The Armour Archive

Ok, I have really bad news.
I am not going to be able to finish the orders I have and therefore must give refunds. The reason for this is simple: For whatever reason my welder (the one I have been fighting with for years) has slowly been blowing out the wires in my house. I don’t mean blowing fuses (I checked), or burning up outlets (I replaced a few of them and no luck), but literally burning out the wires in the walls. Unfortunately I am down to only 2 working outlets in the entire house (18 no longer work) and I need those to simply survive. What I mean by that is: I have a power strip plugged into both outlets and 2 other powers strip plugged into those just to run the frig, stove, microwave, toaster, coffee pot, TV, xbox, computer, modem, heater/air-conditioner, etc. I have a half dozen extension cords running through out the house for when I need to do something in another room besides my bedroom and kitchen.

I just can’t take the chance of blowing out those 2 outlets (which technically I already am with so many things plugged into each outlet). If I disappear -now you know why.

Anyway the following people will receive a full refund with my apologies. I plan to make at least one refund every month until I have everyone paid back assuming I can still transfer money to paypal. If anyone is cool with a money order let me know. Sorry for all the delays, troubles, etc –I tried!

1. Shawn Crowder (14g SS Russian Helmet)
2. John Welch (14g SS Russian Helmet)
3. Justin Power (14g MS Spagnhelm)
4. Rex Meyer (14g SS Kettlehelm)
5. Justin Baker (14g SS Corinthian)
6. Jim Nesbitt (14g SS Skullcap Helmet)
7. Jonathan Myers (14g MS Greathelm)

That being said, I won’t be making any more helmets until I move into another house with working outlets. I thought about just riveting helmets again (which is what I want to get back to anyway), but I would still need to weld on the bar grill (I won’t go back to riveting those back on again).

Anyway I hope people understand. I want to apologize to my remaining customers. Thank you for being so understanding and patient. You guys are the best customers anyone could hope for.

(^_^)

can you not get a heavy duty outlet just for the welder connected to your distribution board.
here in england 13a 240 volt is the normal outlet but we also have industrial outlets rated at 16a and 32a and even 64a costing only a few pounds.
at work I have 240v single phase, 16 outlets
440v 3 phase 32a 5 outlets

I would think you just need a higher amp breaker running a heavier gauge wire, like a 30 amp with 8 or 10 gauge? A lot of houses has 12-14 gauge, and yeah it can burn up under heavy loads.

Maximus Atreus Of Rome wrote:I would think you just need a higher amp breaker running a heavier gauge wire, like a 30 amp with 8 or 10 gauge? A lot of houses has 12-14 gauge, and yeah it can burn up under heavy loads.

Well the breakers never tripped! So higher amp breakers are not the problem (if anything it may need smaller amp breakers). When I replaced some of the outlets, I noticed that the wires were pretty old and not up to code. The house has (had) a couple heavy duty outlets but that didn't stop the wire from burning up in the walls. My lease is up in may, so I won't lose money by moving in a couple months. Really sucks because the house itself is really nice -its the extra's that suck (my kitchen sink is plugged up somewhere underground and is useless as well).

O.o

You could always start oxyfuel welding...
It is sad to see you go out of business, I was hoping to acquire more of your work.

Mekka Viking wrote:You could always start oxyfuel welding...
It is sad to see you go out of business, I was hoping to acquire more of your work.

Well I don't plan to "stay out" of business. Once I move and set up another shop I plan to start again. However I don't want to drag the above customers along with me any longer. They have been overly patient and everyday I feel guilty about not finishing me end of our agreement. I am sure some of them would still be ok waiting, but I just need to relieve myself of all the stress and start from scratch if I re-open. When and if I do start back up I am doing things differently.

(^_^)

As someone with a little knowledge of residential wiring, you're probably running just shy of the trip limit on your breakers. 18 or 19 amps on a 20 amp breaker. Overhearts the wires, especially older insulation, melts. It's a problem with electrical motors, but they have an additional layer of protection. Short of replacing the wires with a thicker gauge, and that would be fairly expensive, you're likely SOL. Well, actually there are ways around it, but I'd never suggest them, since the risk of a fire increases massively.

Caius705 wrote:As someone with a little knowledge of residential wiring, you're probably running just shy of the trip limit on your breakers. 18 or 19 amps on a 20 amp breaker. Overhearts the wires, especially older insulation, melts. It's a problem with electrical motors, but they have an additional layer of protection. Short of replacing the wires with a thicker gauge, and that would be fairly expensive, you're likely SOL. Well, actually there are ways around it, but I'd never suggest them, since the risk of a fire increases massively.

I agree on all accounts!

(^_^)

"but I'd never suggest them, since the risk of a fire increases massively"

Nice!

CYA is the name of the game.

