Re: freak show with tesla coil, please explain

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

Original poster: Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-twfpowerelectronics-dot-com>

Hi,

At 02:31 AM 10/12/2003, you wrote:
>last night I was at a local amusement park and they had a halloween setup 
>thing going there with a sort of a freak show with guys putting spiks 
>through their arms and fire eating and the likes, but then they brought 
>this girl in a bikini out put her on a table around 3 feet high where she 
>sat then they dragged a ground cable around the table then wheeled out a 
>Large Tesla coil and a pole pig. only chain mail she had on was gloves and 
>she proceeded to hold her hands up and shoot out 4 foot arcs.

Wow!  Did the show have a name or anything.  Probably a traveling amusement 
thing.  I guess "I" would like to see it ;-))


>My question is this : I had read somewhere about misconceptions of the 
>skin effect and that people would have aches and pains for the rest of 
>their life if they tried this kind of thing, she does shows like 8 times a day.

Of course, she and the others probably have it "all figured 
out".  Frightening still, but if they have lived this long...  Unless there 
is a "wired" current path, the current goes through the blood vessels 
nerves and other good conductors inside one's body.  Damage varies due to a 
million variables...  If she lives, that is probably 99% of the days 
work...  Four foot arcs is at the "high end" of the stunt!


>After the show was over I went up to the guy and asked to see his TC setup 
>and he showed me all his components, a very very very very nice setup!

"Human fireball" setups tend to be very well made indeed since it is very 
important that nothing screws up.  These shows have been done since the 
very early 1900's.  Safety is in "the eye of the beholder".  A lot of 
people do dangerous things...  Vegas magic shows with tigers, camping among 
grizzly bears, skydiving though the Royal Gorge bridge (did significantly 
dent the bridge...*)  Have all claimed their toll these last weeks.  When 
they say "death defying" they really are NOT kidding...

*I read the autopsy report on that one...  Definite "instant death" from 
hitting steel suspension bridge at 150 MPH (but was wearing a 
helmet...).  Grizzly bear thing, well golly, "they were hungry", nuff 
said...  Tiger magic show, 0.02% failure rate...  Should have stopped at 
show 4999...

So we all go out some time...  Some of use help decide "how"...

Cheers,

         Terry