weird thing- Sort of curious

The torch may have a high frequency leak. High freq. would gravitate towards any metal.

Sorry I suck at spelling :(

Les

You had a flesh-cored transformer with the welding cable being the primary winding and the plates on your back being the secondary winding.

Magnetic induction doesn't require ferrous conductors to work. The iron core in power transformers helps keep the magnetic field concentrated in the copper windings, but magnetic coupling between the coils would still happen if the iron core wasn't there.

or more graphically, "You _were_ a flesh-cored transformer..."

Any metal that conducts electricity will induce a magnetic field around itself simply by the induced currents flowing thoughout parts of the piece. You were feeling the very small voltage induced by the magnetic fields. There's a term for it, but I forgot what it was. There's a process a coworker told me about that his father invented. It involves suspending a slug of aluminum inside a high frequency high power coil. The magnetic fields create currents in the part that make it heat itself up while at the same time mixing the suspended blob. Add alloys and when you turn off the current, the blob drops into the mold, with perfect mixing and no settling out of any alloys. Pretty cool stuff.

"RDF" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@speakeasy.net... | Hey guys, | | It's been a while since I posted on the group but I wondered if | something that happened(s) to me makes sense... | | Last year I broke my back and I had six screws and two plates installed | conveniently at L4,L5, and S1 of my lower back. Assuming this is Titanium or | similar. | | Anyway this is what gives... | | I stopped a my friend's shop to run a bead on a sheetmetal intake | manifold (Actually aluminum to be clear) anyway I had the torch draped over | my shoulder and I was running the bead in a standing position with the work | elevated because it hurts like hell to sit. When I was moving around I felt | an electric tingle right in the area the surgical site was whenever the | cable wiggled around the area... It was like wearing a TENS unit if that | clears this up more. I have not been in the shop until yesterday so I have | not touched my Aerowave in about a year. | | Anyone got hardware installed that this relates to ? | | I thought medical stuff was non ferrous- why the tingle near the cable? | Should not be a ferritic reaction right? | | It did not hurt, I was just curious as I know a few guys with pins in arms, | legs, ect in the trades. | | oh- 110 amps to the torch, air cooled, finger contactor- not a foot pedal, | Running AC on the torch obviously for the Al. Solid workclamp, ran a bolt to | the welding clamp line because the clamp is a pain in the ass to clip on so | I had a great connection for sure with a 3/8" bolt directly to the | workpiece. | | | Thanks in advance, | | Rob | |