The Armour Archive

Next weekend I;m moving into a new place, it comes with a shop space in the basement. It's got pegboard walls, 2 workbenches, a wood working vise and i seen to remember there being a bank of cupboards. I'm guessing the room is somewhere around 12x10 or maybe a little larger.

Having done most of my armouring for the last few years on small apartment balconies, I'm really looking forward to having shop space again.
I've also never had dedicated shop space, or a shop inside my house I was wondering if anyone had any advice to keep in mind while i set up all my stuff.

Find a way to do your cutting/grinding outside.
Metal bits find their way in to the corner and linger.

Wear your safty gear basment acustics are bad for metal working.
Usualy this is a plus for late night sessions.

Keeping the space clean and organized is key paticularly with limited space.
Oiling your tools and steel to help deture rust if its a damp basement.

Excellent topic! I am also in this situation.
If I may tack on a question:
Has anyone made a grinding enclosure? also, is it safe to use gas forges in the basement?

Armourkris wrote:Next weekend I;m moving into a new place, it comes with a shop space in the basement. It's got pegboard walls, 2 workbenches, a wood working vise and i seen to remember there being a bank of cupboards. I'm guessing the room is somewhere around 12x10 or maybe a little larger.

Having done most of my armouring for the last few years on small apartment balconies, I'm really looking forward to having shop space again.
I've also never had dedicated shop space, or a shop inside my house I was wondering if anyone had any advice to keep in mind while i set up all my stuff.

Think critically about your work processes. Stop and consider what you use often, and what you almost never use. Lay the shop out, if at all possible, so "Workflow" is enhanced, not retarded.

Armourkris wrote:Next weekend I'm moving into a new place, it comes with a shop space in the basement.

Not Armor-specific, but basement shops are great because of the convenience. But the little bits, be they metal shavings, sawdust, small nails, bits of string, will get into your shoes and migrate themselves to your new carpet, leaving something your spouse will not thank you for.

used to have the forge and foundry in the basement - neither was an issue with proper air flow and venting - gas regs normally call for 50 cu feet of fresh air space for every 1000 btu of burn output and you prolly have no freaking clue what your btu output (cause i didnt either) so we made sure there was plenty of fresh air being fanned in and a vent hood making sure there was plenty of air being vented out - and we would still sweat our asses off in the winter sucking in sub freezing air and blowing out the super hot stuff so cold wasnt an issue - over heating in the summer sucked tho... and so you know your average water heater is 36K btu and a small (small) furnace is 50K btu. so your forge may be out putting 200K plus depending on fuel and how much your cranking on it. fire safety is the next issue....

McCuistion wrote:But the little bits, be they metal shavings, sawdust, small nails, bits of string, will get into your shoes and migrate themselves to your new carpet, leaving something your spouse will not thank you for.

That's why I have shop shoes that never leave my basement.

Two words: Shop Shoes. I have a pair of shoes I wear in my work area that I take off before stepping onto the carpeted areas.

Mondor wrote:Two words: Shop Shoes. I have a pair of shoes I wear in my work area that I take off before stepping onto the carpeted areas.

And coveralls. Separate shoes do no good if you have grinding dust all over your clothes when you leave, then sit down on the clean couch upstairs.

Any attempt at a foundy or forge in the basement should be looked over by someone with HVAC CERTs.
If something happens haveing tanks of fuel in your home/attached garage can invalidate the your insurance even if its not involved in the problem.
an HVAC or pipefitter usualy has an idea on how to make it jive with rules and regs if its posible.

It may require adding an egress window or someother expencive remodeling.

For me it was cheaper to build an outbuilding then to try welding in the basement.

I took over my basement. I only have 6'10" clearance in the shop. I started in a 10X15 space and took over the other 3 rooms. My wife SCREAMS at me because the laundry room is one I pass through and she is always finding wire wheel debree and drill curls in the cloths. Shop shoes...100% agree. I have thick sole slip on shoes for the shop and change to sandals as I head for the stairs. open windows and get ventilation going, good lord the smells that build up in the shop... almost gagged myself from the break cleaner I used once to strip a helm.
Fire extinguisher...it's your HOUSE!
I set up a grinder/buffer area in the back room and hung old comforters from the ceiling to prevent dust from leaving the room and dampen the sound. I put a strong fan in the basement window to blow out dust.
get a magnetic floor sweeper...my wife got me one last christmas! the kids LOVE iT and love cleaning the shop with it...free labor.
make a sizable long work bench that you can mount your vices, shear, dishing forms, and a small grinder for touch ups.
GOOD Lighting !!!! My dad came over and we installed 6 48" florecent light fixtures. installed 2 pull chain light bulbs over the sander, and the stake plate for extra lighting .
cover 2 walls in plywood...and mount tool hooks, scewdriver boards, etc.
make the bench close enough to the tool wall that you can turn around and grab somehting without moving much.
get a stump..de-skinned...and termite free and stick it at the end of your bench, with a chair..for sit down dishing.
I put small boards across the celing rafters and put all kinds of stuff up there... 1/4" rod for grills, hardwood forms for fluting and creasing and such. stock, etc.
and the coolest thing, we mounted outlets above and on the sides of the long work bench and "D" loops on the sides like holsters for my drills and tools. no wires in the way and plenty of power. put the welder in the grinding room. just make sure you CLEAN UP THE DUST EACH TIME...and as people just told me...DONT MIX DUSTS...aluminum and iron = BOOM.
Oh, and wd-40 everything... its a damp basement afterall

