It was fairly brittle which probably explains the large diameter of the wheel as the crystallized ribbon conformed to the circumference of the wheel before spinning off into a receiving bin.

I mean, you could bend it but it was not like al foil or anything.

Bill

QuoteAnd what are the properties of soft iron that make it important in the coils? 

Hard Iron will retain more of a magnetic field after the magnetic field collapses than soft iron. When using these types of coils you want the maximum magnetic field collapse which produces more power.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_core

Heres a link for soft iron cores in a package of ten. Get enough replicators and you can divy the cost as well as having the same core.
http://sargentwelch.com/soft-iron-rod/p/IG0038157/

Thanks everyone.  I wish I had asked that question last year.  It might have saved me some time and money.

@IotaYodi:  I looked at the website for the soft iron bars.  They sure look good, but a little pricey for me at this time. 

(pkg of 10 ...15 cm long for $37.55  or pkg 10 ...9.5 cm long for $41.09)

my bolts are 20 cm long at around $1.00 each so 10/Approx $10.00.  I guess I will have to go with these as much as I would love to try the good ones.  Just cannot justify the expense right now.

I will look online for sources for soft iron wire, though.  Maybe that wont be so expensive.  Anything has to be better than fence wire, I guess.  I do have a bunch of wire clothes hangers, but I really wanted to use a bolt like in the patent.  (I hear the clothes hangers are soft iron)

As soon as I get time I will upload some pictures of my new coils.  I am hoping they will work better after being buried this spring.

QuoteHeres a link for soft iron cores in a package of ten. Get enough replicators and you can divy the cost as well as having the same core.
http://sargentwelch.com/soft-iron-rod/p/IG0038157/

Those are the very soft iron rods that I ordered.  I am not very happy with them.  They retain their magnetism after the magnetic field is turned off.  I think I am going to try a ferrite rod.  Maybe I will make a huge coil around this: http://www.stormwise.com/page26.htm  I am open to suggestions for a good ferrite rod to use.  I know very little about them.

Here is a design that I plan on building when I get back from my trip.  Based on testing that I have already been doing I am pretty sure this motor is going to run good. It will also to some extent accomplish the " make and break" switching.

@Lasersaber,

This is really good what you are doing, finding these places to shop for materials, but, can I ask if you might post the details on how you made your stubblefield coil you posted above and on the one you posted on You Tube.

I am asking, because I don't want to go to all the effort and make it the wrong way.
Did you make the turns on the former by turning the former and feeding while guideing the wire.
Did you use a battery powered drill to turn the former?

I would think the only way to get a clean smooth level wire finish, one would need to secure the drill in a bench vice, secure the former by it's free threaded bolt end in a chuck, then set the drill speed and feed the 2 wires as the former revolves.

How many turns did you put on the coil?

I have some thick iron wire which is plastic coated, I have thinner garden wire plastic coated, and  I have bare iron wire. 

Am I headed in the right direction?

@Protonmom,
your idea to test the bolt for residual magnetism is a very good one, how could a stubblefield coil work if the iron/steel bolt became magnetised?
It has to be able to "drop" the magnetic field quickly, I wonder if long thin transformer steel would do the trick?

It would have a influence on the rest of the iron bifilar wire on the coil.

jim