The Mumbles Memorial Fund

[MrB]

Depending on the amounts you intend to work with, a roof that can lift, and release pressure, or walls that fall out for the same reason, isn't bad ideas. The further away you can get your shed, from being a pressure-vessel, the better. I've seen people have "reflectors" that are supposed to take a pressure wave, and direct it out the windows, but they are about as impractical as lifting roofs, and fall away walls, stealing the light from the window, and generally just being in the way.

A lot of non sparking materials, wood, is good.

Do you intend to use the shed for storage? Secure locks, and a lot of storage space, separated from the work area. I'm not clued in to the legal requirements, but at the very least, a separate entrance, preferably a second building, and a bit of distance apart.

 

What you want, is pretty much the exact opposite of what i got. I got steel shipping containers. Reasonably good security, so ok for "storage" of the chemicals, and tools, but not really a great place to be if something goes wrong, or for storing compositions, stars, or finalized products.

 

But you would get a bunch of great advice, if you start a new thread on the topic.

Edited February 1, 2018 by MrB

[dagabu]

Your mishap I recall, Mumbles' was before my time on here though. "22 lbs"!? Damn imagine the cost of filling a mill that big with media... yeah pool balls are non sparking right?

 

Yupper, the pool balls are actually Bakelite, non sparking and relatively soft. I turned the drum causing the motor to turn causing a spark. I was suing an open shed, one wall completely open, the walls and roof did not move with the over-pressure.

 

IMHO, blowout walls just leave a better looking corpse if there are truly energetic materials, i was just milling green meal, it took 4 seconds to burn off.

[Wolverine]

Wait so you really had a mill that large, good lord I thought that was a joke!

You sir have some sort of heavy duty angel watching your back, holy sh*t!

Edited February 3, 2018 by Wolverine

[dagabu]

I was pretty crispy after the burn and was de-gloved by the heat. The skin was destroyed all the way to muscle and tendons.

 

I do indeed have a "heavy duty angel watching (my) back".

[BlueComet24]

Wow, that's scary that just rotating the drum a little actually ignited the powder. It sounds like everyone should remove their milling drum from the mill before opening it, and preferably use a remote opening system!

[dagabu]

Nope, that is not what happened. I asked on the forums before I ran this mill how I should proceed, a Sparky told me to unplug the machine from a distance and I would be good to go.

 

Wrong, he missed something.

 

When you unplug a machine that has an electrical motor attached to it (all you sparkies chime in here about motors) and you turn the motor, it creates energy and it had to go somewhere and since it had no ground to bleed off to, it snapped to frame (as I believe it did) and lit the dust.

 

If you do use an electric driven ball mill, please DO NOT unplug it! You need a switch that will cut off the hot wire, a wall switch will do fine for this purpose. The Neutral & Ground should be left attached to drain any energy away.

 

Still, Schidt happens and you need to be prepared, wear leather gloves, a heavy cotton jacket, full face shield and heavy jeans.

 

Wow, that's scary that just rotating the drum a little actually ignited the powder. It sounds like everyone should remove their milling drum from the mill before opening it, and preferably use a remote opening system!