Newbie questions-materials for DIY plug - ReOpened

Thread Starter

1stfrodo

Joined Oct 30, 2015
22
what I want to do , attach the spade ends of a plug to the wires with solder

then, using some type of hard drying epoxy fill the annular space around the wire/spade

making a durable/ safe . plug

my questions are

what type solder to attach wires to spade , [ I prefer copper over aluminum.spade]

aluminum to copper solder

and what type of epoxy,

if you guys get tired of my newbie questions, just say so, :Dnight lite 2 004.JPG you wont hurt my widdle pheel'ns
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
what I want to do , attach the spade ends of a plug to the wires with solder

then, using some type of hard drying epoxy fill the annular space around the wire/spade

making a durable/ safe . plug

my questions are

what type solder to attach wires to spade , [ I prefer copper over aluminum.spade]

aluminum to copper solder

and what type of epoxy,

if you guys get tired of my newbie questions, just say so, :DView attachment 98390 you wont hurt my widdle pheel'ns
If you are trying to make something that plugs into the wall, you should have (a) a fuse and (b) a ground wire that connects to the faucet body and handle.

Soldering a simple spade connector to this is terribly dangerous. Epoxy bonding to brass is a real danger because getting a good bond is difficult - brass always has some surface oxidation that is not strongly bonded so the weak link is oxide to brass, not epoxy to the brass oxides.

The risk of a short to the brass faucet handle will be unknown until some kid comes by (tomorrow or years from now) to turn the faucet end makes a connection from faucet through hs bare feet to ground.

It seems like a cute novelty but you are more likely to hurt someone than impress someone.
 

Thread Starter

1stfrodo

Joined Oct 30, 2015
22
it is not led, neon,
someone told me 120 v direct to led was a no no ?

brass handle to be inoperative, solder it full open
ok, i get you on the brass issue, i can still pull it off by using a plastic hose bib. i think

artistically i do not like it,,but like the old song goes, cant always get what you want !
 

JohnInTX

Joined Jun 26, 2012
4,787
You DO realize that this is the same thing we deleted before, yes?
LED or neon to mains is not the issue here. You are proposing that you put a single insulated wire with 120VAC on it into a rough-surfaced conductive enclosure, scab some plug onto it and plug it in to line voltage.

Look at the picture. That little sleeve over the neon's dropping resistor can slide or chafe causing the wire to come into contact with the ungrounded metal faucet. That could be LETHAL and its only one of the potential dangers I can see here.

What you are proposing to construct is unsafe and further discussions on this 'design' will not be entertained here. As a newbie to electrics, you might re-consider doing this at all based on what I and the other members have said. We are not newbies.

Closed.
EDIT: Then reopened. Read on.
 
Last edited:

JohnInTX

Joined Jun 26, 2012
4,787
@1stfrodo
After some thought and with input from the staff, I'll reopen this thread with the following caveats.
As shown, the design has serious safety issues. I see that the TS has other steampunk projects under construction so here are some ideas to help you work safely and provide a measure of safety in your constructions.
First: never have single insulation between the power and the user. The original design had only the single layer of wire insulation itself and less over the resistor.
Second: Unless specific measures are taken, metal enclosures must be grounded. No exceptions. This is so that if the insulation fails somewhere and power contacts the case it will trip the fuse or circuit breaker. The original design was not grounded and an insulation failure could present lethal voltages to the case.
Third: Connections/plugs must be mechanically secure and sturdy enough to not fail under normal and abnormal conditions for the expected (and unexpected) life of the product. Embedding plug prongs in epoxy does not meet this requirement for many reasons including those @GopherT noted. Consider hazards like the epoxy cracking while plugging this in allowing the hot wire to contact the faucet while you are gripping the metal firmly to push it in. Ouch.
Fourth: Consider the casual user who might not expect those hazards in such a cute device. That includes people who might admire your creation by touching it or purchasing it..

So with those cautions in mind I sketched up the attached. It is more of a set of ideas than blueprint solution but it addresses the above concerns.
1)The heat shrink tubing provides another layer of insulation. Use the thick stuff. You can shrink it with a hair dryer. Note that the terminals have separate shrink over them (it should be two layers) and the lamp wiring has a cover tube as well.
2)The case is grounded by tapping a hole in the casting and attaching a ground wire/lug. You can buy premade ground wires with lugs at a hardware store. The other end is attached to the 3rd prong of the plug.
3)The plug is a section from a commercially sourced 3 wire plug, maybe one with the hard rubber bell shaped case. It slips into the big end of the bell reducer where it is secured by set screws, drilled and tapped into the bell reducer. Since its from a commercial unit, you can be confident that the prongs are securely embedded in the plastic disc. Note that this design idea assumes you can get a plug disc and reducer bell of suitable sizes. Some machining / fitting may be necessary or you or a member might flash on a better way. The key is that the prongs are secure in the disc and the disc is secure in the assembly.
4)Think and think again on all of this and respect the hazards inherent with what you are doing. Anticipate component failure/user stupidity and design against that.

Finally, never take shortcuts with line voltage. Don't have a drill and tap? Get one or find another way to securely ground the case. 120V does not give a rip about what's present or absent from your toolbox or skills set.

Here's the sketch. Comments from members invited -except 'learn to draw'. Already heard that one :)
Good luck. Stay safe.
 

Attachments

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
4,764
A common wall plug is not intended to ensure the mechanical stability of such a contraption but just a tight electrical contact with the spades. The whole weight it is going to be "hanging" from a socket t that nobody here could say how "good" could be.

Safe? I doubt it is.
 
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