Hi,
This probably isnt the correct forum to ask this question, but I came across a similar thread on here, so thought it is worth a try! 🙂
I am using a 100W 5A bench power supply (This one - 100W Slim Bench Power Supply | Maplin)
.....If I accidentally turn it up to full will it shock/kill me? Should I be using the 'ground' socket... or rubber shoes (lol)?
It is for gold brush plating my jewellery, I will/may be touching both ends!!! It is also for silver 'tank' plating, which is turned up higher that I dont touch. Just worried if I accidentally touch it while it is up full or if I set it wrong I will be flung across the room!
Thanks!
Hannah
This probably isnt the correct forum to ask this question, but I came across a similar thread on here, so thought it is worth a try! 🙂
I am using a 100W 5A bench power supply (This one - 100W Slim Bench Power Supply | Maplin)
.....If I accidentally turn it up to full will it shock/kill me? Should I be using the 'ground' socket... or rubber shoes (lol)?
It is for gold brush plating my jewellery, I will/may be touching both ends!!! It is also for silver 'tank' plating, which is turned up higher that I dont touch. Just worried if I accidentally touch it while it is up full or if I set it wrong I will be flung across the room!
Thanks!
Hannah
50ma going through you, is enough to kill. Your insides typically have a low resistance. Your skin has a high resistance. Low voltage (12 volts) is typically safe, until you break the skin or have wet skin. Just a couple of volts is enough to kill, with the right conditions.
This looks like a 20 V dc supply.
Under most conditions, like dry hands, this is going to be OK. It will however never be able to 'fling' you across the room. That needs an ac source at very much higher voltage ! I doubt that you will get into a situation ( maybe implant electrodes or apply directly on open flesh ?) that will cause a fatal shock with 20 V dc. I have never heard of one. I've ( accidentally ) shocked myself with mains many many times. But never with DC supplies. However my DC supplies never went above 60 V. Holding 20 V dc with your 'dry' fingers will not shock you !
Just be normally careful and nothing will 'shock ' you !
Under most conditions, like dry hands, this is going to be OK. It will however never be able to 'fling' you across the room. That needs an ac source at very much higher voltage ! I doubt that you will get into a situation ( maybe implant electrodes or apply directly on open flesh ?) that will cause a fatal shock with 20 V dc. I have never heard of one. I've ( accidentally ) shocked myself with mains many many times. But never with DC supplies. However my DC supplies never went above 60 V. Holding 20 V dc with your 'dry' fingers will not shock you !
Just be normally careful and nothing will 'shock ' you !
20 VDC certainly can't hurt a healthy person.
But are you using plating materials purchased from old stock? Or from China vai ebay or some other online service?
This sort of plating in the past used cyanide based solutions. These were once widely available but are a dangerous hazard to health, by conatct or by breathing vapour. Be carefull! Use in a well ventilated place, not in a house. Preferably, unless you have read up on the details and the safety aspects, do not use at all.
Home / small workshop plating kits for gold and silver were once widely available, but not now, because of the hazard to health.
But are you using plating materials purchased from old stock? Or from China vai ebay or some other online service?
This sort of plating in the past used cyanide based solutions. These were once widely available but are a dangerous hazard to health, by conatct or by breathing vapour. Be carefull! Use in a well ventilated place, not in a house. Preferably, unless you have read up on the details and the safety aspects, do not use at all.
Home / small workshop plating kits for gold and silver were once widely available, but not now, because of the hazard to health.
Nowadays there are plating supplies that are not hazardous, unlike the old ones containing cyanides, and working with low voltages. Some examples:
Electroplating from Conrad Electronic International
Electroplating from Conrad Electronic International
ashok,
a DC source of sufficiently high voltage and sufficiently low internal resistance *will* fling you across the room, trust me.
My worst electrical incident up to now was due to the stupid attempt of finger-testing the temperature of a pass transistor in a regulated 80VDC supply, with the pre-regulator side being at roughly 95VDC and lots of capacitance after the rectifiers. Sent me to the floor instantly, and had me sitting in front of the phone, wondering about calling the paramedics.
I instantly suffered from some really fast heartbeat, partly due to the electrical shock, partly due to the 'psychological' effect of the situation. Even after calming down, short events of 'racing heart' occurred two or three times afterwards, in intervals of several hours. Never trust DC, it's really mean.
Rundmaus
PS. If you ever find yourself in a condition as described above, try to act less stupid than me and seek medical help at once!
a DC source of sufficiently high voltage and sufficiently low internal resistance *will* fling you across the room, trust me.
My worst electrical incident up to now was due to the stupid attempt of finger-testing the temperature of a pass transistor in a regulated 80VDC supply, with the pre-regulator side being at roughly 95VDC and lots of capacitance after the rectifiers. Sent me to the floor instantly, and had me sitting in front of the phone, wondering about calling the paramedics.
I instantly suffered from some really fast heartbeat, partly due to the electrical shock, partly due to the 'psychological' effect of the situation. Even after calming down, short events of 'racing heart' occurred two or three times afterwards, in intervals of several hours. Never trust DC, it's really mean.
Rundmaus
PS. If you ever find yourself in a condition as described above, try to act less stupid than me and seek medical help at once!
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Rubber gloves might be a good idea with the chemicals being used in electroplating processes. Check the glove datasheet against the chemicals you are using, the standard butyl gloves have surprisingly low penetration times for a number of solvents.
Concerning electrical safety, I would make sure that the whole setup is inaccessible when it's powered up, make sure you shut down the electrical supply before touching the tank or its content. Even its only some tens of volts, the liquid lowers the contact resistance of your skin to values that may allow harmful currents.
Rundmaus
Concerning electrical safety, I would make sure that the whole setup is inaccessible when it's powered up, make sure you shut down the electrical supply before touching the tank or its content. Even its only some tens of volts, the liquid lowers the contact resistance of your skin to values that may allow harmful currents.
Rundmaus
That site is a bit of a worry. I had a look and nowhere does it tell you what the ingredients are. I could not find any MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). In most countries today, if a product involves chemical action in some way, an MSDS is legally required. Otherwise, if you get injured, sick, infant drinks some, or whatever, the doctor won't know what to do.
If you click on an item on that page and then click the downloads tab you will get the safety sheet.
Cheers
Matt
Cheers
Matt
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