LtS, I assume that what you've got in the cellar and haven't played with yet is a Dremel... ;-)

Melanie, when I've got a bit of free time I'm going to design myself an auto-shutoff which'll cut the power when the current gets too high (ie. when the thing sticks). When I've done it, I'll try to remember to post a circuit diagram (or a layout for stripboard) which will be buildable by anyone who can handle a soldering iron.

Grab.