Re: RF safety

[Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>]

Hi Chris,

	Dean Ortner stated in the Ripley's TV show last year that his fingernails
are blackened and it really hurts.  Most people would use thimbles to
spread the current preventing local burns.  In fact, there is an old patent
for using thimbles specifically for that (around 1917 if I remember).

	Since the currents are far from uniform, DC and other harmonics are common
making it very unpleasant.  One would not want to fall off onto the primary
due to a jolt...  Also, the ozone and nitrogen compounds as well as the
noise make it very unpleasant even if one does not get electrocuted.  A
wide variety of other screwed up things can happen like your hair or
clothing catching on fire...  It's just not a good idea...

	You may want to check the archives at www.pupman-dot-com for the lively topic
"Arcs off the fingers and getting killed in the process..." in February of
this year.  Where the "human fireball" stunt was a "hot" topic :-)


BTW- The Moody Bible Institute and Sermons For Science have gone separate ways.

http://www.moody.edu/sermons_moved.htm

Dean Ortner may go to the west coast... :-))  Dean's new page along with a
pretty good description of his Tesla coil stunt is at:

http://whittierchristian-dot-org/sfs/INTRO1.HTM

Dean has done this for 25 year and has almost been killed a few times... =:O

Cheers,

	Terry



At 09:29 PM 7/23/00 -0400, you wrote:
>Hello all,
>
>In the use of my coil, I noticed getting small pinpoint burns while resting 
>my hand on the power control box. I checked and rechecked the grounds in the 
>box, assuming that it was power in the box getting me. The grounds were just 
>fine. I was informed, and rightly so, that the burns were coming from my 
>conducting the current induced in me to ground. The point was made that the 
>folks that perform the "lightning from their fingers" tricks are the source 
>of the electricity, rather than the target, and so the effects may be 
>different. I am curious, and not interested in actually trying it to see, 
>what indeed the sensation might be.....Do you feel anything at all when 
>electricity leaves your skin?have any of the pros ever accidentally 
>discharged to a ground, and lived to tell about it?
>
>Curious, but not THAT curious :)
>
>Chris
>