Quenching Safety Gap?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Bill Vanyo by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>" <vanyo-at-echoes-dot-net>

I just put together the power supply for my first coil: three 15/60
NST's with line filter on one side and NST protection filter, with
safety gap, on the other.  In trying to adjust the safety gap, I found
that I could set it wider than the arc would jump, but that if I coaxed
the arc to jump, such as by momentarily bridging the gap with a metal
object (on end of insulated pole), the arc would then sustain itself. 
Wouldn't this then be a problem during operation of a coil?  It seems
that if the safety gap fires, it will not quench.  

I also hooked up a jacobs ladder, with a gap narrower than the safety
gap, and similarly, could force the arc to move from the jacobs ladder
to the safety gap or back again by bridging either gap momentarily, and
then the arc would stay there (at the ladder, or at the safety gap).

I don't see how, once the safety gap fires, it will quench.

	Thanks
	B i l l   V a n y o