Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT A Garage Rehabbed

[-Brent-]

Nice vertical lines on the water trap, I must say I admire the way you work.
An example to be followed, I have started to clear out my shop, but 6 degrees centigrade is a bit too cold for long sessions.
I will follow your progress instead.

That was about the temp that was my working temp, with a heater in the winters before this project started. Yesterday I started at about 0*C and it heated up to 18 or 19*C. Still that heat drops out quick!

Thanks for the compliments, Jan, I appreciate them. I'm looking forward to your shop improvements.

Brent: ...

interesting that old mustang almost looks like a PRO abandoned it with that caster under the front end. i know scrap prices are down, but the owner of that parking lot can't be happy.

i also may not get things done as quick as others, but i'm usually perfectly plumb and symetrical if at all possible. otherwise my OCD would kill me.

keep up the great work!!

Funny you mention it looking like it could be a Pro's project - it's sitting in a Pro's lot. I didn't mention their name because that's just not fair! Haha. They are known in the Mustang world. I don't know about the quality of their work and such, but I wouldn't want that project sitting outside with its door looking like a broken chicken wing in front of my restoration business.

Nice use of the unistrut!

Thanks! Little by little I'm using everything up.

 

[cmanningjr]

Great work!


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[-Brent-]

Great work!

Thanks, I appreciate it. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[bdbecker]

Nice progress!

...Funny you mention it looking like it could be a Pro's project - it's sitting in a Pro's lot. I didn't mention their name because that's just not fair! Haha. They are known in the Mustang world. I don't know about the quality of their work and such, but I wouldn't want that project sitting outside with its door looking like a broken chicken wing in front of my restoration business...

I wonder if there's not more to the story in the sense that the owner of the shop wants everyone to see that car sitting out front. I wouldn't be surprised if someone commissioned a project, dropped that car off, and then disappeared or never came up with the money for the project.

 

[-Brent-]

Nice progress!



I wonder if there's not more to the story in the sense that the owner of the shop wants everyone to see that car sitting out front. I wouldn't be surprised if someone commissioned a project, dropped that car off, and then disappeared or never came up with the money for the project.

Thanks, man!

Oh. I'm sure there's more to the story, haha, has to be. I just cannot fathom who would ever want to put such hinges on a mustang like that. Hey, it made me stop.

 

[Farmall450]

Thanks, Larry! He was early 30s, maybe just 30. It's funny you mention being 8 and mowing laws because I have a young kid I usually hire to mow the lawn when we go on vacation. I come back and it's perfect. He's in middle school.

I try not to be overly judgemental. My parents worked me hard as a kid and because of that I learned how to do things and took things on (other jobs and such) that help me to this day. Some folks don't have that type of life. So, in a way I felt kind-of bad for him. It's a pretty drastic reality for a lot of folks, so I hear from buddies in the trades.

What has this world come to when someone that old can't figure that out?
Especially the weedeater part...you can literally see/hear the string, and see what it is doing. What, was he rubbing the grass off with the plastic

 

[-Brent-]

What has this world come to when someone that old can't figure that out?
Especially the weedeater part...you can literally see/hear the string, and see what it is doing. What, was he rubbing the grass off with the plastic

I have no clue. Whenever I replay that day's events I wonder if that guy will every find his way. You know that Eddie Murphy movie "Coming to America" where he pushes the mop bucket around with the mop inside it? I equate that to what the kid was doing.

I know one thing he was doing and that was maxing out the RPMs of that 2-stroker. Haha, I thought it was going to pop being wide open that long.

 

[bj383ss]

Brent your air line setup looks great. I have the project in my future but as you said all the fittings and the ball valves is small fortune. Be interested to see how your DIY dryer works. I have a HF water/regulator and a Lowes tied together and have never got any water in my paint, but I am waiting for the day.

I am with you. Lambo doors belong on Lambos and that is it.

Bret

 

[Farmall450]

I have no clue. Whenever I replay that day's events I wonder if that guy will every find his way. You know that Eddie Murphy movie "Coming to America" where he pushes the mop bucket around with the mop inside it? I equate that to what the kid was doing.

I know one thing he was doing and that was maxing out the RPMs of that 2-stroker. Haha, I thought it was going to pop being wide open that long.

That is just really crazy, too see a full grown adult doing that. I wouldn't have known how to react...if he wants to eat, and doesn't have a fork, does he just motion his hand as if he had one and manages to consume the food via that?

