Bob Engelhardt wrote:

[snip] Mine is a MOT that I had cut in half & used the secondary. The cut
surface was bandsaw flat, but not machined. The core is 2+ x 4+ & I
put a 3/4" plate across the poles. I applied 120v, full wave
rectified.

Holy mackerel, 2x4 cross section on a core is a big sucker, sounds like it
must have been out of a commercial oven?

I started out about where you had been: 20-30 lbs. No problem, so I
started adding more. Well, I overflowed the bucket that I was putting
weight in (my MOT collection), switched to a milk crate and filled
that with all the MOTs, plus all the lead I had. Beefing up the
lifting system as I went. I got to 207+ pounds and had to stop
'cause the milk crate was full and near its breaking point, and the
lift system was also at its limit.

I'm impressed, and anxious to see what you can get up to. I'm also
encouraged that you were able to do this with the secondary winding.

Jon