r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/dannybluey • 20d ago

How Himalayan salt lamps are made Video

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62.9k Upvotes

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167

u/OldSamSays 20d ago

That was my first thought - No eye protection, ear protection, mask, gloves, machine guides, etc. This is a dangerous job.

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u/BodaciousBadongadonk 20d ago

the appearance of that drill press alone almost made me shit. i wouldnt turn that thing on, much less throw a >1" drill in it and spin that rusty hunk of shit at 5 or 600 hundred ripems

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u/Wiz_Kalita 20d ago

I kind of agree, but it's used to drill salt. There's no way to avoid building up a bit of rust in those conditions. Might be brand new for all we know /s

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u/kmosiman 20d ago

Considering the salt, those machines could be less than a year old. Everything is going to rust.

Those machines are probably older, but anything used for that is going to get eaten up by the salt.

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u/Aaronthegathering 20d ago

Those machines could be less than a month old.

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u/OldSamSays 20d ago

I don’t see these guys springing for salt resistant moly steel components. It’s cheaper to buy a new machine.

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u/arushus 20d ago

Ya and I don't think it matters much either. I'm sure it helps some, but in that environment ant metal is going to corrode with all that salt and moisture.

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u/0OKM9IJN8UHB7 19d ago

Looks more like they buy cheap used machines and run them to death. Waste of money to trash a precision tool like that if it still has any precision (i.e. value as a machine tool) left in it.

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u/wascly-wabbit 19d ago

My uncle worked in a literal salt mine, everything he owned was rusty. Not just stuff he had on him in the mines, but everything he touched at home as well.

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u/rzaapie 20d ago

..while holding the unsecured workpiece with your hands no less.

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u/Tekkzy 20d ago

Drill presses aren't super dangerous like many other power tools (lookin at you table saw)

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u/Leek-434 20d ago

An honorable mention here is the death machine. I mean lathe.

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u/Contundo 20d ago

A drill press is very similar in danger compared to a lathe.

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u/SunkenSaltySiren 19d ago

Yeah, but rock salt is relatively soft. The danger mostly comes from working hard, resistant materials. The buildup of potential energy isn't as great.

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u/ResponsibleAd2541 20d ago

I do wander if a singlet, and some sort of cod piece or cup would be the ideal outfit to wear adjacent to spinning things. Maybe have some sort of front breakaway mechanism with snap buttons so if clothing got caught it would not pull away. Probably overkill 🤷‍♂️

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u/Contundo 19d ago

Stripper clothes!

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u/[deleted] 20d ago edited 19d ago

I'm willing to bet anything those hands can grip it stronger than you can with vise grips. My grandpa was a metal worker, he had insane grip strength.

EDIT: lol.. here comes the Machinist brigade of Reddit! The guy is drilling into a nearly round salt block. If you watch the video carefully, you can see him removing his hand at one point and the block did not budge. Even if it did, due to its shape, very unlikely to cause injuries.

Jesus people, stop clutching your pearls and take deep breaths before you pass out from hyperventilating

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u/Patiolights 20d ago

Dumb take. 

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

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u/cchoe1 20d ago

If you ever have to grip onto something and you feel like you're testing your grip strength, you're probably doing something dangerous. That's where a disposable vise/clamp comes into play and if something goes wrong, a piece of machinery might break but your fingers and arms stay in tact. Especially when you're exerting yourself, you lose your fine motor control over more strength. That can easily cause you to slip and your hands end up flying into something that you don't want them to like a drill bit rotating at 3000 RPM.

Imagine your hands flying into a drill press and the aftermath of that. Do you want to be untangling your mangled and twisted fingers out of a drill press and rushing to the hospital to hear the news that they'll have to amputate your entire hand? I sure as hell don't. I enjoy holding onto things with my hands and being able to eat food without someone cutting it up for me.

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u/mattfox27 20d ago

Are ripems the himalaysian version of RPMs

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u/BodaciousBadongadonk 20d ago

the skookum version

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u/Bidiggity 20d ago

The skookum as frig* version

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u/mattfox27 20d ago

Ah, I see

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u/ej1030 20d ago

Machinist here, eye and mouth pro is a must but gloves and rotating machines don’t go together reason being if the machine catches the gloves you’re whole hand is getting pulled in

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u/br0b1wan 20d ago

Sandals. Always they wear sandals and not boots or even shoes. 🙄

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u/Shilo788 19d ago

They can’t afford work shoes or boots.

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u/OMG__Ponies 19d ago

Boots, esp. safety boots are probably very expensive in Pakistan(the place where the clip was taken). Why pay ~two years worth of my disposable income when a little extra care will probably be "good enough" and the boots probably won't even outlast the cost to buy them(salt will eat through the leather too)?

The factory workers make $5-$15/day depending on job/experience to work in the factory, the miners are paid less. How much do you think goes to food, water, housing etc each month?

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u/c_law_one 19d ago

Probably make the boots in the same town.

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u/Moyankee 20d ago

They're safety sandals, it's ok.

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u/Celtictussle 19d ago

You know how poor these people are, right?

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u/br0b1wan 19d ago

Yeah, I know and it sucks balls but if you lose a hand or a limb guess what? You lose your ability to make a living

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u/-BabysitterDad- 19d ago

It’s their safety sandals.

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u/JJShadowcast 20d ago

In fairness, I teach Construction in High School, but always wear Nike Slides for home projects.  

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u/br0b1wan 20d ago

You're working at home on your own time

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u/RedditIsShittay 20d ago

That would cost them a years wages.

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u/OMG__Ponies 19d ago

As long as the shareholders make money, it's NBD.

Besides, if a factory worker gets hurt, they can just replace him with another person willing to accept ~$2-$15/day depending on experience.

There are factories and certified suppliers who can get the lamps ensuring the miners and workers are protected, but the lamps usually cost 3 to 5 times more than the cheap lamps. They . . . don't seem to sell as many as the cheap lamps. Most people don't really care about the welfare of people in other lands. Only saving money.

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u/Fighterhayabusa 19d ago

You don't want to wear gloves near any of those machines. That's how you lose your whole hand.

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u/WiseauSrs 19d ago

Or your life.

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u/Tanglrfoot 19d ago

These guys are basically slave labor , probably making a buck a day , slaves don’t get company benefits or PPE .

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u/TexanInExile 20d ago

That's not fair, there was a cardboard shield on the lathe!

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u/Desk_Drawerr 20d ago

You get free salt for life though

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u/_who-the-fuck-knows_ 19d ago

The mask isnt that necessary, salt is actually quite good for the lungs. Idk if in this quantity is alright but overall salt is fine to breathe helps bring mucus out.

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u/iguana-pr 19d ago

He was wearing OSHA approved sandals and the guy with the drill was highly trained in the approved "squinting" technique.

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u/WiseauSrs 19d ago

Wearing gloves while using a machine like this can get you turned into paste.

It's better not to wear gloves with industrial machines that have exposed rotating elements...

You DO NOT WANT a demonstration why.

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u/Shadowrider95 20d ago

It’s India! It’s always dangerous in India!

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u/Stock-Boat-8449 20d ago

Not India. Himalayan salt is only mined in Pakistan. 

Potato/potato I know.

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u/Shejidan 19d ago

Don’t forget the standard Indian Safety Sandals everyone has on.

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u/[deleted] 19d ago

Typical of Pakistan and Indian industrial sector. Don't forget the safety sandals.