Workshop Lighting

I've been able to secure a spot in the basement of my new home for my scale model workshop. I'm in the planning stages now and need suggestions for lighting types and fixtures. Thanks in advance. Gunner44

Reply to
Richard Goldsberry
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Some of this depends on what exactly you will be doing in the workshop. I've got some standard 40 watt shoplite flouresent fixtures on the ceiling and a couple of spotlights that I can move to specific areas. If you're doing pianting you may be worried about the color balance of the light. Normal flourencents don't do well out in the blue end of the spectrum. Colors mixed under them look different in daylight. There are special tubes that give beter and brighter light quality. The extra cost isn't that bad. I also prefer light from different directions to limit shadows while I'm working. The model is evenly illuminated from at least both sides. You may want to experiment a little before you mount anything permanent. I know some friends that simply used two bright desk lamps one on either side of the bench. I also do other projects so I have a larger area with saws, drill press etc so the ceiling fluoresents light the whole area evenly - four fixtures.

Val Kraut

Reply to
Val Kraut

The 5K natural sunshine tubes are what you want, avoid the 6.1K daylight plus types as they get annoying real fast if you have a lot of colors on the high end of the spectrum in your work.

Reply to
Ron

Thanks for the input. I'll use the 5K tubes. Gunner44

Reply to
Richard Goldsberry

You're welcome.

Reply to
Ron

It depends more on where the models will be displayed when finished. Ideally, you should do your painting under the same type of lighting under which it'll be displayed.

If you paint a model under 'daylight' fluorescents, but then display it under different lighting, the colors will likely look different than you had intended.

Reply to
Wayne C. Morris

Hi, I also just secured a spot in the basement of my new home for my scale model workshop. I am in the building while still planning stage. I framed it out yesterday, approx 10' x 14' I am undecided as to what exhaust fan to buy as well as lighting. When I was in school I took a year of auto body and spent most of it in the spray booth. Lighting was in the ceiling and both side walls to eliminate shadows. The actual lighting fixture was attached to the outside of the booth, with a piece of clear plexiglass/lexan sealed to the wall. This was to prevent explosions, which is much more likely when painting auto's with large guns and huge clouds of atomized paint. In my scale model workshop I am going to do my painting in one of the corners. I was thinking of putting in a fixture in each wall of the corner and one in the ceiling over that immediate area, for the same reason, to eliminate shadows plus I have bad eyesight. The fixtures are cheap enough. I may spend a little extra and get bulbs that mimic natural sunlight or I may just use regular cool white bulbs, we'll see how the budget goes. I am going to paint the shop walls and ceiling white to further help keep everything bright. I'll probably put the spraying area lights on a seperate switch so the room isn't lit like the sun when I'm just assembling stuff or doing anything that doesn't require too much light. The fan is kind of expensive, even though I havent picked one out, they all seem to be expensive. On the wall behind where I paint I was going to cut out a portion of the wall and install maybe 2 furnace filters (16 x 20 ?) which can be removed/replaced as needed. This will give me clean air into the shop area, I'm hoping. I also think it's necessary for the exhaust fan to work correctly/efficiently. In the auto spray booth at school, the two doors where you drove the car in were loaded with filters, but that was because of the enormous roof mounted exhaust fans. I think 2 should be fine for my needs. So "my" sticking point is the exhaust fan. How many cfm's does it need to be. I was going to use a home depot bathroom fan ($129 for 300 cfm's) but they are priced high because they are designed to be quiet and they aren't all that powerful. They just have to remove a little stink from a little room, sometimes a big stink. Noise isn't much of a concern seeing that the 5 hp compressor almost rattles the whole house . That, by the way, will be at the other end of the basement, about 50 feet away. I'm not sure where to even look to get a commercial duty fan. I'm sure google will point me in the right direction. I was also thinking of using a blower, mounted to the furnace filters, to push air in and work with the exhaust fan. I dont know if it would be needed though, so that will be an add on if the exhaust fan doesnt cut it by itself. I dont want so much air blowing by that it sucks the paint away before it lands on the model, but I do want it to get rid of all the overspray as I will undoubtedly have many different things being painted in various stages & colors and I don't want overspray ruining them. I'm prob going to insulate the walls as it is cold in New England in winter and my cellar ranges from 50 - 65 depending on the temp outside. So if I use a small heater, (home depot has a few decent ones that are inexpensive and have digital temp setting) the heater shouldn't have to come on too much to keep the room warm It will be so nice to have a dust free environment to work on my models. when I leave and come back the next day, everything should be the same as I left it. Currently I am spraying in my woodshop section of the cellar. It's been OK, but I spend a lot of time cleaning the place and the models between/before coats. Anyways, if you have any good ideas about exhausting the air, good place to get the fan, good fan to get etc, let me know. As well as ideas on shelving, storage, etc etc. I'd like to hear them Good Luck, take care, Ron, 38, Boston area