 

[a_thiel24]

Stopped in after you commented on my thread. Love your thread. Tons of progress so far with still lots of potential. I am definitely getting toolbox envy, but I'd have a hard time remembering just where everything is lol. Keep up the good work.

 

[-Brent-]

Brent your air line setup looks great. I have the project in my future but as you said all the fittings and the ball valves is small fortune. Be interested to see how your DIY dryer works. I have a HF water/regulator and a Lowes tied together and have never got any water in my paint, but I am waiting for the day.

I am with you. Lambo doors belong on Lambos and that is it.

Bret

This Quincy I got seems like it makes more water than my other compressors. Could be I am just using it more, too.

As far of the cost, yeah, a small fortune is right! Tonight, I picked up a 36" long 2" pipe from the industrial supply house and I feel like I need a cold shower now, haha. That was the most expensive short piece of pipe I have ever bought. But, I wanted it now and paid a want-it-now price.

The only thing left is to order some hose and desiccant. I'm going to take a bunch of pics as I build the dryer because there are a few builds online but some have lost the pics and others don't really focus on the details. I think that it's a worthy project because a dryer could cost $300-$800 and they have nowhere near the amount of desiccant. This build requires no drilling or tapping. The only fab work is some epoxy to hold some screens in.

I'm thinking my approach of water traps before the dryer should give me some dry air. I see guys with one or the other and they're happy. But with the amount of water I see during constant use, I assume that would shorten the life of the beads before I need to "recharge" the stuff and I like to try DIY things that other people have done (and put my own spin on them).

 

[-Brent-]

That is just really crazy, too see a full grown adult doing that. I wouldn't have known how to react...if he wants to eat, and doesn't have a fork, does he just motion his hand as if he had one and manages to consume the food via that?

There is a huge skilled labor shortage in Salt Lake (and the surrounding areas) so this type of stuff is happening more than you'd think because the folks that are available are available for a reason - they have no skills!

 

[-Brent-]

Stopped in after you commented on my thread. Love your thread. Tons of progress so far with still lots of potential. I am definitely getting toolbox envy, but I'd have a hard time remembering just where everything is lol. Keep up the good work.

Thanks, man! I appreciate it. I'm squeezing out as much out of this little shop as possible. I think it will all be worth it when it's done even though I don't want to drag myself out there on these cold nights.

I just rearranged and moved a bunch of tools and I figured I was doomed. But, after a few days of picking the wrong drawers I had it figured. I think I have always opened and closed a drawer or two and I guess that's because I have so many drawers to go through. I never really thought about that before, haha.

 

[Duker]

Brent, finally making my way through your thread (still have some pages to go) but I saw the pic of the desiccant dryer you are making. It appears those tees will be for sight glasses for a piece of pipe filled with desiccant beads? If so can I offer you one suggestion that I made on mine after I had to replace the beads.....add another couple of pieces of pipe with a couple of sleeves and use the tees for the line in and out and put screw in plugs on both the top and bottom sleeves to be able to easily dump out and pour in to replace the beads. I used to try and bake the beads dry and now I am so lazy I just buy bulk and replace.

Anyway, just thought I would toss out an idea and it was a pain on mine to take apart to load up as these humid Houston load up those beads in a hurry! Back to reading the thread!




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[-Brent-]

Duker, do you have a pic for reference? I'm not sure I understand, let me run this by you and see if I am on the same page. So, use a ****** above and below the tees and then a coupling for the caps to thread into?

The way I am planning it to make it disconnect with quick couplers, remove it from the strut to replace the desiccant and then I could undo the top cap and proceed.

How do the sleeves simplify it? I have the room because I only went with a 36" length of pipe.

 

[-Brent-]

Duker, this is what I came up with. Would this an issue?

 

[-Brent-]

Also, Duker where do you get your beads? I see prices all over the place.

 

[Duker]

Duker, this is what I came up with. Would this an issue?

Ah, I didn't see the quick connect on top I thought it was a copper fitting. Time to get my eyes checked...and I am also color blind so missed that it was brass. I soldered mine into two tees with the input coming into the left at the lower end and an output line coming off of the right towards the top so I used plugs top and bottom of the sleeves to be able pour in from the top or dump from the bottom. What you show in the pick should work great with a flexible line.

