Workshop Heating

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

Gordon,

I would agree re the wood burner – mine is only a very small capacity one and at the moment I am using up all the soft wood offcuts I have, so the stove needs stocking every 20 mins!  I have some hardwood logs to try next, and some charcoal which may be hotter and longer lasting.

 

I will look at stirling board, it may be an answer to my cladding needs. T&G strip cladding which is what I was looking at is about 6 quid a sq.m, about twice the sq.m cost of stirling board but looks better!

 

Regards, Chris 

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

That stirling board sounds dear to me, where are you? Forgot to mention the biggest heat saver ( in my shack) Double glazing, this is all second hand and cheap or free. check auction ,salvage yards, double glazing firms, mates who are upgrading etc. You can cut the plastic frames easily, and fit to hole in wall with timber packing and lots of mastic.( like the profesionals) or just use the glass and make your own frames.

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

I’d second the Larger local double glazing firms, surprising how many “Wrong” sizes are made.

 

  Regards Ian.

[Billy MillsParticipant @billymills]

Now is a good time to buy insulation cheap, B & Q are selling three rolls of  insulation for £5.00. May not be around many more days though!

 

regards,

Alan.

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Hi all,

I have 4-off, 40W bulbs  in batten holders,wired in series in protective box on mill swarf tray, under lots of large thick plastic bags over mill. Switched on  9 months of year except June-August, subject to weather conditions. Keeps air just slightly warmer around mill with gently-glowing bulbs which seem to last forever as they are not running at full brilliance and temperature. Doesn`t cost much to run. Have got back-ups never used; a de-humidifier and oil-filled radiator. Myford has a lathe cover, no heat. Very large bench drill has empty building sand bag over top, no heat. Rust? whats that?!!

I should add that I live in “Sunny(?) South” and workshop heavily insulated.

John. 

[Ian WelfordParticipant @ianwelford58739]

I put an 8ft oil flled electric radiator on the wall. Thermostat is set to 12 C which keeps the air warm enoguh to prevent condensation and rust.

 

Concrete floor covered in 18mm chipboard and scraps of old carpet for cosier tootsies.

 

Floored in the loft but really should put insulation underneath ( cos there’s loads of stuff stored on top of the floor up there!

 

I was considering rubberised insultaion but it’s black which means repainitng the whole lot white after installing it.

 

Roof does thaw before the unheated garage does but then again 2 iced cars go into that each night so comparison’s a bit unfair.

 

Ian

[FunnyturnParticipant @funnyturn]

There is an anti corrosion product caled ACF-50 which many motorcyclists etc swear by. See:

 

www.acf-50.co.uk/

 

It is available on ebay at around £14.

 

Brian

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

Watched the RNLI recover their inshore lifeboat at Lyme Regis a couple of years back.  

 

They floated the boat onto it’s trailer which was fairly well submerged, as was the towing tractor.  When it was hauled out and washed down they pressure sprayed WD40 over everything, using massive drums of the stuff.

 

It obviously works for them……………

 

I now spray the engine compartment of my boat with WD40 too – when I can remember to do it!    It’s readily available and not too expensive, should work in the workshop too.

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Hi all,

My workshop is 10×8 garden shed cocooned in felt and apex roof + South wall have sandwich of B&Q large bubble plastic sheet. Inside roof has 2 inch Polystyrene board. Inside walls, 3-ply plywood and void stuffed with fi-glass loft insulation.

John 

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

“Duck Oil”, same as WD but was half the cost. Thing with WD is that it’s a Water Dispersant, not a long term protective.

 

   Regards  Ian.

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

Hi Ian,

I would agree – WD40 doesn’t seem to stay around long time – I’ll try some Duck Oil (on your recommendation!) and see how it goes. 

 

Regards, Chris 

[Richard MarksParticipant @richardmarks80868]

Gentlemen

Down here in sunny or snowy devon a large store called trago stock a product called Hycote Maintainence Spray, sticks like the proverbial and is capable of keeping rust at bay, best of all its half the price of WD and DWF, do not leave tools soaking in duck oil as it can stain, I left a lot of hss taps soaking in it and they came out black.

Regards

Dick

[Ian WelfordParticipant @ianwelford58739]

according to a colleague  a fair bit of WD 40 isa light grade  paraffin and evaporates off leaving the light machine oil it contains behind.