Caius705 wrote:As someone with a little knowledge of residential wiring, you're probably running just shy of the trip limit on your breakers. 18 or 19 amps on a 20 amp breaker. Overhearts the wires, especially older insulation, melts. It's a problem with electrical motors, but they have an additional layer of protection. Short of replacing the wires with a thicker gauge, and that would be fairly expensive, you're likely SOL. Well, actually there are ways around it, but I'd never suggest them, since the risk of a fire increases massively.

breakers are supposed to be sized to protect the conductor(wires). Either the breakers are faulty or are oversized for the wires. A 20 amp breaker should be run with 12 gauge wire which won't melt if you run 19 amps thru it.
If you put a new breaker into your panel with new wire to a new outlet just for your welder, it should have ZERO effect on any wires located anywere else in the house.

It sounds like you need a friend in the area with decent power in the garage or shop space to work out of for a few months.

I wa taught that running something near max amperage for a sustained time led to over heating, especially with long runs of wire. He could run heavier gauge wires, but that would require approval from his landlord. There might also be the problem of liability if a fire occured. Probably the whole wiring needs to be revamped before something goes poorly.

Just curious but do you have a free spot in your breaker box that you can just run a new circuit with a short run of new wiring to get you back up? Not an Electrician but I run additional breakers out of my garage box.

Rey wrote:Just curious but do you have a free spot in your breaker box that you can just run a new circuit with a short run of new wiring to get you back up? Not an Electrician but I run additional breakers out of my garage box.

Unfortunately no. I thought about that but I would need another box.

(^_^)

With 18 outlets burned out, couldn't you just take one of the (now) useless breakers that are currently attached to burned out wires, disconnect the bad wiring, and run new wiring from that breaker just for your welder?

I'd bet money there is a short in your welder. My welder kept blowing fuses every time I tried welding. I took the weld timer apart and found that a bolt had come loose and was shorting to the metal case. Insulated and tightened bolt, and the problems stopped.

-Ben

Atlanta Armory wrote:I'd bet money there is a short in your welder. My welder kept blowing fuses every time I tried welding. I took the weld timer apart and found that a bolt had come loose and was shorting to the metal case. Insulated and tightened bolt, and the problems stopped.

-Ben

Not a bad idea. I will check! Thanks.

O.o

hjalmr wrote:My lease is up in may, so I won't lose money by moving in a couple months. Really sucks because the house itself is really nice -its the extra's that suck (my kitchen sink is plugged up somewhere underground and is useless as well).

O.o

The house not being up to code is the landlord's problem, not yours, man. The wires, the plumbing- depends on the state but I know here in MD it is against the law to have tenants in a building such as what you described.

The problem with being up to code or not, is that code changes. Most likely the house was 16g instead of 12 or 14. I feel bad for the landlord who is going to have to replace all the wire.

hjalmr wrote:What I mean by that is: I have a power strip plugged into both outlets and 2 other powers strip plugged into those just to run the frig, stove, microwave, toaster, coffee pot, TV, xbox, computer, modem, heater/air-conditioner, etc. I have a half dozen extension cords running through out the house for when I need to do something in another room besides my bedroom and kitchen.
(^_^)

If this is true, and your circuit breakers are not popping from all that current, it's a matter of time until you burn your house down. I don't say this in jest, but out of concern. Two wires should not be handling that kind of amperage load. Only a couple of those accessories should be popping circuit breakers. If you're really even running just half of what you listed, you need to stop.

Ian L wrote:

hjalmr wrote:What I mean by that is: I have a power strip plugged into both outlets and 2 other powers strip plugged into those just to run the frig, stove, microwave, toaster, coffee pot, TV, xbox, computer, modem, heater/air-conditioner, etc. I have a half dozen extension cords running through out the house for when I need to do something in another room besides my bedroom and kitchen.
(^_^)

If this is true, and your circuit breakers are not popping from all that current, it's a matter of time until you burn your house down. I don't say this in jest, but out of concern. Two wires should not be handling that kind of amperage load. Only a couple of those accessories should be popping circuit breakers. If you're really even running just half of what you listed, you need to stop.

.....and yet my welder alone is melting the wire. Go figure.

(^_^)

Paladin74 wrote:

hjalmr wrote:My lease is up in may, so I won't lose money by moving in a couple months. Really sucks because the house itself is really nice -its the extra's that suck (my kitchen sink is plugged up somewhere underground and is useless as well).

O.o

The house not being up to code is the landlord's problem, not yours, man. The wires, the plumbing- depends on the state but I know here in MD it is against the law to have tenants in a building such as what you described.

It is against the law here as well but that doesn't stop landlords from renting out deathtraps. This is the 4th illegal house I have lived in in like 5 years. It crazy. I had to move 4 times due to dangerous or non functioning houses. I am hoping to be able to be more picky this time around...

(^_^)

You really may want to let the landlord know at some point. You don't want the house burning down and killing the new tenants after you.

ARMOURER ERIC wrote:You really may want to let the landlord know at some point. You don't want the house burning down and killing the new tenants after you.

