Litchenberg Wood Burning - dangerous

[finneyb]

http://www.henleystandard.co.uk/news/fi ... -told.html

If you don't know what it is - keep it that way its safest
If you are using it - please don't.

Brian

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Rather timely, that technique was shown to me very recently!

 

[rafezetter]

I've been considering it for a while, but not keen on electricity stuff and homemade kit is just asking for trouble if you are not a sparky or engineer type.

 

[Rorschach]

The key to doing it safely seems to be a long extension cord and a dead mans footswitch.

 

[novocaine]

the key to doing it safely is to not do it in the first place.

but if you must, then use suitable insulation between you, the current and the floor.

 

[Racers]

The key to doing it safely seems to be a long extension cord and a dead mans footswitch.

That won't save you, only the people who find your corpse.

Pete

 

[Phil Pascoe]

He obviously did something incredibly stupid - from the Youtube coverage I would guess many thousands of people worldwide do it every day - perfectly safely. For one, he was wearing a wedding ring - would you wear a ring when you were that close to the article says 2000v, but from what I've read is 20,000v?

 

[Rorschach]

The key to doing it safely seems to be a long extension cord and a dead mans footswitch.

That won't save you, only the people who find your corpse.

Pete

Of course it will set up properly. The transformer is on a nice long cable plugged into a socket well away from the bench. A dead man switch is added in line too well away from the transformer. With the transformer unplugged you set up your wood and electrodes. You walk away, plug it and then use the switch to turn it on. When you think you are done or want to inspect you remove your foot from the switch, unplug the transformer and then walk over and check it.
You can of course do it without the deadman switch and just unplug every time, but this way you have 2 levels of power interruption.

The problem is people wanting to be too close to the action or probably doing it in small sheds. Be at least 6 feet away from the set up and make sure the plug is with you and nowhere near the transformer.

 

[HappyHacker]

First rule of electrics: Don't work live
Second rule of electrics: Don't work live
If you have the need to work live reread rules one and two.

Some people have to work live but the training they have, the PPE they use and safety measures they take ensure they are safe

While the poor mans death is a tragedy for his family we should make sure it does not happen to us.

I learnt the effects of high voltages when as a teenager I was trying to repair a TV which in those days had EHT (Extra High Tension) voltages on the cathode ray tube, probably about 3,000 volts. I knew not to touch it but somehow managed to. I woke up (fortunatley) on the floor against a wall on the other side of the room.

It is not just the effect of the electric shock on the body it can be the effect of falling or tripping as a result of a shock. As Rorschach says it can be done safely and we use lethal levels of electricity every day (240 Volts) but in a correctly managed way with appropriate safety measures in place.

 

[NazNomad]

First rule of electrics: Don't work live
Second rule of electrics: Don't work live.

Where we're going, we don't need no stinkin' rules :-D

 

[novocaine]

those are some big pigeons.

I repeat
"use suitable insulation between you, the current and the floor."
40m of air is suitable insulation.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I remember seeing my uncle dancing around the lawn holding the lawnmower lead - it was a dewy morning and he'd wired a flat connector with the pins on the live side.

 

[transatlantic]

He obviously did something incredibly stupid - from the Youtube coverage I would guess many thousands of people worldwide do it every day - perfectly safely. For one, he was wearing a wedding ring - would you wear a ring when you were that close to the article says 2000v, but from what I've read is 20,000v?

Why would the ring make a difference? (seeing as it would conduct through your skin even without it?)

 

[Sheffield Tony]

He obviously did something incredibly stupid - from the Youtube coverage I would guess many thousands of people worldwide do it every day - perfectly safely. For one, he was wearing a wedding ring - would you wear a ring when you were that close to the article says 2000v, but from what I've read is 20,000v?

Why would the ring make a difference?

Ring = inadvertent single turn secondary winding for a nearby transformer, shorted out and around a body part.

I'm sure this can be done quite safely, and without being 40m or even 6 feet away from it. Electricity needs a few kV per mm to arc through air - you just need adequate insulation and to be sure you're not touching anything. Or tempted to touch anything, eg catch something if it falls. But yes, if in any doubt at all about it, I'd find another way of decorating your wood !

