High-Voltage Spark Gap
Description
Here's a simple bracket for an adjustable spark gap for all your high-voltage needs. This picture shows a DC arc of about 25 kV, but I have run my HV DC supply up to 50 kV by increasing the gap space.
Instructions
Should be pretty self explanatory, simply print out and add your metal parts! I recommend using some PTFE (aka Teflon--the white parts in the picture) as insulators if you plan to allow continuous arcing for more than a minute or so since the metal will become very hot and begin to melt the printed piece. You can purchase PTFE in many shapes and sizes from McMaster. No need for the insulators if you just plan to run it briefly. Ideally you would use tungsten for the electrodes, but stainless will still last quite a long time.
As always, don't play with high-voltage unless you know what you're doing (but you'll obviously need a lot more than just this to be dangerous.)
As always, don't play with high-voltage unless you know what you're doing (but you'll obviously need a lot more than just this to be dangerous.)
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License

What are you using as a power source for this thing?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
In this picture I used an adjustable 1-50kV DC power supply I built from a monitor flyback, an adjustable oscillator circuit, and a multi-stage Cockroft-Walton multiplier stack. The output won't rise above a given level which is related to the breakdown of air across the gap. If the gap is adjusted to be larger then a high voltage is reached at the power supply output before breakdown. If you were to supply High Voltage AC of about 20kHz or greater you will get a beautiful purple (nitrogen) plasma.