Coil only arcs when safety gap fires (what the *%@?)

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Original poster: "Ethersmith" <siveya@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Grand Master Coilers,

I have my first brand new coil running on a 15/30 NST with a SRSP at 120
bps. I just fired it up for the first time and it is behaving oddly. After
tuning I am only getting very small arcs and only at the firing of the
safety gap (set just beyond the point where the NST at normal output would
cause an arc).

 My cap tank is actually 2 times resonance which I know is quite large (I
was having trouble finding a cap match and so I went with what I could find
until parts come back in stock). Might this effect my operation thusly? My
only other guess is coupling, which I have yet to fully understand. My
secondary sits 1.5 inches above my primary plane.

Any thought on the matter would be met with wild ululation :)

Ethersmith the Apprentice