AIEL Shop Tips

GENERAL TIPS
for the
SHOP

Topics

  Work Benches and Floor Area

• Flat Benches. Use a carpenter's level to be sure that each work surface is regular and does not lean. Check along its width, depth, and diagonal. A slanted bench allows items, such as pencils, to roll away from where they are placed. Hardware is a particular nuisance if it rolls under something, or goes off the bench entirely to get lost in some crevice at floor level. Spilled liquids will flow across an inclined bench, making for prolonged cleanup. A flat, level bench eliminates these problems.
  
  
• Cover Benches with Newspaper. They absorb oils and moisture, while providing a clean surface on which to work. When they get dirty, replace them with clean newspaper and you'll have a fresh surface under your work on a regular basis. Additionally, since the tendency is to read those newspapers, and thus distract, place the papers upside down so that the printing faces away from you.
  
  
• Install Electrical Outlets on Bench Legs. If you have multiple work benches, it is very handy to have one or more outlets on the legs of each for in-front work. This allows one to plug in a drill or soldering gun for repairs on larger items that must be left on the floor. Attach these boxes onto the sides of the legs so as to keep plugs out of the way when an outlet is in use, and so one won't come in contact with a grounded surface when at the bench. Or, use plastic electrical boxes.
  
  
• Repurpose Broken Office Chairs. Remove broken backs and associated hardware to create a broad seat on wheels. These are ideal for working on items that are low to the floor because they provide for being in a seated position at that height. Their wheels make for a platform that is mobile to allow for fast repositioning around larger items being serviced.
  
  
• Buy Old Postal Units to Organise Shop Items. Find these at surplus places or at stores selling used office furniture. They are the type that have multiple mail boxes and are typically seen at apartment buildings, post offices or business complexes. Get the ones with open backs and face them so that the openings are accessible. Depending on the slot dimensions, one might store manuals and catalogues, solvents, parts stock or hardware, and anything fitting the slot dimensions that you want to display or be close to hand for easy access. These units can't handle really heavy weights but are wonderful for shop organisation.
  
     Place a smaller one on the bench itself for items you use in your daily work, and mount larger ones on to the wall near your bench, while the largest can be floor standing. You will find that these are a fast, easy, inexpensive solution to storage -- you will want more of them in the future!
  
  
• Check Floor Drains. If insects seem to be excessive, especially in the winter, or you notice sewer odours, have a look at your floor drains. Unused drains will lose their trap water through evaporation, allowing direct passage from the sewer into your shop. Fill these with water every so often to rehydrate the trap.

  General Storage

• Buy Used School Locker Sets. These usually come in groups of three, but other groupings can be had. They are perfect storage for tall items such as brooms/mops, paint roller extension handles, floor polishers, mic stands and booms, and lighting tripod stands. Many have an upper shelf where accessories for these aforementioned items can be placed.
  
     Get the units that have flat tops so more storage can be gained above. Some have sloped rooves but these are often hiding a flat top underneath. So remove the screws or drill out the rivets holding the slanted metal; remove it to access the level part of the top.
  
  
• Locate Used Aircraft Catering Cases. Flight attendants use these to serve passengers on airplanes. They are narrow in width to fit aircraft aisles and have locking castors to keep them stable in flight. Two fold-out trays are on top while a fold-back door on either end allows full interior access. Inside are rails holding removable bins that are perfect for storing items in a shop. Each back-to-back pair has its own set of rails, with each bin being accessed by choosing which door to open.
  
     Because these cases are slim, they can easily be placed along side a bench or cupboard. Being on wheels, they can be rolled out of the way whenever it is necessary to retrieve items in behind. The mobility of these cases means they can be brought right to the work area as necessary.
  
  
• Repurpose Old Dish Washer Cutlery Racks and Trays. With their individual compartments, these long, rectangular plastic bins (often with handles and hooks) can be used to hold bagged items such as small parts from old lights being retired, extra nuts and bolts that are too numerous to fit into the parts drawers you have, and small miscellaneous items not having a home elsewhere. Their narrow size allows them to fit on shallow shelves and into little-used crevices between larger storage units. Each can be retrieved for work at the bench but then quickly removed from the task area once an item has been selected.
  
     Declutter your shop by sorting and bagging all those small items taking up space on the edges of cabinet tops, at the back of drawers, or in long-forgotten "safe" places. Use resealable bags and label each near its top. Categorise the bags into the rack's compartments as determined by their now-organised contents. When done, you will be presented with a transparent catalogue through which one may easily browse when that extra or odd part is required -- right now! (See Decluttering your Shop Space)
  
     Separating your inventory means knowing what you have. More of your old inventory will become valuable as you remember to include it in projects where you can bill a client for these items, and this saves buying new parts (that you already own, but didn't know it before) when repairing one of your own pieces of equipment.
  
  
• Glue Parts Cabinet Drawer Dividers Many plastic parts cabinets have removable dividers. These often lift a bit during drawer openings and closings, so parts begin to slide underneath. This eventually causes the dividers to rise to a point where the drawer won't close. The solution is to glue each in place. However, what happens if you want to later reposition a divider and it won't come out, or it breaks while removing it? The solution to holding it in position is to use rubber cement instead.
  
