I have an uninsulated woodshop in Brooklyn, NY which gets very cold in winter. I have an electric heater I use when I’m gluing or finishing, but I need to find a safe effective way to store my glue and various finishing materials in such a way that they don’t freeze. Normally I’ve been keeping them at home and bringing them back and forth with me, but I want to be able to leave them at the shop without worrying about damaging them.
First of all, I’d like to know what a safe minimum temperature is for them (40 degrees? 50 degrees?). Secondly I’d like to know how you think it’s best to maintain that temperature in a designated location without having to keep the shop heat on all the time. I’ve thought about building a box and putting a heating mat underneath it, but I’m extremely concerned about fire safety – this would after all be an electrical device running 24 hours a day with a whole bunch of flammable fuel sitting right on top. Any suggestions?
Replies
The classic solution is to find an old refrigerator, it doesn't have to be working, and use it as a ready made insulated cabinet with lots of shelving built right in. The simplest way to heat it is to install a low wattage light bulb and to just adjust the bulbs wattage until the box stays warm without getting too hot.
The better, and safer, approach is to install a thermostat to turn the bulb on and off which will greatly reduce the chance of overheating the finishes. Get a thermostat that mounts outside of the box with just a temperature probe that goes inside through a small hole in the wall. The thermostat will generate a small spark when it turns on the power and you don't want to have a something sparking inside of the box around flammable fumes.
Water based finishes and glues shouldn't be allowed to freeze, but storing them at room temperature means they will be ready to use when you need them.
John White
Edited 10/30/2006 2:35 pm ET by JohnWW
Great advice - thanks.You mention that water-based glues and finishes shouldn't be allowed to freeze. Does that mean that non-water based materials like tung oil, polyurethane and mineral spirits can be stored in sub-freezing temperatures without sustaining any damage?I have an old fridge that I can convert but it's very small would probably only hold my water-based stuff. I'm sure I can find something bigger though, if you think it's important to get the other stuff in there too.
Oil and petroleum based solvents are unaffected by low temperatures. The oils will thicken and cloud up when they are cold, but they will return to normal when warmed up. If in doubt, it never hurts to check with the manufacturer.
John W.
Edited 10/30/2006 4:48 pm ET by JohnWW
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