What cannot be allowed to freeze???

[Doug Hobkirk]

I have an unheated garage in New England. I sometimes operate a kerosene heater when I'm working, but never at night. It can get down to around 10 degrees F.

I assume I need to bring water-based products inside -

1. Titebond I II III & Hide glues
2. Latex paints

But what other liquids do I need to bring inside the basement? (basement storage space is scarce and I need walk through the house to get there) Can I leave these outside?

1. Acetone, Mineral Spirits, Denatured Alcohol, Naptha
2. Minwax stains
3. Deck stains (Sikkens, Olympic)
4. Polyurethanes (wipe-on and brush-on)
5. BLO, Tung oil, Watco Danish Oil, etc.
6. Kilz primer
7. Epoxy glue
8. Cleaners like Fantastic and Krud Kutter

Silly questions? Probably. But I didn't see "no freeze warnings" and I learn by asking questions. Thanks!

[richard poitras]

Here’s a neat little trick I did (I live in Michigan) I got an old refrigerator that the motor doesn’t run (find then any ware) and put it in my garage and just rigged the light up in it to stay on….Then I put all my paints and glues and such that I don’t want to freeze in it and they stay at a nice 65 degrees no matter how cold out it is outside or in the shop. And it does not cost hardly anything to run a light and the refrigerator is like a small hot box. I used a 40 watt bulb but you may need to check watt of bulb with size of refrigerator … good luck
Richard

[Doug Shepard]

I had to buy a new can of PVC cement recently when I found what was left of a year old can rock hard. I was reading the jar and it said not to let it freeze so I brought the new one inside.

[Andy Casiello]

Don't leave a waterstone (like a sharpening stone) out there to freeze either. They break easy if they freeze.

[Joe Vincent]

Some batteries, particularly litheum ion, dislike the cold. I keep mine inside.

[Mark Rios]

I would have to add not to let yourself freeze.

[Don Abele]

Doug, I was living west of Boston (actually that's where my shop and all my stuff still is...I'm in Portsmouth, VA). Anyway, I got tired of moving all the stuff from the shop into the house. I left it ALL out there. I'm positive the temps got below freezing and I've not seen any appreciable problems with any of my glues, stains, paints, etc. When I thought about it, I figured it wouldn't be a problem as most of these items are transported and stored in non-climate controlled environments and probably are subjected to freezing prior to our purchasing them.

I like the idea of using an old refer as a hot box. Of course, you need to have an old refer AND the sapce to put it in the shop.

Be well,

Doc

[Dave Lehnert]

Don't leave a waterstone (like a sharpening stone) out there to freeze either. They break easy if they freeze.

Thanks for the reminder. Forgot I has water stones in the shop.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Hey Don, how's the new assignment going?

If you need to offload some of your tools/etc back here in MA, just let me know...

[Don Abele]

Hey Don, how's the new assignment going? If you need to offload some of your tools/etc back here in MA, just let me know...

<<< THREAD HIJACK - OFF TOPIC WARNING >>>

Gee, thanks John I'll...uhhh...think about it...

Seriously though...just a pre warn...I may end up selling my 6" jet jointer with shelix head and my jet 1.5 canister dc unit. I've already upgraded the jointer and I'm looking to upgrade to the Oneida cyclone in VA. IF I do it, I'll post it here first.

New assignment is keeping me busy during the day - a lot to learn about this new job. Since I'm a geographical bachelor (family and tools in MA), my nights are fairly quiet (lot's of SMC time lately). I'll be leaving the states here shortly and be gone until the end of the year. Looks like I'll have internet access while in the sand though - perks of being the senior enlisted guy . Next year is the same, right after the holidays back to the sand until spring. Hoping by summer to get the family (and tools) down here with me.

Be well,

Doc

[Jude Tuliszewski]

Dorm fridges work the same and takes up less space, or find a non-working fridge at a local used appliance place to fit your size need. The same idea works for dehumidification as well for things that keep better with low humidity. Used the dehumidification end of it in the aviation industry for keeping powdered metals and brazing powders dry.

