Re: [TCML] danger

[<pterren@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have a significant hole in some corrugated sheet in my shed from an 
electrode from an exploding polycarbonate disc. I have always kept out of 
the line of fire before and after, but only use Tuffnol now.

Peter
www.tesladownunder.com

-----Original Message----- 
From: Colin Heath
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 9:01 PM
To: Tesla Coil Mailing List
Subject: Re: [TCML] danger

While I agree some of these things can be dangerous we cross roads and drive 
cars every day without someone holding our hand and use common sense to keep 
us safe. The dangers of this hobby are well documented and accepted. Please 
be careful typing long messages about safety as RSI can be serious 
condition!

Colin

Sent from my iPhone

On 3 Jan 2012, at 23:42, Bob Svangren <qogman@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I am so very surprised at the amount of coilers who are attempting the 
> great adventure of building a Tesla coil and other contrivances without 
> much knowledge of the dangers involved.
>  There is a great danger in charging even a small capacitor to a high 
> potential and getting a hand across the terminals. It only takes one tenth 
> of an amp across the human heart to kill. Other dangers are the high speed 
> rotary switching systems which if not in perfect balance, can explode.
>  The high voltages of most Tesla coils are not as much of a concern as the 
> extremely high peak amps of the primary and you will not get a second 
> chance at life.  There is a danger with the Ozone gas from long runs of 
> Tesla coils . Keeping fresh air in the lab is very important. The fellow 
> that is working with X-rays should do a lot of reading on the subject in 
> order to have any chance of good health after testing these devices.  Even 
> the coatings applied to secondary coils can be of great danger. Testing a 
> fresh coil can cause the gasses inside the tube to explode.
>  One coiler wrote of using soft black plastic to build a rotary switching 
> system. I can't
> stress enough the dangers of using soft plastics to build the rotary disc. 
> At one time, Lexan, poly carbonate was thought to be bullet proof and thus 
> was used by many coilers for the rotary disk.
>  I have done extensive research in this and found that Lexan or any other 
> poly carbonate is the
> absolute wrong thing to use. It is not bullet proof and will also get soft 
> and distort with heat.
>  I did the bullet test and all it did was dent where the bullet hit but 
> the shock wave shattered the lexan like window glass. This was after I had 
> a beautiful Lexan rotary gap explode in my lab and I came very close to 
> being killed. Read a lot, get informed, use a lot of caution. Good luck.
>
> NORTHWEST TESLA COIL BUILDERS
>
> Bob 
> _______________________________________________
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> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
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