# Anyone play around with Van De Graaff generators? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 1, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-play-around-with-van-de-graaff-generators/953598 "2021-11-01T02:17:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LivingGhost371](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@LivingGhost371](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingGhost371)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-play-around-with-van-de-graaff-generators/953598/1 "2021-11-01T02:17:41Z")
Thinking about making one of these my next “I’m bored in the middle of a pandemic” purchase. Had my eyes on this one > **[Van De Graaff Generator, 325KV, With Humidity Control: Science Lab Meters:...](https://www.amazon.com/Graaff-Generator-325KV-Humidity-Control/dp/B000RZKYDQ)** > > Van De Graaff Generator, 325KV, With Humidity Control: Science Lab Meters: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific Or this one > **[Amazon.com: Van De Graaff Generator, Motor Driven - 120/240V, 50/60Hz - Includes...](https://www.amazon.com/Eisco-Graaff-Generator-Motor-Driven/dp/B00COQGMX2)** > > Amazon.com: Van De Graaff Generator, Motor Driven - 120/240V, 50/60Hz - Includes Assembled Base with DC Motor, Power Cord, Discharge Wand, & Accessories - 22" Tall - Eisco Labs : Industrial & Scientific The first one seems to be better reviewed, but isn’t 325 KV getting close to where they could be dangerous? Anyone have a specific model they’ve played with? Cool tricks beyond what you always see on Youtube? (raising hair, lighting lamps, foam peanuts and pie plates)? I already have a Wimshurst machine, but it seems kind of limiting as to what to do with it besides making sparks. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-play-around-with-van-de-graaff-generators/953598/2 "2021-11-01T03:49:52Z")
Really, making sparks is it. Unless you have some high-vacuum equipment and want to make a particle accelerator. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-play-around-with-van-de-graaff-generators/953598/3 "2021-11-01T05:10:10Z")
What would it take to do some electrospinning? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-play-around-with-van-de-graaff-generators/953598/4 "2021-11-01T06:20:33Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Really, making sparks is it. Yeah, but they’re [really cool sparks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEmjYZRh2Tw). ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-play-around-with-van-de-graaff-generators/953598/5 "2021-11-01T12:35:17Z")
I taught high school physics for a while, and dusted one off for lessons. They have a few uses for cool demonstrations, but that is about it. It can give neat sparks to make you look like a mad scientist. Taping a bunch of pith balls to it, then watching them rise up as they acquire a charge. I don’t think that most are powerful enough to get a person’s hair to stand up, but I don’t remember trying it. It probably seemed a bit too dangerous to me. Bottom line IMO: cool to see for a short while, but otherwise not too interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-play-around-with-van-de-graaff-generators/953598/6 "2021-11-01T12:49:30Z")
For those that want to try high-voltage generators on the cheap, there’s a device called a Lord Kelvin water drop generator: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dB-76NdfTbU/maxresdefault.jpg "How to Make Kelvin Water Dropper/Lord Kelvin's Thunderstorm") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dB-76NdfTbU) ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-play-around-with-van-de-graaff-generators/953598/7 "2021-11-01T14:25:24Z")
I’ve played with van de Graaf, Wimshurst, and even the Kelvin water droplet high voltage generators. At school we had a van de Graaf generator inside a high pressure air tank (compressed air is much better at resisting sparking) for a particle accelerator but I never did play with that. I toy with the idea of building a van de Graaf generator with active belt charging but never get around to it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-play-around-with-van-de-graaff-generators/953598/8 "2021-11-01T15:39:20Z")
I’ve used a HUGE Van de Graaf generator. They were originally built as particle accelerators, not as static electricity pedagogical devices. I used it for sending fast electrons or nuclei at targets to create defects. Lotsa fun. Speaking of which, the giant tandem Van de Graaf generator in the Boston Museum of Science is actually one of Van de Graaf’s own Van de Graaf generators. Only it’s just used as a static electricity pedagogical device these days. Pretty effectively, too.