RE: The dowel of death - SAFETY

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

Original poster: "Garry Freemyer by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <garry-at-ndfc-dot-com>

This isn't directed towards anyone in particular but ...

The more I read, this thread, the more confused I become. From some of the
replies, one would think I am talking about putting a metal object in my
hand and draw off sparks to myself. I've read literally  hundreds of posts
in this site, and I fully agree with the danger of not taking sparks to
oneself, but I don't see how making an insulating rod to draw off sparks
from a Tesla Coil from a safe distance even compare with drawing sparks to
oneself.

Not that I'm irritated yet, but it just seems that I've read about 25 posts
from others speaking about making such a device to draw off sparks safely,
and nobody ever made a thing about it, but let *me* mention a thing like
this, and well, It all starts "oing south". Let's stop it here before it
breaks out ok? The first few times this happened, I figured I was being
over-sensitive but now I know its'  not my imagination.

The intent of the original post has been fulfilled....

* I have warned folks away from using wood by giving my personal experience.
* I have learned that ...

** Wood, is not a wise choice for a "Jesus Stick" because it tends to gather
dirt, moisture and by it's very nature, is not insulating enough to be safe
with high voltages even if the knob is grounded.

** PVC isn't a good choice because it can attract water.

** The rod should be dry and free of contaminants for maximum insulating
value.

** Some form of Corrugation is beneficial to break up the path.

** The rod should be very long. Mine was long enough.

I think it would be a good thing to have some rules for posters here...

No berating. If someone makes a mistake, or does something dangerous, it is
up to us to warn them of the dangers but we should state the nature of the
danger and explain it.

Comments like "I would not advocate this practice", or "Why take the
chance." sent privately to me, or publicly to the list without any further
explanation do not inform, but merely embarrass and  confuse and scare off
people who might otherwise want to ask a question but were afraid to ask!
THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED!! I have received about six or seven emails from
folks that no longer ask questions on the list because of this. Three of
these folks no longer even read the list. This is sad. I know these comments
were not intended to embarrass or cause discomfort, but the fact remains
that they do. I consider this list to be a valuable resource, and most of
the people here are very kind but kindness does not carry over when you are
typing. It's just symbols on a screen, that cannot carry a kindly voice.

Now, I'm going to ask this question. I've seen a lot of comment on the
dangers of doing this. Now, I've read that the pole must be very long. Ok,
how long? Twice as long as the streamers? Three times? Could it be that it's
because the rods become dirty no matter what material they are?

Personally, I rarely used the Jesus Stick I had, and well, I no longer use
it at all now for obvious reasons. So, what is the big danger you are all
talking about? Thanks for any *Info* you can give.