Work Shop

[Big Phil]

I was wondering if the area you use to build muzzleloaders has to be climate controled? I wasn't sure if the weather effects the process if you have like a metal building with no heat or A/C. Thanks

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

I have heat in my shop, my ac is a box fan in the window pulling the air out of the shop.

I don't want my liquids freezing.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Climate control is nice especially in areas where humidity changes are common. But the origionals we like so much were not made in climate controled shops. They were made in simple workshops with a wood stove, or fireplace , or no heat at all. :idunno:

 

[Stophel]

If I didn't have my window air conditioner, I'd be in bad shape six months out of the year. HOT and HUMID, makes it very difficult to work with wood. And difficult to work at all!

 

[Zonie]

IMO, most of the parts are pretty forgiving when it comes to temperature.

Humidity can cause the stocks wood to grow or shrink but most of this is in the direction across the grain rather than lengthwise.
This can make a barrel channel slightly smaller when the humidity is high.
If the channel is sized to fit the barrel when the humidity is high it will always fit the barrel, even when things dry out.

One process that absolutely does require high humidity is "cold browning" the steel parts.

The moisture is required to cause the rusting that makes the browned finish.
Usually the humidity is higher than one would normally find in most places in the U.S. so special boxes or the bathroom shower are employed during this process.

That said, a lot of the things that need doing during a build require care and undivided attention to detail and it's hard to maintain the state of mind needed when your hot and sweaty or cold and shivering.

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

If I didn't have my window air conditioner, I'd be in bad shape six months out of the year. HOT and HUMID, makes it very difficult to work with wood. And difficult to work at all!

For me its a dry heat, so in the hottest part of the summer I work out in the shop between 5 an 10 am, beats the heat.

 

[kaintuck]

I have'nt won the lotto yet...so I work when/where i can....me and ol'tom :wink:

 

[Mike Brooks]

I have a wood stove and a box fan. I freeze my butt off in the winter and sweat it off in the summer. You might say I'm buttless. :rotf:

 

[rich pierce]

Buttless but not gutless, even if you are a chicken man. :grin:

 

[MSW]

wow- your shop is way too neat ... is it because the cat keeps you on the straight and narrow?

 

[Rifleman1776]

Ye have a lathe. :applause:
I knew ye couldn't be all bad. :rotf:

 

[ebiggs1]

Since I retired my wood shop at home just has LP heat which does a real good job and is pretty cheap to operate. There is no cooling except for floor fans. But when it strikes me, too hot or too cold, I don't work out there! Man it is nice to be retired!
So far this year it has not bee too terribly hot. Matter of fact, I just finished making period cases for four sackbuts that went to Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.


PS A sackbut is a 1500's early musical instrument that was the forerunner of the trombone.

 

[jerrywh]

My shop has climate control. not for the guns sake but for me. I'm old.

 

[ApprenticeBuilder]

Lookin good Jerry, missed you at Gunmakers this year.

 

[Big Phil]

Thanks for the good information, guess I could talk the wife into turning the spare bedroom into a workshop. Not !!!

 

[Vaino]

My "shop" is in the basement and temps aren't a concern, but the varying humidity is. During the winter heating season the humidity is low and during the summer months it's higher. Have had to relocate the bottom buttplate screw a couple of times...depends on the wood. If I was fast like Mike Brooks, the humidity wouldn't matter because I could then finish a gun during either the summer or winter. But alas, being a "slowpoke", I'll just have to tolerate the disadvantages of the varying humidity......Fred

 

No, wife, spare bedroom, no problem

Just have to vacumn a lot.
In the summer it's outside

Bill

 

[fosters]

You wouldn't think that humidity would be a problem in N.H. where I live, but I know better now. I inlet the barrel and tang back in Aug. out is my barn, than due to winter I brought the project inside to my heated basesment. Well "my" good inletting from Aug., by late Feb. started to show some fairly large gaps after the stock dried even more. I'm now considering whether they are bad enough to worry about or not. I now understand why alot of builders have stocks hanging around for several years before they put a chisel to them. Of course if I worked faster as mentioned, it might not have been a problem.

fosters

 

[kaintuck]

wow- your shop is way too neat ... is it because the cat keeps you on the straight and narrow?

he's my company~and at 27Lbs...I don't have any rodent problem with my stuff.......actually, I don't have any dog problems either! :rotf:

 

[F.G. Ford]

Bill,
Your problem....you have way too many rifles started.
Send 'em here, I finish them & shoot them.....no charge.
Nice lookin' guns you have!
Fred