Aanother reason to consider Texas as a future home! Maybe we need more states to tell the ‘guvvmint’ to pound sand! I keep mine in the garage and shop, when theysend money I’ll build a nice ‘overdesigned and over built’ storage facility like they do!
Paul
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.
Ric Golding said: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.
I had one of the reagents granulate because of the cold. I called the manufacturer to order a replacement, told the sales guy what had happened and he told me to put the reagent into the microwave for a minute or two, and keep at it until it all became liquid again. I’ve used that advice over and over again. It has saved me a bunch of money. 
Yeah, I will definately go with a cabinet of some sort. The ammo box seems intriging, but I’m not sure where I would get one. I look for a good cabinet of some sort to work for a permanent solution. In the mean time, I’m gonna get a styrofoam cooler and a “trouble light” to keep things warm.
To Ric, sorry, after re-reading your comment. I get it now. That one went clear over my head the first time.
I also like Texas, but too flat for me. We did a similar thing with gun control here in SD. We told the gov to pound sand when it comes to guns manufactured in SD and used in SD.
Jake, you can find ammo boxes at any Army/Navy surplus store. They got 'em in most towns. You should even be able to find them in a small box hardware store.
End of December is it for buying 100 watt bulbs, so if you want any, get them quick. We have a BIG supply of bulbs we have stockpiled.
We also have a ban on the sale of incandescent light bulbs. Many are disillusioned with the stupid ‘energy saving’ flourescent variety with their poor light quality, plus the growing acceptance of health concerns for those who will be working directly beneath them. Suprise, suprise, a replacement light bulb began appearing on the supermarket shelves that look remarkably like the old incandescent bulbs, but are halogen based. These give a better light at a lower comparable wattage.