Bill Janssen wrote:
Chuck Harris wrote:

Well my transformer doesn't have a wooden wedge. It has a plastic bobbin
and the
laminations are tight in the bobbin. Also the laminations were
apparently dipped in
varnish as they were assembled. I finally managed to free two of the I
laminations
using the knife trick, but there is no room for the knife between the E
laminations.

I cannot imagine anyone working with slimy varnished laminations. The usual
trick is to vacuum impregnate the whole tranny with varnish. They put the
tranny in a pot of varnish, and draw a vacuum. The vacuum draws out any air
between the laminations, and windings. When they release the vacuum, the
varnish is sucked in to fill the vacuous areas.

You should be able to force a sharp blade under the top most "E" lamination
on the free corner. It doesn't hurt the lamination to warp it a bit. The
varnish will be very brittle, and has little tensile strength.

-Chuck