The Cave - building my own (work)place

[TommyKillander]

Is the wall real rock ! Looks like it.
I can see the concrete floor has some cracking. Do you ever have a moisture problem ?
It is going to be a really cosy space...very cool.

Yeah the walls are built up by large rocks piled up and the cracks cladded with concrete.

The basement is not safe moisture, that's why I have avoided all wood and other organic materials in contact with the floor or walls. I have a dehumidifier in the other end of the basement where I had problems with water leaking in through the floor when there are heavy rain over a long period of time.
But the area where I have the workbench is OK.

The relative humidity is between 50% in the winter and 70% (goes down to 60% when the dehumidifier is running) in the summer.


Tommy

[digger303]

Moisture is always a bugger of a problem.

[TommyKillander]

Moisture is always a bugger of a problem.

It is, indeed!



Okey I have started to set the metal beams now.

IMG_20170808_222007 by Tommy Killander, on Flickr

The ventilation hose is also in place.
IMG_20170808_222038 by Tommy Killander, on Flickr

And I assembled the IKEA base cabinets. I will have 4 drawers in this one and the spraybooth will sit on top of that.
IMG_20170810_221251 by Tommy Killander, on Flickr

It was a bit tricky to make it fit at the right height, but I managed to come up with a good way of attaching it, so I'm happy with that

Stay tuned!

Tommy

[Lysus]

You know, that wall is like a fantastic decoration in and of itself. I'd kill for something like that.

Or this:



Some fine work in there, that vent hose signals a close victory

[Twokidsnosleep]

You know, that wall is like a fantastic decoration in and of itself. I'd kill for something like that.

Or this:



Some fine work in there, that vent hose signals a close victory

God is that a house???
Makes mine look like a hovel

[digger303]

You know, that wall is like a fantastic decoration in and of itself. I'd kill for something like that.

Or this:



Some fine work in there, that vent hose signals a close victory

God is that a house???
Makes mine look like a hovel

I don't think I could live in a house and feel comfortable with all that empty space....I wouldn't feel cosy.

[TommyKillander]

Now that is a proper Cave!


Tommy

[Lysus]

If I remember right they used this house in the movie Ex Machina. It's gorgeous.

[digger303]

If I remember right they used this house in the movie Ex Machina. It's gorgeous.

I only just watched that movie last week.
I think you might be right old chum.

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

I have been opening IKEA packages and assembled stuff all day



Two 80 cm wide x 40 cm deep cabinets with drawers. That should be enough space for all my stuff that doesn't go into the paint-racks on the wall.
The spray booth will be to the right and I will just place a bench top on the left one, so I have plenty of space to put stuff that I'm gonna paint.

The drawers are easy to access from my workplace; I don't need to move the chair to open them fully. I'm glad that I didn't buy the 60 cm deep cabinets, since the space had been too crammed.

I'm thinking of building a closed cabinet that I can use as a drying box, but I haven't figured out where to put it yet
One of these days I'm gonna start building cars and motorcycles and I need some dust free place where I can keep parts while the paint/coat is curing.

But I'm very pleased with the result sofar.


Tommy

[digger303]

Have you considered stash storage...all those cardboard box's in a dampish environment. It might pay to reseal the floor with a self levelling compound.
Just a thought.

[TommyKillander]

Have you considered stash storage...all those cardboard box's in a dampish environment. It might pay to reseal the floor with a self levelling compound.
Just a thought.

I have considered putting my stash there, but I will keep it in another location in the house

My first intentions with this area was actually only to build a spraybooth, but one year of modelling there have shown that it's a nice workplace.


Tommy

[digger303]

Have you considered stash storage...all those cardboard box's in a dampish environment. It might pay to reseal the floor with a self levelling compound.
Just a thought.

I have considered putting my stash there, but I will keep it in another location in the house

My first intentions with this area was actually only to build a spraybooth, but one year of modelling there have shown that it's a nice workplace.


