Do you think that using a "thinner" concentrate would help when first priming a new EO core? as i understand its somewhat harder to load a dry core. I am thinking that loading some tetra labs Pure Gold might be my best best for christening my EO core.
also, say one were to use a cleaner concentrate exclusively (such as pg). How often would you recommend cleanings?
Yes, I think it does, in fact it did in the only case I've tried. I just got that custom wound oil cart from Tim. I was trying to get a cart with a high enough resistance so regulated VV supplies would not reject it as a shorted cart. Tim got to barely make one of them at an indicated 1.2 Ohms, but the higher resistance means it doesn't make full power at 3.7 Volts any more. So I went with a 'medium weight' CO2 oil, clean but thick when cool. I put .5 grams into the cavity on top and gave it 3 ten second or so shots of hot and set it aside to let the heat work through the block. A few minutes later it was a thin (viscous) liquid puddle in the bottom of the chamber (on top of the plate), perhaps 1/3 or so the full? It had a steep concave surface (it was 'climbing the walls'). 10 or so seconds more heat and down it went and I was golden.
I want to try it again, but a 'two stage' load seems to work very well. Letting it get fairly hot by sitting in a hot body (or at least warming) in the upper chamber until it's fairly well melted, then heating the core. It seemed to me that when the core got hot enough some threshold was reached. I cut power and let it distribute itself and then hit it lightly for a few times. I think hitting it hard before its well worked in is a mistake, but haven't tried it....
I still intend to get a PG only cart going, but this one went to another cause (the high resistance experiment) so until I get it rewound (if I do, it has promise if the right supply can be found), that PG test will have to wait I'm afraid.
Not to be glib, but I don't think I can afford enough PG to foul one of these guys out. And if I finally did, not only should it be falling down easy to clean relative to the ones dealing with lots of junk but simple replacement becomes a trivial 'tax' on one's PG bill you know.....
And then there's the bit Tim said when he handed it to me, 'this might be just the ticket for PG'..... You never know, he could be right this time..... He's about due, doncha think?
Maybe when I give up on this test I should clean it out and start over with PG, although what that might mean with standard power levels would be anyone's guess?
But, yes, I think thin concentrate, especially coupled with pre heating in the chamber on top, is a good way to go. More research is clearly needed, volunteers eagerly sought....
OF