Old fuse, can it be rebuilt?

[K1KFI]

I snuffed a Buss HVC1 fuse in my power supply.  The part is no longer available. It takes the B+ from the rectifier on the business end of a 3-14 Henry swinging choke, provides fuse protection and the outboard side is where I hook up the 1600 volts high voltage wire to the modulator and RF deck. The fuse is 5 and 1/4 inches long, 3/8ths diameter with brass caps that are removable. Inside the tube is a guide for the fuseable link. The link/wire is passes through the ends of the brass caps and then its soldered there. That's how it was constructed. Now the question is, can I rebuild this fuse and how would I calculate the proper wire and type of wire to use. Ballpark rating on the amps to be drawn through it is 24 to 26 amps....I could not use the fuse and go direct, but I put a lot of time into resurecting the transformer from corrosion and the like and would like it to live a good life!

Cliff

[WA3VJB]

I hate fusible links. I have an 87 Chrysler with these things in the wiring harness. Great for roadside repairs. Ask Dave, W2VW.

If the housing is THAT big, why not use a contemporary HV fuse inside it, and solder some short pigtail wire to the caps of the new fuse.

I doubt you would lose any points with the judges at the next competition show you enter if you were to solder the pigtail ends to to the brass caps as if they were fusible link material.

But if you insist, the stripped pigtails can probably be compression-fit between the brass caps and the body of the old fuse, making contact without intrusive soldering. Put that side of the fuse out of view, and chic alors the concours d'elegance is yours, certainlement !

[k4kyv]

I recall when I lived in East Africa in the late 60's, the house fuses were made of lead alloy wire.  The fuse panel had nothing but a couple of terminals for each fuse, and you bought a roll of fusible wire, which resembled small gauge solder.  Whenever a fuse blew, you simply removed the remains of the old wire, and cut a new piece of wire to length from the roll, attached it to the terminals, and you were in business.  It was much cheaper than a replaceable fuse - probably a fraction of a cent per fuse.  I soon got the hang of replacing the fuse wire without turning off the mains supply, without getting a NASTY shock - the a.c. line voltage was 230 volts @ 50~.

In fact, the expression in English to describe the procedure used to be "mending a fuse."  That specific expression appears in the lyrics of the song in the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club album, "When I'm 64."

Maybe, with some trial and error, you could find a thin gauge solder that would work.  I have never seen fusible wire for sale in the US, but I have never looked for it either.

[W2XR]

These  Cooper Bussman HV-series fuses are still readily available. I just purchased five of the 500 MA @ 5KV HVC-series fuses from my local Graybar Electric distributor 2 weeks ago for use as spares for my rig; I bought them now, as the pricing has been increasing at about 10% per year over the past several years. They are not a stock item, but I had them four business days after I placed the order with the local Graybar office here on Long Island.

Note that they are not cheap; net price is around $15.00 each.  I use this value fuse to protect the 833A modulator in my rig.

Graybar has sales offices in virtually every larger municipality in the U.S and Canada. They are an authorized distributor for Cooper Bussman.

73,

Bruce

[K1KFI]

Many thanks for the help!

I'm going with...secretly modifying the current fuse. Somehow I can't pass up on the way it looks on its holder bolted to the big choke! Besides its more fun to experiment and come up with inexpensive solutions.
       Why re-invent the wheel? ...Cause you don't have one!

73

Cliff
K1kfi