is it possible to create spark gloves?

[beastyboy]

is it posible to create such things?

i saw on a show

[Phi for All]

What is the function of "spark gloves"? Please explain.

[Moontanman]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he is talking about an act i once saw a film of that used a Van de Graaff generator and a woman with a body suit that had metal fibers or wires in it and allowed her to channel static electricity almost like a super hero or something! it was a wild act but not much margin for error.

[Phi for All]

I was picturing more of a flint-chips-glued-to-leather sort of affair, so when you struck your hands against a bridge or something you'd get sparks. But then I couldn't figure out what real functionality they would have, other than starting unintentional fires.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he is talking about an act i once saw a film of that used a Van de Graaff generator and a woman with a body suit that had metal fibers or wires in it and allowed her to channel static electricity almost like a super hero or something! it was a wild act but not much margin for error.

 

I have watched a live concert done with two Tesla coils and a guy in a chain-mail body suit. He stood between the coils and held out his hands, allowing giant bolts of electricity to arc to his suit. It was rather awesome.

[beastyboy]

i mean gloves that when you snap your fingers an electric discharge happens. like from the midle finger rubbibg fast against the other to create static but enough to discharge a shock. this isnt were i got the idea but look up "full metal alchemist roy mustang" it is an anime film but it has the basic idea. except, his blow off friken flames

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for mor detailed discription, ill give you an idea

 

1. make a simple glove with flame resistant material

2. line the inside with leather

3. somehow attach sand paper/ strikeing material to tips of midel finger and thumb

4. get lighter fluids / oils on the tips to amplify spark

5. make it as safe as possible

6. also try making it as light as posible to be able to get a quick movement of fingers to generate the spark.

 

 

thats the kind of idea i had

Edited January 4, 2010 by beastyboy
Consecutive posts merged.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I suppose you could make it out of this stuff:

 

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/7f02/

 

You could also go for a thermite reaction with aluminum foil and rust coatings, but I am not sure you could snap your fingers hard enough.

[Mr Skeptic]

You could also go for a thermite reaction with aluminum foil and rust coatings, but I am not sure you could snap your fingers hard enough.

 

I think he wants to keep his hands after the fact.

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Anyhow, if what you want is a spark, put iron and flint, this spark is a bit of iron hot enough to burn. If it has to be an electric spark, I don't think you can easily generate the required voltage from snapping your fingers. A battery with a circuit to increase DC voltage might work.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I think he wants to keep his hands after the fact.

 

Heh. I've done it with two large metal balls, one rusty and one covered with aluminum foil, and it just creates a very large spark and pop noise. No giant fireball.

[nick_sterling]

I think he wants to keep his hands after the fact.

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Anyhow, if what you want is a spark, put iron and flint, this spark is a bit of iron hot enough to burn. If it has to be an electric spark, I don't think you can easily generate the required voltage from snapping your fingers. A battery with a circuit to increase DC voltage might work.

 

 

 

Can anyone please tell me if it is possible to create an electric arc in the air between two gloves at a distance of about 6" if you had a large enough battery as a portable power supply? Or are there certain voltage requirements to get an arc to form, and/or what are the risks of electrocuting yourself...?

[dimreepr]

Can anyone please tell me if it is possible to create an electric arc in the air between two gloves at a distance of about 6" if you had a large enough battery as a portable power supply? Or are there certain voltage requirements to get an arc to form, and/or what are the risks of electrocuting yourself...?

 

 

A car battery through a transformer to step up the voltage high enough to produce the spark but be carefull you don't open your hands to far or you'll be getting the spark.

[Fuzzwood]

That would be an awesome gig at bars.

 

Do you have a light?

 

Sure! *Snaps fingers.*

Edited January 21, 2012 by Fuzzwood

[nick_sterling]

A car battery through a transformer to step up the voltage high enough to produce the spark but be carefull you don't open your hands to far or you'll be getting the spark.

 

 

 

And if you weren't prepared to be carrying around a car battery ( i'm just saying, they get heavy) , could a smaller power supply create the same effect? like say, two or three 6v lantern type batteries wired together....

 

My real question is this: is creating a party trick like this worth the amount of effort and money you would have to spend creating the apparatus.

[DrRocket]

 

You could also go for a thermite reaction with aluminum foil and rust coatings, but I am not sure you could snap your fingers hard enough.

