Workshop heating( sorry to raise it again)

Hi Bazyle,

I saw the 1 star treatment too

I don't know why those reviewers had that experience. I can only qualify the experience I have had as follows:

1. When I first started attending the shows - about 10+ years ago, I didn't know anything about protecting the machines overnight and in transit/storage pre and post shows. I watched the competitors spray their machines with WD40 at the end of shows for the onward journeys back home. So, I did the same. Nice and cheap. On one occasion, I left the machines overnight in the Luton, as it was cold and wet outside, and I didnt fancy offloading at night in this weather. In the morning took the machines out to put back into our display. Removed the transit shrinkwrap, and still saw some rust film on exposed surfaces. Some expletives later, cleaned and oiled the machines. My team and I have many such experiences with WD40. Finally, Paul Price from Shield came along and introduced us to Metalguard Ultra, which initially we regarded to be an expensive gimmick. We proceeded to try it and found it worked. This was also used as part of our preparation service when we used to offer it. As soon as machines were prepared, we sprayed them with the metalguard to avoid transit rust, be it to destinations in U.K. or Europe, because we had no idea of transit/storage conditions. We even suggested it to SIEG, but they considered it to be too expensive for transit protection. they preferred the white grease or red grease (lovingly referred to as chicken fat)

2. Originally before we discovered metalguard, we had to regularly clean our display machines and wipe the tables with oil soaked rags at least once a week, depending on how many visitors had been and touched them. Once we started using metalguard, we clean our machines once every two odd months or if needed, followed by a fine mist treatment with metalguard. Before, rusty figures were quick to form marks on exposed surfaces. I admit that the temperature is above 17 deg.C, but still, rusty figures are rusty fingers. For colder temperatures the user might have to clean/apply metalguard more often maybe, depending on various factors, but in my opinion, this stuff protects far better than WD40, for sure. As the spec. on Shields site says: it complies with defence and NATO standards. We have been using it now for well over seven years, and we are happy with it.

This product had also been well tested by one of the largest specialist woodworking tools companies in Germany over an extensive period before they got the confidence and comfort to buy it from Shield and sell it. Their purchase volumes from Shield are very high.. Similarly, their sales into USA have also grown over time.

Initially, we were the only main U.K. seller for their product. Then Axminster came on the seen, purchased from them and our sales for this product reduced by 50%. A year later, machine-dro started stocking SHIELDs product to complement their Ultrasonic tanks related product range, resulting in a further drop in our sales. We are in business to make money, just as SHIELD and others are. If the quantity of sales become nonviable, as they did at the time, it is difficult for us to invest in advertising and promoting their product in the way we did at the time, pre the competitors. We had certain verbal agreements at the time which failed, resulting in the commercial decision to drop the product at the time. Our and SHIELDs position today is different to how it was for both of us at the time we dropped their products.

Whatever the commercial reasons, I am still comfortable that their products work. Their products are much more popular now, and I feel that too speaks volumes and should be taken into consideration, if we are to make any judgement on quality....and they hardly do any advertising or marketing of their own. SHIELD is a small British business which has come a long way.

They also do a wax polish which works.

At the end of the day, we all have our own experiences.

Ketan at ARC

Hello all,

Here in Brighton, a lot of parking ticket machines are battery powered and charged up by the solar screen on top of the machine.

At this time of year with day after day of cloud gloom, meters stop issuing tickets and return the coins.

