Static electricity

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RRLOVER

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I ground a blade today and was getting hit by some serious static,it was getting to be painfully annoying.Is there anything you can do about it or do I have to suck it up and quit whining.
 
Maybe a problem with the grounding of your grinder?
 
Maybe you could run a wire from the grinder to the ground, or unground yourself.
 
I do have a thick rubber fatigue mat and I was wearing sorel pack boot,it was 18* in my garage.My grinder is a kmg clone and it would near impossible that the motor could transfer an electric charge to the grinder.I am sure it is just the dry winter air in my garage,I will get a couple of cans of static guard and see if it works.
 
Is your grinder on a steel table? When mine was i used to get shocked pretty frequently. I switched it to an aluminum table and it stopped. I am swapping again to a 1.5" thick wood top bench just top help clean up the shop a bit. Just a thought
 
Is your grinder on a steel table? When mine was i used to get shocked pretty frequently. I switched it to an aluminum table and it stopped. I am swapping again to a 1.5" thick wood top bench just top help clean up the shop a bit. Just a thought

I am on a wood bench and the grinder base plate is two 3/4" plywood sheets screwed together.
 
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Are you using a glass platen?

Winter dry air, belts on a grinder humming away, and add in a glass platen & ZAP! Well you don't even need a glass platen to get zapped but it sure adds to the fun. :shocked3:

I get shocked very little but it's still shocking (harhar) when it happens. What helps in my case is spraying myself down with static guard (which I do anyway in winter - I had static cling) and I use more water on the blade. Yeah I'm sure that the water thing sounds stupid to you but I can literally shock myself but flicking the excess water off of the blade before hitting the platen and then be OK if I leave it on and dunk more frequently. I have an advantage here though, I grind horizontally so I have a blade face holding water on it while I'm grinding. I'm sure you have it vertical like most knifemakers so the water will run off and this won;t help much but maybe more dunking might, I can't say. Maybe I'm just nuts? :)

Also, AJ's suggestion above of using a static strap/mat should be a good approach to helping here as they do work. Just keep the cord out of the machine.

Anyway, yeah static electricity when grinding knives in the winter is a pretty well documented problem. Good luck with this! :)
 
I'm gonna run a copper ground wire from the grinder to the ground in the breaker box in the shop. You resist a lot better than a copper wire.
 
I get shocked like you wouldn't believe in dry winter days. When I say shocked I mean dabing at door knobs because I know it's coming.
The worst time was touching a metal door part when exiting a cloth seated car, actually knocked me into a prone position across the front seat!
I discovered static dissipating shoes, problem solved.

Glen
 
I get shocked like you wouldn't believe in dry winter days. When I say shocked I mean dabing at door knobs because I know it's coming.
The worst time was touching a metal door part when exiting a cloth seated car, actually knocked me into a prone position across the front seat!
I discovered static dissipating shoes, problem solved.

Glen

I always poke my car with my keys before I touch the handle in the winter.
 
I ran a wire from the frame of the grinder to a ground before I started working today.It worked, I did not get popped once today.
 
By any chance, are you using a pyroceram platen liner?:biggrin:
 
I had my KMG on a steel table with no grounding. I have been shocked so bad it screws up my grinds. Pyroceram liner and steel are not friends. I now have it on a grounded aluminum table and no zaps.
 
Mike, I have never been shocked using the O1 or A2 platen that comes from KMG. With the Pyroceram platen, another story. I have been told that is quite common and it is static electricity buildup from the platen, not bad wiring.
 
One of these and you'll be alright. I was having this issue a while ago and the strap took care of it. Just be mindful to keep it away from moving objects, but if you get it caught, the snap gives with little pressure.

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The cloth backing on the belts i use create an insane amount static electricity on a ceramic platen. I should hopefully have my new platens soon and will not have to worry about it. I have had it shock me bad enough to pop a blue/white light like a welding arc and leave a small burn...Sucks lol
 
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