Oh I will let him know when I move out. I would tell him now, but he would just kick me out and then sue me saying it was all my fault -that's just how landlords are around here. It sucks being in this situation, but all I can do is ride the ship and hope it doesn't sink before I reach landfall.....

(^_^)

I for one am willing to wait till you move, to see if you can continue on.....

I agree, unless you feel watertight in your case in the eyes of the law and a non-understanding judge. I had to take on my apartment landlords on damages I did not cause by threatening to sue them over another issue, which I wasn't going to bother with but Get most of my rent back and open them to liability suits from all residents.

Back to the welder. When my welder short circuited,it caused other problems as well. A shirt usually has two symptoms: draws too much current (blown fuses) and does something weird at the weld. If you can find where the latter symptom SHOULD be coming from, you can narrow the search to that area or the circuit that controls that section.

For the future, you may want to build your own fuse box, one that the welder plugs into and which plugs into the wall, so that fuses can be changed quickly, and add redundancy to the safeties already in place.

-Ben

hjalmr:

So, let me get this straight, you burned out *18* outlets and never told your landlord that there was a problem. You had an obligation to inform your landlord as soon as you knew there was a problem with the wiring. It sounds like you were hiding the fact that you were running a business out of a residential rental house.

If your landlord notices the damage to the wiring before they give you back your rental deposit, then they are well within their rights to keep the deposit and sue you for damages. Please also keep in mind that when you try to rent somewhere else they will most likely run a tenant history background check and call your previous landlords to ask what sort of tenant you were.

The fact is that by your own account you knowingly continued to do damage to someone elses properity.

I can't believe you knowingly, systematically burned out all the outlets with your (possibly defective) welder, burning the wiring up in the walls and didn't say anything to the owner. I am missing something, right? Or are you really that guy?

I will admit that I did not inform the landlord about the last 6 -8 outlets because when I told him about the first 6 - 8 outlets he never showed, never called back, and never fixed anything -however he did show up to collect the rent when it was a day late. Imagine that. I also have a problem with the kitchen sink draining ( he admitted he had sewer work done before I moved in) and he hasn't gotten back to me on that issue either. This guy is like most of the landlords I have had the "honor" of renting from: you never see them unless the rents late. I have no doubt that the landlord will try to sue me for damages that could have been caused because he never came to fix the problem when I first reported it. In fact, I am sure he will kick me out immediately when I tell him that nothing is working now -and then sue me while he allows another sucker to move in.

I have learned my lessons the hard way. I will collect evidence to show this house was not legal to rent in the first place (since its basically my word verses his that I told him anything), then I will move out, telling him what evidence I have, and that he can keep the deposit and we can go our seperate ways. If he sues me, I will counter-sue with the evidence I have. This has worked over and over and over again for me because these landlord know they are in the wrong.

I would be more then happy to figure out how to fix this problem myself if I can do it without spending a lot of money, but....

Oh, and the welder isn't the only thing that has burned out outlets. His own air conditioner blew out the first 2, a lamp blew out one, and my electric shaver blew out the ones in the bathroom (over a few weeks). It's just cheap ass wiring from a third rate electrician. Plain and simple. I also checked the welder and had a welding expert and electrician from work look at it and he says it shouldn't be causing the problem. He came by yesterday and looked at the house and agree s that it is probably the wiring in the house.

(^_^)

Congrats on not dying. That house is definitely a fire waiting to happen. What your describing seem like criminal levels of negligence on his part. Not a legal opinion, for the record. But definitely a good idea to move.

I sure hope it's not aluminum wiring, but it sounds like it. They tried using it in the 70's (or there abouts) but had a problem with it. After a period of time, an oxide layer would form between the contacts and heat to the point of causing a fire.

Or crappy contacts on copper wiring. But being so consistent in failing, I'd say it sounds like either aluminum or seriously undergauged copper.

hjalmr:

I'm not sure of the extact details of landlord tenant law in Tennessee, but your landlord can not just kick you out immediately. Your profile says that you live in Memphis, TN so I looked up the web site for code enforement in that city. http://www.memphistn.gov/Government/Pub ... ement.aspx

You would have a vastly stronger case if a code enforement officer cited your landlord for unsafe wiring. If the landlord is cited then in most states your landlord would be required to have a licenced electrician fix the wiring to modern building code and have it inspected by the city when it's done. If the rental unit is found to be unlivable then the landlord is required to provide a place for you to live while the work is being done.

Well, after waiting a full year for my helm this was completely unwelcome news... I paid up front in good faith that I would receive a product for my money... I was very patient all last year as various things came up that delayed my helm again and again, only to find out now that you will not even complete my order...

You couldn't borrow or rent a generator capable to running your welder to finish these projects?

It's nice that you have offered a refund at all... not that it will make up for the year of time I wasted waiting on you to finish my product...

So yeah.. I'll take that refund you offered as soon as you can arrange it...


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Janosi Almos
Arc d'Scorpion of Al-Barran