Re: RE- coil form questions

To: "'Tesla List'" <tesla-at-poodle.pupman-dot-com>
Subject: Re: RE- coil form questions
From: Tesla List <tesla-at-stic-dot-net>
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 21:58:21 -0600
Approved: tesla-at-stic-dot-net

From: 	mikey1[SMTP:mikey1-at-gladstone.uoregon.edu]
Sent: 	Friday, November 21, 1997 8:29 PM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Re: RE- coil form questions

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> From:   Randy Venable[SMTP:randy-at-gte-dot-net]
> Reply To:       randy-at-gte-dot-net
> Sent:   Thursday, November 20, 1997 11:08 PM
> To:     Tesla List
> Subject:        Re: RE- coil form questions

 
		<Now with 83% SNIP!>


> >         2) Do you recall Michael's Pyro-organoleptic Test for
> >            identifying polymers?
> >
> >                 Hint:  You burn it and sniff it.  Then Compare
> >                        the aroma with that of known specimens.
> 
> A:I am not about to intentionally inhale fumes from burning synthetic
>   compounds. A friend of mine got a good whiff off of heated (not
>   burning) PVC. It's not clear whether he actually lost consciousness
>   or not, but, close enough. I am sure there is a bevy of -aldehydes
>   and cyanides and various other bugaboos just waiting to happen.


Randy,

The procedure, the way in which you describe it, is without a doubt VERY
dangerous.  However, the dangerous part is in your assertation that the
fumes be inhaled.  As anyone who has ever taken a chemistry class knows,
the correct procedure is known as wafting, and is a skill which must be
done properly to be both safe and useful.  The way it was explained to
me, (lab day #1), was that only an extremely minute amount of sample
need be used, generally diluted with ambient air.  

Using the smallest size of sample practicle, approach the sample to be
tested, and, with a cupping motion, draw a diluted sample towards your
nose.  Of course, you WILL be wearing eye protection.  The next part is
hard to describe without seeing it, but you in essence sniff _at_ the
sample.  The key is in trying to partake of the smallest bit of sample
possible, and to only allow it to enter the foremost part of the sinoid
cavity; for this you must practice initially with more benign samples. 
Developing your olfactory awareness is important, and it is obvious that
it should not be performed if the experimenter has a cold, or has just
been to the dentist, for example.  With proper techniques and practice,
you will develop a keen awareness and intuition for the chemical
compositions of all but the most toxic of substances.

Now, about your friend's exposure to pvc fumes, I would point out that
many have hidden chemical allergies which can be developed over time
with repeated exposure.  It could also have been an acute reaction to a
large concentration of the fumage; I have experienced this once, but saw
it coming in time to get away from the source and to ventilate before I
got more than a cursory whiff.
	
<point mode = ON>   

Almost any scientific endeaver will have inherent risks associated with
it, and it seems especially so with TC's.  I just read a post in which a
fellow got bit by his charged caps (no discharge routine)!  Very scary,
if you ask me.  It cannot be overstated that we must be dilligent in our
adherance to routines which emphasise safety, and encourage double and
triple checking to be safe.  Mental acuity and an intimate knowledge of
the forces we deal with are the only ways in which dangerous situations
can be avoided, and even still, dangerous situations have a nasty habit
of getting uncomfortably close to us when we lapse for just a fraction
of a second.
 
At high voltages, that's all it takes.

<point mode = OFF>


Mike Rusher
-- 
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