I have a Cyclone brand blast cabinet. It is a plastic model PK36. It is about 2' X 3'. I get the nastiest static shock from it.

I rand a ground wire from the trigger gun to the building's electrical ground and it did nothing. The manufacturer said they never heard of that coming from a plastic cabinet and were no help.

Does anyone have a cure for this?

 

computer builders have anti static wristbands they tie to the chassis. Maybe one of them could help.

 

That thought had occurred to me; ground yourself.

 

Seriously? It's PLASTIC. Of course it will build up a charge. Unfortunately, short of painting it with conductive paint, there's no easy solution.

 

Don't know if it would work , but there is a spray bomb that was used to eliminate static on carpet, worked fine fort that application, have no idea if it would work on a blast cabinet. The manufacture at one time was the Magic Corp.

 

I read Joe's response and completely agree - it's 100% plastic and of course it's going to develop static charge. However, I think you failed in your "grounding". The static charge occurs "on" the plastic and it "will" jump to the metal gun. Albeit, I would "not" ground the metal gun, I would run a ground to the actual plastic box. Waving a metal gun in a plastic box full of static charge is like waving your hand yelling "zap me".

 

I appreciate your post and all, but I guess you didn't read all of Joe P's. Ground a plastic cabinet? According to the laws of physics grounding a non electrical conducting material is a waste of a screw and wire.

The static charge is generated from the friction of the sand passing the aluminum trigger gun, and since I'm standing on a wood floor, somehow my body mass is enough to provide a better ground for the charge than the ground wire.

I see the only solution as grounding the body of the user.

 

I always discharge static on the cats nose. Works really well

 

Poor Kitteh! You are so cruel.

 

Yes. Plastics are non-conductive - they will not conduct (transport/transfer) electrons, they are insulators. However, there is often significant electrostatic charge on the surface of plastics (some plastics far more than others). Plastic surfaces can store significant amounts of electrostatic charge. Basically two forms of static charge - volumetric & surface charge. The greater majority is surface charge - electrons will congregate on the surface of plastics & can buildup significant electrostatic (negative) charges. Plastics have a very low capacitance but a very high voltage associated w/ electrostatic charge (the opposite of metals).

The sole reason for suggesting the grounding of the plastic is to dissipate the buildup of electrostatic surface charge & not to conduct an electric current. For the same reason you place a portable plastic gasoline tank on the ground instead of back of your pickup truck - static electricity will jump to ground. I can't say if my suggestion will eliminate your issue - but it sounds like you're a large mass & have it figured out. Good luck.

Example of how much surface electrostatic charge exists on certain objects (Triboelectric Charges) - PVC and all plastics have high surface negative electrostatic charges.

 

Woodshop vacuum systems are similar in that they build static charges because of the dust in the plastic tubing. I have seen quite a few vacuum systems with a grounding network on them. You might cruise a few woodshop sites to see how they do it and how effective they are.

 

I've had the same thing happen to me before... It can be a rather nasty jolt.

On dust collectors, they typically run a bare copper wire inside the length of each vacuum tube & ground it.

Maybe if you lined the interior of the cabinet with a fine mesh "chicken wire" or even metal screen & grounded it, any arc may jump to this instead.

 

Mental note: do not buy plastic blast cabinet. Carry on.

 

At one time you had to insert a penny into a coin slot and purchase a jolt in order “to purify your blood”.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5e_7YAZ_91k

 

Said cat

 

Thanks for all the replies.

I was using a 18ga wire and thought it may be a bit light. I tried a 14ga wire. That didn't work.

I tried grounding the plastic cabinet which I believe is polypropylene. That didn't work. The static charge is not in the cabinet, it is at the gun. I don't think the cabinet material is relevant.

I tried holding the wire between the fingers of my left hand and blasting with the right. That worked. Going to buy a grounding wrist strap now.

 

Why not just ground the nozzle?

 

Ding Ding