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Gauge 1, 2 rail electric garden and scenic railway, by Pat Honey.
CHAPTER 3:- THE WORKSHOP.
I have always advocated that any serious modeller in 7 or 10 am should try and get a separate workshop if at all possible and if one is fortunate enough to have a spare room or even a large cupboard area in the house, then this is the ultimate, as an all the year round heated facility will be invaluable, especially, if your circumstances are like mine, thankfully being retired and its use being contemplated much more so than in the past.
If the alternative means that one has to consider either the loft or any outside shed or conservatory type building then if it is desired to retreat to and use it during the winter months, one has to take into account the insulation costs of the facility and the ongoing cost of heating it.
In our climate, if it is intended to have a workshop where one can work in comfort plus store stock, tools! small machinery etc, through the winter, then insulation and damp proofing is a must and will not only mean applying this to floor, walls and roof but double glazing all windows as well.
As I do not have the space indoors I have chosen to convert an old 10ft x 8ft, tin roofed, block built shed to my needs as is evident the doors were rotten but the floor is concrete and is now well carpeted on top of roofing felt, the walls and roof have been battened and lined with 1/2 inch insulating board and for the windows I have used good quality plastic sheet inside to form double glazing plus the outside has been rendered, roof checked and a new stable door fitted. Al1 cheaply done with basic DIY
With the door being central at one end I can have two 10ft x 2ft 6 inch work benches and a 3ft centre aisle - the window side is for actual work and the other side is for laying out of working plans, an area for drawing, photography and a space to leave work which requires to stand for a time.
Al1 the space above the benches has been shelved and utilised for stock, tools, sundries etc which are now all to hand all the time.
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ELECTRICS.
Attention has been paid to electric supply and a separate fused box (to IEE standard) has been put in for safety, also the question of the number of 13 amp outlets, has been addressed because from experience I have learnt that with so much equipment with plugs nowadays, it becomes a nuisance to keep constantly having to change them over at the outlet - which is generally at the most inconvenient moment - and when one lists the items generally needing power in an average workshop it is surprising to find that, in my case, the list includes:
1 x 12v mini vacuum cleaner, essential to keep the working surfaces clean.
2 wheeled grinder unit.
2 Mini drill master units.
Soldering station.
1 x 125 watt soldering iron .
3 x bench lights.
2 mains drills.
Fan heater.
Radio.
Portable extension lead - to reach any part of the layout outside.
Fixed extensions to the station area to power the transformers etc for the layout.
Therefore I have equipped each bench with twin 4 point outlets, as a consequence all items are constantly plugged in, cables neatly tied and all plugs lettered to show what they supply and the items are available for instant use.
Some advocate the use of fluorescent strips for the main light, I personally have just a single 60 watt daylight effect bulb for general use but movable desk lamps for use at the benches which have the benefit of being moved around and switched on as when needed and by switching bulbs from 60 watt to 500 watt floods they can be used for general illumination when photography is required.
I did invest in a cantilevered arm fluorescent light with an enclosed magnifier for use with small work, especially painting and 1 can strongly recommend them plus I also would not be without my headband magnifying visor, which I wear most of the time when at the bench.
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TOOLS / MISC.
Each person will have different needs from a workshop and the selection of tools generally will indicate this, I have already stated that I am a modeller - not an engineer - and my workshop will reflect this in that it does not include any lathes or milling machines etc.
Instead it has all the necessary tools for working with card, plywood, plastic and light metal, such as is found in etched kits.
To do this I have a good range of files, from swiss types up to the larger everyday varieties, a good range of plier types especially fine long nosed ones and wire side cutters, likewise scissors, craft knives, hammers, scissor type ''medical'' clamps and many other smaller clamps including a full range of "G'' clamps, plus wooden clothes pegs and metal hair grips.
Try and have a large fixed general vice and a small one which can be screwed to the bench as required and adjusted to various angles, a variety of saws for both metal and wood, a full range of screwdrivers and a set of BA spanners - open ended and box, a variety of tweezers, assorted rulers - a must is the metal humped ruler used to guide craft knife blades when cutting ply and plasticard - , vernier and other callipers and drawing instruments to suit all needs plus a cake turntable (used when painting stock) and all the necessary brushes, jars etc for all painting jobs, a range of solders and fluxes plus nylon and brass tipped pens for cleaning.
