Fig. 43.—Showing how the Tinsel Brushes are arranged on the "Neutralizer" Rods.
Two large brass balls, two inches in diameter, are fitted over the ends of the axles, which project through the uprights. Bore a one-quarter-inch hole through each ball at right angles to the axle and slip a one-quarter-inch brass rod through and solder it fast.
Fig. 44.—The Complete Wimshurst Electric Machine. B B B B, Brushes. C C, Combs. D B, Discharge Ball. I I, Glass Rods. H, Handle. Q Q, Quadrant Rods. S S S S S, Sectors. S G, Spark-Gap. P P, Driving-Wheels. For the sake of clearness, several of the sectors are not shown.
The ends of the rods should be tipped with a bunch of tinsel or fine copper wires and be curved so that the brushes so formed will just touch the sectors on the disks when the latter are revolved.
These are the neutralizers and are arranged in the approximate positions shown in Figure 44.
The driving-wheels are connected to the bosses by means of small round leather belts. The belt at the rear of the machine is crossed in order to make the plates revolve in opposite directions.
If the machine has been properly built it is now ready for operation. It may be necessary to charge the machine the first time that it is used by touching several of the sectors with the charged cover of an electrophorus. Then if the handle is turned the accumulated electricity should discharge across the spark-gap at the top of the machine in the form of bright blue sparks.