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Re: Ultraviolet light from brush discharge.

On Sun, 12 Mar 2000 Tesla List  wrote:
> Original Poster: Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> 	While running my CW coil in very low light, I noticed that paper and a few
> light colored cloths fluoresce as if under black light.  It was not real
> intense but I was wondering if it is maybe not a good idea to stare at the
> discharge for lengths of time.  I don't see the discharged "burned" into my
> retina if I close my eyes or anything, but I thought I would ask. 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> 	Terry
> 

Hi Terry,

It's of course depending on the power level, because every kind of discharge
produces some amount of UV light. In the past I have played with the carbon
of leadpencils in series with a toaster to produce a pretty big arc to
shine 1 mile away with a car headlight reflector and the following day I
was crying my eyes out! It took 4 or 5 day's for my eyes to return to
normal (I still don't need glasses, btw). On the power levels we use I
would advise: don't look to much to the spark gap, but the secondary arc's
are first normally not powerful enough and second they are very long and
therefore the power is diffused.    

When you want to be on the safe site you could of course use protective eye
ware.

Ruud de Graaf