Finishing options for a small shop in the winter

[Zachary Hoyt]

Now that it's getting cold I've run into a problem that I knew was coming but didn't figure out how to answer earlier. I don't have a space here to do finishing that is insulated/heatable and is not used for other things. At the farm when it got cold we would drain the pipes in the old house that was used for guests in the summer and I would run the wood stove in there for a day every few weeks when I got a batch of instruments and parts ready to go. I use Tru Oil exclusively, so I don't need a lot of space but I need a relatively dust free environment while it dries.

I've heard of people having a cabinet that they put things in to dry in their workshops, but I can't remember the details. I am imagining a very little fan that would blow the air in the cabinet outside, and a filter to slowly draw in makeup air from the heated workshop. I don't know if this is a feasible idea, and if so what the pitfalls might be.

The other thing I have thought about is using the house attic. I could open the window a little and use a fan again to blow the fumes out, and with the attic stairs folded up it might not get smelly in the rest of the house, but this might not be practical either. I'll be grateful for any advice.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I occasionally finish small items in the kids old play house in the back yard. It is rather comical, it is too small to stand in and is about 5 feet by 7 feet. I heat it with an electric sealed radiator type heater. I spray rattle can lacquer in there with a good mask, sitting on a rolling mechanics stool, with a rolling work rack. Comical... It helps use up some of our excess KW.

[Jim Becker]

Give you use an oil finish, keeping the temperature of the material/project up to within the finish manufacturer's range for the product you are using is important. The cabinet idea you mention could actually be workable for you given your product and conceivably even be knock down. Hangin multiple instruments in there and heating the small space with an incandescent light bulb or two may get you where you need to be during the colder times of the year. Experiment with how much you need to vent at the top with a few small holes...putting in more or covering them up with tape. You can build something like this with foam insulation board which makes it lightweight, but reasonably strong and it will also keep the warmth in.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I have an order for a drying cabinet much like the one Jim describes. I have to get that done soon. I am going to make two and keep one. When the projects come in from the outdoor spray booth they will go into the cabinet.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you both, those ideas give me lots to think about. I've got an 8x8 tool shed in the yard with a bit of space left, and one of those oil filled radiator heaters in the shop. I like the portable cabinet idea too. The only thing about that that I am not sure about is whether it would work to apply the finish in the cold and then put the instrument in the warm cabinet to dry. I guess another way around that would be to make the cabinet big enough to stand inside, but that could be a bit difficult.

[roger wiegand]

A violin maker friend used a large decommissioned freezer with a thermostatted light bulb for heat and some holes drilled through the floor and top for ventilation, with hangers for her instruments. She used a finish that took weeks to really dry, the freezer was pretty dust free, stayed warm when the shop wasn't heated and was big enough for 3-4 instruments at once. Worked well for her, not so practical for larger pieces.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I do my best to keep every thing consistently warm. The neighbors are pretty sure I am up to no good, in my mask and hood, carrying things wrapped up in a coat or sleeping bag, out to the tiny house.

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[Jim Becker]

Zachary, you really need to apply your finish in temps that are within the manufacturer's documented specifications for best results, so heat is essential for winter finishing. The "drying cabinet" will allow you to let that process happen while at the same time allow you to reduce the heating, say, overnight, in the actual full shop area.