Subject: 12 v blower supply

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 16:15:45 -0700

Have a thought concerning hooking a battery in series with your
chargers.  As a battery works, hydrogen gas is produced, and the battery
heats a little.  The longer and stronger the battery works, the more gas/
heat is produced.  Make sure your charger is plugged into a switched
outlet, so when you quit for the day/lunch, the charger is no longer
working.  And, also, get the biggest capacity battery you can, it will
cut down on the demand/recharge/heat/produce gas cycles.  Hydrogen is
dangerous anyway, it will go off as soon as it can find some Oxygen...
anywhere, and besides we are usually working around fire.  Keep the 
battery as far away from your forge/torch/furnaces as you can, and keep
it off the concrete floor.  Put a small board under it, and check it
often for fluid level if it has removeable caps, add water only, and
distilled if you can, and all very carefully.  A blown battery is...
shrapnel, clouds of Acid, several kinds of damage.
  A good auto heater motor should be able to handle the output of a
good charger without the battery buffer, if you can, try it first without
resorting to the the batter, if it works ok, try to put a regular dimmer
(available for your light switch) in one of the lines and try that, or
let it run full blast and build an air gate, or wire the original heater
speed control in...at least you would have a three position switch, 
designed to run the motor.  Experiment, but think, think, think safety,
there are other ways you can try, if you are healthy. :-)
   Bob

---

From: Jim McCarty <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 13:30:29 -0500

> dangerous anyway, it will go off as soon as it can find some Oxygen...

Reminds me of the time my truck batery caught fire. I happened to be 
in front of a tavern and it being winter time the had a bag of rock 
salt on the porch and no fire extinguisher so I grabbed the salt and 
doused the fire with it. About this time a highway patrolman pulled up 
and proceded to write me a ticket:

For asaltin' battery! ;)

-- 
Jim McCarty
Father Helias Forge
Taos, MO
Editor Rural Missouri Magazine
Newsletter editor, Blacksmiths Association of Missouri

³Foolish consistencies are the hobgoblins of little minds³

---

From: Bill Roberts <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 14:53:25 -0400

BIG SNIP
 I grabbed the salt and
> 3Foolish consistencies are the hobgoblins of little minds3

Jim -
 Now aren't you ashamed?!:o)

Bill