Controlling static shocks on a belt grinder

+1 for using anti static spray. I just got a glass platen from USA knifemaker well and was getting shocked - not bad, but enough to be annoying. I got a $3 can of anti-static spray for clothes, sprayed it on the inside of my belts before using them on the grinder, and have had no problem with shocks. The anti-static affects of the spray seem to last quite a while too, the belts seem to wear out before I need to spray them again.
 
Funny thing about this is for some reeason my unit doesn't get me, but I can see little sparks jump from the piece I am working to the grinder.
 
SteelSlaver said:
Funny thing about this is for some reeason my unit doesn't get me, but I can see little sparks jump from the piece I am working to the grinder.
Click to expand...

Humidity in Montana is pretty respectable. And rough worked hands don't get bit as easily, so you forgers probably get zapped on your elbow when you brush up on something more often than when you grab a doorknob.
 
My Wilton grinder doesn't create static problems but the buffer does. I just suck it up, its annoying and uncomfortable but concentrate on my work until the toil is done. It only happens in winter when it is really dry, and I usually do my buffing when the weather is warmer so that the dust collection system doesn't suck all the heat out of the house as much, and when its warmer static is less of an issue.
 
When I worked in a laminate factory we wore copper tinsel around an ankle so it would drag on the floor. The static was always bad on summer days with north wind.
 
you could use a Heel Grounder or a electrostatic wristband tho the wristband would be a bit of a hazard when grinding

Heel-Grounder_HG6000-Maigc.jpg

99-261-005-S01
 
I once beat the problem simply by changing my shoes.

Used my handy-dandy ground-fault checker thingy, and couldn't find a problem. Finally realized, not only had it recently gotten very cold and dry (central WI) and I was running on a pyroceram platen I hadn't used in those conditions before... I had been wearing rubber-soled boots and was basically acting as a 250# capacitor - POW! :eek: Put cheap sneakers on, problem went away.

I'm sure I'm still getting static, I think it's just dissipating before I notice it. I'm not an electrician, or even particularly bright, so I may be wrong about the reasons. But it worked for me.
 
zaph1 said:
The human body is NEVER an easier path to ground than copper. Add some copper grounding to the platen or tracking(in the case of a glass platen) on your grinder and you shouldn't get shocked.

However, the thought of a wrist strap dangling around a grinder, buffer, or drill press is like long hair and an untucked shirt around a wood lathe.
Click to expand...
i agree with the strap not being a good idea. i stand on a rubber mat and now i dont get shocked.
 
FYI on the humidity part, coming from a 70-90% humidity country I still got the static shocks. I notice that as I used increasingly higher grits the worse the static was. Usually starts at 320, but by 600 the sparks were constant.
 
I tried the static straps we used to wear in the Blue Room in my shoes and it helped a bit, but the dry concrete and dry air didn't allow a good ground path. One thing I noticed was that if the dunk tub was filled with fresh water, and I was dunking regularly, the static disappeared. That ,of course, was due to the raised humidity around the grinder caused by the water being "sprayed" into the air.
 
People, the anti static spray is the real easy and effective answer to the static electricity problem. I spray the underside of the turning belt for say 2 seconds and that's it. The break away cord seems just as effective however. Frank
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top