As for desiccant, this is hot and humid Houston so you can find desiccant beads at most industrial supply houses or cleaning supply places as it is used heavily in the oil industry or by folks trying to control mold and odors in their flooded homes which we have had a lot this year. I pay about $18 bucks for a gallon size plastic jug of regenerative beads that change color so it can last awhile if you dry them back out which I used to do but I am getting pickier or lazier where I spend my time and money as I get older! That cost can get down to about 7-10 bucks a jug but you have to buy a 25lb bag. I didn't want to have to store it as that would last a long long time and I am not sure of the shelf life of this stuff as I would have had to stick it into plastic jugs anyway to keep it dry.

A friend of mine buys a product in a small bucket at Lowes that is used for moisture control for homes etc that he tears off a membrane from the top and uses the beads underneath. I can't remember the name of the product but I think it was around 10-12 bucks. I might give that a shot after I run out of my current supply.


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[-Brent-]

Thanks, Duker. I'm relieved.

You guys get desiccant for much less than I've found. My industrial supply places are charging $30ish for what I think is 2 lbs. It didn't look like enough, though. Time to do some homework.

 

[rpenterics]

A friend of mine buys a product in a small bucket at Lowes that is used for moisture control for homes etc that he tears off a membrane from the top and uses the beads underneath. I can't remember the name of the product but I think it was around 10-12 bucks. I might give that a shot after I run out of my current supply.


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Probably DampRid
http://www.homedepot.com/p/DampRid-...gh-Capacity-Moisture-Absorber-FG50T/100391308

 

[-Brent-]

I just bought some of the blue indicating silica stuff, online. Hopefully it's enough.

 

[rmmiller]

We actually stock some from Amflo, I had a quart that I used to refill inline driers but my brother made off with it. Glad it came up here, I might remember to bring one home tomorrow!

 

[NedNorton]

Brent,
I Read through the thread over the last few days, just awesome! Keep cranking and I'm looking forward to reading about the progress.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[-Brent-]

We actually stock some from Amflo, I had a quart that I used to refill inline driers but my brother made off with it. Glad it came up here, I might remember to bring one home tomorrow!

What's the Amflo stuff go for?

Brent,
I Read through the thread over the last few days, just awesome! Keep cranking and I'm looking forward to reading about the progress.

Cheers,
Chris

Wow, thanks for the compliment, man. I appreciate it. Your standard is like the gold standard, to me!

 

[Sharpest]

Cool shop. I really like older buildings with some character.

 

[-Brent-]

Cool shop. I really like older buildings with some character.

Thanks, Sharpest. My plan is to keep an old vibe. When the corrugated metal goes up it should give it a bit more of an industrial feel.

 

[rmmiller]

What's the Amflo stuff go for?

$16 for a quart container is where we have it.

 

[littleviking]

Needs more triangulation
much wow
busload of nuns.

:-D

just checking in.

 

[-Brent-]

$16 for a quart container is where we have it.

That's about what I see it for around here.

just checking in.

Thanks, man!

Still clocking a bunch of overtime, which doesn't look to be lightening up until the holiday, most likely. I'll take it, gladly. I figure I'll sneak out there a little bit, today, since my little guy has his Christmas "concert" at school. And, while I could head back to work for an hour or two, I may as well head over to the other side of the valley and exchange a couple parts/pieces for my air line set-up so I could get it tied into the ceiling run.

All the parts have been ordered and will be coming in from all different parts of the country. My sight glasses arrived from McMasterCarr but the desiccant and hoses aren't due to come in until next week. The plan is to have everything set and waiting for those parts by the time they arrive. I feel like the time consuming part is done. Running the line should go quickly.

 

[-Brent-]

The DIY desiccant filter is done, not without a hiccup, however.

There are several ways to go about this. I took the easier route since my local industrial supply house happen to have parts to allow the whole thing to be threaded together. These aren’t cheap to fab. They’re simple, but the parts are spendy. That said, it’ll be nice to have over 40” of desiccant for the air to travel through. Between the water traps and the dryer, I should have MUCH drier air.



Every other build I’ve seen drills a cap and threads the hole. That’s simple enough and I have the equipment (minus the 3/8 npt tap) but these parts already exist. Simple wins this time.



Here’s an assembled end on the right and on the left, all the parts. Take a look at the assembled unit, in the area to the right of the sight glass. Looks cracked, no?



