![]() ![]() A 2,000-volt transformer can force plenty of current even through the driest skin-or the smallest flaw in a pair of gloves.” “Some say that ‘current kills’ in an electrical setting, and any electrician will agree that equipment with a voltage much higher than 240 volts and power levels able to deliver a fraction of an amp is extremely dangerous and even deadly. “A transformer that can deliver several thousand volts at power levels up to 1,000 watts is extremely dangerous, which is why the power supply in a microwave oven is fully enclosed in metal and not accessible to a user,” Krein says. The microwave transformer is surprisingly powerful, too. “Most devices that connect to the grid also have transformers, including very small devices that drop the voltage to 5 volts or so for cell phone charging, devices that step up the voltage for fluorescent tubes, and power supply interfaces in almost everything.” Why Are Homemade Wood-Burning Machines Dangerous? “The transformer in a microwave oven steps up the voltage to deliver a few thousand volts to the magnetron tube that generates the actual microwaves,” Krein says. (Imagine if the only flow rate of water available to you was what you see coming out of an open fire hydrant!) We can also, for example, take electrical current coming in on major urban power lines and “transform” it down for household use so all the homes in the world aren’t immediately fried. ![]() By varying the number of turns of wire on both sides, we can connect devices that would otherwise be incompatible. “The circuit potential-the voltage-is proportional to the number of turns of wire linked to that circuit,” Krein explains. A transformer is a device that links two electrical circuits. To understand the dangers here, we spoke to Philip Krein, a research professor at the Grainger Center for Electric Machinery and Electromechanics at the University of Illinois’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.įirst, we wanted to know exactly what makes a transformer. What you end up with is essentially a homemade Lichtenberg machine, an apparatus used to embellish wood. ![]() Power travels across the wet surface, which is conductive then the dry wood beneath is burned as the electrical energy raises the temperature. This forms a circuit and delivers voltage from the wall, through the transformer, and into the wood. Then, they use a split plug to connect to the live ends of the transformer, and use jumper cables to connect the other side of the transformer to a wet piece of wood. First, people take a discarded microwave and remove the transformer from inside it. Reardon describes fractal wood burning in detail in the video above ( skip ahead to 7:20). We spoke to an electrical engineer to set the record straight about the dangers involved in this method, as well as to find a couple of (safe) alternatives if you’re looking to create a similar effect without, you know, dying. If this all sounds bonkers, you’re right. Let’s build something the safe way together-join Pop Mech Pro. Some have even devoted entire stores on Etsy or Amazon to selling their results-for honestly far too little money, considering the ridiculous danger involved in the DIY method. As recently as April, two people died from electrocution using this method, yet folks continue to share this “hack” on YouTube and TikTok. To do it, users gut a microwave, then use its transformer to connect directly to a wet piece of wood, forming a circuit with the wall plug, she explains.Īccording to the American Association of Woodturners, at least 33 people have died attempting fractal wood burning projects since 2016. In an alarming video published last week, food scientist and YouTube personality Ann Reardon discusses a dangerous craft hack called “fractal wood burning,” which creates striking designs in a slab of wood that look a bit like lightning strikes. ![]() It’s an amateur rig made of a powerful microwave transformer turned into a homemade third rail.Īn electrical engineer tells us why it’s so dangerous, and we also suggest alternatives. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."Ī craft hack for “fractal wood burning” is killing American DIYers. ![]()
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