RoseCity Quilter Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 I have a problem with static electricity and my Milli. We live in Alberta were the furnace runs a lot. My Milli is in my store (2300 sq feet) any my hubby says a humidifyer would not begin to help in such a large space. I shock my machine so bad when I touch it that it engages all the buttons at once (channel locks, thread cutter, start etc). To avoid this I 1st touch the rail and give myself a shock to get rid of the shock to discharge the static in me before toughing the control handles. When I use my circle lord big boards I frequently the stitching stops and I have to restart (and usually rip a few long stitches out.) So yesterday after the 1st row of a big board the machine had stopped 5 times and I had a deadline, so I got a brainwave and sprayed silicone spray on the boards, stylus and rail. Like magic, no more static! So my question, can the silicone spray harm any of those parts? Will it build up on the rails and cause other problems? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiequilter Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 I know there are humidifiers that will cover the square foot of space you have. We have a floor model in our basement, close to the wood burner that we heat the house with. We don't have a problem with the house being too dry or static electricity. It is a Moisture Air brand, floor model. Here's a link, just to see what they look like. Purchased at Lowes a few years ago, but I expect you can find one in Canada. I run the humidified at high speed and I have to fill it two or three times a day, and that is a bother, but it is better than static electricity and the wood in the house drying out. I don't think I'd want to be spraying Silicone on my quilting tools every time that I wanted to use them. Don't know if it will do any damage or build up. http://www.air-n-water.com/humidifiers.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseCity Quilter Posted April 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 Carmen it's actually more than the size of the building, it's also 3500 bolts of cotton fabric zapping up the moisture too..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewlinzi Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 You may need to consider a battery backup system similar to those used for computer systems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzanp Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 How about wiping down the machine or some parts with a dryer sheet, I sit on one in my car, and no more static electricity in there!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gail O Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 You can buy anti-static mats. They are generally used for industrial equipment, but I don't see why that wouldn't apply to a long arm. Check out some of the farm equipment dealers in your area, or possibly in Edmonton, or google anti- static mats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankiequilter Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 Perhaps a 'whole house' humidifier on the furnace? Sometimes when I'm shopping at Walmart I get a shock whenever I touch the shopping cart or a shelf. May be the soles of the shoes would make a difference, also. Definitely you need to resolve the problem. I don't think it's good for Millie to be shocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 Until you make a permanent adjustment to your room you may want to use some dryer sheets. Put one in each pocket and tape one around the machine. I use dryer sheets here all the time. I don't have the problem inside the house; I have the problem in the van and truck. I even use "used" ones and they still work well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyce Posted April 17, 2011 Report Share Posted April 17, 2011 I keep a can of static gard and find that the batting creates most of the problems. Try that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted April 21, 2011 Report Share Posted April 21, 2011 Ardelle, I feel so sorry for you, I hate getting those "surprize shocks". You have major static, you really do need to do something. Our machines are aluminum which helps a little. Static electricity will mess up electronics bad. You'll eventually have to send your machine back to APQS for repairs. Computers are even more sensitive to static. It may be expensive initially to get a "whole area/building" humidifier but it will save you a lot in the long run. Until then, the anti-static mats would help. Dryer sheets work for a little while. You can get anti-static spray, but you'll need to be careful around your quilts (some are oil based). The electronic/computer technicians wear some kind of "static discharge" bracelets to help prevent static when working. I don't think your cotton fabrics add to the problem, it's diffinately the "dry air". If you have carpet, it also would be adding to the static! I have a computer on my machine (Gator) (plus 2 industrial embroidery machines) the IQ engineer tells us to keep our studios/rooms at 35-50 percent humidity. If you have an electronics store (we have Radio Shack here in the states) close-by they should be able to help you. I have an electronics technician that works for me (day job), she asked it there was a way for you to "ground" your frame? That would cut down on the static a lot. Make sure you "discharge" before touching your machine. Sorry this got a little long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoseCity Quilter Posted April 22, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Thanks for all the replies. A "whole house humidifier" I think would also not work as our furnace/air conditioner are on the roof, no where near water. We have no carpet, we have lammiate flooring. I use a saddle stool (have real trouble with my feet and could not manage without it) so do not think anti static mats would help. I was already wondering about grounding my Mille. How would I do that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamarack Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Thanks for posting this Ardelle as I have been having the same problems the last two months. The air is very dry here too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 I have the problem off and on, APQS has these little ruffly washers (for better lack of their real name) that you put between all of your handles and the machine that help ground it. I have also used dryer sheets to go over my rails before I quilt and used them when I held on to the handle in the back while doing a panto. I also keep a spray bottle of water next to my machine and if it gets bad I just spritz the air around her now and then. I am on carpet so I usually quilt barefoot or use shoes that I know won't contribute to static electricity. Once the heat is off the problem goes away...but it is a nuisance and it can harm your machine (I ended up having to replace my mother board a year or 2 ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primitive1 Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Did I mention that I do have a whole house humidifier and it was still a problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Posted April 22, 2011 Report Share Posted April 22, 2011 Maybe Dawn or Amy could "chime" in here. It's hard to tell you how to ground your frame without seeing your place. If you have any electrician/electronic friends they could help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dyequilter Posted August 10, 2012 Report Share Posted August 10, 2012 I mix a little fabric softener in a spray bottle of water and spray my carpets around my machines and computer about once a month and the static stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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