Cold frames

[Smithy]

I hope everyone is keeping warm & busy; which leads me to.....

Does a workshop need to be constantly heated, in order to prevent boards and other perishables from warping or suffering?

And is it only mounts that'd suffer if the space isn't kept at a decent temperature, or will glass get condensation, moulding warp etc?

I'm particularly asking with relevance to those who work from a garage or garden workshop (which of course would get really taters).

If so, how warm do you need to keep the temperature and, if you don't mind me asking, what do you reckon it costs you?

[simoonez]

I had loads of problems when I had an unheated workshop. The worst was that the glass seemed to become more brittle. Maybe it was especially cold at the time, I haven't had the same since but it was a real nightmare. Every sheet I tried to cut just shattered. As soon as I bought a heater the problem stopped.
Other than that I found the mountboard warped and some artworks warped too, depending on the paper they were made from.
I also had problems with frames I made going into centrally heated houses and immediately warping

Basically I would say heat it to close to the temperature an average house might be.

I know there's other folks who don't heat, but this is just from my experience.

As to the cost my heating is now inclusive in the rent so I don't know. It wouldn't help you either because comparing our 2 setups the walls will be different thicknesses, the insulation would be different, the method of heating, the size of the space etc.

[Smithy]

Thanks - yes glass, that would be a BIG problem!

Sorry, you're right - a bit daft asking about cost, it's impossible to compare.

So you keep things at about 18-20 degrees? I suppose keeping the damp air away and moisture content as low as possible is the key.

Must have been a right pain, replacing all those warped frames.

[Graysalchemy]

Any member who has visited my workshop will vouch that a cold workshop doesn't make a difference. Damp does paper and board will cockle in damp but not just cold. As for glass getting condensation I have never suffered thst either.

My workshop isn't heated at all bad infrared heater in the area I am working. Plenty of jumpers, hat and themale here.

[Smithy]

LOL. And if it gets too Arctic, maybe a bit of bubble wrap stuffed down some strategic places .

[Graysalchemy]

I heat the office, refuge from the cold.

Mind you this workshop is warmer than the old one which wax sometimes colder inside than out.

[prospero]

Tricky subject, but cold or warm you need to keep the climate fairly constant. Extreme sudden changes do more harm than a constant chilly environment. Sudden changes in humidity are best avoided. A lot of antique furniture has come to grief since the advent of central heating. Stuff that had resided quite happily in drafty old mansions for centuries suddenly cracks and splits when transplanted to modern homes.

The bad thing would be to heat up the workshop in the daytime while you are working and then let it cool down overnight to near freezing. A small oil-filled rad on low overnight prevent extreme swings in temp. Turn it up a tad during the day. I like them because they have no exposed elements so safer to be left unattended.

Cost? Well hot is expensive. End of. A bit of insulation goes a long way though.

Most of my moulding is stored in a shed with no heating. It was 11ºF inside the other morning, if you believe my digital thermometer. (It may need a new battery). But whatever it was it was very cold. I wouldn't store mountcard or similar stuff in such conditions. Much less artwork.

[Not your average framer]

My shop has a single (not very modern looking) half width storage radiator which gets operated at the lowest level I can get away with without getting condensation on the inside of the shop windows. At times I find that I need to suppliment this with a small fan heater and / or an electric radiator on colder days.

I'm quite well practiced at getting the termostat settings of the other two heaters set so that they cycle off and off, rather than stay on for continuous long periods. I locate the fan heater and electric radiator quite close together, so that when I first come in, the fan heater gives me some instant heat and after a while the radiator which uses less electricity through the day prevents the thermostat on the fan heater from cutting in for the rest of the day. During cold weather, I wear thermals and other warm clothing.

When I go to lunch, I switch both heaters off while at lunch, to help keep the electric bill as low as possible.

[prospero]

I got a thick woolly pullover that comes down to me knees.