My parents had a half-basement (basement on the front of the house came out as a ground level floor in the backyard) - all those years ago, I used it to work while the rest of the family used it for other things.
So it was very mobile -- lots of insentive to clean up as soon as something was done.
In most cases however, especialy where lots of dust was expected, I prefered to work outside.

When I got my house, I set up my garage as a workshop.
I still mostly worked outside unless I needed the workbench or tools that were attached to benches.

I find that the natural light just can't be beat. Definitely for dishing/raising or for cutting details ... or setting fiddly rivets

Now I got a new house where the set up is all different and I just haven't got around to figuring out a shop.

But - to get back to some specific concerns --
In New York city, a house may not have a bedroom in the basement which is half way or more below ground unless some separate specific provisions are made to provide light and air. This law was instituted as a public health measure.
If there are light and air health concerns for just sleeping in the basement, how much more so for the various types of work you are likely to do?

hi
every armourer needs what was described as a grinding enclosure in the post above.

if you can smell the work you are killing yourself.
grinding welding doesnt matter small particles of metal and grinding wheel dust are being inhaled and sticking in your lungs. long term would you breath cement dust every time you used your shop?

so get or build a box. I use a metal teletype enclosure.
cut a slot across the lower front part. this is where your hands will work through. hang a curtain down over the slot so that any dust or welding balls stay in the enclosure. I used thin leather suede leather as a curtain and I then cut slits in it that allow me to move my arms across when needed. I also have a solid leather flap across the middle that limits fumes and dust when I am grinding and my arms don't need to move much.

install a 4 or 5 inch duct(I used 4 inch solid hite plastic sewer pipe until I burned it up) in the upper back corner and attach a dust blower or vacuum device of some sort to the end of it which is located outside your work area. I started with a harbor freight 900 cfm blower until I caught it on fire when I caught my buffer on fire. I then went to a downdraft electric stove/range blower. I bought the range for 5 bucks and removed the blower.

next install a viewing window. cut a slot above the work slot and tape on a piece of plexiglas. you will be using tape because you will be replacing the plexiglas from time to time. by doing this you no longer need to use safety glasses or a dust mask.
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SaQxNA0-JvWBatyq5h7q3Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_xijnVOFwTh4/S_tOSqPvY0I/AAAAAAAAA04/XH018IqysTI/s288/grinder%20box1.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/sirmrks/GrinderBox?feat=embedwebsite">grinder box</a></td></tr></table>

this also works very well:
<table><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XPmgQFdIsZxZU-GGw72gTg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_xijnVOFwTh4/S_tOSyqFSTI/AAAAAAAAA1E/FyLteB4Lxdg/s400/fresh%20air%20hood.JPG"></a></td></tr><tr><td>From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/sirmrks/GrinderBox?feat=embedwebsite">grinder box</a></td></tr></table>

When I had a house with a basement, I used a portion as a shop.

1. Doors to the outside are nice. House was on a hill, so it had a door with no stairs to the back yard.

2. Most basements need more lights to be a good shop.

3. Ground fault or Arc fault circuit interruptors are good.

When we built our house I had the garage made 10' deeper than it should have been, and walled it off and made it my shop.

Steve

Nobody has mentioned lighting.

A few florescent lights can go a long way toward improving both the quality of your work, and the quality of your life. There are better ways to do it, but the florescents work, they're cheap, and they can be installed in about an hour (if you can see colors). If you can't see colors, ask your wife to help.

White paint is also a great way to increase the usable light in an area. Paint the walls, ceiling and floors white once a year, and the room will seem a whole lot brighter. It's also a great excuse to only really clean your shop once a year.

