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platen question

Barker

Barker

Joined
Dec 24, 2005
Messages
1,159
Has anyone that uses a ceramic platen liner had problems with static electricity, and what did you do to disapate the static current?

Thanks!
 
Try running a grounding strap from the grinder frame to an earth ground. That should solve the problem. If I'm not mistaken the issue here is that your grinder frame is electrically isolated and so you are the easiest path to ground. If you ground the frame, that path will be preferred.

-d
 
You are the source of the static. You need to ground yourself to the grinder. In safety parlance it's called "bonding". There was a long thread on the topic awhile back that explained why. Some claim a measure of success spraying their belts with anti-static laundry stuff.

My solution was to get a wrist strap for computer repair and clip it to my (earth-grounded) KMG. PITA but it works.
 
Please correct me if I am wrong:

I would be very couscous about grounding yourself. All equipment should have a better connection to earth ground than you. I would not connect myself to a ground of any kind, period. Static is one thing but if you ever have a problem with real electric current, ground is the farthest thing you want to be near.

Please be careful!!!
 
You can have the same problem with a sand blaster. Just ground the machine and everything should be fine.
 
RRybicki, I re-read my post and it is worded poorly. Thank you!

My grinder motor is earth grounded, but is connected to the KMG only by the rubber belt. As such the grinder body isn't grounded anymore. My bad.:o

Steier, I originally tried grounding the body to the same earth ground as the motor and it didn't correct the static.

Tom, I don't know why some grrinders have a problem and some don't. I have my old Bader2 3 feet away from the KMG. The Bader doesn't develop the static but the KMG zaps me constantly.
 
I haven't actually been shocked but I was told about this from a guy I know. I think on the Bader III that the motor housing and belt assymbly are attached. So, it may not be a problem on the Bader III, but I can see how it may be a problem on the KMG.
 
Given that the grinder is already grounded through the green wire in the power cord, the static shock comes from a charge built up on the knifemaker. If you are getting shocked when you touch the grinder...try to touch your drill press, band saw ..or anything else that is grounded in your shop. If you still get snapped...this demonstrates that YOU are carring the charge until you ground yourself.

For me, the simple answer is to use a different pair of shoes. My "shop shoes" are std steel toe safety shoes with a Static Dissapative Sole. The sole of the shoe conducts electricity to allow the static charge to dissipate so that is doesn't accumulate. This is important in many industries (micro chips for example).... and is a common feature for many industrial shoes.

-Rob
 
I think you may have answered this question, Rob, but here goes:

Is the typical auto parts store v-belt going to be static dissipative? Most Gates belts are, it seems, but for the sake of the conversation I'd like your comments.

Do you see anything hazardous about using the wrist strap connected to my KMG?
 
Is the typical auto parts store v-belt going to be static dissipative? Most Gates belts are, it seems, but for the sake of the conversation I'd like your comments.
Click to expand...
mmm..I dunno... sorry. Auto parts stores may carry gates products..but that is not to say that all gates belts are SD. Maybe some series are and others are not.

Do you see anything hazardous about using the wrist strap connected to my KMG?
Click to expand...

I don't like this idea. It may be a bit restrictive and/or distracting. But even more..I think it may be an entanglement hazard. Personally, I wouldn't wear a static strap...heck I don't even wear my wedding band.

Keep in miund that this is just my opinion. I'm in no way, an expert and have no credability that authorizes me to make a recommendation.

-Rob
 
rfrink said:
mmm..I dunno... sorry. Auto parts stores may carry gates products..but that is not to say that all gates belts are SD. Maybe some series are and others are not.



I don't like this idea. It may be a bit restrictive and/or distracting. But even more..I think it may be an entanglement hazard. Personally, I wouldn't wear a static strap...heck I don't even wear my wedding band.

-Rob
Click to expand...

I guess what I'm trying to understand then, Rob, is your comment saying, "Given that the grinder is already grounded through the green wire of the power cord." If the belt isn't conductive, then only the motor is grounded, not the grinder frame, correct?

Not that it matters in this case. As I stated earlier, and you repeated, the charge is building in the person, not the grinder. Grounding the grinder doesn't cure the problem.
 
I'm no expert either but I also dont get shocked by my KMG.I have a regular farm duty motor which is bolted to the wooden bench,along with the KMG chassis (step pulley setup).I also have a heavy duty peice of rubber conveyer belt that I stand on when grinding.

Now that I think of it none of my other machines hit me either....try keeping your shop a mess :D
 
It would interesting to know what type of flooring the knifemakers who are having the static problem are standing on.
I have a concrete floor in my shop and never have a problem with static.
I wondor if concrete is more conductive than wood,and is constantly draining off the static charge.
 
Concrete, unpainted. But I don't wear industrial shoes, either, and often sit on a rubber-castered chair.

I would think wearing the wrist strap doodad around a bare ankle and letting it touch the floor would probably disperse the static, too. It would remove the hazard Rob notes.

One thing that should be mentioned is that this won't happen if you are in contact with blade resting on a work rest attached to the grinder, either, because that "bonds" the grinder and operator and the charge differential isn't built up. Also of note: no problem when using a contact wheel.
 
I have a Bader BIII, using the pyroceramic platen, and I get the holy bejeepers shocked outta me. Moreso in the Winter, but it happens all the time.
 
Threads about static electricity have appeared virtually every year that I can remember. In the winter, especially in the norther parts of the US and in Canada, the humidity level of the air drops dramatically. This drop is not so large in the south of the US so the problem is not so great. In the electronics industry, where static damage is taken very seriously, charts of failure due to static damage typically show large increases in the winter months.

The humidity in the air makes it more conductive, causing any static charges to dissipate harmlessly. Without the humidity in the air, the static charges build and build till something provides it with a path to earth, like Eric's testicle in the thread below. There are some do's and don'ts listed in that thread. Note that some of the don'ts may kill you if you do them.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=395978

Phil
 
Thanks for that link, Phil. I'd forgotten that one. I should have learned to stay out of this after last time...LOL. Maybe "tell me three times" will keep me out of it in the future. :o

Seems Rob and I had been through the discussion about v-belts, mounting, and isolation before, too.

Ah, well, lotsa info for people to choose from. To each their own.
 
I get a lot of static in the winter when it is dry. Mostly when slack belting. The belt moving at high speed can build quite a charge. I have found that spraying a fine mist in the air, and on the belt (water), from time to time helps. If you have a way to heat a pail of water in you shop, leave it on low. It will put enough moister in the room to kill most of the static. Mike
 
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