I'm not sure to put this thread, But it's related to fixtures.
I want to test my Fluorescent tubes on a ballast, But I have no fixtures for it.
One idea I have is to use my alligator clip leads to connect the ballast and tube pins.
Is this safe? I also need a way to power the ballast, But would the alligator clip leads work?

It's not really safe but you can do it for testing purposes. I do it all the time. Just be careful not to touch any bare connections when the thing is energized.

It's not really safe but you can do it for testing purposes. I do it all the time. Just be careful not to touch any bare connections when the thing is energized.

And would I use Al foil for the grounding for the Rapid-Start ballast.
What about AC power? How would I do that?

To power the ballast, just get a cord from an old appliance or something and connect the bare ends to the ballast. You can use alligator leads. The 120v line is almost always the same or lower voltage than the ballast output.

Thanks, I'll just to have safety glasses, gloves, and GFCI outlets.

Dont need any special safety accessories. Use one simple rule - unplug the test circuit every time you are going to touch its components

If you want some more workable test system, consider :

 - 120V ballast input does not have to be alligator clips (that can really short out hard if they touch). Use wire nuts to connect the cable to the ballast inputs

 - Get actual sockets for the lamp, and connect them on wires

 - Instead of lamp sockets, get a dead PC power supply, and take 4 of the 4 pin hard drive power connectors from it. Those connectors plug nicely on lamp pins. (though the distance between lamp pins in T8/T12 does not match the distance between holes in the connector, so you need 2 connectors for each end of the lamp)

For Earthing use any conductive metal object to lay the lamp on, and connect it to Earth. Or do it outside and actually put the lamp on the Earth

Safety wise it is a general lab work on live electrical circuit. If all present know what the electricity means and how to work with it safely and if such connections applies only for the tested stuff (so not for e.g. an oscilloscope power connection), it is safe. But leaving it that way for (even a test) service means the ones around
 Even the work safety legislation (here it is really the part of the safety legislation, elsewhere practically the same will evolve from the required generic work safety analysis for that type of work) remembers situations like this: It is considered as "working on a live circuits" and so requires at least $5 grade certificate (when working under supervision; that level requires formal electrical education at least of a 2'nd grade school or an supplementary course, plus an exam) or $6 for independent work (that requires the same formal qualification level plus at least two years of work experience, again an exam is needed); all exams have to be periodically "renewed" for the certification to be valid.

Of course, at home no one cares about that formalism, but general rule is to keep the workplace clean, so easy to overlook all the connections and points with live voltage on them. Maintain the test wires in good order (so replace or repait the ones with cracked sleeves,...) and use multiple wire and alligator sleeve colors for easy identification which wire is which.
Good quality worklight is another must there - should allow really good color rendering, so all the color markings are easily readable (so no sodium lamp...).
And if it may be extended to a special equipment:
Best is have a special socket, preferably separated by an insulation transformer, for such tested circuit with clear visible indication whether it is connected /disconnected (so be visible), if the switch is ON/OFF and a power indicator. Plus a means to prevent main circuit breaker from tripping in case of an error is very useful (e.g. in the form of a high power filament bulb in series with the supply for the tested circuit), maybe with a bank of few circuit breakers of different sensitivities (e.g. 1A, 2A, 3A and 6A) connected in parallel, so you switch ON only the one corresponding to the expected current requirements of the tested circuit.