 

And if you did you would likely die. That would be really dangerous.

 

Thermite in a pile on a lab table under controlled conditions is one thing. Thermite powder in a connfiguration in which it could be dispersed and ignited is quite another.

[InigoMontoya]

My real question is this: is creating a party trick like this worth the amount of effort and money you would have to spend creating the apparatus.

Only if you knew that the woman in question had an intense fire fetish and would be turned on beyond belief.

 

Can't say that I've met many women who would be turned on by such a toy, but ya never know....

[Akashiya]

I am looking at creating a single glove that generates and electric arc from thumb to middle finger. According to my friend I have a couple of options, but it breaks down into two categories: Expensive, and complicated. Rather than going with a backpack holding a neon capacitor I'm thinking I'd like to go with a belt holding something roughly equivalent to disposable camera flash circuits to step up the voltage on, say, a standard 9 volt battery. The thing that concerns me with using a car battery is the deadly amperage. Can anyone give me a hand in coming up with a circuit design that will step up the voltage on over-the-counter batteries to create a visible arc across the space of, say, 1 or 2 inches?

[CaptainPanic]

I am looking at creating a single glove that generates and electric arc from thumb to middle finger. According to my friend I have a couple of options, but it breaks down into two categories: Expensive, and complicated. Rather than going with a backpack holding a neon capacitor I'm thinking I'd like to go with a belt holding something roughly equivalent to disposable camera flash circuits to step up the voltage on, say, a standard 9 volt battery. The thing that concerns me with using a car battery is the deadly amperage. Can anyone give me a hand in coming up with a circuit design that will step up the voltage on over-the-counter batteries to create a visible arc across the space of, say, 1 or 2 inches?

Should the arc be a continuous arc? Or just for a fraction of a second (like a very small lightning flash)? These are two very different circuits.

[Spyman]

(...) The thing that concerns me with using a car battery is the deadly amperage. (...)

A voltage stepped up from a small standard battery is well within the lethal ranges.

 

"In general, current that is fatal to humans ranges from 0.06 A to 0.07 A, depending on the person and the type of current."

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/JackHsu.shtml

Edited March 13, 2012 by Spyman

[Akashiya]

A voltage stepped up from a small standard battery is well within the lethal ranges.

 

"In general, current that is fatal to humans ranges from 0.06 A to 0.07 A, depending on the person and the type of current."

http://hypertextbook...0/JackHsu.shtml

 

A common misconception is that larger voltages are more dangerous than smaller ones. However, this is not quite true. The danger to living things comes not from the potential difference, but rather the current flowing between two points. The reason that people may believe this can be explained by the equation V = IR. Since V is directly proportional to I, an increase in voltage can mean an increase in current, if resistance ® is kept constant.

 

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/JackHsu.shtml

 

This is the text from the first paragraph of that same website. It is the Amperage, or current that is deadly, not the voltage. From a conversation with a friend of mine that deals with electrical circuits, it is my understanding that the process of stepping up the voltage will actually lower the amperage.

 

Should the arc be a continuous arc? Or just for a fraction of a second (like a very small lightning flash)? These are two very different circuits.

 

Eventually I would like to have a sustained arc, but because I am new to circuits and short on funds I want my first prototype to be "like a very small lightning flash."

It is my understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong) that the sustained arc would be more complicated and more expensive to create as well as have a larger power source.

[Spyman]

A common misconception is that larger voltages are more dangerous than smaller ones. However, this is not quite true. The danger to living things comes not from the potential difference, but rather the current flowing between two points. The reason that people may believe this can be explained by the equation V = IR. Since V is directly proportional to I, an increase in voltage can mean an increase in current, if resistance ® is kept constant.

 

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/JackHsu.shtml

 

This is the text from the first paragraph of that same website. It is the Amperage, or current that is deadly, not the voltage. From a conversation with a friend of mine that deals with electrical circuits, it is my understanding that the process of stepping up the voltage will actually lower the amperage.

Thats not what I tried to say, a visual electrical spark in full daylight, able to jump 5 centimeters through normal air, is something that is going to be very very dangerous, independent of if it is energized from a car battery or a standard 9 Volt battery.

 

 

Yes, the process of stepping up the voltage will lower the available amperage but there will still be enough to kill from a standard battery.