The only machines will be the "mini" range of equipment as these are so useful - and one with the base power unit having variable speed control is the one to invest in and strongly recommended - this is adequate for most needs when working with all the materials we modellers usually use and for convenience, you will note I have also a varied range of the drill units to hand, the smaller units tend to run at faster speeds - I have found it so annoying to have to continually stop and change the bits and tools all the time, by having a varied sized range of 4, I can select my tools for the specific job and then complete the task knowing that each tool is available for immediate use.
I also advise keeping all ones drills, grinders, cutters etc, set out standing up in boxes, where selection of the right one is easy because it can be seen ready for swoping as required - nothing is more frustrating than to have to fish around in a jar or box where all these items are all lying flat and jumbled together - if you cannot run to boxes with foam rubber then blocks of polystyrene can be used as an alternative storage block.
These blocks of polystyrene can also be used to stand swiss files up in lines, screwdrivers, chisels and other small tools can also be stored this way in an orderly fashion.
I have put hooks all along the edges of shelves and a multitude of odd tools and equipment can be hung up on these, where they can be easily seen and be to hand for immediate use, sharp items such as scissors should always be hung up or imbedded in polystyrene blocks.
Up until I came here I had always had a full range of soldering irons, one 12 volt and the others being mains operated, from 15 watt to 125 watts, my knowledge of the art of soldering started and ended with multicore solder and the tin of 'Fluxite', I am now aware that for all these years I had been totally ignorant of how much the art and technique of soldering had moved on and that my range of old irons and my approach to the subject were completely obsolete.
A friend has taken the trouble to introduce me to an 'Antex' controllable temperature ''solder station'' with its choice of either 15 watt and 50 watt irons, both with interchangeable tips.
As the solder station is a new fangled idea for me, I did have to start with the basics and learn through trial and error to use such an item - I sought advice as to the correct flux and solder to use for the different tasks and where to buy same and now after some experiment with a brass etched wagon kit - after selecting the correct flux - 1 now set the temperature control to 125 degrees to use 70 solder (white metal) and increase to 250 degrees minimum for 140 solder (the heat determined by the thickness of the metal being soldered).
As the 2 irons are so quickly interchangeable and with the various shaped tips having only to be slid on and off to change them and also that the unit is so quick to come to the selected working temperature I have very quickly become adept at soldering the finest white metal pieces together and also white metal onto brass and feel I have mastered all aspects of soldering needed for etched brass kit work available in this scale.
I now consider soldering as a pleasure - and not - as in the past, a hit or miss affair with the wrong iron and solder and where most times the end results were generally a blobby mess and I strongly recommend that everyone who does not have one in their workshop should invest the necessary �100 and acquire one - but a warning, once started and found so easy and enjoyable to use its hard to switch off, after all these years I have lost my fear of etched brass items and I do wonder now, as I am hooked, if, in time, I will find enough gauge 1 kits out there to build ?.
However as the above units limitation is 50 watts, for heavier work I have kept the old mains 125 watt iron and also acquired a pencil gas torch (re-chargeable from lighter gas pressurised refill cans) to solder any long seams on gauge 1 kits: i.e. floors to sides etc, with this combination of items I can undertake any soldering task I may meet.
Talking of etched brass kits, which can be found for Locomotives, Passenger and goods stock and lineside in Gauge 1, I have dealt with this separately in Chapter 10.
A must in any workshop is a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit - especially plasters, eye wash and burn lotion and for all those cleaning up jobs - close to hand a toilet roll or a roll of kitchen paper towel in a dispenser.
So from an old garden shed, with a rotten door, damp and full of rubbish, with a little imagination and basic DIY skills I now have a compact cosy bolt hole - the provision of an adjustable comfortable swivel chair, good movable lighting in the work area, plus a radio = heaven !
However cosy your workshop may be there will be times when either to be sociable or when weather is exceptionally cold, you may wish to work indoors - to overcome this problem I have made myself a portable work tray to fill this requirement. I managed to get a wooden bakers tray, cut away the front, painted it up, fitted in some polystyrene block to hold tools etc and sit with it on my lap or on the table and work, no mess, everything is contained, can be put down in a hurry if required, all in all a cheap and useful piece of kit to have
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Gallery:
These photographs - taken at different times - are to give you some idea of what I done in providing the workshop and what I have in it. I can supply more photographs on disc to any interested party subject to the condition that they are not used for any commercial purpose whatsoever. Most basic information is on each photograph but for any queries or further information then contact me.
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