Gentlemen, I'm afraid I have some bad news to tell you. I don't think there's an easy way of saying this, so I'll just get it out. Yesterday I found out I'm an idiot. It's hard to swallow, I know, but it's true.
Naw - fuses aren't for idiots they are for those of us that have the power of extreme concentration which crowds out all other matters.
Now that description I like
I'll agree it is very fair description.
I also suffer from Extreme Concentration Syndrome. Perhaps it plays a role in the myriad other afflictions in the TEA Glossary.
I believe ECS is part of the CRS constellation of Attention Deficit Disorders...
At least, my experience has been that most who suffer from the former are well advanced in the latter. :p
That's what keeps me from buying a compressor from Harbor Freight. Cheaptankexplosionphobia.
If you're afraid of a cheap tank exploding, you should see the punch the more expensive sturdy ones pack when they go.
What's a good alternative for pressurized air for occasional cleaning duties? Attach a hose to the exhaust of a vacuum cleaner?
Compressed air in and of itself is NOT a serious hazard; like anything, you just need to learn and follow reasonable safety protocols. In general, an air compressor is more dangerous to iffy old house wiring due to high continuous and surge current draw than as a PVE hazard.
As long as you haven't bypassed any of the required safety equipment that comes pre-installed, the HFT compressors are perfectly safe (as are all consumer-grade air compressors); they are protected by a three-fold pressure safety system. First, in the form of a high-volume pressure release valve, and secondly in the form of a low-pressure compressor and motor designed deliberately to lock up at more than 300 PSI or so, and thirdly in the form of a thin-walled soft copper or aluminum tubing connector at the compressor DELIBERATELY designed to fail before the tank does. I've seen one fail; it just sortof farted and split open with a hissing/whistling of air that sounded just like the backpressure unloader after it cycles off, only louder and it didn't stop until the tank was empty.
You are in much more danger walking across the street in a busy city than you are working with any HFT compressor.
Well, that and your wallet if you don't keep them full of oil.
I have a 21 gal/6HP and a 10 gal/4HP model I've used for almost 15 years; I bought both at one of their "Sidewalk Sales" as customer returns (They marked OOW on the compressor and the tank with a Dremel then sold them crazy cheap) for $70. Those WERE a ticking time-bomb when I got them; fortunately I decided to drain the oil and inspect the crankcase BEFORE use as found that both had the crankcase "topped off" with gasoline.
OF COURSE, that MUST HAVE BEEN vandalism done by prior owners on two different units, not by the store to ensure those compressors didn't cannibalize their sales of new units.
Well i have found true obsession, i bought a fluke 8400A to fix my 8400A using funds that, technically, i don't have yet using bits and pieces of earlier conversations to give myself the answer i needed.
Wait till the wallet finds out, she's gonna kill you...
Depends on whether that purchase added up to "Buying" it vs "Stealing" it. I've found most such impulse buys can be rationalized to some extent, even with the missus, if I can explain it as "taking a 50¢ gamble on a $50 tool".
mnem
*Best under pressure*