Making Deadly Art with A Microwave Oven – IOTW Report

Making Deadly Art with A Microwave Oven

Saturday, 23 April 2022, 16:30 Dr. Tar Uncategorized 37

News8000

Two people found dead after a fire in Marathon County [Wisconsin] two weeks ago were accidentally electrocuted while using a potentially perilous technique for an art project, according to authorities.

Tanya Rodriguez, 44, and James Carolfi, 52, were electrocuted while they were using a dangerous method called fractal wood burning to create art, said Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Billeb.

The equipment used for fractal burning caused the electrocutions and started a fire in the garage where the two were found April 6, officials said during a news conference Thursday. The fire spread to the rest of the house.

An investigation found that Rodriguez and Carolfi had died before the fire, authorities said.

The fractal process, which uses high-voltage electricity to create designs in wood, has gained popularity on social media sites. Many of the designs look like lightning strikes. More

Examples

A tutorial on YouTube for beginners. Here

This guy shows you how to set up your own etcher using the transformer from your microwave oven. Pretty sure that voids the warranty not to mention is stupidly dangerous. Here

37 Comments on Making Deadly Art with A Microwave Oven

  5. @Cmn¢¢guy — If you’ve never had 10KV from a neon sign transformer pass up one arm, across your chest, and down the other arm, let me suggest that you not put yourself in a situation where that might happen. I was wearing heavy leather gloves but didn’t think about the stitching and the current had no trouble finding a bunch of little holes. When younger? Yes. It was about 55 years ago.

    12

  6. Recently I was microwaving a small amount of frozen hash brown potatoes in the microwave to thaw them prior to putting in the skillet. Sometimes they let of a small spark because there could be a trace amount of iron from the soil trapped in the skin. No big deal normally except this time the spark ignited the 1/2 sheet paper towel I had placed over them. That paper towel burned up in about 3 seconds in the microwave. I noticed it just as the last corner was still burning.

    5

  7. These 2 dead knuckleheads should become posthumous winners of the most creative way category in order to kill yourself Darwin Awards. And yes, I am one of those who somehow managed to get out alive from being a dumbass teenager for doing dangerous stuff that I should’ve known better not to do. But for the grace of God go I.

    12

  8. …well, THAT was stupid…

    …RIP, I guess, people who stupidly used electricity to accidentally kill themselves and postmortem burn their house down in the process. Maybe next time at least something about electricity, like resistance laddering or not being the easiest path to ground or, hey, don’t take the microwave apart to use as a FREAKING WOOD BURNER and then not EVERYONE would be dead and your house burned down, but, oh yeah, there won’t BE a next time…

    …reminds me of a kid once who wanted to be an electrician but had NO talent for it or apparent ability to learn, which became manifest over time. Someone gave him the nickname “Ground Strap”, which (like most things electrical) he didn’t get at first, even seemed to like it.

    Then one day he asked the guy who dubbed him, why he called him that.

    The answer was, “Because, boy, like a ground strap, you ain’t got no potential”.

    Dude was pissed, but only because the truth hurts. Not doing him any favors if you let him carry on until he kills himself or someone else.

    …these folks are like that…

    4

  12. I never had a velvet Elvis but I had a velvet elk wall hanging once that I bought in Singapore when I was in the Navy in 1974. Don’t ask me why, my wife hated the damn thing and was glad when she made me finally got rid of it. Everything was tacky back in the 70’s just because. Thank God we all grew up and got rid of all that junk otherwise my kids and grandkids would be the main instigators of making me clean out all or most of my youthful junk. I still have my Rat Finks and my kids aren’t touching any of those. And my old Mad Magazines from the 50’s to the early 70’s.

    6

  13. Uncle Al
    I had one of those old buzz box welders. I was welding a car frame back together. The was a quick rain shower, I was standing on the frame and went to put another rod in, and came to lying on the ground. No recollection of how I got there.
    I built a dune buggy out of a 68 Olds Cutlass that had be broadsided. I ended up with an 11″ driveshaft. That was great fun. V8, 4 wheels, 2 seats, and the bits to make it go and stop.

    7

  16. I’ve worked on high power vacuum tube RF transmitters (1kW and 10kW). High voltage can be some nasty stuff. Take off all metal jewelry and work with one hand in your pocket. Keep your wits about you and pay attention to what you’re doing.

    7

  17. One of my shop teachers in Junior HS back in the mid 60’s once threw a charged capacitor into the lap of a kid who had fallen asleep in shop class and wasn’t paying attention. That certainly got his attention and no one ever dared not to pay attention in shop class ever again.

    5

  20. The Internet & Y-tube are why I have so much trouble hiring people.

    The average HVAC Rooftop unit has:
    High Voltage – 600/240/110/24v in the cabinet
    Contents under Pressure – refrigerants 150 – 500 PSI Range
    Natural Gas or propane,
    Spinning motors, wheels, & Blades,
    & up on an icy or Hot roof working at heights.

    Sorry, but The gene pool is too fucked up these days to risk hiring the Retarded.

    10

  22. One thing I did notice in the “Tutorial”

    He is plugging into the wall & using the Line fuse from the Breaker panel.
    Most microwaves have an internal fuse. Mine is 12 amp for example.

    Using a calculation, you take the VA (Volt x Amp) of the transformer & Divide by the volts to calculate FUSE SIZE. [Written on transformer]
    That would give you a bit of extra protection.

    ie. 1000VA Transformer
    1000va / 115volt= 8.7 Amps operating

    8.7 multiplied by 1.15 (115% or running amps) = 10.005 amp.

    Therefore, a 10 Amp SUB FUSE that can easily be put IN LINE BETWEEN the 115 wall outlet Plug & the INLET to the TRANSFORMER as well as the Pedal/Deadman switch that Buddy is talking about.

    PS, don’t bring your new toy into the bathtub with you.

    6

  24. DON’T F*** WITH THAT DANGEROUS “RIGGED” CRAP
    SO SAYETH THE RADIOATIONMAN! YOU would need
    an isolation transformer,fuse,much more insulation!,
    rubber gloves and rubber mats just to start….

    6

  25. As a kid, I used to make carbon arc flood lights with two lead sinkers, a plastic bucket of water (rheostat) and carbon rods out of batteries. Never got zapped too hard.
    This could be something new to try out. I have 2 spare microwave ovens, yard sale finds, and tomorrow I’m free.

    5

  29. One of my favorite Paul Harvey stories was the one about the drunk Russian guy in Siberia who answered natures call and whizzed on the side of a frozen corrugated metal bldg. and got his whanger stuck because he we was too close to that sheet metal. Ouch, that must’ve hurt. And it was funny as hell and cautionary as well.

    4

  33. All to say: Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should do something.

    Very sad that the two people were electrocuted over a quasi art project. It certainly isn’t worth the risk.

    2

Comments are closed.

iOTWreport.com ©2024 ----- iOTWreport is not responsible for the content of comments. All opinions in comments are solely the commenter's.