Gordon Couger wrote:

> There are some vacuum tubes out there that will make X-rays if you put
> enough voltage on them.

  And you can erase windowed PICs by sitting them in the sunlight too.

  I think you still missed my implication.  X-ray tubes are designed to
make X-rays in useful quantities, with reasonable efficiency, and to
deliver them to the desired target.  Your vacuum rectifiers or triodes
will by all means generate X-rays, but are likely to perform none of
these functions within three or four orders of magnitude.

> Soft X-rays are easily contained by steel, concrete, soil water or
> what have you.

  Indeed they are, but again, design of commercial equipment is based on
making as many of the X-rays come out of the business end, and as few in
the other direction as possible.

> Not to me. If I try it I will be sure to check it for leakeage with
> film badges.

  You have access to these?

> Anyone that can develop film can do that.

  I suspect you *don't* have access to film badges then.  Are you under
the impression that they contain simply film?  Do you know what an X-ray
film "plate" is?

> I am a great deal more concerned about the high voltage supply than I
> am the X-ray danger.

  Quite so, if you are using home-built equipment, it *would* be by far
the greater danger.

  I still say that you would be far better to try it out with the help
of a friendly dentist.

  Cheers,
        Paul B.