Here’s the sight glass. I got it from McMaster-Carr. Again, not a cheap.



Yep, that’s a crack. Man, was I frustrated at this point. I had gotten the whole drier together. Right after lining each sight glass up, I look over and see this crack. I’m wondering if this is a returnable item? I certainly haven’t ever broken a fitting this large. **** quality.



After a trip to Home Depot I got it all back together. It looks a smidge uneven from top to bottom. It is, just barely. When I get the materials to fill it, I’ll see about getting the sight glasses 100% even. At this point I just wanted the thing hanging.

Here’s a wider view.

 

[-Brent-]

The bench is working out very well for me. It’s solid and heavy enough to put effort into something on the vise. As well, it’s a breeze to clean up. Every bench before this was larger. Some were many times larger. They were always a mess and clean-up time was larger too. I can clean this one up in a few minutes. It’s nice to have a blank space to start working on again.



Now that the traps and dryer are set on the well and I’m waiting for parts (hoses and desiccant) to finish, it’s time to get some lines run. I see some guys around here that seem to get everything banged out rapidly. But for me, that never seems to be the case. Even though I had it "planned" in my head, I pull measurements and then look at other options. What’s that called, analysis paralysis?

Here's the kit: Maxline ½” RapidAir. There's a lot there, I doubt I'll use a 1/3rd of it.




I did finally manage to get it planned out. And I even got a couple pieces cut and installed, but, my head wasn’t in the shop. I wanted to get back into the house and hang out with my wife, who’s had a lousy week at work. I could tell she was feeling some Sunday dread. I hated seeing her like that so I cleaned up and put off finishing the lines for another day. (Edit: it was the right thing to do, I think we both needed some adult conversation time. Haha. With a 2 and 4 year old, conversations seemed to be tipped toward the fantastical and bizarre. )

All that said, I have a solid plan and it should go quickly. So that’s good!

Lastly, I after a little clean up and pushing the roadster back into the shop, I snapped a pic. This is the good stuff, to me.



This is shaping up better than I planned. I have room to work and purging and downsizing has allowed what’s left over to have a place. I’ve really reduced my amount of tripping and stumbling and haven’t torn a pant leg in a long time. I still have some bad habits of leaving tools around but I really am getting better about it. I see a few things that need to be put away before the next work session out there.

 

[Bob Heine]

Brent, that's a great size for a workbench, mine is just a long storage shelf most of the time. Yours also looks shallow enough that it doesn't have the pile-o-**** that grows from the rear. Is that the wrench you used to tighten the galvanized tee? The cracked fitting shouldn't be that big of a surprise if it is.

Nice job on the air line manifold. You may find the cooling effect of the manifold alone will provide dry enough air for running air tools. If you only use the desiccant dryer for sand blasting, plasma cutting and spray painting, the silica gel will last quite a while. Having couplers on both ends of the desiccant dryer is also a nice feature because it isolates and seals up the dryer when you aren't using it but you will need a hose with plugs on both ends for one of the connections.

And by the way, your progress is plenty fast enough for me. I end up losing my train of thought and just staring at my projects. I just stare at it, ask myself "What was I thinking?" and walk away. If I don't trip over it, it could be years before I get back to it (see my thread for proof).

Good luck with the Maxline. I've only heard good things about it. I tried the Harbor Freight imitation line and it didn't go perfectly.

I like the padding and bright green tape on the floor jack handle -- naked they have a supernatural ability to chip paint or ding a panel.

You are going to have a long and successful marriage if you continue to pay attention to those silent screams for help and spend time talking each other down off the ledges of life.

 

[-Brent-]

Brent, that's a great size for a workbench, mine is just a long storage shelf most of the time. Yours also looks shallow enough that it doesn't have the pile-o-**** that grows from the rear. Is that the wrench you used to tighten the galvanized tee? The cracked fitting shouldn't be that big of a surprise if it is.

Nice job on the air line manifold. You may find the cooling effect of the manifold alone will provide dry enough air for running air tools. If you only use the desiccant dryer for sand blasting, plasma cutting and spray painting, the silica gel will last quite a while. Having couplers on both ends of the desiccant dryer is also a nice feature because it isolates and seals up the dryer when you aren't using it but you will need a hose with plugs on both ends for one of the connections.

