Re: 1st Tesla Coil WONT LIGHT HELP PLEASE!

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

Original poster: "Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net> 

 >
 > one more thing, i am using metal caps for the capcitor bottles, is this
why
 > i get that spark on the terminal that broke the bottle?
 >
 >

no.. you don't want metal caps!... use a wad of masking tape or modeling
clay or mud or something to hold the wire in the neck of the bottle.  Wax
works nicely.. you can soften it in hot water, shove it in, and then when it
cools, it makes a fairly good seal, reducing the odds of "spilled water and
oil.

If you have metal caps (particularly standard ones with little pointy edges)
you might be losing power through corona discharge off the caps.