Check the monitor forum (where this post should be/will likely be moved to) for info. I just posted a long reply about how to use a beefy soldering gun or bulk tape eraser to do the same thing.
Duty cycles on monitors/tv's are typically one use (not second) per every 20 minutes. However each manufacturer may be different. The typical on time is about 3-4 seconds, not 1 second.
Oscar's hacked degaussing wand (and those that you buy professionally) incorporate a power limiting device, in the case of Oscar's, a small wattage light bulb.
You get degaussing effects by creating a large alternating magnetic field by coiling wire. It has nothing to do with running 15 amp or 1/2 an amp through it.
As you all know if you take a wire and short an AC outlet, the wire will burn up instantly if smaller than the wires leading to the outlet/fuse/circuit breaker, or will blow your fuse/circuit breaker if it is larger than that. By placing a light bulb in the middle you prevent the coil from buring up instantly, though the effects of the AC power running through it still perform the task necessary--alternate a magnetic field to remove magnetism from metal parts including the shadow mask of the monitor.