"Potentially" dangerous question

Re: "Potentially" dangerous question

Chuck Engstrom

Hi Jerry -- Skycraft Surplus in Winter Park, FL used to have lots of transformers, http://www.skycraftsurplus.com/. I haven't been in the store for about six years now, so I'm not sure how their inventory may have changed -- it's a great place for odds and ends. Ham radio swap meets -- "hamfest" is the usual word -- sometimes have older stuff in the flea markets. Newark Electronics is all new stuff but a very wide selection, http://www.newark.com/. And of course there's good old ebay.

Good luck with it, and be careful. Post some results when you have them.

--Chuck

Re: "Potentially" dangerous question

Jerry Maske

Chuck and Jim,

Thanks for the links. I'll check them out.

There's a couple of great You Tube videos of this process and the video I like the best said using an old Neon Tube Sigh Transformer was his preference too because it was more powerful.

I'm going to jinx myself now and say that the process looks too easy. Having said that, I'll be sure to do this OUTSIDE, so I don't burn the house down. Twenty Thousand Volts on wet wood? What can possibly go wrong?

Jerry

Re: "Potentially" dangerous question

Dick Coers

Have you seen any work on turnings? All I have seen is on flat boards where they have driven a nail in each end. Curious how that can work on a finished vessel? The method I read about also used a salt solution on the surface.

microwave oven transformer

John K Jordan

Mike Pockoski uses a microwave oven transformer. You can find them everywhere. I saved an old microwave to get the transformer for burning wood some day.

Versatile transformer - a friend of mine has used them for several shocking experiments, the latest for melting and exploding 16 penny nails after rewinding the transformer secondary coil.

Here is a part of a picture of one Mike did. He said he coats the wood with a baking soda solution.

JKJ

Re: "Potentially" dangerous question

John K Jordan

>Twenty Thousand Volts on wet wood?

>What can possibly go wrong?

It's not the voltage, it's the current, or actually the combination of enough voltage (breakdown voltage) and current.

A friend and I made a Van de Graaff generator once and he could get 11" sparks off the tip of his tongue. This was an interesting conversation piece at parties. The voltage of the one we made was probably in excess of 100 thousand volts. (These generators will work in air up to about 5 million volts.) The current in a Van de Graaff is very small, otherwise I would no longer be able to talk to Joe on the phone.

High current is what burns your hand off, explodes screwdrivers, burns down houses. A microwave oven, neon sign, or old model-T spark coil, a TV tube flyback transformer, or a utility pole transformer run in reverse can all make a "hot" spark.

JKJ

Re: "Potentially" dangerous question

Mike Mills

I picked up a new 10,000V on the bay for <$50.

This video talks about the difference in voltage from a neon (7500+) vs a microwave (2000).

He talks about the differences starting about the 3 minute mark.

I checked the bay and the highest I saw was 12K.

Like the guy in the video I prefer to have it all ready as I don't care to monkey around with that much electricity rewiring a microwave unit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbNZ7NBXAMA

Re: "Potentially" dangerous question

Dale Gillaspy

I have used one many times on turnings. I use an older neon sign transformer. Mine is 12K volt. From what I understand, the newer ones have an internal breaker that will trip when you try and use it. The picture I have of one of my turnings is too big for this site, and I don't have time to resize it. I'll try later today.

Re: "Potentially" dangerous question

Jerry Maske

Thanks folks. I'll keep looking for a higher voltage transformer at all the on line places as well as anything I see in town.

I understand the Voltage/Current stuff pretty well. Spent twenty years in the Navy doing electronics, so I'm no stranger to that discussion. That was where I learned that there's a real fine line between Fear and Respect. I Respect electricity, but I don't fear it. And I've had enough "incidents" to justify my perspective. But I appreciate John instructing me anyway. Can't be too careful with this stuff. As I said; high voltage and wet wood? What can Possibly go wrong? Well, a LOT of stuff.

One of the videos I watched had the guy put his probes on pieces of PVC and place them in different positions to create the kind of pattern he wanted. In another one, the child simply held the wires in his hands and did the same thing. The PVC idea makes sense and is what I'll probably try, but I didn't like holding the wires loose.

Anyway, I'll keep looking. Not many sign shops is rural Maine, but sooner or later I'll wind up in a town larger than a postage stamp and who knows what I'll find.

Thanks again,

Jerry

Re: "Potentially" dangerous question

John K Jordan

Sorry, one never knows the level of expertise!

If you can't find a suitable transformer, you could twist my arm into taking the one out of the old microwave oven in my garage and sending it to you. I intended to "someday" try some burning with it but with the farm and all, that may never happen, and if it does I can always find another old microwave oven. Or just ask my buddy Joe for a spare transformer. (Every time I go see him he tries to load me up with with tools, motors, wires, switches, magnets, components - yesterday he offered a spare milling machine!) Joe and I have burned and exploded and built a lot of fun things over the years!

Mike Pockoski just posted a video on Facebook of a bowl burning in progress but I can't figure out how to post a link here. When someone asked how he did mention to google " lichtenberg technique" for instructions and sure enough, there is a lot.

JKJ

Re: "Potentially" dangerous question

Jerry Maske

John,

Your offer of a transformer is sincerely appreciated, and I'll take it if the secondary voltage is above 15K. Usually a microwave is lower than that. I'd really like to get up to 29K to get the kind of detail I want. So, look over the name plate data and see what it is.

I've watched a ton of those videos and am drooling to give it a try. Weather in Maine is relaxing and it won't be long before I can do that sort of stuff out in the yard, so I don't burn the house down. I've got a number of Maple logs to slab down too. And in the midst of all that I'm sure the wife will suggest I need to do some yard clean up after the winter season lets go. And once that starts, it won't stop until the snow flies again. Yeah, "Life Happens, WIFE happens too."

Thanks for the information.

Jerry