Shop Smells

[Bert]

Hi all. 
I am looking at having to seriously downsize my shop.  We are in the process of moving and I am going to have to give up a 24 foot by 36 foot shop. My present shop is separate from the house and there in lays my problem. My new shop is going to be in a basement and unfortunately considerably smaller, may be 12x16 if I am lucky.
  My wife is quite concerned about the oily smells created when machining. You know, cutting oil, hot WD40, grinding and other hot metal issues.
So my question to you guys with basement shops, how do you keep your wife happy? Is a simple exhaust fan sufficient, or do you employ a different measures to accomplish, blissful happiness, with a spouse, who has the nose of a Blood hound?

No !!  Trade in the spouse is not an option I am willing to consider…..

Thanks …..Bert

[Brass_Machine]

I get complaints usually in 3 instances.

1. If things get too loud after my son goes to bed.
2. I do any CF molding. I usually open the walkout and direct the shop fan to blow out.
3. I drag any chips upstairs. <-- this is the one I hear about the most.


Eric

[Bert]

Hi Eric


I know about the chips!!! I managed to drag chips 100 feet from my outside shop, so I can see the basement is going to be a challenge. I will have to have shop shoes.


Regards Bert

[R.G.Y.]

Look at the plus side, you will not have to go out in the cold in the winter. Our gas boiler is  in my shop no condensation, no rust on the machines. I might suggest you hang a thick curtain over the door, helping to insulate noise & smell. No matter what the space you will fill it .  Women always like to have something to moan about. Geoff

[Jonny]

In all fairness i dont think you will cure the problem.
Whether it be a stinky bottle opened, stagnent fluids to smoke, it has to go some where. Venting out permanently which also would remove heat may not be an option.

Could tell her that you love her hand her one of these

Then disappear to basement before she gets further ideas.

Swarf it wont matter how careful you are, it will find its way in.
How many times have you had swarf down your neck, in hair, pants in shoes etc

[vtsteam]

Since the topic is smells, maybe try to substitute odorless products for those you use that are strong smelling.

I agree that it is important to have a ventilator. But you may be able to use only a pickup with a flexible dryer hose and an end plenum that you can place near to where a fumes are coming from. If it has a switch, you can reduce the amount of warm air wasted outside.

I wonder if odorless refined oil paint thinners like Turpolene (available in art stores in the US) could be substituted for many purposes where you may be using WD-40 or light cutting oils -- I would think it would work well on aluminum since a very thin oil like kerosene (paraffin) is often used when tapping or drilling that material.

For steel and iron, sulfured thread cutting oil is a problem, but what about trying something like tallow (you can make your own from cooking grease drippings -- boil (render) it in a large pot of water and skim the clear fat off after boiling, and keep in a tin. If properly rendered and clarified it shouldn't have no odor and will keep well.

Also maybe some of the commercial water based cutting coolants are relatively low in odor..

For paints, you could use water based acrylic enamels.

Avoid aerosol sprays -- use a brush, where possible. Cover all brush cleaning receptacles. Wrap brushes in aluminum foil after cleaning.

If you must spray paint, bring the piece outside and a piece of cardboard to set it on and spray there. I've been successful with this even in winter if I bring the piece back indoors within about 20 minutes when most of the thinners have evaporated, then quickly get it into the basement! There will be a great reduction in odor.

Hot metal, in and of itself usually has no odor -- it's the thin film of oil or grease that smells when it is being worked -- so clean your work before machining. Since you're in a house with hot and cold running water, you might consider keeping a special cleaning bucket for use with hot sudsy water to clean pieces with. If your wife likes that sort of thing, use something that smells good in preference to pine or chemical smelling detergents.

Consider a keeping room freshener, if  you can stand it, in the shop. That might cover up some of the unavoidable smells that will inevitably make their way up the stairs.

Well that's all I can think of for now......

Good luck! Wish I had a basement shop! 

[AdeV]

Am I allowed to mention my wife-friendly "lightly scented" machinable wax at this point? 

I can send you a free sample if you want to evaluate the WAF...

I'll stop now, before I get 

[raynerd]

Bert, my basement shop is a PITA but then I`ve got poor entry to it.

That said, the important thing, is that it is A SHOP and without it, I wouldn`t have one...and my wife understands this.

Chris

[andyf]

You could try buying her big bottles of scent, so she walks round in her own fragrant cloud. 

Cooker hoods over the lathe and the mill might help. So might a good seal round the door from the basement to the house, and sealing any gaps in floorboards which don't have an impervious covering up above.

Andy

[Brass_Machine]

Am I allowed to mention my wife-friendly "lightly scented" machinable wax at this point? 

I can send you a free sample if you want to evaluate the WAF...

I'll stop now, before I get 

I have a sample of Ade's machinable wax... I will second that it is wife friendly! I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it does smell nice!

Eric

[sparky961]

The majority of the machining I do in my basement is dry.  This avoids most of the smells associated with smoke created due to cutting heat.  When I do use oil, I open two windows and get a bit of a cross-breeze going.  This takes most of the smell out of the basement before it goes upstairs.  Not to mention minimizing the amount I breathe.

I would argue that in the home shop you almost never need lubrication for aluminum.  Keep your tools sharp and your surface speed high.  Get rid of the heat in the chips before it builds up in the stock.

For steel, use carbide tools and machine it as fast and as hard as your machine will take for the same reason as above.  Your finish will be better too.

I'm simplifying things quite a bit, I know, but in general this works for me.

-Sparky

[Bert]

Hi all
Thanks for all the worthwhile tips. I realise it will take some compromises,  but as was mentioned in another post it beats the alternative, of no shop at all.

Bert