 

Some rough estimates:

* A 9 Volt battery can deliver about 5 amps for 10 seconds, with 50% losses that is enough to directly supply 300 volts at said lethal current.

* With precharging time a 9 Volt battery of 500 mAh can with 90% losses deliver one deadly spark of 16 200 volt and 0.10 amps for one second.

 

Your circuits are going to need other restraints than the limitation of the power source to make sure you can survive a fatal mistake!

 

 

How big battery do you think a X26 Taser weapon have?

 

A Taser, with cartridge removed, making an electric arc between its two electrodes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser

 

Critics argue that TASERs as well as other high-voltage stun devices can cause cardiac arrhythmia in susceptible subjects, possibly leading to heart attack or death in minutes by ventricular fibrillation, which leads to cardiac arrest and - if not treated immediately - to sudden death. People susceptible to this outcome are sometimes healthy and unaware of their susceptibility.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser_safety_issues

[Akashiya]

Thats not what I tried to say, a visual electrical spark in full daylight, able to jump 5 centimeters through normal air, is something that is going to be very very dangerous, independent of if it is energized from a car battery or a standard 9 Volt battery.

 

 

Yes, the process of stepping up the voltage will lower the available amperage but there will still be enough to kill from a standard battery.

 

Some rough estimates:

* A 9 Volt battery can deliver about 5 amps for 10 seconds, with 50% losses that is enough to directly supply 300 volts at said lethal current.

* With precharging time a 9 Volt battery of 500 mAh can with 90% losses deliver one deadly spark of 16 200 volt and 0.10 amps for one second.

 

Your circuits are going to need other restraints than the limitation of the power source to make sure you can survive a fatal mistake!

 

So what do you suggest to make sure that my invention is not deadly? I just want something flashy, maybe eventually a cool way to light cigarettes when I move on to the sustained arc prototype, I'm not looking to make a weapon.

[Spyman]

When you know the maximum output voltage you can use Ohm's law to calculate a recistance to limit the current. But if the voltage is very high you are likely going to need several resistors in series with good insulation to prevent the current to jump over them.

 

This extra limit is NO guarantee that the unit is safe, it could still be lethal for someone with a pacemaker or weak heart and then there is always the possibility depending on design that the unit may malfunction and raise the output above desired levels.

 

 

With a sustained arc there comes other safety issues to consider as well:

 

* If you manage to shock yourself then the electrical current through your body may prevent you from releasing the trigger or otherwise move, you could end up paralyzed until the battery is exhausted. A prolonged duration of current increases the lethality and there is also the possibility that you could fall from high up or end up in a position where you can't breathe. Such a device would need a timer that shuts it down, if the trigger is not assuredly released and repressed in determined intervals.

 

* The arc produces ozone which is very poisonous, without proper ventilation prolonged exposure may cause permanent lung injury.

[Akashiya]

When you know the maximum output voltage you can use Ohm's law to calculate a recistance to limit the current. But if the voltage is very high you are likely going to need several resistors in series with good insulation to prevent the current to jump over them.

 

This extra limit is NO guarantee that the unit is safe, it could still be lethal for someone with a pacemaker or weak heart and then there is always the possibility depending on design that the unit may malfunction and raise the output above desired levels.

 

 

With a sustained arc there comes other safety issues to consider as well:

 

* If you manage to shock yourself then the electrical current through your body may prevent you from releasing the trigger or otherwise move, you could end up paralyzed until the battery is exhausted. A prolonged duration of current increases the lethality and there is also the possibility that you could fall from high up or end up in a position where you can't breathe. Such a device would need a timer that shuts it down, if the trigger is not assuredly released and repressed in determined intervals.

 

* The arc produces ozone which is very poisonous, without proper ventilation prolonged exposure may cause permanent lung injury.

 

Thank you for the intel...so...I'm going to have to sit down and do the math...I didn't want to, but I suppose I'll have to since it can be so deadly.

 

My original question still remains, however, for the "small lightning flash" how would I step up the voltage? A set of capacitors in series?

[Spyman]

I would use electronic circuits and alternate the power from the battery to use on a small transformer with large ratio.

[PaulS1950]

To step the voltage up to the extremes that you need to discharge a spark to some distance look up Tesla coils.

I think you will find that any coil or transformer that will do the job is going to be too large to be mobile with a single individual carrying it.

 

Paul