[Slagenator]

I do a lot of stick welding and 232 wire in elevator shafts. Kind of a dark place. Welding off extension ladders with my bags holding my slag cleaning tools. I started taping my flashlight to my chipping hammer to remove my grab the flashlight move. Thought what a great idea. So I patented a chipping hammer with a light attached. Got a couple of video demos on YouTube key word slagenator. Looking to see what you guys/gals think about it and does it have a place in the market.

[Slagenator]

Here's a picture of the slagenator

[Otto Nobedder]

Well, that's certainly different!

On the surface, it's a grand idea. I assume the lamp is LED, as an incandescent would not take the abuse, though I'd think some shock-absorption, a'la deadblow counterweight, would be in order for longevity. This will also require a low-mass battery, like button-cells, for the same reason. AAA's would require extra shock-absorption, and button-cells up the replacement cost.

As for the market, that's another story. I'd actually expect it to be rather limited. Very few of us work in confined spaces where "lighting" is not a "hazard" to be mitigated, and frankly, neither should you. I've worked some ratty S#!thole jobs, and don't recall ever using a flashlight for anything but final inspection, looking for undercut, long after I've chipped my slag.

Don't misunderstand. I'm sure this is marketable. I can see a maintenance person at a steel mill, powerplant, water/wastewater treatment plant, or paper mill, as some examples, who would see this as a time-saver in a "fix-it-now" situation, who wouldn't need to run an extra extension cord just to light a three-minute band-aid repair.

I just don't expect the welding world to fall on this idea like sliced bread, so I suggest expecting a lukewarm response.

Steve S

[WerkSpace]

I would think that a light on your head would be more practical, to see what you are looking at.
The idea of having a light flashing around in the dark would probably make me fall off the ladder.
I often wonder how these guys swing a hammer in the dark. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UolRiaFyEeg

[Slagenator]

I do have a light on my hard hat. Welding in elevator rail brackets are always in a shadow behind the rail. I do my weld inspection as I chip. Slag is usually afraid of my chippingworking hammer so when it hits,slag runs for its life. The light on the chip makes the inspection complete without revisiting. The head light on a welding helmet doesn't work for me. I am not a fan of using my head and neck to move my light where I want it. I often think my work environment in an elevator shaft is very hostile and start talking myself into a better work situation then I remember the compensation and get right back to it. I actually have taken 30 minutes out of an 8 hour work day from using the new hammer in my work environment. Thinking about shelving it for the fact that this new efficiency is working against my hourly rate. I usually do the right thing even if its against my best interest. Thanks for the input though I really appreciate it.

[jwmacawful]

is that a serious for real tool of some kind of gag gift for a welder on his birthday? on another note, i was working in a fab shop and one of the guy's had a spring loaded chipping hammer like that. the boss asked to see it and flung it over the fence.

[Slagenator]

I do have a light amour setup that I use to weld on my wooden handled chipping hammer heads. Sometimes on top. Sometimes on either side. Same for my est wing chip ham. The spring handle is simply what the employer typically buys and they are a world wide corp. with tens of thousands of employees. My supervisor is interested in purchasing some for the local employees but they need to be in a place where they can use a P.O. As an approved vender. I'm just some guy with a trench coat full of slagenators. I've spoke with different places and its hard to get the time of day from them.

[jonescg]

If I understand correctly, a nice stick weld won't need chipping, so if your slagenator's light fails due to hard chipping, blame your welds, not the tool

Good luck with the sales!

[Slagenator]

Thanks for the encouragement.

[WerkSpace]

Find out who is on the "Approved Vendor" list and approach that vendor as a broker for your product.

STORY: My company uses lots of approved vendors and our administrator ordered a hydraulic accumulator from an electronic supplier by mistake. When the accumulator arrived, we were shocked that an electronic vendor supplied it. After looking at the invoice, I immediately understood what happened. The vendor ordered the product from another vendor and marked up the price by $100. Business is business.

I do have a light amour setup that I use to weld on my wooden handled chipping hammer heads. Sometimes on top. Sometimes on either side. Same for my est wing chip ham. The spring handle is simply what the employer typically buys and they are a world wide corp. with tens of thousands of employees. My supervisor is interested in purchasing some for the local employees but they need to be in a place where they can use a P.O. As an approved vender. I'm just some guy with a trench coat full of slagenators. I've spoke with different places and its hard to get the time of day from them.

[Antorcha]

Thanks for the encouragement.

Give a few to the retards on murkin television with........idiots like myth basstadz. If they use the " Kewl" word, you get a private jet.

[Slagenator]

I am researching a way to incorporate the lights into the head And/or the handle. Unscrewing an end cap in the handle to replace batteries. A switch to move around which way the light comes out. Keeping it impact resistant is going to be a challenge. Working in low light welding conditions I need a light on everything. These elevator shafts while working on a moving platform throughout the hoistway always seem to leave me welding in a shadowy area.

[Otto Nobedder]

Thanks for the encouragement.

