Baby it’s cold outside....

N

NickBoyle

Joined
Oct 9, 2015
Messages
203
Like a lot of makers I don’t have a shop that’s constantly heated. I use a kerosene heater when I’m working in my shop but that’s the only time it’s warm. Do you guys and gals worry about things freezing? Like epoxy? Acraglas? Tru-Oil? Spray adhesive? Do you put these things inside or do you not worry about them freezing during the cold months??
 
I keep epoxy in the house, it flows better warm. Oils I don’t worry about. My shop is attached garage, insulated and I only heat it when I use it. It’s been warm so far.... for Alberta.
 
kdnolin said:
I keep epoxy in the house, it flows better warm. Oils I don’t worry about. My shop is attached garage, insulated and I only heat it when I use it. It’s been warm so far.... for Alberta.
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We haven’t hit -30c yet. I don’t think we even hit -25c yet.
 
I live in Florida, so I only have to heat my Parks #50 a couple of weeks out of the year. ;)
 
Love them little oil heaters , just the right size to straddle and warm the important parts first :cool:
I run a heater most of the time but when I cut it off for a while I take stuff like epoxy and ca glue in the house.
 
I live in Wisconsin it's been nice this winter so far, but all I do is put a little RV anti-freeze in my quench water and that usually keeps it from freezing. Hav not had issues with anything else, if my epoxy gets a little stiff from the cold I set it in front of a heater for a while till it warms up.
 
I was more wondering/worried about my epoxy freezing and thawing over and over. Would this hurt it or will it eventually?
 
My GFlex epoxy has survived several New England winters. I put it in front of the heater/blower to warm it up before using. My shop is only heated when I'm there. It's a garage - partially insulated I think, but the rollup doors are pooly sealed. But in the winter I'll sometimes bring a glue job home to set up.
 
I haven't had any issues with freeze thaw cycles. I'm the same as you, just use a kerosene heater when I'm out there. I have started to keep the glue and epoxy in the house because it flows better and is ready when I need it. If I'm quenching I drop a heated railroad spike or 2 in the parks 50.
 
I have the same concern. My shop is huge so even my 350000 BTU kerosene heater doesn't heat it up. I just bought a small wall cabinet and an electric heater that has a thermostat. I leave my epoxies, dies and tape in there to stay warm so I don't need top heat my whole shop.

Cold epoxy or Alumilite die just doesn't want to leave the bottle.
 
Everything has been ok for me so far. I have a heat gun plugged in so a quick pass with that and everything is ready to pour.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
All it takes is an inexpensive oil-filled radiator heater to keep your shop from freezing.
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You're in Tennessee ?

We don't all have your weather.
According to the climate maps I see you don't even know what freezing is
We leave here to go there for the winter.

Also the quality of shops and insulation differ widely


My shop area is frozen cook stiff five months of the year
 
Yep. Tennessee. It can get down to around zero one or twice a year.
So, you need 2 or 4 heaters if it gets colder. I want to stay warm in winter and cool in summer. I work year round.
 
NickBoyle said:
Like a lot of makers I don’t have a shop that’s constantly heated. I use a kerosene heater when I’m working in my shop but that’s the only time it’s warm. Do you guys and gals worry about things freezing? Like epoxy? Acraglas? Tru-Oil? Spray adhesive? Do you put these things inside or do you not worry about them freezing during the cold months??
Click to expand...
For G-Flex
Storage & Shelf Life


Store at room temperature. Keep containers closed to prevent contamination. With proper storage, resin and hardeners should remain usable for many years. After a long storage, verify the metering accuracy of the pumps. Mix a small test batch to assure proper curing.

Over time, 105 Resin will thicken slightly and will therefore require extra care when mixing. Repeated freeze/thaw cycles during storage may cause crystallization of 105 Resin. Warm the resin to 125°F and stir to dissolve crystals.

Hardeners may darken with age, but physical properties are not affected by color. If clear finishing, be aware of possible color shift if very old and new hardeners are used on the same project.
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For Acraglas
Store indoors in a cool, dry place at an ambient temperature. Store locked up. Keep container closed when not in use. Store away from incompatible materials. See Section 10 of the SDS for incompatible materials. Use care in handling/storage. Keep out of the reach of children.
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For tru-oil
Keep this material away from heat, sparks and open flame. Open containers slowly on a stable surface. Keep container

closed tightly when not in use. Empty container may contain residual amounts of this product; therefore, empty

containers should be handled with care. Store containers in a cool, dry location, away from direct sunlight, other light

sources, or sources of intense heat. Storage temperature: 32-120 ºF (0-49 ºC). Take precautionary measures against

static discharge. Store away from incompatible materials (see Section 10).
Click to expand...
 
I keep all of my materials inside the house. I work out in a 10 by 12 shed way in the back yard, It is not insulated. Last winter and this one I started using one of those heaters you can attach on top of my grill's propane tank...it keeps my fingers warm enough to work. I have a large fan ventilating the shop outside so I am not worried about that....no sense in insulating the space for that reason.
 
All my forging, grinding and heat treating gets done out in the garage. It gets COLD. Water buckets freeze and working out there is just no fun. I have an overhead heater above my grinding station which works well. A larger heater with a fan is mounted on the wall at the other end of the garage but it gets expensive to run that all the time. All my other operations are done in my basement shop which stays at house temps, yeah buddy.
 
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My shop is around -20C and the only problem I've had is that I can't store or mix epoxy there.
 
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