John

My workshop consists of a precast concrete garage, standard 16'x8'. It was refurbished a couple of years ago, when the original corrugated asbestos/cement roofing was replaced with Kingspan insulated panels. Apart from that, no other insulation has been installed, the walls just being covered with white masonry paint. The floor is unpainted concrete (painted floors generate condensation), laid on a dampfroof membrane, on hardcore, ABOVE surrounding ground levels . ALL eves gaps have been closed and draught strips fitted to the double wooden access doors that are at one end. My machinery is very lightly oiled, as a precaution, but handy files are not (naturally), nor are hammers and pliers, etc. In Winter, I do not 'heat the workshop', but run a cheap dehumidifier (24/7) that has a powerful air flow out of a vertical outlet that circulates dried air throughout the 'shop. A small (set at 600W) fan heater is positioned to blow across the front of the dehumidifier (inlet grill), it's thermostat set so as to maintain the min'm inlet temperature required by the dehumidifier, around 4 degs C locally, to avoid the possibility of icing-up the heat exchanger coils. The phylosophy behind this is to AVOID heating the air in the workshop to the point where it can support higher moisture retention. Any bare wood in the 'shop (there is a small stock) has been dried out to the ambient levels sustained, as has the bare concrete floor (I do use domestic doormats to stand on in strategic positions). I couldn't say that the building is completely airtight and that I gasp for air when in there, but the dehumidifier is powerful enough to deal with any leaks and, of course, my exhaled moisture! I do open the shop doors and window when generating fumes of any sort, but I do try and arrange such activities around drier outside atmospheric conditions. If I am planning to work in the 'shop during very cold weather I usually nip in there early and 'jack up' the thermo' on the fan heater, it has a higher output of 1.6kW, to lift the temperature modestly (I don't need to work in simulated summer-like conditions, or attire!). Lifting the temperature of dry air is not going to create undue condensation on cold metal, and the warmer air only makes the dehumidifier more effective anyway. However, care is taken when starting cold motors...!

Summarising, then, I don't have rusting in my 'shop! The dehumidifier collects about 4 litres of water every 3 to 4 days, which is both startling but gratifying and which dispels any thoughts that dessicant alternatives might be cheaper!! I consider that the cost of running this system is well justified, given the value of the contents of and the 'shop as a whole!

Trev T

My workshop is roughly 2.5 x 3.7m. The outside walls are about 400mm thick of lumps of Ham Stone held by earth, with mortar pointing on the outside and a sand/cement render on the inside. There is one double glazed smallish window - about 1 x 0.8 m - and a single non-insulated wooden door. The apex roof is close boarded wood with roofing felt and pan tiles over and 6in space blanket then boarded with thin T&G strips under

I run a small dehumidifier, sometimes continually, sometimes on a humidity setting plus two Cold Watch 500w electric heater set on just above frost stat level. This maintains the workshop at between 5-8 deg.C. If I am away only the electric heaters run as the dehumidifier is not on constant drain - that is on my "to-do" list! When I am working in the shop I have a small fan heater set to fairly low on a one kW setting, or I can run a wee log/charcoal stove. The shop very heats up using either, by 60deg.F it is getting too warm!

I have not found any corrosion on any tool in my workshop since I started with in about four or five years ago, so I am happy with what I have in place, it works for me and the cost although not accurately measured is low.

Chris

Edited By ChrisH on 20/02/2015 10:55:57

I've retreated to a smaller insulated shed for the winter with a smaller heater, my 3 1/2" lathe and a drilling machine where I can carry on very comfortably and still go to my 15ft workshop for anything else .I've thought about solar and battery and decided it's not viable especially if you take expected battery life into account. Anyway I am too old to consider solar as a system that will pay for itself in my lifetime. Colin

Just a comment on solar panels. Our motorhome - campingcar in France! - has a 120W solar panel fitted. It charges 2 x 110ah 'domestic' batteries and will keep the engine battery charged as well. The domestic batteries, if we do not have an electric hook-up, have to run a diesel heater if the weather is cold, electric lights and run two fridges (one is run as a freezer normally) plus a TV if I succumb to SWMBO's ear bashing, unless of course I've accidently forgot to bring it with us (how could that possibly happen I wonder? But the peace is wonderful, no retard TV for days on end!).

In summer with long daylight hours, good light levels, no heater requirement, it just about copes if we are in one place for a few days with no electric hook-up. In winter, we need to drive places to get engine charging to keep the batteries topped up.

So for the IR unit proposed the solar panel would have to be huge is my guess, plus when you want it, in winter, light levels are low and short! A bit like wind power, useless when it's too windy, or cold but still in a winter high pressure time, when you really need all the power we can generate. Me sceptic, no way!

Chris