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Fractal electric arc / woodburn fractals

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rektide

Sat Jan 10 2009, 06:58AM

Registered Member #1919 Joined: Sat Jan 10 2009, 06:35AM
Location:
Posts: 2

Greetings all,

Once upon a time I saw a rather nifty "art" piece; someone had taken a nail or two to a board, perhaps spread some water down, and then proceeded to run high voltage across the board. I'm really hazy about the specifics, but the end result was a series of absolutely gorgeous fractal systems burned into the board.

Has anyone seen or heard of anything like this? I've been trying to search for it, but havent found any usable keywords to find it again!

Thanks,
rektide

re: wood-burn fractals is the key phrase i was looking for. I think I originally found about them from this guy

Arcstarter

Sat Jan 10 2009, 07:09AM

Registered Member #1225 Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253

Lichtenberg figures above.

You could also do fractals.

I have done these. You could use a MOT, i would ballast down pretty far so that it would not just completely burn the wood from huge arcs. A much better thing to use, i would say is a neon transformer, due to the higher voltage and current limiting.

Just put two nails in wood, hammer down maybe an inch or so, and apply the high voltage. What i would do is get some dry wood and place the nails about 6 inches apart, and then lightly spray the wood in between the nails with some lightly salted water.

Thanks to this thread, i think i will do some wood fractals tomorrow.

Myke

Sat Jan 10 2009, 08:09AM

Registered Member #540 Joined: Mon Feb 19 2007, 07:49PM
Location: MIT
Posts: 969

Both the Lichtenberg figures and the burning wood are fractals. You could also try to make fractals with a small marx generator and have the spark snake around a piece of PPE (I think that would work... It's some plastic). I also think that TC streamers are fractals themselves.

rp181

Sat Jan 10 2009, 04:41PM

Registered Member #1062 Joined: Tue Oct 16 2007, 02:01AM
Location:
Posts: 1529

I did this, it was a 1kW MOT ballasted with 1kohm on the hot side. You have to be careful (with high current supplies) to not let the two electrodes arc, other wise you get a burned piece of wood. When it stops, just spray some water on and it starts again. If you put too much water, the MOT will arc.

Proud Mary

Sun Jan 11 2009, 03:45AM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

I found that if you fired a single spark from an ignition coil through a piece of film, and then developed it, that there were fractal-like patterns extending outwards in a radius of about 50mm from the spark impact hole, which shows that even what seems like a simple dielectric puncture is a much more complex event than can be seen by the naked eye.

rp181

Sun Jan 11 2009, 04:43AM

Registered Member #1062 Joined: Tue Oct 16 2007, 02:01AM
Location:
Posts: 1529

Did you do that in a dark room? How did the light from the spark affect it? Im gonna have to try that.

Arcstarter

Sun Jan 11 2009, 06:39AM

Registered Member #1225 Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253

Hmm, i forgot to mention, you could also use a high current tesla coil(sstc or vttc).

Basically, you just want a breakout point with something insulating right above it to hold the 'victim'. Of course, the thing holding the workpiece has to have a hole right above the breakout point. the workpiece can be anything that insulates. Acrylic, wood, any non conductive plastic pretty much will be fine.

The heat from the rising sparks that hit the workpiece will melt it. It will soon become conductive, i suppose by carbon tracking. After that, it will just track all through it.

Sorry if i am being unclear, it is late(seem to be saying that quite often now).

Proud Mary

Sun Jan 11 2009, 11:25AM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

rp181 wrote ...

Did you do that in a dark room? How did the light from the spark affect it? Im gonna have to try that.

In a blacked out room at night.

Hon1nbo

Sun Jan 11 2009, 03:32PM

Registered Member #902 Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040

@ harry
any recollection of what the film speed was?
I assume it was black and white?

I have a bunch of Tmax400 and Tmax100 sheet film lying around, and since I haven't gotten around to Xrays I thought I might try this...

Proud Mary

Sun Jan 11 2009, 05:05PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

DaJJHman wrote ...

@ harry
any recollection of what the film speed was?
I assume it was black and white?

I have a bunch of Tmax400 and Tmax100 sheet film lying around, and since I haven't gotten around to Xrays I thought I might try this...

It was in fact a sheet of X-ray film given by a friend who's dad was a dentist. It was very many years ago, and I can no longer remember whether or not we placed the film in a home-made envelope of black paper or not - certainly I have done that in other experiments.

Were I to do it again, without X-ray film (which has a heavier silver load than consumer film) I would choose the fastest first, and see how it came out when developed.

A sheet of TMax 400 sounds promising.

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