Tommy

A nice space away from the hub dub of life

[Twokidsnosleep]

Ya, don't keep the stash anywhere it even might get damp. Cardboard, mould it all goes to hell quietly and quickly and it doesn't have to be THAT damp!
Learned the lesson from some business boxes stored on concrete floor in unheated, uninsulated old garage...concrete retains moisture, cardboard is a sponge and mould loves wet paper products. I didn't care about the business stuff, but would have flipped out if it were model boxes, instructions and decals literally rotting away

[TommyKillander]

Ya, don't keep the stash anywhere it even might get damp. Cardboard, mould it all goes to hell quietly and quickly and it doesn't have to be THAT damp!
Learned the lesson from some business boxes stored on concrete floor in unheated, uninsulated old garage...concrete retains moisture, cardboard is a sponge and mould loves wet paper products. I didn't care about the business stuff, but would have flipped out if it were model boxes, instructions and decals literally rotting away

I have been very careful to not place anything made from organic material near the concrete, just using metal and plastic. I have also made sure that air can flow around the walls and I have two radiators that keep the air circulating through natural convection. And I have a dehumidifier that kicks in when RH exceeds 60%.

But I will not put my stash there. It's better to have that in the living-area of the house where I have my computer and spend most of my non-modelling time anyway.




Okey... there have been some progress:

The corner on the right side of the spray booth now has some plywood so I can use it for a paint-rack.


The benchtop have been fitted and secured. I added 10 cm extra depth for the spray booth.


I have started to populate the drawers in the bench


Another plywood wall to the left of the spraybooth where I can put stuff, haven't decided what to do with it yet...


Painted white


Built a new and larger paint-rack - where I can start collecting the full range of Gunze Aqueous paints





Tommy

[Lysus]

Nice rack, man.

PAINT! Nice paint rack...

[TommyKillander]

Nice rack, man.

PAINT! Nice paint rack...

Thanks!


Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

You sir are on FIRE!!!
WOW I cannot believe how much you have accomplished in the past, what, two weeks while I have sat on my azz and watched
I am so glad my wife does not follow ISM, she would be like "14 months and I STILL dont have toilet paper roll holders up"

Great looking space developing here, just great

[digger303]

You sir are on FIRE!!!
WOW I cannot believe how much you have accomplished in the past, what, two weeks while I have sat on my azz and watched
I am so glad my wife does not follow ISM, she would be like "14 months and I STILL dont have toilet paper roll holders up"

Great looking space developing here, just great

[kiwigav]

nice progress. Its is going to be a sweet work space. It actually is a cave!!

[TommyKillander]

You sir are on FIRE!!!
WOW I cannot believe how much you have accomplished in the past, what, two weeks while I have sat on my azz and watched
I am so glad my wife does not follow ISM, she would be like "14 months and I STILL dont have toilet paper roll holders up"

Great looking space developing here, just great

Thanks Scott!

I'm pretty focused on having this done and getting back to my modelling again.

If it's any consolation to you I have periods when I don't do jack sh*t.... I still miss a couple of frames around the door between the kitchen adn the dining room - it was nearly ten years ago I renovated the kitchen
My partner has stopped complaining long time ago and I'm surprised that she hasn't fixed it herself by now

nice progress. Its is going to be a sweet work space. It actually is a cave!!

Thanks! Yes it's a great place and I'm really looking forward to having a good spraybooth.



Speaking of the spraybooth; that is the last thing remaining basically.

The IKEA LAGAN extractor hood have been torn to pieces and the fan is exposed. The control box has a combined on/off speed selector switch with three setting and a separate knob for the light. I will reuse that but replace the light with a 15W fluorescent light tube.


So instead of running off and start cutting the MDF board like a crazy man, without knowing exactly how I want the booth to look like I decided to make a mockup using some corrugated carton After som trial an error I came up with this.


The size will be 65 cm width x 45 cm depth x 50 cm height, which is a lot bigger than the Sparmax booth I have today.

If the weather is good I will probably spend tomorrow evening cutting MDF board like a crazy man


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

Short update;

I have cut most of the 10mm thick MDF today. Nothing is assembled yet, since I got home late from work and didn't have time to finish some of the topside parts before it got dark outside and I had to stop.



