The dangerous world of online DIY hacks

It is difficult not to stumble across the latest DIY hack online, and there may even be some curiosity to give it a go yourself to see if it really works, which is never a wise idea. We’ve scoured the internet to find some of the more dangerous hacks and why you should avoid attempting them.

Soldering Irons

Soldering Irons are useful tools when it comes to metalwork, composed of a heated metal tip and an insulated handle.

The metal tip of the iron is comprised of both iron and copper, iron for its corrosion resistance, and copper for its conducting abilities. Therefore, the efficacy of these types of tools is heavily reliant on its perfectly balanced combination of materials.

A quick glance of DIY Soldering Irons reveals contraptions made of all kinds of objects, including pencils, batteries, and USB-A connectors.

Creating and using a Soldering Iron at home is dangerous for a number of reasons, mainly due to the fact that soldering even with professional tools under a controlled environment can pose many risks and hazards, such as toxic fumes and burns. So, attempting this sort of work at home heightens that risk significantly. As well as this, the lack of a specifically designed and tested insulated handle means exposing yourself to significant temperatures, leading to burns.

DIY drill attachments

Drills and other similar power tools are very effective at doing the jobs they are designed for, so some have taken to using them to speed up other tasks.

The most common of these tasks being attaching cleaning utensils to the end of a power drill, to take advantage of the speedy rotation to either clean large areas of bathrooms or kitchens with ease, or to use its power to tackle anything from everyday dirt to grimy grout and silicone.

However, just like with Soldering Irons, using power tools such as drills can be risky even when using for their intended purpose, even more so when other items are attached to them. This can not only involve these attachments interfering with the mechanism of the drill itself, causing damage to the tool or shocks and fires, but can also cause damage to the very object or fixture you’re trying to fix or clean, and the resulting breakage combined with the high power of a drill can cause pieces of fixtures to be thrown into the air and cause injury.

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In our research, we also found that it is suggested that just about any metal object can be sharpened and used as a drill bit, with one video suggesting sharpening a standard house key. This is extremely dangerous, not only as placing foreign objects in a power drill can cause many issues and can possibly cause it to malfunction, but drill bits are designed to drill a hole specific to certain types of fixings, and when it comes to structural work, this is vital.

Therefore, using other objects means that screws and fixings may not be secure enough to support any structural elements of a project, which can have dangerous consequences.

Lack of Personal Protective Equipment

A common feature that connects most if not all of these types of videos is the distinct lack of any form of PPE.

Many demonstrators can be seen using potentially dangerous tools to perform tasks that could cause an excessive amount of debris or require close contact with blades without being appropriately protected. This includes using Hole Saws, Band Saws and Belt Sanders, as well as contact with hot glue.

If these tasks were to be undertaken safely, appropriate PPE would be worn at all times to reduce the risk of injury, including Goggles or another form of Eye Protection, Gloves and even Ear Plugs if you’re working with particularly noisy equipment.

A whole host of injuries can occur when performing tasks such as these, including burns, cuts, eye injuries and in the most severe cases, loss of digits.

Whether you’re taking on a less risky DIY project, or you’re looking to stock up for an entire workforce, we stock a number of PPE products that will ensure that any project you take on can be executed safely.

While it may be tempting to emulate these hacks that you see online, most if not all will cause more harm than good, both to yourself and your home or possessions. Many of these videos use clever camera work and other tactics to produce results that are not true to real life. It is always best to perform DIY or repair tasks with proper equipment, with the right protection and in a safe environment, or better still, consult a professional.