I have a dilemma and I’d like some ideas.

My workshop is in my HO layout room, which is located in an outbuilding. In the winter I dont heat it unless I’m in there. Its just too expensive to keep the heat on. The problem is, right now I have my paints and glues in a shoebox that I take with me when I go to my workshop. I get tired of lugging this box around and would like a solution where I could store my stuff in my workshop and keep it from freezing.

My thinking is building a cabinet. Insulate it and then attach a 40w bulb inside it. It would keep the air in the cabinet warm enough to keep the paint and glue from freezing. But, I worry about a fire hazard. I also thought about buying a small thermostat control space heater and putting it the cabinet. I thought that would be a little safer.

Anyways, I’d like some ideas if anyone has some.

Don’t they make explosion proof light setups? That should work.

Isn’t all that temperature variation hard on the HO layout. I would think that there will be significant expansion/contraction as the temp varies from freezing to comfortable and back again.

The HO layout is great. I accounted for the expansion and contraction, just like we do for our outside railroads. None of the track joints are soldiered. I ran feeder wires to each piece of track. This allows for the track to move a little. It has been there for about 10 years and I havent had any problems (knock on wood).

Jake Smith said:
I have a dilemma and I'd like some ideas.

My workshop is in my HO layout room, which is located in an outbuilding. In the winter I dont heat it unless I’m in there. Its just too expensive to keep the heat on. The problem is, right now I have my paints and glues in a shoebox that I take with me when I go to my workshop. I get tired of lugging this box around and would like a solution where I could store my stuff in my workshop and keep it from freezing.

My thinking is building a cabinet. Insulate it and then attach a 40w bulb inside it. It would keep the air in the cabinet warm enough to keep the paint and glue from freezing. But, I worry about a fire hazard. I also thought about buying a small thermostat control space heater and putting it the cabinet. I thought that would be a little safer.

Anyways, I’d like some ideas if anyone has some.

Jake,

Many years ago, we used to store abrasive cloth at my die shop. These were rolls of abrasive cloth used to polish dies. We used a couple of 40 watt bulbs in a very small closet size room (4X7 ft.)to keep the glue used in the abrasives warm and keep it from cracking and deteriorating. Worked very well. Note this is Southern California weather. Temps would range from low thirties in the winter to low 100’s in summer!

We use a light bulb to keep our well pump and pressure tank from freezing.
I would think the light bulb would be much safer than an electric heater.
Cheaper to run also.
Ralph

Jake, get an old ammo box to store your paint in, it is hermetically sealed. Then you can run your light bulb without worry.

I use an old small refridgerator (not running) to store paints, glues, etc.
It doesn’t have a light, but now I’m working on getting heat to the shop.

Jake , I like the idea of an insulated cabinet with a light bulb. It should work fine. You might be able to use a cheap styrofoam cooler with a 25 watt candle bulb for heat.

The cooler is a great temporary idea. I’d like something more permanent. It seems the concensous is use a light bulb. Thanks for the advice. Any more ideas are certainly welcome. I think I’ll buy a styrofoam cooler and a trouble light for now and then work on building a more permanent solution.

At our marina, we need epoxy to be warm to flow and mix easily. There is an industry standard of taking a cooler and putting a hole in it big enough for a light bulb. We stand the cooler on edge much like a refrigerator. You also put another hole in it for a meat thermometer. Choosing the right size light bulb to bring the temps to the proper degree is fairly simple. We like the temp of the epoxy to be about 95 to 100 degrees to achieve the temps we need for mixing. I have no idea how many LED’s will be required to achieve the same results, but then again we have a good supply of light bulbs.

Seems like you could create the same type of case for your paint supplies. They don’t have to be kept at 70 degrees, just above 32 degrees to prevent damage to the paint.

Ric Golding said:
At our marina, we need epoxy to be warm to flow and mix easily. There is an industry standard of taking a cooler and putting a hole in it big enough for a light bulb. We stand the cooler on edge much like a refrigerator. You also put another hole in it for a meat thermometer. Choosing the right size light bulb to bring the temps to the proper degree is fairly simple. We like the temp of the epoxy to be about 95 to 100 degrees to achieve the temps we need for mixing. I have no idea how many LED's will be required to achieve the same results, but then again we have a good supply of light bulbs.

Seems like you could create the same type of case for your paint supplies. They don’t have to be kept at 70 degrees, just above 32 degrees to prevent damage to the paint.

Ric, at 95 - 100 degrees F in storage, doesn’t that dramatically shorten the working time on the epoxy? I’ve had better luck at 70 - 75 degrees F and then using a heat lamp to encourage the epoxy after application.

Problem with LEDs Ric is they dont give off any heat. The heat of the incandencent bulb is whats needed.

I just thought of a problem…with the gov making us go to the “curly-Q” lights, the light bulb thing might not work!!!

Stock up before you can’t get them anymore.

Did I say that out loud?

You did…and I have
Ralph

I’ve still got new 100 watt bulbs {PC burp} that must be 10 years old :d

In my pump house during our rare freezes out here I have a portable brood light. It has a metal reflector like a regular clamp on light but a socket rated for up to a 250 watt bulb. I use 150-200 watt (incandescent) in mine as needed. Much cheaper than a heater and provides extra light as well. I guess you could also hatch your chicken eggs at the same time which should appeal to Daddy Rooster.

Steve Featherkile said:

Ric Golding said:
At our marina, we need epoxy to be warm to flow and mix easily. There is an industry standard of taking a cooler and putting a hole in it big enough for a light bulb. We stand the cooler on edge much like a refrigerator. You also put another hole in it for a meat thermometer. Choosing the right size light bulb to bring the temps to the proper degree is fairly simple. We like the temp of the epoxy to be about 95 to 100 degrees to achieve the temps we need for mixing. I have no idea how many LED's will be required to achieve the same results, but then again we have a good supply of light bulbs.

Seems like you could create the same type of case for your paint supplies. They don’t have to be kept at 70 degrees, just above 32 degrees to prevent damage to the paint.

Ric, at 95 - 100 degrees F in storage, doesn’t that dramatically shorten the working time on the epoxy? I’ve had better luck at 70 - 75 degrees F and then using a heat lamp to encourage the epoxy after application.

Steve, when the temps of the surfaces we are working on are so cold, say 50 degrees even after days in the shop, it works to get the epoxy flowing out the pumps. If the thermometer reads 95, it is still considerably cooler in the middle of the can. If the thermometer reads 70 degrees, we can hardly get the resin to come through the pumps. This is for warming not for continuous storage of the epoxy. That temp comes back down pretty quickly once you get all the material mixed and headed for whatever surface you are working on. I didn’t mean to mislead, I was just giving the procedure as an example of how a cooler could be used to keep things from freezing.

Jake Smith said:
Problem with LEDs Ric is they dont give off any heat. The heat of the incandencent bulb is whats needed.

I just thought of a problem…with the gov making us go to the “curly-Q” lights, the light bulb thing might not work!!!

That was my point.

I think the government will still have to allow some incandescent bulbs for special applications. After all, the curly florescent bulbs would be a disaster in an oven - and possibly equally bad in the refrigerator.

Just a thought,
David Meashey

And the Great State of Texas (where they have a huge plant that makes them)
told the guvvmint to pound sand.
“We’re not shutting down this plant and laying off hundreds of people.” (paraphrased)