Author Topic: Temperatures of your work area  (Read 1374 times)

Offline AbeFroman

  • Minnow
  • *
  • Posts: 7
Temperatures of your work area
« on: 04/14/20 10:49 UTC »
Gonna be starting out (soon), I was wondering how cold can your work area be when pouring plastics? Only place I could do it is in our garage, it isn't heated (other than a small 220V heater), and it is poorly insulated. So during the winter (Canadian Prairies), it can get REAL cold. So I would open the big door about quarter of the way, and have the heater going. But how cold of a work area be before your plastics won't want to cooperate anymore? How cold is too cold?

Offline ctom

  • Lunker
  • *****
  • Posts: 11047
Re: Temperatures of your work area
« Reply #1 on: 04/14/20 11:15 UTC »
Before I did my insulated shop workroom I kept my molds, plastic, components like colors and glitter and hi lite....everything , in the house and took only wht I was going to work with out to the garage. I'm in Minnesota so I'm pretty well versed in working in the cold myself. You sort of have to find out what the plastic and you will tolerate as far as being chilly but I would keep the molds and materials inside at room temp until its show time then go like the blazes. Plastic if cold then heated quickly can develop bubbles from moisture so at least keep that warm. When you see the 40's and 50's overnight then you can leave the plastic out.
There are good ships
and wood ships
ships that sail the sea
but the best ships are friendships
and may they
always be ......An Irish Toast

Offline andrewlamberson

  • Lunker
  • *****
  • Posts: 2463
Re: Temperatures of your work area
« Reply #2 on: 04/14/20 17:48 UTC »
Check out this Plastics 101 page
https://custombaits.com/index.php?topic=2518.msg16685#msg16685

I forgot about this page! It answers a lot of questions we get on this forum.
" You can't buy happiness...But you can buy fishing gear...and that's kind of the same thing"

Offline efishnc

  • Lunker
  • *****
  • Posts: 2138
Re: Temperatures of your work area
« Reply #3 on: 04/14/20 22:22 UTC »
I have a cold workshop as well (though not as cold as yours) and it is basically up to me what temperatures that I am willing to tolerate... the one thing that I see as a must for injecting plastics in cold temps is a toaster oven to preheat the molds, inserts, and injector; this provision allows for good lures on first injection instead of shooting and recycling the first couple of rounds (which affects color and  transparency)... aside from that, warm clothes are also a plus.

Offline Lines

  • Lunker
  • *****
  • Posts: 2024
Re: Temperatures of your work area
« Reply #4 on: 04/15/20 21:49 UTC »
While I lived in Southeast Iowa, I had my plastics shop in our garage. Sometimes I poured during some pretty chilly temperatures. Once I poured a session while the garage temperature was 18°. I used an old electric skillet, modified to hold and warm the injectors, and the molds. Really I didn't seem to have any problems with the plastisol, nor did I experience any fill problems, because the injectors and the molds were kept at warmer temperatures. Many things can be done to adapt to the cold weather. The biggest thing I did to combat the weather was to move to Alabama this spring. That should fix it! :)
Here is the skillet I modified:
« Last Edit: 04/15/20 22:02 UTC by Lines »

Offline efishnc

  • Lunker
  • *****
  • Posts: 2138
Re: Temperatures of your work area
« Reply #5 on: 04/16/20 18:37 UTC »
Looks like a handy way to drain the bacon grease as well!

Offline Lines

  • Lunker
  • *****
  • Posts: 2024
Re: Temperatures of your work area
« Reply #6 on: 04/16/20 22:31 UTC »
Yes, it certainly keeps the grease at a tolerable level! :)