I need some suggestions about powering a jacobs ladder with a tesla coil for a science fair project. I have a hand-held tesla coin commonly used for physics demonstrations. It puts out approximatly 50,000 V at 30 milliamps. It will throw a 2 1/2 inch arc to a good ground. It will produce an arc on the Jacobs ladder we built with coat hangers, but I can't achieve an upward climbing effect. What am I missing? Is the current insufficient to ionize/heat the air? Thanks in advance for your insights. - Peter