And by the way, your progress is plenty fast enough for me. I end up losing my train of thought and just staring at my projects. I just stare at it, ask myself "What was I thinking?" and walk away. If I don't trip over it, it could be years before I get back to it (see my thread for proof).

Good luck with the Maxline. I've only heard good things about it. I tried the Harbor Freight imitation line and it didn't go perfectly.

I like the padding and bright green tape on the floor jack handle -- naked they have a supernatural ability to chip paint or ding a panel.

You are going to have a long and successful marriage if you continue to pay attention to those silent screams for help and spend time talking each other down off the ledges of life.

Thanks, Bob. The benches seemed to get smaller over each iteration. I thought a lot about what would work best for me after having things that worked and didn't. I haven't had a moment, yet, where I wanted it larger or a different height. I think I got it right, this time.

I considered bypassing the dryer and that may actually happen in the future. Thanks for the nudge. It's good to hear other people's recommendations especially when it's something you've pondered a time or two.

One of the reasons I step back and reconsider what I'm doing is because I'd like this to be the last time I go this deep into the shop project. A lot of this project is as much a reinvention of myself as it is redoing a space.

As far as that padded jack handle, that's something I've done to the last couple jacks I've had or been around. I think this bright green tape has influenced quite a few folks to do theirs. I have stopped by a few buddy's shops with similar pool noodle pads and they've said, "Seeing yours made me do mine."

And, most importantly, thank you for the complement about taking care of my marriage. She's a hell of a girl. Me and the kids are lucky to have her.

Again, thanks for the comments. I appreciate your point of view!

 

[bdbecker]

The bench is working out very well for me. It’s solid and heavy enough to put effort into something on the vise. As well, it’s a breeze to clean up. Every bench before this was larger. Some were many times larger. They were always a mess and clean-up time was larger too. I can clean this one up in a few minutes. It’s nice to have a blank space to start working on again...

Its not the size of the bench, its how you use it!

(As I was typing that, I had a moment of inspiration! I think I just found a nickname for my monster bench... "The Compensator")

 

[-Brent-]

Its not the size of the bench, its how you use it!

(As I was typing that, I had a moment of inspiration! I think I just found a nickname for my monster bench... "The Compensator")

Haha, dude, you and I have gone the exact opposite ways! I'm really starting a small-bench movement over here. So far it's just a party of one, haha.

Know what's sad? Your huge bench probably cost less than my dinky one.

 

[-Brent-]

Oh, and Bob. That large wrench was just to get me a 1/4 turn of the tee so I could get the sight glasses close to aligned. I also used it to remove the tee. Man, it was WAY easier that way.

I need a couple new pipe wrenches. The teeth are worn on mine.

 

[bj383ss]

Brent your progress looks good. The air drier and desiccant are both on my project list. I have read good things and thought about installing it in my garage. The padded Jack is a great idea I should have done that years ago.

Bret

 

[-Brent-]

Brent your progress looks good. The air drier and desiccant are both on my project list. I have read good things and thought about installing it in my garage. The padded Jack is a great idea I should have done that years ago.

Bret

Thanks, man! The desiccant arrived yesterday but I needed to get my GJ Secret Santa gift finished so I didn't put it in the dryer. As well, we took the kids for a ride to see some Christmas lights.

Side note, I did find a local place that sells Kerosene. The price was still a little at $6.50 a gallon but better than what the big box stores sell it for (nearly $10/gal).

I found a woman with 13 5 gallon containers of it who'd like an offer on it. That's likely more than I need but I would probably be interested in half of that. Anyone have a clue what I should offer?

 

[bdbecker]

...I found a woman with 13 5 gallon containers of it who'd like an offer on it. That's likely more than I need but I would probably be interested in half of that. Anyone have a clue what I should offer?

How long had the kerosene been in storage? How has it been stored? I'd be wary of anything that's more than a few months old in a vented container.

 

[-Brent-]

How long had the kerosene been in storage? How has it been stored? I'd be wary of anything that's more than a few months old in a vented container.

You're probably dead on. I have no clue on the type of container. But if this is from a woman's disaster prep storage, it's probably sealed. I need to find out more, obviously, if there's a deal to be had. I don't want to buy 50 gallons if it's a dollar-per-gallon savings. I'd rather pay the extra for the convenience. I also don't want to have to store the stuff since that goes against the what I've been working to achieve. But if it's a good deal, I'd be stupid to pass it up. Fuel, especially kerosene, is expensive.