Homemade ceramic insulators

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Russ Gaines
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Homemade ceramic insulators

Post by Russ Gaines »

Has anyone here ever made / heard of someone making their own ceramic insulators? I need to do this for a project and would prefer not to buy two $350+ blocks of machinable ceramic from mcmaster-carr. How would i go about this? I assume there is a powder out there that I would mix with water and pour into a mold, let set up and send it off to be fired. If so, does anyone know where such a powder could be found?

Thanks,
Russ
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Jerry Biehler
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Re: Homemade ceramic insulators

Post by Jerry Biehler »

Doug Coulter makes his own using alumina tubing and others have used pyrex, though the pyrex will reduce and become conductive in a hot hydrogen atmosphere.
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Chris Bradley
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Re: Homemade ceramic insulators

Post by Chris Bradley »

To be clear, insulators for what purpose?
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Dennis P Brown
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Re: Homemade ceramic insulators

Post by Dennis P Brown »

If you just want a pure ceramic insulator (no internal metal), isn't that just clay that has been fired with a glass (powder) to create a glass coating? I'd think that wouldn't be too difficult.
Russ Gaines
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Re: Homemade ceramic insulators

Post by Russ Gaines »

Dennis P Brown wrote:If you just want a pure ceramic insulator (no internal metal), isn't that just clay that has been fired with a glass (powder) to create a glass coating? I'd think that wouldn't be too difficult.
You mean slip casting?
Today's scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality. -Nikola Tesla
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Dennis P Brown
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Re: Homemade ceramic insulators

Post by Dennis P Brown »

Well, no but if spin shaping would work, then clay is easy. Filling a complex mold would be difficult with clay so a powder would make more sense. There are powders that use water but sintering a powder is more difficult - I believe you could google that and get a lot of answers. I've never sintered any powders (have studied the process) but have used clay/glass powder only.
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Andrew Robinson
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Re: Homemade ceramic insulators

Post by Andrew Robinson »

Depending on what your purposes are, Teflon is an excellent HV insulator as well. I have known lots of people to turn Teflon cylinders into DIY HV insulators, myself included.
I can wire anything directly into anything! I'm the professor!
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Chris Bradley
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Re: Homemade ceramic insulators

Post by Chris Bradley »

Andrew Robinson wrote:Depending on what your purposes are...
As a general forum point, better to mention purposes at the outset than keep everyone guessing.
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Andrew Robinson
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Re: Homemade ceramic insulators

Post by Andrew Robinson »

Chris Bradley wrote:keep everyone guessing.
Aww where's your sense of mystery haha. Yes I agree though. Ambiguous posts just cause more back and forth and turbulence than required.
I can wire anything directly into anything! I'm the professor!
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