[Ben Davis]

I have an unheated garage in New England. I sometimes operate a kerosene heater when I'm working, but never at night. It can get down to around 10 degrees F.

I assume I need to bring water-based products inside -

1. Titebond I II III & Hide glues
2. Latex paints

But what other liquids do I need to bring inside the basement? (basement storage space is scarce and I need walk through the house to get there) Can I leave these outside?

1. Acetone, Mineral Spirits, Denatured Alcohol, Naptha
2. Minwax stains
3. Deck stains (Sikkens, Olympic)
4. Polyurethanes (wipe-on and brush-on)
5. BLO, Tung oil, Watco Danish Oil, etc.
6. Kilz primer
7. Epoxy glue
8. Cleaners like Fantastic and Krud Kutter

Silly questions? Probably. But I didn't see "no freeze warnings" and I learn by asking questions. Thanks!

Doug,

I would bring in items 6-8 on your list. The rest of the stuff won't freeze at any reasonable temperature. Acetone freezes at like -100* C. It'll be just fine in the garage!

[Steve Clardy]

Here’s a neat little trick I did (I live in Michigan) I got an old refrigerator that the motor doesn’t run (find then any ware) and put it in my garage and just rigged the light up in it to stay on….Then I put all my paints and glues and such that I don’t want to freeze in it and they stay at a nice 65 degrees no matter how cold out it is outside or in the shop. And it does not cost hardly anything to run a light and the refrigerator is like a small hot box. I used a 40 watt bulb but you may need to check watt of bulb with size of refrigerator … good luck
Richard

Ditto that. I gutted the compressor and such to make it lighter and easier to move if need be. I uses a 15w bulb I think.
I even kept my welding rods in there to keep them from drawing moisture.

[Wayne Cannon]

Be careful with the light bulb in a refrigerator.

• Monitor the temperature closely for a while until you are confident that your light's wattage matches the heat loss of your box's insulation. I melted all the plastic on a $20,000 instrument by just leaving a 40-watt light bulb on in an insulated refrigerator-like box over a three-day weekend.
• Light bulbs burn out -- not a good thing to happen while you are away on vacation during a cold snap.

Thoughts:

• They make thermostat-controlled heating strips for warming soil in a planting frame that should work nicely. I use a pair of ruggedized appliance light bulbs wired to a thermostat (the kind designed to switch 120v directly, such as for baseboard heaters). You can also get light bulbs designed for 130v that will last longer when run at 120v. The pair at least gives me a greater likelihood of replacing one before both burn out.
• Use a non-arcing thermostat -- the arc from the thermostat turning on and off would not be cool in a sealed box of flammables. An explosion-proof light enclosure might also be wise. I only have epoxy in my box.
• Epoxy needs to be kept above 65-70 degrees to assure it won't crystalize.

[Denny Rice]

Here’s a neat little trick I did (I live in Michigan) I got an old refrigerator that the motor doesn’t run (find then any ware) and put it in my garage and just rigged the light up in it to stay on….Then I put all my paints and glues and such that I don’t want to freeze in it and they stay at a nice 65 degrees no matter how cold out it is outside or in the shop. And it does not cost hardly anything to run a light and the refrigerator is like a small hot box. I used a 40 watt bulb but you may need to check watt of bulb with size of refrigerator … good luck
Richard

Find a local RV dealer....Larger RV's have a medium size refrigerator/freezer units. Most of the time when the coooling units go out in these things it's cheaper to replace the entire fridge unit then to repair it. Most RV dealers have to pay a fee to get rid of the fridge because of state and local codes. If someone was to ask for a old fridge they probably would help you load it in your truck to get it off their lot. Just make sure if the cooling unit is leaking, please remove it RV's still use amonia as a refrigerant.....