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drilling a small hole in a $1 fuse, filling it with beeswax (or some other goop) and then soldering over the hole? I am thinking of giving it a shot.
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Where would you plan to drill it? On the side of the metal end caps, you'll be drilling through glass or ceramic under the metal. Drill from the end and you'll destroy the fuse.
Audio Magic drills them from the end. The following is excerpted from a Positive Feedback Online review of their nano fuse;
"The first step in converting this humble fuse into a unique audio device is to drill a minuscule hole slowly and carefully into an end cap, which is a difficult task to accomplish without damaging the filament. Then an opaque dampening fluid is injected through the hole, and surrounds the fuse filament. The process does not completely fill the entire chamber, for there is a small air bubble remains on the end. For all practical purposes, the level of immersion of the filament is more than enough to dampen it. A quick touch of a soldering iron seals the hole, and the fuse is ready for the Nano-Stream treatment."
My concern would be how it affects the parameters. Will it blow at the amperage it was designed for?
the size of the conductor?
Any fuse experts here?
The element will heat up and melt, at a rate dependent upon its gauge, as excess current begins to pass through the fuse.
The problem with what you're suggesting would be that the wax, sand, or other material the fuse would be filled with could keep the element cooler than it might be in free air. This could delay the fuse element opening (melting), subsequently causing damage to the unit the fuse is supposed to be protecting.
"You won't come back from Fletcher-Munson curve"-Jan and Dean
as I was inferring below, the shmutz may retard heat dissipation from the fuse element, causing it to heat up and fry prematurely. It could go either way.
More than one person has mentioned that some of the boutique fuse designs may owe their superior sonics to the fact that they are not up to spec in their capacity as a fuse.
that fuses have very different blow characteristic, particularly the new metric fuse. They have different over current ratings ( when one checks their specs) and the time delayed fuses also have differing time before they blow.
many manufacturers do not recommend "audiophile" fuses, and recommend using only classic, time-tested Bussmann fuses.
OTOH, I have also spoken with designers who believe in the sonic benefits of "aftermarket" or "audiophile" fuses and who seem to think "close is good enough" with regards to the value. In other words, they recognize there may be small differences in fuse values but they don't wig out about it since a small amperage difference is not likely going to be primary factor of whether equipment is fried or not during an unfortunate electrical event.
I mean, I've never seen any - neither in my system, where I have Furutech and Hi-Fi Tuning Supreme fuses, nor in any posts by other people with first-hand experience.
Those that are fixated on "snake oil", and have seen "boutique" fuses they love to put down only in the pictures on the web - they are entirely different matter, of course.
Like 1973 shovel, I too use the term "boutique" with respect to fuses only to denote that I am referring to "audiophile" fuses or "expensive" fuses. There is plenty of testimony here and elsewhere on the internet, and directly from friends in this hobby, to the effect that such fuses can have a positive effect on sonics. So I do not dismiss the possibility. (Oddly enough, my one experience of "A/B" between an audiophile fuse and a hardware store fuse gave a result decidedly in favor of the latter, in the presence of four others with impeccable credentials superior to my own, all of whom felt the same.)
Now to get to the point: Do you mean to say here that you have personally subjected the mentioned brands of audiophile fuse to increasing known amounts of current at specified voltage and that they reliably "blow" when they should blow, based on their specs? If so, that would be important information. If not, then what are you saying? For my part, I do admit that I have no direct evidence to back up the notion that audiophile/boutique fuses are sometimes not up to spec.
And; See link:
~D
Wherever you go there you are.
Not bloody likely. But it would be interesting if they were.
Should have written "UL" (Underwriter's Lab), not "UA"; obviously.
Edits: 07/20/15
I can't speak for Lew, but I used the word "boutique" as a descriptor regarding the price of these fuses, not to question their potential sonic effectiveness. The word "boutique" is quite different than "snake oil" which nobody (but you) used.
I have no experience with these fuses, but I do have questions about how various internal damping materials affect the element melting time. I'm not willing to risk a $2000 amp, especially one which can't be replaced*, on a "Ahh, they should be OK", from people who are only guessing.
Not everyone who asks questions is an interloper.
(*First Watt F1J. Only 101 were produced)
"You won't come back from Fletcher-Munson curve"-Jan and Dean
As you said, it's speculative what's going on internally, with regard to temperature and the boutique fuse's ability to open when it's supposed to.
It's just not worth the risk to me.
"You won't come back from Fletcher-Munson curve"-Jan and Dean
Your thought about changing the thermal properties by sinking heat away from the element seem plausible and would be fun to test.
It would also be fun to test some of the expensive "audiophile" fuses that are filled with sand, powder or bees wax.
I would have a $40 HiFi Tuning fuse when I really want a $175 Audio Magic fuse :~)
Beeswax is flammable: big no no
Some fuses use silica sand as damping agent. Fusible elements do noticeably "twitch" on initial power application. May extend life by limiting metal fatigue.
It melts at 140F and flashes in the 350-400F range.
It is not explosive from what I can find.
It is used (in combination with ceresin and ethyl cellulose) as a potting material for electrical equipment.
solder melts at 500 F (depending on the solder)
beeswax could possibly leak out and be a potential fire hazard b depending on location,
While caps and such use beeswax they are not intended to reach such high temperatures although I have seem older caps leak out wax.
.
I had a few of the Audio Magic fuses that were filled with some other type of liquid. And yes, they blew very quickly.
Seems to me that filling a standard hardware store glass tube fuse with "goop" might impede heat dissipation from the fuse element within, thus effectively lowering the current at which the fuse would blow or turning a slo-blow into a fast-blow.
I suppose sand would be harder to get in, as you couldn't inject it i don't think. If there is a way, I'd run a magnet through the sand first, to remove any conductive particles. Also, if your aim is to damp the fuse, why can't you just stick a piece of putty to it?
I guess you meant your comment to be directed to the OP. But putting putty or something like putty on the outside of the fuse would not necessarily have the effect he desires, I think.
Yes, getting sand into a fuse without totally destroying it would be "difficult".
yes, anything on the outside may not damp the filament, if that's the desired effect
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