Questions, Answers & Tips - 6
Shop safety device
Have you ever returned to your workshop or layout room after
several hours to discover that you forgot to unplug a soldering
iron or glue gun? On a couple of occasions when this happened
to me, I scolded myself for what might have been.
A simple solution is at hand [4] with components from a
hardware or electrical retailer. These include a countdown wall
timer (counts down to “off”), an electrical device box (steel or
PVC), a cord with a three-prong grounded plug, a strain relief
4
4. A home-made “memory compensator” shuts off
power to forgotten soldering irons and glue guns.
connector for where the cord enters the box, and a typical wall
outlet with double cover plate to suit the shape of the timer
and wall outlet.
Wiring is very basic – for those who need assistance timers
come with instructions for wiring to a light or a bathroom fan.
I chose a timer that counts down to “off” in increments of 30,
15, 10 and 5 minutes, but other configurations are available.
Simply plug the tools into the device outlet, plug the device
into a grounded wall outlet, and set the timer for enough time
to get the job done.
I store my soldering equipment, glue gun and “memory
compensator” in the same place. It has become a habit to
use this device whenever I solder or hot glue. I am now so
conscious about shutting things off that I usually cancel the
timer manually when finished. However, if I do forget, the
timer will shut off the hot tool.
– Rupert James
GET $25 PER TIP
We pay $25 USD for each tip we publish.
and we’ll get payment to you upon acceptance.
Just think, for only a few minutes effort, you could fund
your next piece of rolling stock – or even pay for an entire
train if you send in several tips and we publish them!
If you include any photos with your tip, we pay a bonus of
$10 per photo we use with the tip.
MRH-Aug 2014
