Re: Anyone remember Bakelite?

Hi Mike,

Without knowing the dimensions of the Bakelite spool.

A fiberglass tube. An old fiberglass arrow.

Wood dowel.

Thread spool.

Jay

Bakelite is/was just a non-conductive rubber/plastic compound. There's nothing really "magic" about it - as long as you've got something non-conductive that's about the same size and shape as the core the experiment calls for, you can use pretty much anything non-conductive for the coil form, and you'll do fine. I'd suggest a small plastic pill-bottle as likely to be a more-than-reasonably-adequate substitute.

Plywood (or a wooden dowel...) wouldalso work just fine.

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If you aren't planning to run enough current through the coil to heat it up appreciably, then ordinary PVC pipe (electrical conduit, or Schedule 40 cold-water pipe) should work fine. You might want to use CPVC pipe, which is a bit tougher and is rated for hot-water service.

Odds are you can find a PVC fitting or "nipple" of a suitable size at your local hardware store... or just ask a plumber for a cutoff/trim piece from his last or next job.

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Sorry, I should have given some more info...the dimension of the coil "holder" are:

1 pc 2 1/4" O.D. x 6" long tubing having 1/16" thick wall 1 pc 1/8" x 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" for top of cover tube

Reviewing the article now for the current rating, but it uses a 20 amp fuse in it. The coil (made from about 2.5 lbs of #16 magnet wire) will (essentially) go right into the wall plug.

Thanks again for the quick replies....

-Mike-

Mike Sawalski wrote:

On Sun, 6 Jul 2003 15:53:41 -0700, Watson A.Name - 'Watt Sun' Gave us:

Phenolic thermoset plastic. Requires oven cure after molding, if not as part of the molding process.

Plastics Manufacturing Company, Dallas Texas, still makes phenolic products.

Texas Ware they call it.

Visit a military surplus store. Or an industrial liquidator. Easier, cheaper, and more4 likely to find what you need.

Bakelite isn't used for much in the electronics world nowadays, but it's still used for making handles, knobs, etc., for cookware. It's very heat resistant; that's why it's a good choice in that type of application.

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On Sun, 6 Jul 2003 17:28:00 -0400, happyhobit hath writ:

A plastic pill bottle.

The (empty) barrel of a defunct ball-point pen.

Cardboard tubes: toilet paper, paper towel, carpet (big!).

I miss the smell of `over-heated` bakelite...

Jonesy

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Virtually any non magnetic material (most likely plastic of some sort) of appropriate dimensions would be a suitable substitute.

Note that bakelite was significantly more heat-resistant than most modern plastics, so keep that in mind if your electromagnet gets warm/hot.

Why? Hasn't been made in decades. Use something modern.

I hope you've got a cheap source for that wire! I just ordered a 1/2 lb spool from MPJA for $6.95 - at that price you'll spend around $40.00 with shipping/handling. Please let us know if you've got a cheaper source.

Sounds unlikely given that $40/2.5lb is about the price of copper recently.

Anything plastic should do. IIRC Bakelite was paper embedded in a thermosetting phenolic resin. There was also a similar material using linen cloth and resin, widely used for electrical panels.

If you truly want the authentic look,and a custom design; there's a phenolic glue (Aerolite?) that has that same reddish-brown look. You could use that and paper like a fiberglass layup.

IIRC, bakelite is a phenolic resin -- also used in wood finishes.

Roll a tube from paper. Dip it in varnish.

Go to McMaster-Carr there on line catalog I beleive they still sell it.

Bill

In article , bit- snipped-for-privacy@config.com mentioned...

That thin atmosphere up there must be getting to you if you think you miss that smell. To my thinking, that's not somewhere that I'd like my equipment to go. It's time to reach for the off switch when equipment makes that smell.

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What you're looking for is linen or paper-based phenolic tubing you
ought to be able to buy it from any plastics supplier or Google for
"phenolic tubing" without the quotes.  Here's an interesting link:

https://secure.consumersinterest.com/pml/components.asp?groupid=9

There is a very modern web page at

on current production and uses of Bakelite.

...

A brief history, including mention of Coco Chanel and her line of Bakelite jewelry is at

Deeply buried in

is the mention of "designer as celebrity" by a group advancing the use of Bakelite. Several of the pages churned up by Google mention either Andy Warhol or Art Deco.

An excellent photograph of an incomplete Bakelite executive desk pen set is included on page

Some time ago, somebody posted a recommendation: electric-motor- rebuilding companies. They buy magnet wire in very large quantities to rewind motors, and they might be willing to sell a batch or perhaps some cutoffs.

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Motor companies, transformer companies, alternator shops.

Hi

Bakelite is in widespread use in the British electrical industry today, it is what most (white) mains plugs are made from.

Regards, NT