     Begin by sanding any rough edges on the divider, and slightly rounding the corners so as to make them regular and be easy to insert. Then spread the rubber cement onto the side and bottom edges using a toothpick. Don't use very much. Now check that you have selected the desired posiiton in the drawer and carefully insert the divider.
  
     Why rubber cement? This type of adhesive remains pliable, so it allows later removal of dividers should they need to be repositioned.

  Filing

• Have a File Cabinet for Shop Literature. One drawer should be for manuals and instructions that came with equipment. You might also keep small accessories for the equipment here. We even keep the blister-pack cardboard that comes with smaller products because it has all the information for that item. Each is placed into the file folder that matches its category, such as:
  
  Electrical
  Electronic
  Hand Tools
  Hardware
  Power Tools
  ... and so on.
  
     Have another drawer for any brochures or catalogues that have arrived. Make a general file for each type; examples are:
  
  Accessories
  Lighting Fixtures
  Dimming Equipment
  Tools
  Wire & Cable
  ... etc.
  
     As each folder fills, sub-divide it into smaller categories. Consider a hanging file for each category, with non-hanging folders inside. The Lighting Fixtures one might be divided into:
  
  Ellipsoidals
  Fresnels
  LED
  Moving-Beam
  PARs
  ... or by specific brand name.
  
     As other companies come to prominence with you, create a new file for each. (Again, see Decluttering your Shop Space)
  
  
• Protect the Cabinet. If your file cabinet is on concrete, especially unpainted concrete, it can wick up moisture and leave rust stains. Eventually, this could eat away the bottom plate or runners. To combat this, attach 20- or 25mm-thick wooden strapping to the bottom so as to provide a buffer between concrete and metal.
  
     Remove the drawers, turn the cabinet upside down (or at least onto its side) in order to gain access to the bottom. Cut straps to fit the front and sides, but leave the back open so that moisture which might build up under the cabinet has an easy opening to the air so it can evaporate. Be sure to fill in the front so that small objects will not roll under should they be dropped.
  
     Drill holes through the wood into the cabinet to allow the wood to be bolted on. Countersink the holes so that the bolt heads won't touch the floor. Later if the wood rots from moisture, you can unbolt it and replace with new.
  
     Before mounting, paint the visible edges of the strapping flat black, or a colour that matches the floor. This will present a finished look.

  Colour Coding

• Designate Sections: Some shops indicate their cabinets by colour. Rather than painting a drawer or entire cabinet, apply colour coding tape. This allows for easy changes later on. Cut the tape to a standard length using scissors so as to achieve a sharp edge, then apply to the same location on each drawer. This makes for a trim, professional look.

     Be sure to clean where the tape will go, and after the tape has been applied, smooth any irregularities so it won't come loose and become dog-eared. Now apply labels above or below the coloured tape to identify specific drawer contents.

  
  

• Designate Liquids: If you redeploy your shop liquids into consistent containers, especially if you buy in bulk and then fill smaller containers for bench usage, place a ring of colour-coding tape around each type of these small container. Once can tell at a glance which bottle or sprayer to grab. Here are some suggested colours:

    Solvents:               Red
    Multipurpose Cleaners:  Yellow
    Disinfectants:          Green
    Glass Cleaners:         Blue
    Lubricants:             Orange
    Oils:                   Brown
    Polishes:               White
  

  Service Tips

• Employ Squeeze Bottles. Bottles that contained condiments, shampoo, eye drops, and a wide variety of other products can be cleaned and used for service purposes. Fill them with adhesives, grease, oils, cleaners, etc. Remember to collect hotel shampoo bottles and tubes for when smaller containers fit your purpose. Be sure to clean them well and to label prominently. Try to use one particular product's container for a given purpose so as to prevent mixups.
  
  
• Sprayer Nozzles and Extensions. Aerosol and pump dispensers often get clogged. When such containers are empty and cannot be refilled keep at least one of each type of nozzle and extension tube to have on standby for when one gets clogged, damaged, or lost.
  
  
• Place Frequently Used Guns in Holsters. Soldering, hot-melt glue, and heat guns will always be at the ready if you take them out of their drawers and put them into holsters right at the bench. Arrange for switched outlets with indicators to be within reach. Be sure that hot tips protrude well outside of the holster to keep from melting or burning it. If this is a regular problem, use metal holsters or curved storage hooks/brackets.
  See the Bench Power discussion.
  
  
• Glue Gun Restoration. These tools eventually get gummed badly and don't work well. If the gun can still produce heat, while cold, employ haemostats to remove as much glue from the outside and from the glue-stick path as possible. Set up a grinder or electric drill with a rotating brass wire brush attachment. Gently buff away remaining build-up using a very light pressure. Touch it to the side of the bristles so as to not score the plastic, but the edge of the brush can be applied to the metal gun tip.
  
     Once done, lubricate the trigger spring and stick-feed mechanism. Do not get lubricant on any part that will touch the glue stick, or it may slip as it tries to be advanced into the heat chamber.
  
     Now inspect the line cord. Repair any burned insulation; straighten out the cord's twists; clean, repair, or replace the plug. You will now once again have a perfectly-working shop tool.

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