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Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details. |
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6th Jan 2011, 1:24 pm | #21 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Bristol, UK.
Posts: 981
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
Hi thank you copper coated rods look like the way to go. John thank you for taking the trouble to look, AJS thank you also. not wishing to go OT but -------- Where to get Ferric Chloride please ?
Cheers. Geoff. |
6th Jan 2011, 1:35 pm | #22 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: North London, UK.
Posts: 6,168
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
RS sell Ferric chloride in various packages. For example: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/s...duct&R=4349056
Guess that Rapid and Farnell sell it too. As an alternative dilute nitric acid will take the copper off without touching the carbon. |
6th Jan 2011, 6:31 pm | #23 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Bristol, UK.
Posts: 981
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
Thank you Jeffrey, I am getting more stupid as the days go by, recognised the name but couldnt think what it was for. ETCHING pcb's etc. Apologies for asking such a +++++++ question.
Cheers. Geoff. |
6th Jan 2011, 6:42 pm | #24 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Lynton, N. Devon, UK.
Posts: 7,087
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
Quote:
But I'm puzzled as to why remove copper plating anyway? It improves conductivity up to near the region of the arc, and also stops the carbon from vapourising along its length (subliming is technically the correct term). Near the arc, the copper just melts off for the last half inch or so. |
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6th Jan 2011, 7:26 pm | #25 | |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Burton upon Trent, East Staffordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,686
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
I don't remember that being the case, but it was a long time go.
Quote:
Alan |
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7th Jan 2011, 12:35 am | #26 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Blyth, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 62
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
I wonder if my mother still has this tucked away in the loft......
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7th Jan 2011, 3:31 pm | #27 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.)
Posts: 3,184
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
Hi,
I was experimenting a while back with carbon rods out of dead torch batteries and a low voltage/high current transformer. It sort of worked but didn't cause radio interference feeding the carbons was the tricky bit . I watched the reflected light on a wall so I wasn't staring at the arc. Still risky, but I got away with it. Cheers, Pete
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8th Jan 2011, 3:23 am | #28 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 2,508
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
The carbons normally used in sunlamps were often used in complementary pairs with different core materials, e.g. to encourage pip and crater formation even on AC which would otherwise erode the two carbons equally. Despite their similarities to basic low-intensity projection arc carbons, some were loaded with materials other than pure carbon. Pifco used to include in the boxes of carbons a list of compatible pairings - see attached pic. As far as I know they tended to use Morganite products, whereas the Wonder Health Ray mentioned above was supplied with Ship carbons.
Copper-coated types were for HI (high intensity) arcs - I wouldn't recommend burning them in a sunlamp, as the copper sputtering and debris from the mineral salt cores could make a mess of the lamp and give off some nasty niffs that would normally be extracted via the lamphouse flue. If you experiment with removing the copper chemically, remember the black bit is not pure carbon but contains all sorts of additives. Carbons that have been damp sometimes do not burn well! Lucien |
9th Jan 2011, 12:29 am | #29 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Bristol, UK.
Posts: 981
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
Thank you Lucien I was concerned about the copper coating. I thought it may do nasty things. I will keep looking.
Cheers. Geoff. |
9th Jan 2011, 12:48 am | #30 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 2,508
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Re: Pifco sun lamp.
I was just going to suggest that I could send you a couple of genuine sunlamp carbons, but have discovered the box is not where I thought it should be. That's usually down to my memory and I just look on the database, but the database doesn't know either. I will keep looking.
In the meantime this company claim to have LI carbons. Lucien |