[markw]

I have a nice dry warm workshop - surely its important to be able to work in a nice environment. I appreciate that keeping an industrial unit warm is going to be difficult but you need to have somewhere that is nice and warm so that you can be the creative craftsman that this business needs. Vast fluctuations in temperature aren't good for materials or customers work - the latter being the one I would be most worried about.
You also have to consider how your customers view your business if they visit your cold workplace - cant be much that is more unwelcoming. Keeping warm and dry is a significant expense that has to be factored in to the cost of your frames.

[Graysalchemy]

Mark I can be a creative craft person even in the cold. I would love to heat my workshop, but really it would be a waste of natural resources as well as money. I couldn't justify it.

One of my neighbours uses a portable gas blower which does heat up his unit quite quick, however I have been told by my insurer that I can have a portable gas heat blower with wood and paper.

[prospero]

Gas heaters are a no-no in framing workshops. They put an enormous amount of moisture in the air. I tried one once and the place was like a sauna. The back of one picture bowed out about 3 inches.
Also, if you do sawing and there is a lot of dust in the air there is the risk of fire or even an explosion. Same could be said for any electric heaters with exposed elements.

[Tyto]

My workshop Is in one of my farm buildings and as I am not a full time framer it is unheated. The only problem I have with that is damp, when I first got my hot press I had to heat my boards in the press to drive off any moisture before mounting my photos. I solved that problem by making my bench (8ft x 4ft) into a cupboard and putting a small dehumidifier inside. All of my mounting boards rolls of glue tissue and artwork etc are stored in the cupboard at a constant 45 - 55 % relative humidity. Now when I remove items from the hot press I don't get clouds of steam everywhere!!
Peter

[Not your average framer]

If your premises have a two tarrif electricity meter to run storage radiators, this can be a very convenient solution. Storage radiators are very safe with regard to fire risks, but since they heat up during the night hours using off peak cheap rate electricity and then give out heat during the day, you don't get excessive variations in temperature.

I'm always careful how much electricity I use in cold weather, because the early months in the year can sometimes be financially unpredictable. So I run my single storage radiator on the lowest setting that I feel o.k. with, but not ever day is exactly the same as another, so I use my other electric heaters when I start to feel too cold on the really cold days. This sort set up can be both economically helpful and flexible as well.

I have a damaged heart from a heart attack and my work output can be quite low on difficult days, so if I'm having a difficult time with angina I not only need to keep warm, but my work output a that time can mean that I am thinking about not having too high an electricity bill as well. As a result, I've tried various methods of heating and so far storage radiator seem to me to be the most economic and practical solution.

[prospero]

Storage heaters are great. I have one in the main shop area which keeps the temp constant. Not toasty warm but not chilly. On a extra cold day I can plug in another rad, but I very rarely do this.

I've noticed that the difference between night-rate and day-rate lecky isn't as wide as it used to be.

[Smithy]

You'd think someone would have invented a simple solar panel-powered set-up that powers an electric radiator.

Hold on a minute, that's a Dragon's Den moment!

[prospero]

We winge on about the cold and damp but spare a thought for people who frame in hot climates. On the Grumble (US framer's forum mainly), there are often posts from people who live in tropical climes who have terrible problems with the heat and humidity.

There is a guy in Jamaica who left a bamboo frame outside and it took root.





No there wasn't I'm a big fibber.

[Otters Pool Studio]

I don't want to say its chilly in here, but sometimes I leave the fridge door open to warm the place up a bit. Makes it easier to crack the ice in the toilet.

[Graysalchemy]

In my old workshop it was bette to open the large roller door and let some heat in in winter.

[caro]

I don't know how I managed before getting a dehumidifier in the workshop. , I try to keep mine going 24/7, looking at the temperature/humidity guage its fascinating to see how much the humidity goes up when it's raining, and I do have doors and a roof! (but not much insulation): as well as keeping the humidity down it raises the temperature and once the humidity is lower the place heats up more easily.