Variacs and stationary gap TCs

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

Original poster: Thomas <tom-at-pwrcom-dot-com.au> 

I was wondering how useful a variac would be to control the power to a
stationary gap TC.

As the firing voltage is set by the gap distance, would a variac be any use
at all (other than for increasing the voltage, a la autotransformer style)?

My tank cap is resonant with the NST, so would the resonant rise let the gap
fire over a small range near the upper end of the variac setting?

Tom.