I dont know what freq electronics ballasts are, but I'd think they'd be a little over 20kc hearing range, so you'd need some capacitance across the primary to make it resonate, but not too much or the Q will make it difficult to get right.
An electronic ballast as part of its job would limit the current, however I'd suggest a series current limiting resistor be placed in series with the primary to restrict the current into the tc untill you get the thing to resonate, you can also measure the current into the primary across it.
Be especially carefull driving a tc with a ballast, if the system doesnt have a spark gap the h.t. will be a lower frequency than the usual tc making it much more dangerous, due to reduced skin effect.
I've messed with magnetic 50hz lighting chokes for factory metal halide lighting in the attempt to get high volatge, just because I have a few of them, and they are highly effective, but i dont think they'd last long only being rated for mains voltages.