May 27, 20179 yr Popular Post Last night I did the presentation at the NWW Workers Assoc. meeting of the Fractual wood burning. After stressing the safety standpoints thoroughly, I did a slide show of 250+ pictures of my latest projects and then had a drawing for the 20+ items that I made with the Fractual wood burning technique. At the end of the program I showed them the documentation of the fatalities from doing this type of work and stressed the risk involved and the fact of no margin of error. Most members agreed that the risks were not worth the consequences. At first they were disappointed that I didn't do a hands on demonstration, but I explained that since we were meeting at WoodCraft Store, that I did not feel that I should put then in a liable situation and stink up their store to boot,maybe setting off alarms and having a visit from the fire department. At the end of the presentation I was approached by a member wanting to buy the unit since I was not going to do anymore of this type of woodburning, and he had 2 small 8 & 10 yo. boys tagging along, I refused to do that , I could never sleep at night if I did. another member approached me and I refused him also ,until he told me he was a licensed electrician and worked Hi voltage quite often and was also an Electrical Engineer. After taking to him and confirming in my mind he is what he says , I sold the unit to him, with the feeling that he knew enough to check out the specs and wire insulation stamp along with the UL label and said it was a well built unit. I also found out that the gloves I was using were not rated Class II but only for 500v. Class II hi voltage gloves start about $180 and above. Mine only cost $30 and were rated class 00. (That made me wipe my brow). Herb Edited December 5, 20178 yr by Ron Dudelston tags added
May 27, 20179 yr Author 56 minutes ago, John Morris said: Herb, did those gloves come with kit? No ,John, I bought those myself awile back when I was experimenting in Steam bending ,they were a heavy rubber with a foam liner, quite thick insulated glove and were rated for 500 v. The person who bought the unit sait he already had a pair of class II gloves that are rated for 15,000 v. so he didn't take the ones I used. Herb Edited May 27, 20179 yr by Dadio
May 27, 20179 yr 2 minutes ago, Dadio said: No ,John, I bought those myself awile back when I was experimenting in Steam bending ,they were a heavy rubber with a foam liner, quite thick insulated glove and were rated for 500 v. Herb I was thinking perhaps they came with the kit, thus more fodder for accidents perpetuated by the manufactures. I applaud your thoughtfulness Herb all around with this. I am sorry you had to give something up you like doing, but I am very glad you'll be here for years to come, chatting and sharing our experiences in woodworking and life.
May 27, 20179 yr Author 34 minutes ago, DAB said: If this isn't safe, then it isn't safe for anyone. DAB, it isn't safe for Everyone, But it would be safe for someone who works in high voltage electricity and understands the precautions involved. From the u-tube videos i have seen there is a lot of careless information being shown on these home built units that are going to get a lot of people hurt . Herb
May 27, 20179 yr 1 hour ago, John Morris said: I applaud your thoughtfulness Herb all around with this. I am sorry you had to give something up you like doing, but I am very glad you'll be here for years to come, chatting and sharing our experiences in woodworking and life. Couldn't say it any better than you did John. Thanks Herb for being so mindful & transparent through this with everyone. You're a man of great integrity!!
May 27, 20179 yr Dittos to everyone's kudos. You did the right thing, Herb. Now that unit won't be around to tempt you, either.
May 27, 20179 yr Author 4 minutes ago, Gene Howe said: Dittos to everyone's kudos. You did the right thing, Herb. Now that unit won't be around to tempt you, either. Exactly,Gene, I know I would be tempted to just make one more try, then one more after that. HAHAHA Herb
May 27, 20179 yr 9 hours ago, Dadio said: there is a lot of careless information being shown on these home built units And this is where the real danger lye. The fact that there is some thing that you can't see and has the potential to kill you should make most people stop and really think what they are doing. Herb, your pieces came out beautiful, now scratch it off the bucket list.
May 27, 20179 yr Author You are right,Bob,Those kids were jumping up and down wanting their dad to buy that unit,they thought it was so cool. But I have seen videos of them repurposing microwave transformers and neon transformers using wire nuts and electrical tape, house wire (rated for 300 v. taped to dowels) Battery jumper cable clamps with black electrical tape around the handle, small multimeter alligator clips, clipped to nails. No on/off switch,just plug in to receptacle, Spraying electrolyte between the electrodes while energized to accelerate the burning. Burning through the piece of thin MDF while making a picture, thus electrifying the work surface, turning on the juice before the electrodes are on the work piece, thus arcing between, just to name a few. Herb
May 27, 20179 yr As far as the rubber gloves, we used class III gloves and they were sent in for retest every 3 months. Class II and lower were sent in every 6 months. Plus doing a visual and air test daily. I doubt if anybody could afford it for hobby use. I also applaud you for not selling to unqualified people. Anybody who works with high voltage appreciates the beauty of the results, but also knows the danger. Roly
May 27, 20179 yr Author 9 minutes ago, Roly said: As far as the rubber gloves, we used class III gloves and they were sent in for retest every 3 months. Class II and lower were sent in every 6 months. Plus doing a visual and air test daily. I doubt if anybody could afford it for hobby use. I also applaud you for not selling to unqualified people. Anybody who works with high voltage appreciates the beauty of the results, but also knows the danger. Roly I didn't know that,Roly, thanks for the comment, I had no ideas that the gloves require testing, now i feel more fortunate than before. https://www.grainger.com/content/qt-electrical-safety-gloves-inspection-262 Herb Edited May 27, 20179 yr by Dadio
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