Help making large electromagnetic coils

[tat2nu]

I am hoping that someone here can help me out. I am repairing an old giant (scaled ~4 times the original) tattoo machine for a very famous tattooer named Lyle Tuttle. I need to complete this project within the next two weeks. The machine was running very slow compared to a normal sized machine so I volunteered to repair it. In the last year I have made a lighter armature bar (definitely helped) and just recently made new coil cores (the old ones were retaining magnetism) for the machine. Now I need to wind them. The original coils are wound on 3/8"x1-1/4" cores with the winding being 8 layers of 24ga. wire wound 1" along the lenthe of the core with phenalic washers at the ends. Approximately 55ft. of wire. I need to know what gauge wire to wind the larger coils for the giant machine. I am leaning towards 16ga or 18ga. The new cores are 1-1/2"x5-3/4" and will be wound 3-1/2" the length of the core. Could someone here help me figure out the rough equivilent to the smaller coils. I would love to give some specifics on the electrical aspects but it will be hard. The item is real old and plugs directly into a 110v outlet. It has a transformer of some sort and a very large capacitor and rhoestat. I can not make out any sizes because they have all been painted black. The original size tattoo machines run around 6-12v dc if that helps any. If you need more information please let me know and I will do my best to try and clarify things. There is an illustration of a tattoo machine and parts at this url if you would like to see how it is constructed.

http://www.machinegunmagazine.com/html/whatsinside/names-01.html

Sincere thanks,
Marc Lescarbeau

 

[hacksaw]

to start, just duplicate the original coil design. you can always re-wind them.

your design is basically for dc mains, but it may work on ac although somewhat erratically.

it is possible that the original circuit contained a rectifier to produce dc. hand a volt meter on the original xfmer to see what voltage was being used, etc...

 

[tat2nu]

I am in a bit of a rush with the time frame and this is a volunteer job(out of my own pocket). I do not want to buy enough wire to wind them 3 or 4 times before I get it right.

There was a rectifier in the set up and the transformer is 24v and the Capacitor is 500mf or 1000mf. If one of you could let me know the correct order to set up these items so that I do not toast myself that would be greatly appreciated.

I guess that I am wondering what gauge and how mich wire will equal about 4 times the pull of the smaller version seeing how the armature bar is 4 times the size of an original and the rear spring(resistence point) is about 4 times the size of the original. I need the magnetic field to be strong enough to pull the armature bar down quickly so that the machine can run faster like a normal tattoo machine.

Thanks again,
Marc Lescarbeau

 

[hacksaw]

put the diode in series with one of the 24v leads, measure the voltage with a dv meter.

turn the diode around until you get 24v (+)between the free end of the diode and the other 24v transformer lead, then

connect the capacitor (+) between the free-end of the diode and the other 24v lead.

you can check the cap polarity with an ohm meter. if it is polarized it will register a greater resistance in one direction with the red lead on the positive term.

good luck