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Re: Welders

[big snip on welder stuff]

>> No, I would not think it would be worth the trouble when something
>> simple and "off-the-shelf" like an arc welder is fully rated and
>> works so well in the 240 volt AC supply main.
>
>Agreed. In principle a small amount of salt in water and the thing
>in proper plastic tube would make suitable limitter for primary or
>secundary side. Managing the electrodes or cross section (current
>path) in one way or another is still a must if it is wanted
>variable. Much more work than with arc welders though. 
>
[more snip]

Dave Sharpe of the Tesla Coil Builders of Richmond VA (a Richard Hull
cronie) did a lot of work with liquid curent limiters and he _strongly_
advises against using salt water! The electrolysis will break the sodium
chloride down and will release pure chlorine gas in large quantities - not a
good thing if you like to breathe.  Dave found common baking soda worked
very well with water to produce a liquid electrolyte suitable for
controlling small to medium coils, with no chlorine gas release.  He used a
plastic trash can with two stainless steel plates, about two gallons of
water and a box of soda.  He would raise and lower the plates to control
current.  If the current gets too high, the water boils, further limiting
the total current; kind of like a self-limiting water moderated nuclear
reactor core.