Generating High Voltage: Safe and Effective Methods for Amateur Use

[Invictos]

Good Afternoon everyone,

Question: What are some effective ways to generate a high voltage (Multiple KV) using amateur equipment? I've dealt with high voltage before, so I'm aware of the safety issues.

Anyway, here is what I've got thus far:
If you go on ebay, and search for high voltage power supplies, you'll find two things. You'll find the really sketchy http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-1000kv-high-voltage-generator-super-electric-pulse-transformer-module-/141997909434, or you'll find a few legitimate ones which, http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bertan-Associates-BA-215-High-Voltage-DC-Power-Supply-Unit-HV-PSU-0-3000V-0-5mA-/262524968206?hash=item3d1fb51d0e:gnAAAOSwyKxXh9IA Of course there are the capacitors, but they still only go up to a few hundred volts without spending hundreds.

The other methodology I've looked at, is the ol' leyden jar method. Leyden jars are cheap, and if you have a static generator (Van de Graff or Wimshurst), they can presumably generate "quite a bit". My only problem with this method, is that I haven't been able to find any reliable way to predict/measure what voltage is actually produced...Not capacitance, but voltage.

So, if you wanted to generate a few KV, what would you use? I'm leaning towards Leyden jars, but is there a way to predict what voltage you'll get before you build the thing? I know it changes depending on how charged it is, but how would one calculate the upper bound (Assuming one exists)?

If I completely missed something let me know!
Thanks in advance,
Yours in Science,
Kyle

P.S. I'm about 90% sure this is in the right category (high energy...?) - If not, feel free to move me around!

 

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So, if you wanted to generate a few KV, what would you use?

A commercial power supply.

I've dealt with high voltage before, so I'm aware of the safety issues.

Unfortunately, many visitors in this thread won't be, and we don't want to have "how to hurt you" instructions (like do-it-yourself high voltage creation), so we can't discuss this.

I'm about 90% sure this is in the right category (high energy...?)

High-energy physics, a part of particle physics, starts where electrostatic accelerators don't work any more, somewhere in the multi-MeV to TeV range.