[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: Colored sparks
From: Steve Rodway[SMTP:Legion-at-bigfoot-dot-com]
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 1997 11:32 AM
To: Tesla List
Subject: Re: Colored sparks
Tesla List wrote:
>
> From: Gary Lau 10-Dec-1997 1244[SMTP:lau-at-hdecad.ENET.dec-dot-com]
> Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 1997 10:51 AM
> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
> Subject: Colored sparks
>
> Last night I placed a small wad of paper towel, soaked in water, and
> thickly covered with table salt on my torroid such that this would
> constitute a breakout point. The streamer that originated from this
> point was beautiful - BRIGHT sodium-yellow for about the first foot of
> arc, then fading to the usual blue-violet. Try it!
>
> I'm anxious to try salts of other metals - copper, barium, and strontium
> come to mind. Two things though. As the arc vaporized the salt, it was
> re-deposited on the surface of the torroid, so that even after removing
> the salty wad, sparks leaving the torroid were somewhat yellow (perhaps a
> concern for purists, may also be corrosive to the aluminum tape). Also,
> while NaCl vapors and dust are harmless, other salts may not be.
>
This sounds like a great experiment, but I do have a few reservations,
the trace of remaining sodium will most likly swamp any other color you
try to produce, as sodium is one of the strongest color emmiters there
is, also vapors from copper and barium would probably be quite toxic, so
ourdoors would be sensible, with the operator upwind of the coil.
--
**********************************************************************
*Stephen Rodway Legion-at-Bigfoot-dot-com * Support your local *
*Tel. +44 1684 567588 * coroner.... *
*For Email use PGP where possible. * Die strangly! *
*http://www.legion-elec.demon.co.uk/index.htm * *
**********************************************************************