This "mockup", however, reveals the size of the spraybooth. I'm happy with that

My plan to have this finished during the weekend still holds I think


Tommy

[demarcation]

Nice stuff Tommy, what a fantastic cave you've got there and now with a brand new spray boot too. Top work!!

[TommyKillander]

Nice stuff Tommy, what a fantastic cave you've got there and now with a brand new spray boot too. Top work!!

Thanks Anders!

It will be nice when it's finished, it's just the spraybooth and a couple of paint racks left to do now


Tommy

[Fridgy]

Much jealous Tommy. ...

I get more so every time I drop into this thread and see what you are up to

[TommyKillander]

Much jealous Tommy. ...

I get more so every time I drop into this thread and see what you are up to

Thanks Fridgy!

The fact is that right now I'm actually jealous of everyone that have a functional workplace.
The whole working area is filled with a fine dust so I don't even dare to open the airtight boxes where I have my WIP builds

But hopefully I can complete this soon


Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Much jealous Tommy. ...

I get more so every time I drop into this thread and see what you are up to

Thanks Fridgy!

The fact is that right now I'm actually jealous of everyone that have a functional workplace.
The whole working area is filled with a fine dust so I don't even dare to open the airtight boxes where I have my WIP builds

But hopefully I can complete this soon


Tommy

...and then you are jumping on a jet and helping me sort out my spaces
Man I suck, have done nothing all summer for them
Hopefully you can inspire me

[papatika]

Hi Tommy!

Fabulous work you have there!
I also plan to upgrade my workplace. I don't have mancave, just a dest. Well, half desk... But I don't really like it. So I'm planning a new one, and I was just thinking on a built-in spray booth when I saw your pictures on Flickr with the disassembled kitchen fan. And it's a great idea, so I'll borrow it... I'm curious how your build will end up.
I have only 50 cm space but if I disassemble a bigger (60cm) extractor, the motor shall fit. The only criterion is to have an outlet at the back, and not on the top.
I also found a YouTube video, which probably you have already seen, but here is it if not:
[youtube]C_zId19-FoM[/youtube]

Maybe I'll create a topic to share my ideas and experiences.

Best wishes, dude!

Attila

[TommyKillander]

Much jealous Tommy. ...

I get more so every time I drop into this thread and see what you are up to

Thanks Fridgy!

The fact is that right now I'm actually jealous of everyone that have a functional workplace.
The whole working area is filled with a fine dust so I don't even dare to open the airtight boxes where I have my WIP builds

But hopefully I can complete this soon


Tommy

...and then you are jumping on a jet and helping me sort out my spaces
Man I suck, have done nothing all summer for them
Hopefully you can inspire me

I had 4 weeks vacation where I have planned to do a bunch of stuff (including sort out my workspace). I spent 3 weeks basically sitting on my bum doing nothing and the last week I started to clean out the basement area; so now I'm trying to make as much as possibly done to make up for the lost time

There is a Swedish proverb which translates into something like "In the evening, the lazy gets in a hurry" - that is basically what is happening right now

Hi Tommy!

Fabulous work you have there!
I also plan to upgrade my workplace. I don't have mancave, just a dest. Well, half desk... But I don't really like it. So I'm planning a new one, and I was just thinking on a built-in spray booth when I saw your pictures on Flickr with the disassembled kitchen fan. And it's a great idea, so I'll borrow it... I'm curious how your build will end up.
I have only 50 cm space but if I disassemble a bigger (60cm) extractor, the motor shall fit. The only criterion is to have an outlet at the back, and not on the top.
I also found a YouTube video, which probably you have already seen, but here is it if not:
[youtube]C_zId19-FoM[/youtube]

Maybe I'll create a topic to share my ideas and experiences.

Best wishes, dude!

Attila

Yes, I have basically stolen my design from that video

The only drawback I have noticed sofar with a kitchen fan is that the sound on max speed is higher on than my old Sparmax booth, but on the other hand the extraction is much better.