And the fire extinguisher and the safety equipment are good ideas too.

f

My shop is in the basement. It is quite large but the only hotwork I do indoors is with a MAPP torch. No one has touched on my wifes biggest complaint (which is not the metal shavings although I need to get shop clothes) it's the NOISE! We have a forced air heating system and the air ducts pass directly above the anvil. My wife can hear me riveting 2 sotries away like she was in the same room. That has really limited evening shop time. Despite the fact that I LOVE my shop space I really wish it were in a detached building at times. Nothing sucks worse then being 95% of the way through a project and being told it's your daughters bed-time so you need to stop. :/

Sean

Nobody has mentioned lighting.

When I put in the shop/garage lighting, I put in 7 of the 4-bulb T12 fluorescent bays. 4 in the garage area (2 over each car), and 3 in the shop area.

When I turn on the lights, it is like the sun. I love it.

Steve

Steve -SoFC- wrote:

Nobody has mentioned lighting.

When I put in the shop/garage lighting, I put in 7 of the 4-bulb T12 fluorescent bays. 4 in the garage area (2 over each car), and 3 in the shop area.

When I turn on the lights, it is like the sun. I love it.

Steve

Lighting was going to be my comment as well. My garage has absolutely horrible light. It sucks. I pretty much only really enjoy working there when it's nice outside and I can open the door and let in the sun.

When the new house is done, lighting is going to be one of the first things that gets upgraded (if it needs it)

Ogedei.

I going to have my shop in a barn already started cleaning it up, I was wondering if anybody else has a shop in a barn . Its really dusty in there.

I didn't have my shop in the basement for long, just a few years. The house (built in 1924, replacing a previous antebellum structure which had the good sense to burn down) had a full basement, an innovation for that location.

Unfortunately, this innovation lay between the swamp and the river. The water table frequently exceeded the level of the floor during wet years. Droughts were just tolerable. (Note: this was with a sump pump in place!) I had everything up on bricks or blocks or platforms, effectively lowering the floor beams overhead. I had stepping stones and an isolated wooden platform to the circuit breaker box. Frogs, toads, non-poisonous snakes and a variety of wolf spiders were companionable company from time to time.

During tropical storms, hurricanes, sudden thaws, and whenever the electricity failed, any stray floatable stuff would be bobbing about in the rising waters.

As soon as we did our final crop of tobacco and the stripping house was redundant, I moved everything there, where it served me for 20+ years until I had to build the new shop on "my" side of the farm.

The new owners of the old house are still dealing with "Oakley Springs*" and trying to improve that basement.


* When the water table was sufficiently high the water didn't just bubble up through the floor, it sprang from multiple holes in the wall like an array of faucets! You could hear the babbling waters and the cycling sump pump all the way up in the bedroom. That was good. If you didn't hear them, and it was wet season, then the pump had malfunctioned and the wall springs were submerged!

Oh, yes! A good basement for shop space was one of our main criteria when we were house-hunting, especially since my wife needed a glass-working shop as well. Here's mine:

[img]http://www.larp.com/hoplite/NBsword1.jpg[/img]

The entire basement was open, and we knew there was some dampness, so I put in studs around my shop and simply tacked up plastic sheeting. Any kind of storage or file drawers you can find are wonderful. Label the fronts. Organization doesn't have to be manic or nit-picky, but ANYthing you do is better than less! You'll also want a collection of scrap paper and cardboard for making patterns. I hung a sheet of plastic across most of the front of my workbench, to keep dust off the tools on the shelf below. I *should* do more of that... Also, note the handy electical outlet that I put on the ceiling above the bench with the help of a friend--dedicated circuit, and easy to reach. And all the power cords drape right across my workspace! Doh... Need to move it to the underside of the bench, just haven't done that yet....

Oh, if the basement is damp, keep all cardboard boxes and wood off the floor! And away from the outside wall, too. I've got a few spare wire-rack shelves just laying flat on the floor to set things on so they stay dry. Of course, that makes nice dens for potentially dangerous spiders...

Yea, workshops!

Matthew

Easy to find the BTU of a gas forge; just calculate the weight of gas used per hour and the btu's per pound of gas.

VENTILATION VENTILATION VENTILATION VENTILATION VENTILATION VENTILATION

I use a gas forge out in my smithy and I like to have *both* 10' by 10' roll up doors on opposing ends along the direction of wind flow open.

Now when I lived in a 100 year old house in Columbus OH I would build a 1 firebrick forge that would be heated by a small plumbing torch---they type that mounts on a small propane bottle and use that in mid winter. The basement was very drafty and I never had problems. It was also divided into 4 rooms by brick walls so the hot dirty work room as not the wood work room was not the storage room, etc.

We had stone walls and they tended to leak in times of rain too. I ran a dehumidifier and plumbed it directly to the floor drain during the summer!.

Thomas