Are scalar waves BS?

[MarkE]

SeaMonkey, you are too kind, after a few months of participating in the other free energy forum I quickly learned that I needed
to apply a BS filter. It was you that made me realize that fact, at that time I shunned the other forums and posted only at EF and Then at Heretical Builders to get away from the constant OU fervor at EF. I shunned these forums because they actually had OU in their site names which irked me a bit. But I don't fit in on a conventional electronics forum I don't think, I stopped posting at Heretical because I thought they could use a break from me. So now I mainly post here. 

One thing I would like to do is to enclose my air variable capacitors in transformer oil (in cases) so they can take higher voltages.
I wonder if oil will affect their values at all as well, I guess I'll find out if I do it.

..

Transformer oil has a permittivity of 2.2, so your capacitance will increase over air by 2.2 times.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/relative-permittivity-d_1660.html

[Void]

One thing I would like to do is to enclose my air variable capacitors in transformer oil (in cases) so they can take higher voltages.
I wonder if oil will affect their values at all as well, I guess I'll find out if I do it.

Hi farmhand. Different oils will have a different dielectric constant (relative permittivity, symbolized as 'Epsilon r' [Er]) than air, so for sure
oil would change the capacitance. It looks like 'electrical grade caster oil' is good, as it apparently has a higher
break down voltage than air, and it also has a higher relative permittivity than air, so it will increase the
capacitance somewhat.

"Mineral oil is used extensively inside electrical transformers as a fluid dielectric and to assist in cooling.
Dielectric fluids with higher dielectric constants, such as electrical grade castor oil, are often used in high voltage
capacitors to help prevent corona discharge and increase capacitance."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dielectric#Some_practical_dielectrics

Castor oil apparently has a relative permittivity of 4.7 (4.7 times greater than a vacuum).
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/liquid-dielectric-constants-d_1263.html
Dry air apparently has a relative permittivity of about 1.000536

All the best...

[Farmhand]

I've got about 30 liters or more of 2nd hand actual "transformer oil" from an industrial source. A friend of mine got it for me.
A capacitance increase of 2.2 times sounds handy as well. Hmmm might be a good project to get the blood flowing. extending the
shafts to adjust the capacitors to outside through the top of a container. Should be able to do it without any need for seals under
the oil level easy enough. I'll filter it even though it looks clean to me.

It might mean slightly longer wires to the circuit though dammit.

[Void]

Farmhand, I hope it is not the toxic kind of transformer oil containing PCBs, and whatever else some of them have.
Plain castor oil may possibly work well, and may be a lot safer if you are not sure what all is in the used transformer oil you have.
All the best...

[TinselKoala]

The dielectric constant of plain mineral oil  (the unadulterated kind sold in pharmacies, Mineral Oil USP)  is about 2.1-2.3 depending on temperature, moisture content, etc. I've got several transformers and capacitor banks sitting around in plastic jars of the stuff. It's pretty inexpensive too.