Good luck with your upgrade of the workarea, I think you should start a buildthread


Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

I think I live that Swedish proverb
Especially true as the summer draws to an end, always too fast

We are past the midway of the last month of summer....booo
Hockey camps gear up, competition for teams, stress of school, new after school schedules and my work has been more stressful than normal. I live my life through my kids and can see them counting the minutes until dreaded school routines starts
So much house stuff to finish off....and I sit fooling around in the iPad

bud
You are making yourself a proverbial man cave that will serve you well in the winter

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

I have been quite busy for a couple of days working on the sprayboot; I have completed cutting all the MDF and planed wood that I'm going to use.

So first thing is to make a cutout for the control panel using a wood router.


I also need to remove a couple of locks and positioning tabs in on the controlpanel (this is also shown in the video earlier in this post)


It works


So all parts have been prepared - it's like a IKEA kit from hell - no assembly instructions and it's not guaranteed that everything will fit together


Let's start assemble stuff !




Looking good sofar

Oh, I fixed a small paint rack for my metallizers while I had the mitre saw setup.

Filler is always needed


Extraction filter cartridge - version 1.0

I will improve this later on, but it will work for now

I'm using a thin metal tape for sealing all the gaps.


It's Alive

I had to spend a lot of time fixing the "backflow valve". I basically had to build my own to make it work.

All the gaps in the output port have been sealed with tape


Mandatory airflow test using a sheet of paper


Painted gloss white (No - i did not airbrush it )



Tommy

[Fridgy]

Painted gloss white (No - i did not airbrush it )



Tommy

Why not??

In all seriousness Tommy, everything is looking great.

I made my own booth as well.
Being a HVAC tech I had a good exhaust fan and some air conditioning filters already. I just used a large plastic storage container for the body of the booth and the exhaust hose just goes out the window

[TommyKillander]

Painted gloss white (No - i did not airbrush it )



Tommy

Why not??

In all seriousness Tommy, everything is looking great.

I made my own booth as well.
Being a HVAC tech I had a good exhaust fan and some air conditioning filters already. I just used a large plastic storage container for the body of the booth and the exhaust hose just goes out the window

Thanks Mick

Yeah it doesn't have to be super-complicated. But I guess that knowledge and good material makes things easier



Okey... final stretch now..

I bought some raw material for extraction filters a while ago. It wasn't expensive, but the catch was that they only sold it in 20 meter rolls(!)
So now I have something like 40 sets of replacement filters




My old trusy kompressor needed som love as well

The manufacturing year was 1990, so it has been around for a while.


So that's it guys; the work area is completed!




...and we are back in business again




I'm very happy with the result - a reliable spraybooth is something I have wanted for a long time. Now I will feel more comfortable using paints and varnishes that contains laquer thinner and other smelly stuff.

Cheers guys!

Tommy

[exmoor]

You have done a great job love it

[TommyKillander]

You have done a great job love it

Thanks Paul!


Tommy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Superbly done
You deserve some applause
And a cold drink

[demarcation]

Excellent work on the booth!!

And yes you relly deserve a cold beer!!

[digger303]

Nice booth....well done

[Lysus]

A+ man. Going back to the beginning and looking at it now the difference is impressive.

[TommyKillander]

Superbly done
You deserve some applause
And a cold drink

Thanks Scott!

Yeah a cold beer would be nice, but I'm off to work now, so it'll have to wait

Excellent work on the booth!!

And yes you relly deserve a cold beer!!

Thanks Anders!

Nice booth....well done

Thank you digger303

A+ man. Going back to the beginning and looking at it now the difference is impressive.

Thanks Lysus

Yes, it's a big difference.
Other areas still look crap, but I'm reclaiming the basement inch by inch...


Tommy

[Tomcat64]

Just caught up with all the work you've put into this Tommy and it looks fabulous!

Job really well done

[TommyKillander]

Just caught up with all the work you've put into this Tommy and it looks fabulous!

Job really well done

Thanks Neil!


Tommy

[papatika]

The only drawback I have noticed sofar with a kitchen fan is that the sound on max speed is higher on than my old Sparmax booth, but on the other hand the extraction is much better.

