How To Make Tone Caps - DIY Paper in Oil Capacitors

This is a basic electronics project for anyone interested rolling their own capacitors. Mike demonstrates the Art, while providing valuable tips for getting decent results. These are very low voltage capacitors intended for passive equalizer circuits in analog audio devices, such as an electric guitar or the passive filter network of a studio equalizer.
The materials used by Mike to roll his capacitor are as follows:
-tissue paper
-Aluminum foil (the thin/cheap stuff)
-mineral oil
-solid core 24AWG bare wire
-heat shrink tubing
-hot glue & hot glue gun
-epoxy (Gorilla brand used in this video)
-a capacitance meter or an LCR meter
-sissers
-right angle pliers, preferably with smooth surfaces
-a super flat work surface, such as a pane of glass or a sheet of plexi-glass
-soldering iron
-a couple small weights (~100g)
The patient was a 1996 Fender Jag-Stang (Japan). It was played through a very nice old 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb. Mics used were a Royer R121 right in front and the camera's built in crapola microphone. Mic preamps used with the Royer and with the narration were Lightning Boy Audio Trinity channel strips.
Thanks for watching. Please like and subscribe. Sign up for the LBA email newsletter for updates on new products, special sales, and giveaways here: eepurl.com/dbd6j5. Visit www.lightningb... and check out the LBA store on Reverb.com. Follow along for interesting LBA developments on lightningboyaudio

[@RevoFoto]

Great tutorial very informative and simple (in a good way)! Thank you for staying on subject and no intrusive background music. ❤

[@clasicradiolover]

Nice to see how these work. That being said I don't believe the myth that oil/paper caps are better since I learned electronics before guitar wiring. But this would work if I didn't have anything else.

[@brettbuck7362]

Definitely do not work better, easy to hear or measure. Most them are massively microphonic, too.

[@colinduffy9055]

This is the video ive been looking for proper class, cheers... I'm to tight to buy a cap for my guitar build Haha..

[@inotnad]

Nice video... To get a little more control on cap values, after dipping in oil and putting on the heat shrink, take some sewing thread and wrap the thread around the body of cap. Tight wraps, will increase the values closer to what you want. More wraps will increase the value to an extent.

[@LightningBoyAudio]

Nice tip!

[@ryanhare3551]

Great video

[@TimGilbert-kz6sx]

I really enjoyed this video. ~thanks! I’ve been experimenting with some different mods on a project guitar and was looking around for some PIO capacitors. This is an option that I can play with. I may make up a few and let them age a bit and give them a try.

[@ManuLeisure]

Good Job ! please let us know ESR value of the capacitor ! thanks !

[@tweakerman]

Brilliant video, I'm going to make a copper foil in oil cap, but I'll have to experiment a bit, I need to make a 0.22uf cap, the hardest part is, how to calculate how long the foil needs to be🤔

[@emiliorojo5560]

Hi, my name is Emilio and I live in Brussels Belgium, I am a luthier and in my quest to do as much as possible myself, I would like to manufacture my own 0.047uf and 0.022uf paper-in-oil capacitors professionally, make one it's easy but one that gets a professional finish isn't. I would like to know if you can help me, what kind of machine I can use, how to give the correct coating that is hard like bumblebees, or has an aluminum can. Thank you very much for taking the time to read this message.

[@gramursowanfaborden5820]

our quests are the same! (or very similar). will you also be creating your own fret wire, and how do you plan to do so?

[@gramursowanfaborden5820]

hi, this is very thorough and effective tutorial! but when testing, what numbers are we looking for in terms of resistance/how exactly do we know if we have a short? is there any way to test the capacitance with cheap multimeters?

[@deanpaulkeen4291]

Awesome video! thanks.

[@daniele.athing4039]

thank you for making this had to do a school work about this

[@mergatroid1212]

so looks like your old cap has drifted a bit from new, . 29uf to 31uf, 10 years, seems right, time to throw it out! nice to see you put another 29uf in it's place. should now sound the same as when you first did the mod 10 years ago! well done, nice job! next time you make a cap try adding a shield and tie it off to 1 leg, this will give the cap a polarity and your circuit will be much quieter as this will now reject unwanted electrical noise, you don't want to pick up am radio through your guitar!