 

Richard- did the stained taps rust though afterwards? Don’t care hwat they look like as liong as they’re protected.

 

Ian

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I’v got a mate who keeps his spare drills and tap in plastic boxes half filled with diesel fuel,I’m not really sure why he does it as he has no corrosion problems with the rest of his gear,but they stay clean,you have to degrease them though before using.Ian S C

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Hi all,

Further to my posts, 14/1,15/1,  I find that a short while using mill or lathe, motors do a lot of the heating and my workshop never hits 0C. Have got Six`s max/min thermometer to tell me whats going on. I keep a small range of frequently used tools in shop, e.g., couple of files ,hammers, a mallet, some spanners specific to Myford and mill, limited range of dies, taps and thei tapping size drills. I keep in the house, sets of taps, dies, drills, endmills, slotdills and accessories for lathe + mill not in use. Almost all metal stock is in house. Small pieces steel kept in PLASTIC containers, non-ferrous in metal tins, like McVities Victoria biscuits – its longer than usual round steel sweet tin so holds longer bits. I like the new Celebratios box in plastic, new last year – just right for odds sods of steel.

I look at drawings on cold/wet/sowy eves indoors  + plan job(s) to do on my next workshop session and pick metals/castings/cutters etc + put in toolbox ready to carry down garden ot workshop. This system works better than it sounds.

John 

[Richard MarksParticipant @richardmarks80868]

Ian

In answer to your question re rust, no rust but I was unable to read the sizes on the taps that were etched. All loose taps now kept in small heavy duty plastic bags in a plastic container in a cupboard. Went down to my workshop in the cold snap and switched on my 9 fin oil filled radiator, within 10 minutes there was a small pinging noise and about a pint of oil spread all over the floor, luckily it was only one fin that ruptured,heater now consigned to bin, purchased a new one and will remember not to be too hasty next time.

Dick

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Hi all,

I have a converted garage, 8' x 17', I have had it studded out & insulated it with 25mm Celotex panels(similar to 'kingspan&#39 then overlayed with 12mm OSB all round apart from the up & over door,which I have attached space blanket roof insulation (temp' measure for now). the loft space has been boarded over & layered with spare space blanket, which puffs up to 6" thick when unrolled.

I have since bought two small thermostatically controlled oil filled radiators from my local Supermarked (£19.95 ea) & have one at ea. end of the garage so when I go in I switch them on for about an hour, at present temperatures, & it soon gets nice & cosy. The temp' at present is a comfortable 8-10 deg' without the radiators on but I usually put them on & get it up to about 14 – 16 deg' C then switch them off.

During the cold spell last year when it reached -2/4 deg. outside the insulation still maintained a reasonable +6-8 deg. inside so a quickie couple of hrs with rads on & I was in comfy mode & so far there were/are no signs of condensation on any of my machines. I am looking at attaching more Celotex panels to my up & over door later on this year as it will look cosmetically better & will give the equivalent insulation rating as the space blanket.

There is a photo in my album showing the insulation being fitted during conversion stage if you wish to look. Happy new year & regards to all.

George.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Bloody freezing in my shop today

Uninsulated 40' x 30' shop [ on the to do list ] heated by a home built wood stove.

Helps that I get two of these delivered free of charge every week.

Wooden skip 8' x 5' x 5' full of hardwood off cuts from a local furniture manufacturer 200 yards up the road .

John S.

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

I was born in Buxton. I dont need heating!!

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

My 30 m^2 shed was built with 6" Structural Insulated Panels for walls and roof. They've got 5" of PU foam inside them. The 8" concrete floor sits on top of 4" of polystyrene foam. Base contains 14 m^3 of concrete. Inside temperature changes by no more than 3°C per day in boiling or freezing weather, if I don't use the shed. Currently the lights, plus me, plus the machine tools I use in the evening are keeping it at 14°C with the outside temp at -3. In summer I have to open the door or use the air conditioner…

 

 

This isn't a gloat. Ruddy thing cost me more than the house did and took two years to build, just showing that insulation and thermal mass really make a difference.

Edited By Mark Rand on 21/01/2013 22:09:58

Edited By Mark Rand on 21/01/2013 22:11:24

Edited By Mark Rand on 21/01/2013 22:15:48

[Sub MandrelParticipant @submandrel]

> I was born in Buxton. I dont need heating!!

> just showing that insulation and thermal mass really make a difference.

Neil

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