Re: DIY Plasma globes available

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

Original poster: "c d by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <vbprg1-at-hotmail-dot-com>

was kinda thinking the same thing as Ken untill I
figued I could use it as a prototype to make more.
3 balloons and $50 could probably get you
a balloon full of helium (craft store)
a balloon full of argon (welding supply or any mig/tig welder)
a balloon full of neon (any tube bending neon shop/ not sign stores)

I believe that argon and helium achieve a plasma state with the lowest 
amount of voltage required to produce a blue white type plasma. They sell 
that premixed for mig welding. Pure argon for tig. You could just use one 
balloon. :) If you add neon into the mix I imagine it will become a more 
noticable orange red plasma with white with a bit higher voltage / current 
requirements to achieve a noticable effect. I have yet  to put this info to 
use. Been reading about plasma for awhile and have been practicing my 
skills as a glass blower. No Kidding getting really good at the sphere its 
the first most important basic shape :)
Meanwhile I slowly collect parts for very small
very low power tesla coils. grr.. black and white tv's are hard to come by 
now a day.

Anyone know the specifics about calculating minimum voltage necessary
to turn a significant amount of noble gas mixture x into plasma?
If you over heat it to much you burn through the glass outer sphere when 
someone contacts it. On further consideration I guess a plasma ball with an 
unknow gas mixture is a raw deal.

but I appreciate the heads up on the available product.
Where are you located Dave? I am still curios to see one of those.
It looks like the center post is made of solid glass? Does it have an 
electrode burried in solid glass?

On a side note if you contact cold glass with hot glass the cold glass 
breaks, Thermal shock, so repair is not really an option even with glass 
blowing skills. Its not impossible but probably easier to just make a new 
sphere.

Contact me off list if you like
Chris




>Original poster: "Crow Leader by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" 
><tesla-at-lists.symmetric-dot-net>
>
>I like how they (American Science and Surplus, peddlers lower and lower
>grade junk over the years)downplay a broken plasma ball as being no problem.
>
>The mixture of low pressure gasses is what makes a plasma ball exciting.
>Unless you have bottles of cool gas and glassworking abilities, it's an
>overpriced and useless product. It's like selling burned out lightbulbs.
>
>For the same cost as a broken glass ball, you can get a new GE 1000 watt
>incandescent large mogul base bulb tha makes really fun blue arcs from the
>filament to the glass.
>
>KEN

> > Group,
> > I ran across a source of 12" plasma globes for those of you interested in
> > playing with this sort of thing.  I ordered three -- two arrived with
> > broken off filler tips, but the third was sealed with an interesting gas
> > mixture inside.  The open ones could be resealed with a bit of
>glassblowing.
> >
> > One open one looked looked it had been removed from a base, and had a lot
> > of removable silicone adhesive around the neck.  The other open unit had
>no
> > adhesive, but a spot circled in black marker with an arrow suggesting that
> > it was a pinhole.  I don't know if it can be worked out or not.
> >
> > I have no commercial interest in the site -- just passing along the info
> > for anyone interested.
> >
> > See:
> >
> > http://sciplus-dot-com/singleItem.cfm?terms=8519&cartLogFrom=Search
> >
> >
> > 34464 PLASMA BALL $39.50 / EACH add to cart
> >
><http://sciplus-dot-com/_add2cart.cfm?jump=faq%2Ecfm&pid=8519&cartLogFrom=Search>
> >
> >
> > Probably searching on the part number will work better. (34464)
> >
> > Parts arrived 7 days from web order date, well packed.   Shipping was
> > reasonable.  No power supply, but that shouldn't be a problem for anyone
>in
> > this group!
> >
> > Merry Christmas!
> > Dave
> >
> >