Re: X-rays from light bulbs/Tesla Coils !!!

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: X-rays from light bulbs/Tesla Coils !!!
From: Bert Hickman <bert.hickman-at-aquila-dot-com> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)
Date: Tue, 07 Sep 1999 16:11:23 -0600
Approved: twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net
Delivered-To: fixup-tesla-at-pupman-dot-com-at-fixme

Jeff and all,

In the earlier days of light bulbs, manufacturers used a high vacuum to
prevent filament oxidation. Modern lightbulbs are backfilled with a bit
of gas (typically nitrogen or argon) to retard evaporation of the
tungsten filament. The difference in behavior between the two types of
bulbs is very easy to see - those with no gas back-filling tend to show
little if any internal plasma discharges, and the glass often fluoresces
a yellow-green color from x-ray bombardment. The back-filled bulbs
provide a beautiful violet and rose-colored plasma display, with much
reduced x-ray production. When doing demos, only use modern lightbulbs
which show the plasma display, and keep run-times reasonable. 

-- Bert --

Tesla List wrote:
> 
> Original Poster: "Jeff W. Parisse" <jparisse-at-teslacoil-dot-com>
> 
> John, Jeff, Group...
> 
> Wait a minute! Let's back up. Maybe I missed something.
> 
> X-rays from a TC excited light bulb? I use a VTTC to light lightbulbs
> and/or create corona on the filaments all the time as I'm sure
> many of us with VTTCs do.
> 
> Are there any x-ray experts willing to comment on the thread below?
> 
> Jeff Parisse
> 
> > >Just wanted to relate that I have produced x-rays using an antique light
> > >bulb and a small 3-4" spark Tesla coil.  The radiation was strong enough
> to
> > >weakly fluoresce an x-ray screen with a target shadow (paper clip used
> for
> > >target object) between the bulb and screen.
> >
> > THANK you for this email.  When I started out fiddling around with Violet
> > Rays and different smaller Tesla Coils, knowing nothing anything about
> > Tesla, sparks, or radiation I was lighting up Edison bulbs and noting that
> > the glass phosphoresced a beautiful yellow green colour, and that the
> > filaments and posts inside cast black shadows on the glass.  Didn't have a
> > clue what was going on.  I must have played quite a long time with this
> > light bulb, and in the weeks time acquired a half dozen or so more bulbs
> to
> > play with, and found similar results.