Greetings from down under.I’m sorry that I can’t be there this

year to enjoy the conference.Pay attention up the back,

Robert is calling the shots here!

Do you want to make a 1920’s Coil but you don’t have any vintage former

material?

No Problem.BY

Dan BedfordHRSA, HWSSEQ, AWA

DANCO1@TPG.COM.AU

© 2016

Coils were wound on fibre board tubes or Paxolin or similar.

Perhaps you want to replicate this coil ?

Or perhaps this one?Inside an USA Signal Corps BC-14A

Modern plastics just don’t cut the mustard unless we can change their appearance!

Why use plastic when a Post Office mailing tube

will suffice? A good question.

The simple answer is Q.

Most plastics, particularly polystyrene, will

introduce significantly less losses than cardboard.

This may not be so important in an amplified set *

but will be an advantage if building, for example,

a crystal set.

*Expanding on the statement, “This may not be so

important in an amplified set.”

If the set uses regeneration, the Q will only be high

at the frequency to which the set is tuned and on

the verge of oscillation.

Elsewhere, the Q may be very low and a powerful

station on a nearby frequency may still break

through on the tuned frequency.

Back to the job at hand!

First we need to cut a length of pipe to size and mark out the position of any mounting and

winding holes.This can be a painful exercise with a round tube that always

wants to roll away.

A simple timber jig makes life easier.The pencil marker bar can be moved

left to right.

And one of the former supports can be moved left to right.

Marking a circumference to enable a neat cut.

Lets make it bigger!

A coat of grey primer for good adhesion.

And a base coat of cream or ochre.

Now to add the textured finish.Artist’s acrylics mix readily and

dry quickly.

Mix small quantities of red, yellow and

green until you get a suitable “rust” colour.

Mix straight from the tube without thinning.

Carefully “dab” the colour onto the former with a ball of old towelling

material.

Dab away until the former is covered.Don’t be too fussy as the Fibre tube had

a very irregular appearance.Repeat the exercise until you get a

pleasing effect.Remember that the Impressionists

created beautiful renditions of reality with touches of broken colour!

Voilà.

When thoroughly dry, a coat of shellac will protect the finish and add that

“vintage” look.

You can mix your own shellac with flakes and

methylated spirits, or,

you can use the fair dinkum product from

the good ole’ U.S. of A.Now there’s mixed colloquialisms for you!

This one is a work in progress.Watch this space!