 

[Rorschach]

He obviously did something incredibly stupid - from the Youtube coverage I would guess many thousands of people worldwide do it every day - perfectly safely. For one, he was wearing a wedding ring - would you wear a ring when you were that close to the article says 2000v, but from what I've read is 20,000v?

Why would the ring make a difference?

Ring = inadvertent single turn secondary winding for a nearby transformer, shorted out and around a body part.

I'm sure this can be done quite safely, and without being 40m or even 6 feet away from it. Electricity needs a few kV per mm to arc through air - you just need adequate insulation and to be sure you're not touching anything. Or tempted to touch anything, eg catch something if it falls. But yes, if in any doubt at all about it, I'd find another way of decorating your wood !

My view on the distance thing is not the fact I think the arc is going to jump 6 feet. The method used involves laying bare electrodes onto wet wood that is likely on a wet workbench. The chances of an electrode slipping, popping, spitting etc are very high, the wire could melt, the transformer could pop. All sorts of things could go wrong with an unsecured live load like that. I would not want to be close to it at all so that should something slip or move unexpectedly there is plenty of distance between it and me. Our flinch reactions lead us to do all sorts of things that could make us get just that bit too close.

 

[transatlantic]

He obviously did something incredibly stupid - from the Youtube coverage I would guess many thousands of people worldwide do it every day - perfectly safely. For one, he was wearing a wedding ring - would you wear a ring when you were that close to the article says 2000v, but from what I've read is 20,000v?

Why would the ring make a difference?

Ring = inadvertent single turn secondary winding for a nearby transformer, shorted out and around a body part.

I'm sure this can be done quite safely, and without being 40m or even 6 feet away from it. Electricity needs a few kV per mm to arc through air - you just need adequate insulation and to be sure you're not touching anything. Or tempted to touch anything, eg catch something if it falls. But yes, if in any doubt at all about it, I'd find another way of decorating your wood !

Ah!

 

[Racers]

First rule of electrics: Don't work live
Second rule of electrics: Don't work live
If you have the need to work live reread rules one and two.

Some people have to work live but the training they have, the PPE they use and safety measures they take ensure they are safe

While the poor mans death is a tragedy for his family we should make sure it does not happen to us.

I learnt the effects of high voltages when as a teenager I was trying to repair a TV which in those days had EHT (Extra High Tension) voltages on the cathode ray tube, probably about 3,000 volts. I knew not to touch it but somehow managed to. I woke up (fortunatley) on the floor against a wall on the other side of the room.

It is not just the effect of the electric shock on the body it can be the effect of falling or tripping as a result of a shock. As Rorschach says it can be done safely and we use lethal levels of electricity every day (240 Volts) but in a correctly managed way with appropriate safety measures in place.

Final anode in colour TV 25-30 KV (thousand volts) but at a very limited current makes you jump but a hell of a lot safer then a microwave transformer kicking out a kilowatt or so.

(ex tv engineer)

Pete

 

[rafezetter]

The key to doing it safely seems to be a long extension cord and a dead mans footswitch.

That won't save you, only the people who find your corpse.

Pete

Of course it will set up properly. The transformer is on a nice long cable plugged into a socket well away from the bench. A dead man switch is added in line too well away from the transformer. With the transformer unplugged you set up your wood and electrodes. You walk away, plug it and then use the switch to turn it on. When you think you are done or want to inspect you remove your foot from the switch, unplug the transformer and then walk over and check it.
You can of course do it without the deadman switch and just unplug every time, but this way you have 2 levels of power interruption.

The problem is people wanting to be too close to the action or probably doing it in small sheds. Be at least 6 feet away from the set up and make sure the plug is with you and nowhere near the transformer.

I'm glad you said that because it confirms what I had thought, or the approach I would have taken - set it up, attach clips, all unpowered and switch it on at the wall or remotely somehow.

 

[Rorschach]

[

I'm glad you said that because it confirms what I had thought, or the approach I would have taken - set it up, attach clips, all unpowered and switch it on at the wall or remotely somehow.

It's the safest way to do it. Basically the same way I test motors or other electrical equipment when I often have bare connections twisted together or cases open with live boards etc. Wire it all up, clamp it to the bench and then switch on from the other side of the workshop.

 

[thetyreman]

at least he died doing something he loves, there is no better way to die