Hubbard coil

[Paul-R]

Soft iron is about impossible to find in any quantities that can be really utilized and fit within my budget. The steel I have ordered is 1018 cold rolled (specs below).
C 0.14 - 0.2 
Fe 98.81 - 99.26  <<mostly iron eh?

Ordinary steel is ususally between 0.2 and 2%. Iron can be found in architectural
foundations since it is good re rust. I think it would pay to try and get iron.

I thought of trying to electroplate iron out of a Ferrous Sulphate solution, starting
with a wax candle covered in carbon dust, in order to end up with an iron tube.
(The candle would be melted out of the way). Pretty hard work. There must be a better way.

[PhiChaser]

I think that the outer 8 coils just need to be (or able to be) electromagnets. The center core needs to be able to load up and dump a current but those outer coils will stay loaded (my speculation). Here is a pic of the eight coils drawn as iron core inductors in series wound bifiliar (being the same they are 1:1 transformers right?). The current keeps going round and round and round...

I'm not sure if this schematic is drawn properly at all. I know bifiliar windings are drawn differently but this looks close to a good representation of how the outside coils will be wired to me. The steel rods would be all magnetically tied together (alternating poles so they all attract to each other). Again, think one long piece of metal wound with wire in one direction, cut into multiple parts, then folded where the cuts are so that the current keeps going into the next rod spiraling in the opposite direction on the rod (N to S) but moving the current in the same direction where the conductors are sitting next to each other. I defer to you guys that know how to draw decent diagrams... How do you draw the center (or outside) coil in regards to this drawing?!? (I hope this is making sense heh heh...)

[PhiChaser]

I have received some of my supplies and was fooling around with some measurements and found a couple interesting 'coincidences'. Due to the nature of the shapes of the electromagnets (cylinders/circles) and the number PHI (1.618) one 'layer' of windings on the outer coilset (primaries?) is exactly five times (5x) the length of one layer on the tapcoil (secondary?). This would make it a step down transformer  (as far as conductor length goes anyways) correct? Makes sense except that the outer coilset is comprised of eight 1:1 transformers in series. Because they all are touching the central coil does that mean 8 x 1:1 = 8:1??? All coils are the same physical height so you get 8:1 coil HEIGHT for the price of 5:1 conductor LENGTH... Hmmm 8/5=1.6 (What was that number again??)
Seems like this should be something that is already discussed somewhere?!? Help me out if you know where this info/discussion is, eh?
I think if the wire is wound properly around the coilset you are essentially winding a toroid (although physically I think it would look more like a wavy version of a doughnut with four high spots and four low spots...) that works more like eight PMHs tied together. Hope this makes some sort of sense heh...
I need to locate a variac... And a bench vise...
PC

[Paul-R]

I need to locate a variac...

I got a good one off Ebay. But they are heavy. Transport might be an issue if
it is not near enough to collect.

[PhiChaser]

I got a good one off Ebay. But they are heavy. Transport might be an issue if
it is not near enough to collect.

I just really need a hobby sized vise that can clamp to my counter/table... Probably find one locally or on craigslist for cheap. My 'local' UPS pickup is about 10 miles away (I found that one out last week)...
PC