[Drew Pilcher] Durable as required, core without custom-wound coils, and perfectly flat side. The coils can certainly be wound by hand, but some extra support is needed to make the perfect coil with a reliably thin wire and lots of layers. Happily, [Drew] That’s exactly the way it works. Probably no surprise, the key to repetitive, high-quality coils is good preparation and equipment.
The most important part is the ability to rotate a spool to rotate without removing the hand from the workpiece. To do this, lay the foundation for a cheap, no-name power drill and foot pedal (made from the cut trigger unit of the drill). [Drew]Its DIY Winder. To make the coil with precision, one must calculate the number of turns. Thanks, there is a simple solution for this; [Drew] A cheap digital turn counter has been used from Amazon. This economical device uses a magnet and sensor, so [Drew] Simply attach the magnet to the side of the drill wheel.
The wound around the wire to form the coil is called the spool, and then it has to be removed from the coil. To accomplish this, [Drew] Using a brass shaft, metal washer and some plastic spacers. A light coating of grease on the spool surface helps to ensure that things are properly separated in the end.
To actually make the coil, [Drew] Some ways of magnification and CA recommend the supply of glue. Air the wires as cleanly and closely as possible and apply CA glue during the process to secure things. It takes some practice, but really clean windings are done properly if possible.
For thicker coils with multiple layers, CA will hold the adhesive things well enough, but for smaller coils [Drew] Likes to give them a final coating of two-part epoxy. After things are fully set, the spool is detached and the inner core is pushed out as gently as possible.
The result? Durable coil with a tightly-wound, perfectly flat side. That’s the right thing to do [Drew] Needed for his upcoming coil gun project. How does that work, you wonder? You can see the basics of the cover here.