Re: Strange shock (fwd)

["Ed Phillips" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Barton B. Anderson" <tesla123-at-pacbell-dot-net>
> 
> Hi David,
> 
> I read this after replying to David's post. Since you observed the same
> phenomenon with a cardboard form, then I would think that the coating applied
> is probably the cause. I still think PVC and similar forms may cause this
> problem, but also the coating type. The charge properties of your
shellack may
> be very different than the Marine Spar Varnish I used. I've ran my coil in
> relative humidity levels down to 20, but never got a shock. I have a
habbit of
> touching the secondary after runs checking for a static charge and have never
> had one on the coil.
> 
> Bart

	A couple of points.  First, with regard to the coil form, it's on the
outside of the winding and your hands are on the outside.  Don't see how
it can store the charge we're talking about.  Second, I would think that
spar varnish would be as good a dielectric as shellac, and probably much
less hygroscopic.  Perhaps the thickness of the coat???  By the way, I
think the principal is probably the same as that of the electrophorous,
which is easily made (see Bill Beatty?) and makes pretty good sparks.

Ed