Is there anyone out there who is an expert on providing safe, effective, and affordable winter heat for their shop?
I need a heat source that is adequate for proper curing of the Hysol when I undertake construction of the wings on my SS project this coming winter, but it must also be safe for the eventual covering and painting process as well.
I checked with a heating contractor, and he told me that if I were looking to heat a paint booth, I would need a specialized unit that is completely sealed with specialized gaskets, has a sealed fan motor, etc. He said the cost would be prohibitive. He said they can install a modern high-efficiency gas furnace, which has a sealed burner, but not a sealed fan motor. He thought it would work OK and would be safe to use if I build a paint booth in the shop, vent the fumes to the outside, and don't have the booth open to direct heat from the furnace, (but of course he could not guarantee its safety).
I would like to remain productive during our Wisconsin winter months, otherwise this project may outlive me!
Any advice based on actual experience would be appreciated.
Here's my real experience, and I worked to below zero outside air temp.
I'm not saying I'm an expert, but I did build a plane in a normal unheated,
uninsulated Chicago area garage:
I heated my shop with a Kerosene torpedo, and a Duraflame Kerosene
heater, and I'm just north of Chicago. I would heat, then shut down the
heaters when doing something flammable, open the door, vent the shop
then reheat. The truth is, ALL the stuff you build a Fox with will cure
in cold temps, it just takes longer. It's not so complicated as it seems.
You can also spot warm stuff using a little milk house electric heater.
You don't need to make the shop 70 degrees, if you keep it 40-50+ that
is enough.
I did fabric in the winter. When the cold got too much and the MEK fumes
too high I'd open the garage door, vent the shop. Blast it full of heat and
start over. Nothing ever exploded, and I can still think reasonably clearly
so pretty sure I didn't do too much brain damage.
I painted Aerothane in the winter as well, works great with nice cold air.
Curing takes a few days, but it flows out really nicely.
Hi Dave. I live in Southern New Jersey. Some of the farmers and produce stand operators are using a wood heater located in a small building just outside of the main building. I think they either pipe in hot air from that unit or possibly pipe in hot water from this unit. The hanger I am in now has
heating coils in the floor. With this system, everything is warm. When the hanger door is opened and the cold air displaces the warm air, it takes no time at all for the floor and equipment to reheat the air. -Lion8
My garage is insulated and drywalled, so a pair of 1500 watt electric heaters allow me to work during the winter. I get a 50 degree F temperature rise above ambient. I used Stewart Systems adhesive to attach the fabric, so no worries about fumes. Look for the date on the picture.
Thank you for your input. I am glad to hear that the Poly-Fiber process is so tolerant of cold temps. That will help a lot, and your process of venting and re-heating the shop would work just fine for me. I am still concerned, though, about the application of Hysol, especially when I build the wings, because Hysol is a key component of a strong wing structure. The reason for my concern is that I checked with the Loctite folks and was told that I need to keep my work area at or above 50 degrees, as the properties of the Hysol can be negatively affected below 50 degrees. Since, as you pointed out, Hysol cures much slower at lower temps, I would technically need to keep my shop heated to 50 degrees or above for a long time to accomplish that.
Toss a tarp tent over it, and a space heater inside. That's a simple overnite
warmer for stuff like Hysol. I've used heat lamps as well. I've had zero problems'with anything I used structural adhesive on, and that's in over ten
years since I built mine ... I kid you not, you could mix it, and glue something
and leave it out in a 30 degree shop, and it will eventually cure.
I'm not advocating bad work habits, but the processes are incredibly tolerant
despite what some might tell you.
You can always haul some parts in the house overnite as well. I seem to recall
propping up wings in the living room for some reason during the build,
Here in Abitibi ,Québec ..on winter time -15 to -40 my shop are always at 5 degre's when im out and 15 when i working with hysol...before i heating with wood stove..but now with oil furnaise,and i love that ...
If your Hysol freezes before it is cured it's garbage. I know cause I just had to buy more. The white part gets granular. In fact loctite says to replace it if it goes below 8C. If your garage is heated you should have no problem whipping up something to keep you warm. If you are worried about fumes and flame your best bet is having some sort of hot water piped into the garage going to a heat exchanger with a fan on it.
Cold is one thing, freezing another. I find that once I crank the heat up
with the torpedo blaster and run the duraflame for a while, all the "mass"
in the garage takes on heat. Then it's pretty simple to keep it warm (i.e.
above freezing) with electric. The real problem is heating the shop when
everything is cold. Everything cold and metal works against your heaters
until you get it heated for a few hours. However after that it's simple to
reheat, or keep warm.
I have built one plane like this, and am most of the way through a second
plane and it works for me.
The remote wood heaters are a good idea, and we have them in Wisconsin also, but I believe they are prohibited in the city. Thanks for your suggestions.
Shop Heat
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