Good luck with your upgrade of the workarea, I think you should start a buildthread


Tommy

Build thread created...
I was in IKEA, and currently they were out of stock. Fortunately? Unfortunately? I don't know yet. I believe in "Nothing is coincidental". Maybe I need an other solution? The IKEA website says that it has a 272 m3/hour airflow. I suppose it is on highest speed. I wonder what could be the value for the lowest speed.
I also checked some bathroom extractors. They are quiet, but have only around 90 m3/h, which is probably not enough.
Maybe I'll check some more cheap kitchen fans, like DAVOLINE KENDO 50, which has a 340 m3/h airflow with 57-64 dB(A) min-max noise level.

[digger303]

I went back and had another look at all your work . You really have done a good job and something to be proud of. I do suspect you might end up putting in another over head light and another paint rack as that collection grows.

[TommyKillander]

The only drawback I have noticed sofar with a kitchen fan is that the sound on max speed is higher on than my old Sparmax booth, but on the other hand the extraction is much better.

Good luck with your upgrade of the workarea, I think you should start a buildthread


Tommy

Build thread created...
I was in IKEA, and currently they were out of stock. Fortunately? Unfortunately? I don't know yet. I believe in "Nothing is coincidental". Maybe I need an other solution? The IKEA website says that it has a 272 m3/hour airflow. I suppose it is on highest speed. I wonder what could be the value for the lowest speed.
I also checked some bathroom extractors. They are quiet, but have only around 90 m3/h, which is probably not enough.
Maybe I'll check some more cheap kitchen fans, like DAVOLINE KENDO 50, which has a 340 m3/h airflow with 57-64 dB(A) min-max noise level.

272 m3/hour is on highest speed seems reasonable.

The airflow (or pressure) depends a lot on the size of the front of the spraybooth. For me the noise is not a dealbreaker, but if you are going to share your workplace with others, it is probably a primary requirement that it is quiet!

Good luck; I will follow your thread for sure

I went back and had another look at all your work . You really have done a good job and something to be proud of. I do suspect you might end up putting in another over head light and another paint rack as that collection grows.

Thanks, buddy!

Yes, I will add some more light in that area, since it is abit dark and I'm sure I will come up with some use of that space


Tommy

[HIghAltitudeScale]

I love it Tommy, keep up the great work. nice Cave!!

[TommyKillander]

I love it Tommy, keep up the great work. nice Cave!!

Thank you very much, Bret !


Tommy

[SteelScooter]

The only Man Cave on ISM that actually looks like a cave. Coming along great, well done

[TommyKillander]

The only Man Cave on ISM that actually looks like a cave. Coming along great, well done

Thanks SteelScooter


Tommy

[TommyKillander]

Hey Guys!

The Quest for the perfect modelling space continues.....

This time it's my old laptop computer that needs a "buff" - or rather it needs to hit the recycling bin ASAP

It's an old retired mid-range speced cheap laptop no one else in the family wants; even the dog rejects it
It has lost a couple of keytops and it reboots now and then due to over temp. The Li-ion battery is totally worn out so it has to have the charger plugged in always and the charger connector has a loose contact so sometimes it dies because of that. Lately it has started to fail booting 1 out of 10 times...


So I decided to give myself an Christmas gift in form of a new computer and since I'm no friend of laptops in the first place I started looking for a small footprint desktop (Intel NUC or Mini-ITX formfactor). I decided to go for the Mini-ITX since I wanted to have a decent graphics-card for media; streaming, video editing, watching movies etc.

Here's most of the parts- the rest are on order right now.


So lets start by tear the case down in pieces - here's the Mini-ITX motherboard.


Adding a low profile 120mm case fan


Added the graphics-card on a riser-adapter, started to connect all the cables


All the cables attached to the mother-board. Lots of features on this M/B...


I'm waiting for the memory, SSD, CPU and CPU-fan that are on order now... It will be a 3.4 GHz i5 Core and 16 GB DDR4, the SSD will be a M.2 512 GB.
Since the case is a low profile HTPC design I need to have a low profile CPU fan that fits.

In the meanwhile I will prepare a custom paintjob on the computer case - it will be a Swedish theme
All my kids have turned down my offer to airbrush their computers, but this time it's my computer, so I can do whatever I want with it


Tommy