Reply to
Hang3XC

I've yet to have a problem under 5000K daylight tubes.

Reply to
Ron

That fixture setup is probably overkill for models. Try one fixed above the painting bench and one behind your shoulder (angled, not directly behind you). The daylight tubes (5000K color temp.) are worth it. Straight white can also get a bit harsh on the walls, Behr has a color called "frost" that is an extremely pale grey (the pigment is lampblack) and it's a little easier on the eyes.

Reply to
Ron

FWIW Not every store sells these tubes mentioned. If you have a problem finding them try a pet supply store as these tubes are used for tropical fish and reptile aquaria.

Bill Shuey

Reply to
William H. Shuey

Don't use the plant/pet/aquarium bulbs, most of those have boosted UV and actinics. They are not the same as the 5000K tubes. Home Depot and Lowes both have decent selections of the 5000K daylight bulbs, mostly for T-8 ballast with some for T-12 ballast. T-8 is more energy efficient.

Reply to
Ron

How about one of these? ;-)

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At Telford a firm was trying to sell desklamps that projected a natural light effect, it looked really good but cost a lot. Forget who they were but somebody will know.

Nick

Reply to
Nick Pedley

Ott-Lite.

Reply to
Ron

As much light as possible! Get yourself a two or four bank Fluorescent fixture. You'll want "color balanced" bulbs that give natural hues as opposed to the stark white ones. A couple of incandescent fixtures or maybe a positionable spotlight to eradicate shadows will also help. One shop I visited recently had a fluorescent fixture over each shoulder perpendicular to the bench. Little shadow there!

hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Reply to
Keeper

I'm not sure why you need furnace filters? If you have a fan exhausting your air outside that should be enough; putting filters in the line would reduce your air movement. Are you using dryer ducting or something else? The bathroom fan probably won't be big enough, I'd go to a hardware store and see what they've got. Just don't get one too powerful. hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Reply to
Keeper

I also paint as many walls and as much furniture white as possible. I use an overhead two lamp fluorescent fixture (shop light), and fastened to my modeling bench a positionable fluorescent ring light (the type with a big magnifier in the middle). These are a bit pricy, but worth it in my opinion- I love it.

I am not as concerned with perfect daylight color. Even when you are outside, there are variations in color temperature with time of day and state of cloud cover. If these white light spectrum lamps were cheaper, fine, but in my opinion the advantages do not equal their cost. They are more expensive than the ring fluorescent with magnifier (some by quite a bit). Let's face it, with shelf scale models, most of the time they will be viewed inside, not out in direct sunligh, anyway.

Reply to
Don Stauffer in Minnesota

I was told by my former brother-in-law (who used his) that it was to keep stains from accumulating on the side of the house.

-- John The history of things that didn't happen has never been written. . - - - Henry Kissinger

Reply to
The Old Timer

Okay, I can see how the dryer vent elbow may produce that result. To relate to another thread, has anyone tried Armor Alling the side of the house below the vent? 8^) Cheers,

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Reply to
Keeper

Were the filters in the door handling incoming air or air being exhausted? I'm currently using a computer fan mounted to the dryer exhaust vent. This gets rid of the offending vapors without exhausting all the heat out of the house. I spray while standing up so overspray isn't a problem as it hits the floor. hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Reply to
Keeper

Ooohh! I want one...$60,000 is a bit much though...wonder if I can one on closeouts?

Ott Lite perhaps? hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Reply to
Keeper

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