Swede Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 Hi all, I have not attempted any of the more sensitive compounds like flash, and as of yet have no desire to, but I have been reading. I understand diapering, and the need to minimize static buildup. The semiconductor industry has dealt with static (they call it ESD) for years, and they have come up with answers that work nicely. Many of us have installed PC peripherals and had one of those disposable wrist straps included, where you hook the strap to your wrist, connect the other end to ground, and it drains any charge from your body. That is a start, but they also have some excellent mats, both of the sort that you stand on, and mats for the benchtop as well, all of them grounded and engineered to drain static from anything that might come into contact with them. They even have anti-static shoe attachments! I believe I would pursue something like this if I ever execute flash or any other sensitive compounds. For the really serious pyro, they also have special air ionizers that again are designed to inhibit static. The draft is aimed at the compounds that you are mixing. Anyway, food for thought. There are plenty of resources available like this one. and might be worth looking into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonny Posted April 15, 2008 Share Posted April 15, 2008 I use several methods to control static where I work, including mats, special string, ionizing blowers,fog fans and electric discharge bars. The single best control though is the good old fashioned humidity. Although it can have a negative effect on some chems, a humidifier can work wonders for static control and improved safety. Also see here:http://www.pyrosociety.org.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=606 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superdank Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 I'm not much of an expert on plastics, but from what I understand, most plastics are capable of static charges. I suppose friction would be very significant to this as well. A year and some ago I gained a whole new respect for friction, and I had always been pressing everything except BP. It can be as easy as lighting a match. I still ram BP comps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senz Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Paint your workshop bench with tar paint. it would help alot i think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Do you mean a Coal-Tar Polyamide Epoxy paint? (That's the only reference I could find in Google that made any sense. ) Epoxy paint over a metal bench might inhibit static sparks somewhat, but I don't see how that would make the work environment any less prone to static in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speed Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 A lot of folks talk about draining the static charge, etc. The primary thing to remember about static is that it represents a difference in voltage potential between two objects (not unlike a battery). To prevent comp igniting sparks from jumping from your fingers to your work space, you need to be at the same potential as your work bench. Voltage flows between differences. If you use a metal table, ground it and put a grounding plate to the same ground safely away from the comp (entrance to your work space for example). Hooking a static strap to your bench is a sure fire (pardon the pun) way to ensure you will never be at a different potential than your bench. If your bench is grounded properly, you will always be at earth ground. Any ambient static charges will naturally flow to earth ground anyway. Antistatic sprays and the like normally just facilitate this process by making the surface more conductive so the charge can flow more easily to ground. This is a neat little video that illustrates this graphically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senz Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http...%3Doff%26sa%3DXLike this, i dont know if it would help, but it looks like it could (at least to me) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSidewinder Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Oh, that stuff.... Well.... assuming you could buy it in large enough quantities without paying an arm and a leg, I think it would still be no better than a properly surfaced wood-top workbench (Polyurethane-coated). And I very much doubt it would do anything about the static potential on a metal-top bench. And if it was anything less than a glass-smooth surface, it would trap chemicals spilled on it and contribute to cross-contamination. There's really no shortcut to a good work surface, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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