[@ashersolomon9560]

They make extremely thin copper tape with conductive adhesive, used for shielding guitar cavities.

[@LightningBoyAudio]

I have some. Not ideal in my opinion.

[@huss03]

Sounded great!

[@u.s.a.198]

Great video... very good info and knowledge to share... loved it... ty

[@LightningBoyAudio]

Thank you.

[@willbarsam2202]

How would I make a capacitor like the black ice that will overdrive or distort my guitar when turned up?

[@LightningBoyAudio]

You wouldn’t. I believe that thing is just clipping diodes in a little black box. Wiring in some diodes is much easier than making a tone cap!

[@stephenhodgeman6496]

Also, what type of wire are you using? Does the type and gauge matter much?

[@LightningBoyAudio]

Thinner is better.

[@kft590]

Why not have more paper overlapping on the sides to ensure no shorting?

[@philgoode9015]

Thanks for this. Cool vid.

[@drew945101]

You're my spirit animal.

[@briansmith9698]

Lightning Boy Audio how did they get the colors on outside vintage paper with oil capacitors like some are orange others seen are green?

[@lisentzudir1087]

Can we dip it in lacquer to seal it?

[@LightningBoyAudio]

Seems like that would be a good idea. Epoxy might be better.

[@courier11sec]

This is a great video, friend. Too bad about the white balance. I wonder if there's a quick easy way to darken the surface of your workspace.

[@brianbloom1799]

How do you Figure the voltage Rating, of the Capacitor, Or can you

[@nopochoclos]

What about of voltages? how to build one for 16v?

[@wh0tube]

You don’t make’m like you used to! 😉 Great stuff. Have you tried copper foil?

[@audiofreq]

What about cookie shieets? They have wax on them already I believe. Too thick? What do you think?

[@LightningBoyAudio]

It will work, but will make a very thick cap. I think folks tend to prefer the sound of paper in oil over wax caps.

[@audiofreq]

@@LightningBoyAudio Ah ok, yeah im gonna try your method! This looks like fun :). I wander, what is the highest capacitance you've achieved with this method?

[@LightningBoyAudio]

.47uF

[@briansmith9698]

Lightning Boy Audio I have old tube radio I want use new paper oil capacitors for it wondering if I paid you you could make me capacitors?

[@briansmith9698]

Lightning Boy Audio how long will these capacitors last for? Tube radios had them.

[@LightningBoyAudio]

That depends on how well you seal it.

[@briansmith9698]

Lightning Boy Audio you know a place where can buy brand new paper in oil capacitors? Someday want restore a tube radio but want use paper cap.

[@LightningBoyAudio]

try tubesandmore.com

[@sub5ound1]

What kind of toaster oven do you use to toast your paper?

[@LightningBoyAudio]

any will do. So will a food dehydrator. Just keep the temp low and watch for browning. You don’t want the paper to brown.

[@cosmiceon]

only the most posh

[@stephenhodgeman6496]

Would it be easier to make the paper a little bit wider than the foil to avoid touching? I'm brand new to this lol.

[@LightningBoyAudio]

That’s the idea

[@theeoddname]

Excellent man. Thank you. What’s the expected life on these guys?

[@LightningBoyAudio]

Thank you. I have found good ones to average about 5-6 years, but I have one I made 11 years ago that still tests good.

[@theeoddname]

@@LightningBoyAudio thank you. I’m going to give it a go next weekend.

[@dbingamon]

@@LightningBoyAudio You should experiment with acid free paper. They say it lasts longer.

[@u.s.a.198]

What type and gauge of wire do you use on these? Ty

[@LightningBoyAudio]

I used 24AWG solid core wire. Thinner would work better.

[@kreynolds1123]

I've seen some people put their leads on opposing ends of each plate. Sadly, they are unaware of the unnessesary series inductive reactance they add.

[@skullheadwater9839]

how do you not tear the paper with those pliers?

[@LightningBoyAudio]

They are perfectly flat... no teeth.

[@ChickenPermissionOG]

Paper caps drift