A Real Pain in the Neck!

Hi everybody.
This is for my husband really. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif
My husband is a famous circus performer and specialises in swallowing swords.
He swallows everything from a spoon to a large neon tube.
He has asked if you can come up with some ideas of something new he can swallow.
The last thing we made was a krypton light rod which was made out of a long piece of PVC clear tube and had 35 mini Mag Light bulbs inside.
It was quite bright and was supposed to light him up from the inside like an xray.
You can see this light rod on his website on the Saracen photos page.
Problem is that it didn't and the only part that glowed red was his throat.
He wants to have something incredibly bright so it gives an xray effect on a dark stage.
The 2 problems with the old mag light bulbs was it got very hot quickly, because it was a large diameter it hurt like hell swallowing it and didn't quite give the desired effect.
Have you peoples got any ideas of something he can swallow?
If you're interested in seeing him in action you can visit his website.

http://www.thecircusman.com

First suggestion, ditch the M@g bulbs...Maybe try hooking a single Surefire to the end of the pipe. I don't know what type of SF will produce the results you want, but maybe someone else will post with their suggestion.

I do not think this would be possibel with the lightsources we have nowadays, sorry.
bernhard

Anything bright enough to have an xray effect will probably cook his insides first. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Maybe you can try a clear pvc pipe with a external light source directed into the tube. That way, you can use a 1000 watt external light source if you wish. I don't know if the heat will go in, but since it's PVC, it shouldn't get hot so quickly.

That's some pretty amazing stuff he's doing. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Boy, speak of heart burn!

How about a bunch of red/orange LS emitters? Can do a poor man's X-ray of your hand with one...just an idea.

Warning, going to that website produces numerous pop-ups!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif
(even with all the blockers we have installed here at work)

No pop ups using firefox, day three using it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif anyways this will probably end up in the cafe.

How about using EL wire to "draw" a skeletal image on the outside I agree with others here - the amount of light that it would take to pull that off would probably cause internal injuries, as a good deal of that energy would be absorbed by the skin on it's way to the outside.

Or how about just "swallowing" a regular household light bulb (concealed in the palm instead of actually swallowing it, of course) and then remotely triggering a bright LED concealed in the mouth, and then opening his mouth wide and showing the audience his "glowing" innards?

Some sort of Xenon flash strobe would be a lot brighter than any bulb. Still probably wouldn't show through the skin though.

Hi again.
Yea sorry about his website it never used to do that but the idiot let his subscription run out so it ended up doing that. Cheers Freeservers. Will be sorted out soon tho so im told.
Anyway.
Swallowing.
We looked into getting a Terra strobe tube rigged up which was rated at 100 watts.
Only worrying thing was the 30000 volts that flash across the tube terminals.
It also was going to be as big as a bicycle pump so swallowing it was a no no.
Another idea was a cold cathode tube.
Because the plastic flexes as he swallows it the tube exploded inside the plastic. The plastic has give in it but the glass tube inside doesn't so it went bang half way down.
Any more ideas????????
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/whoopin.gif

i used to go to a circus all the time they had a free one in fla .was a very good one was at the bigest flea market in the world

Heat will still be a problem even with LEDs but I think a bunch of red/orange Luxeons might do the trick. Point them all forward and don't turn them on until they're "down". Don't leave them on long. Underdrive rather than overdrive when you pick your circuit. Overdriven Luxxes produce more heat in proportion to light. You still may not see any glowing below the throat, flesh scatters and blocks light pretty effectively.

Isn't it amazing how few of you actually reply in this forum.
370 or so have had a look but only a few of you actually have ideas.
Common peoples lets have some ideas on lights to swallow.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twakfl.gif

Hi, Clare, and welcome.

Hmm. I don't think you can swallow a light source strong enough to produce this effect.

What you can do, perhaps, is swallow a clear or frosted plastic tube of some sort (closed on the end swallowed, open on the external end) and have the powerful light source be EXTERNAL to him. That way, you won't be limited by any of the traditional lighting factors like heat and power. In operation, he'd swallow the plastic tube first, then connect the protruding end to the external light source. If this is do-able, you'd need to find the most powerful source you could that would direct light down the tube. Make sure the tube sticks out of his mouth far enough so that any heat generated by the light doesn't reach him. Does this make sense? I have no idea how much light would be needed to illuminate a human being from the inside out!

No, Clare, it's not amazing how few reply. Anonymous spectators can view all they want, but they cannot post. And with all that tissue, muscles, fat, and skin, your husband is out of luck. That's why doctors use x-rays to look at bones, not bright lights. 'Common' Clare, use some common sense!

Fiber optics could conceivably carry light from a high-power halogen light source, however I WOULD NOT do this without consulting a physician. Tissues in the body absorb light energy and it can have a variety of effects. I think much research needs to be done before attempting this.


Clare meet Clare:
PHYSC386

Consider that a laser light is considered one of the brightest point source lights available. Even a laser will not penetrate the human body to the distance required. Human tissue is quite dense to light transmission. Even if you could get light to reach the surface it would be so diffuse as to just look like a glow.

An electronic flash that I have that is very powerful (can take pictures 100 yards away with ISO 100 film) will not penetrate more than an inch of human tissue. The momentary light output of this flash is several times what any commercial, portable light source can deliver sustained.

Even you could harness the light energy (not infared) from a WWII type searchlight into something small to fit in the throat it will still not penetrate.

If do not believe the density of human tissue try this. Take a steak from the store about one inch thick and try and shine a light through the steak. The steak is muscle tissue not a whole lot different than the muscles of the abdomen and the chest.

What you are trying to do is impossible with current technology and within the safety limits of the human body. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sick.gif

RayT, very good point and illustration.

Ain't no amount of money would make me even try something like this.

Clare, you must realize that even guys like me who are approaching 3000 posts, don't have all the answers, or respond to every post we view!

Chill out girl!