I would like to wire a transformer for some Lichtenberg wood burning. This project is just for my personal entertainment and what ever I can learn along the way. My electrical experience is limited to mostly home repairs like lighting, hanging fans, replacing switches and tracking down those damn push-in-wires on electric out lets that ways get loose. I know the basic use of a multi meter and the basics of electrical safety (aka i don't work on any thing live and i have an 8ft 2x4 to flip questionable switches for the first time).
Normally i would use a MO-Transformer for this project but i use them all up on a different project making a spot welder (it worked). I do happen to have a lighting transformer. I think it will work but im not 100% sure how to wire it correctly and its old so the wire labels are gone. This transformer has more wires than im sure what to do with. I would like to wire it to step up the voltage of your standard single pole 120v house receptacle.

Here is the transformers diagram.

This is the transformer in question.
The wires labeled 3 starts near the inner side of the top coil
2 and 4 are both two wires from the coil connected to a black wire.
The wire label 120 is two wires from the bottom coil and one from the top that is coming from the inside of the coil.
finally cap is a single wire from the out side bottom of the bottom coil.
I would like to wire this to step up voltage. Thanks in advance for your advice and time.
If i need to add more info please let me know. Thanks in again!

 

http://waynesthisandthat.com/Fractal Lictenberg Figure Wood Burning with Electricity.html


Your lighting ballast is clearly marked 300V, open-circuit, so it won't do what you want, but it may get wood to burn. It is not a simple transformer, but a very specific current regulating device, which also regulates voltage to some extent, and also provides an ignition pulse to strike the arc in a gaseous type lamp.

 

I thought that referred to the light bulb.
The 300 OCV is the maximum Voltage of the transformer?
I think most metal halide lamps need a high voltage pulse about 3000 -5000 volts.
So i was thinking this transformer could be wired to stay at high volts instead of pulsing.

 

The starting pulse for a lamp is created by a little circuit board called an, "ignitor". Most of what that ballast does is provide an inductance to limit the current through the bulb. You can use that one for a big inductor or an auto-transformer depending on how you connect it. It will not produce kilovolts.

 

Ok i think i get it know. Thanks for the help!