Give a few to the retards on murkin television with........idiots like myth basstadz. If they use the " Kewl" word, you get a private jet.

How about we give the guy a break?

The idea will succeed or fail on it's own merits, not our opinions.

Steve S

[jwmacawful]

Thanks for the encouragement.

Give a few to the retards on murkin television with........idiots like myth basstadz. If they use the " Kewl" word, you get a private jet.

How about we give the guy a break?

The idea will succeed or fail on it's own merits, not our opinions.

Steve S

you gotta have a thick skin if you want to hang with the welders.lol

[Otto Nobedder]

True, on the "thick skin"!

Personally, I'm not buying in to slaganator's idea, but I don't weld in elevator shafts. It may be a niche market (no pun intended).

I figured, quit ragging the idea, we've already done that. Let it live or die on it's own merits, like a new helper....

Steve S

[Slagenator]

Bring on the humor, I like it. We all live a different yellow sub. The hammer light isn't that big a deal, just a little idea. Be interesting but American ingenuity is what the dream is all about. Bad enough we compete with the foreign market, now we get Americans tearing apart Americans ideas discouraging local inventions. If torcha invented a new American inventions I would probably invest into the dream, go America. This is where we will fail, those foreigners love us beating each other up, eventually we be so weak the effort to overcome us will be minimal.

[Otto Nobedder]

Personally, Slagonator, I hope for the best.

I still think it's a "niche" idea, but it's sound, so give it a go, and ignore the detractors.

It either will or won't fly, and you won't know which until you try.

(Damn, I'm a poet, and wasn't aware of it... )

Steve S

[WerkSpace]

Have you considered mounting a light on a super magnet?
If you are welding steel in an elevator shaft, there would be no shortage of things to magnetically mount a light. LED technology is everywhere and it's relatively vibration resistant and uses the least amount of energy, so batteries should last much longer than incandescent bulbs.

I am researching a way to incorporate the lights into the head And/or the handle. Unscrewing an end cap in the handle to replace batteries. A switch to move around which way the light comes out. Keeping it impact resistant is going to be a challenge. Working in low light welding conditions I need a light on everything. These elevator shafts while working on a moving platform throughout the hoistway always seem to leave me welding in a shadowy area.

[Slagenator]

If I don't keep my tools in my belt bag or a drop light hanging up above my head. It will end up getting knocked down the shaft. I have used magnetic lights. Looks pretty cool spiraling down a 200 foot shaft. I pretty much have every tool imagine able or access to it. I've knock just about all of in down the hoistway too.

[noddybrian]

I wish you luck with marketing this - but I don't see a big demand for it ! ( sorry but honest ) - I understand the need for sometimes making tools specific to ones trade or a specific job - but if you cannot see well enough to chip slag how did you see to clean the metal & weld ? I have worked up radio / ships masts on occasion so I understand the problem of keeping tools from falling - but I think modern led lights on safety lanyards make more sense ( I admit to never welding in lift shafts ! )- as you have seen the need to justify developing this - well maybe it will sell - the world is awash with items that people don't really need - but it never stops folks buying them - so I say if you have a product you believe in then go for it - if it makes you a million by next Christmas you get to laugh at the rest !

[jwmacawful]

Bring on the humor, I like it. We all live a different yellow sub. The hammer light isn't that big a deal, just a little idea. Be interesting but American ingenuity is what the dream is all about. Bad enough we compete with the foreign market, now we get Americans tearing apart Americans ideas discouraging local inventions. If torcha invented a new American inventions I would probably invest into the dream, go America. This is where we will fail, those foreigners love us beating each other up, eventually we be so weak the effort to overcome us will be minimal.

glad you get we're only having a little fun. if you thought we were being a little hard be glad you didn't post on the other forum where you need asbestos shorts just for saying good morning. welders can be d!cks sometimes and we're a tough crowd. hope this didn't make you gun shy. keep those ideas (and laughs) coming.

[Slagenator]

The misc. steel contractor on this new construction job gets this new helper. The welder tells him to go plug the ground into the negative terminal on the machine and put the clamp on something metal. Welders over there trying to struck an arc and he can't get it going. The helper decided to hook his ground clamp up to the big trash dumpster. That's not funny enough the welder tell his helper to unclamp it and shake the cord to get the static electricity out. He's just shaking and shaking everyone is sitting there laughing. The places we start from!

[jwmacawful]

was that you???

[Slagenator]

Not that time.

[Otto Nobedder]

The misc. steel contractor on this new construction job gets this new helper. The welder tells him to go plug the ground into the negative terminal on the machine and put the clamp on something metal. Welders over there trying to struck an arc and he can't get it going. The helper decided to hook his ground clamp up to the big trash dumpster. That's not funny enough the welder tell his helper to unclamp it and shake the cord to get the static electricity out. He's just shaking and shaking everyone is sitting there laughing. The places we start from!

LMAO!

I've had that kind of fun with the new helper before. Not that one exactly, but I like it!

Steve S