Re: Apartment coilers beware!

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Tesla729-at-cs-dot-com 

In a message dated 11/30/00 9:14:54 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
tesla-at-pupman-dot-com writes:

<< I always switch 
 that light off when operating the coil, but one time while the coil 
 was running I noticed a sudden "pop" and small explosion in the light 
 switch on the wall.   >>

Hi all,

I have another little accident story to add to this thread. I had already 
been firing my pole pig system for a few months when one day I was
firing some pretty hot spark runs from it. Of course I had my earplugs
in place while firing, but I happened to notice a "popping" noise above 
the noisy sparks thru my earplugs. I turned off the system and started
to investigate. I found that a spark had struck a gallon jug of windshield
washer fluid (methanol based) and also found that I had a nearly invisible
fire going from the fluid scattered by the little explosion. The spark had 
penetrated the plastic wall of the jug and ignited the mehtanol based blue
windshield wiper fluid inside. Fortunately, I didn't have much trouble extin-
guishing it once I discovered it, but I certainly could have burned down my
shop, had I not been alert. Be sure to keep flammable materials away from
sparking Tesla coils!

Sparkin' in Memphis,
David Rieben