointed in is that the secondary doesn't come pre-varnished because that's going to be a several day process in itself since you usually have to wait 12 hours between coats. Oh well it's something I'd have had to do myself if had built the secondary from scratch.
 
Ya sounds like you have a plan. I set up a small space heater in proximity to my secondary coil as I was applying varnish. (Not blowing directly on but just enought to Raise the ambiant air temperature)
Should dry fast. I'm sure it will turn out well.
 
LtKernelPanic said:
Yeah I've already read the the PDF manual and I ordered a bound printed copy when I backed the project. I've never built a coil so I plan on taking it slowly and not rushing things. The one thing that I'm kinda disappointed in is that the secondary doesn't come pre-varnished because that's going to be a several day process in itself since you usually have to wait 12 hours between coats. Oh well it's something I'd have had to do myself if had built the secondary from scratch.
Click to expand...

You don't need to wait 12 hours between coats. I use Minwax polyurethane and can get 5 or more coats in an afternoon.

Like DWU said, use a small space heater to speed up dry times. I use a 60watt flood lamp close to my coil setup on a rotating spit powered by a microwave turntable motor to keep from getting runs. :beer:
 
Polonium210 said:
I use Minwax polyurethane and can get 5 or more coats in an afternoon.
Click to expand...

Yes that's the same stuff I used and it worked great. I bought it at the hardware store in a small can locally. I have approximately 10 coats on the secondary.
I hear Dolph's AC-43 recommend a lot but I'm not sure if there are any specific benefits.
 
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I never used varnish on my coils , was always white or blue tape : P , wasn't the best for cooling but did come In handy as a quick way to cover secondary's
 
ionlaser555 said:
I never used varnish on my coils , was always white or blue tape : P , wasn't the best for cooling but did come In handy as a quick way to cover secondary's
Click to expand...

I still don't know how your coils don't go up in flames, haha. Those resonators all look so flammable!
 
Polonium210 said:
You don't need to wait 12 hours between coats. I use Minwax polyurethane and can get 5 or more coats in an afternoon.

Like DWU said, use a small space heater to speed up dry times. I use a 60watt flood lamp close to my coil setup on a rotating spit powered by a microwave turntable motor to keep from getting runs. :beer:
Click to expand...

Ah that sounds much better. I assume that's a spray poly? I do have one of those oil radiator style heaters that I can fire up to speed up the drying time if needed. Unfortunately I don't have anything to spin it so I'll have to be careful and watch for any runs.
 
It comes in a small 1/2pint can. You shouldn't need much because the secondary. Heck, that 1/2pint can is only half empty after ten coats on mine.
I rested my coil horizontally on a broom stick handle that was secured in the vice and manually rolled it as I applied the polyurethane with a 2in foam brush. It does start out runny but continuous rolling and brushing prevents the runs. After about 5 mins it starts to solidify and won't run.
With the use of a space heater, I was applying coats every 5-6 hours. Usually one before work than one after. The directions say to stir; do not shake.
 
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