How to Maintain a Clean Workshop

Every Maker, Hacker, Scientist, or just plain Tinkerer needs a work space in order to achieve world domination.....Or... Well...er.....I Mean work productively. This can be a Basement, a Shed, or my personal favorite, the Garage Lair. This is not meant to be a strict set of rules, for your needs may vary whether you're a welder or an electrical engineer or a chemist.

Step 1 Plan on what you need.

I do a mix of machining, welding, fabricating, woodworking, soldering, and chemistry. Thankfully, my shop has the tools to accomidate a decent tinkerer. There is a spot in my shop for each tool or group of tools. Also invest in a wall of parts bin to keep everything organized. For instance, the wall of crates I have are each delegated a certain group of parts or supplies ( i.e. Rockets in one box, Explosive mixes in the other, Tapes in another, Screws and fasteners in another, etc..)

Comments

[gruffalo child]

What's so terrible in KMnO4? They recently stopped selling it in chemists here :( I only burned it ( nice sparks), coloured water if I needed it... Oh, and made chlorine (cough cough, but I missed two days of school afer it ;) ).

[m5industriesinc]

i bought my own welder in 5th grade and taught my self how to weld. **** you need an instructor, that's pretty lame****

[thesoccergod]

nice job that was funny and awesome!!!!!

[stephenniall]

Sounds like my workshop a little bit !

Theres two fire extingushers ( one is a vintage 1950s Brass Airplane hand pump one)

Loads of storage but its still a mess!

[ve2vfd]

I agree with lemonie, it's a good start but you may want to add a bit more meat to the "How to Maintain a Clean Workshop" concept. Maybe more info on how to set it up, what tools are good to have, what accessories you like. How to organize them and what to do with tools not in use... there is a lot of potential here. Also in the safety section you may want to suggest a welders apron... not as flamable as a sweatshirt when that hot slag and the metal droplets come flying at you. In a shop you also want at least 2 extinguishers, 1 water canister type (great to put out that burning sweatshirt :) ) and a medium to large BC or ABC powder type. (I've started my share of small fires from welding and grinding.) You want the extinguishers within easy reach and between your work and near an exit (NOT under a cramped workbench!). Any spare Oxygen or Acetylene tanks (of Argoshield if you have a MIG) must be stored upright and chained. I'm sure we've all seen the Mythbusters episode, no need for explanations here :) As for playing with bases and acids, be sure to have a proper respirator, goggles and gloves and only do it outdoors. Reactions can be explosive and the fumes alone can be enough to burn the crap out of your lungs and eyes.

[M4industries]

True... This was meant to be an organization type instructable... but since it was typed in little pieces, it kind of morphed into a safety / humor based instructable.

[lemonie]

I don't quite understand this in the context of "How to Maintain a Clean Workshop", there's step 2 but the rest seems like some king of indulgence in something? (Why the Googled-images?) L

[M4industries]

I didnt take enough pictures. Sorry, its my first 'ible. They are kind of funny though, dont you agree? - M4

[lemonie]

You've got a good idea here, but it's not been fully realised. Keeping a clean and tidy work area is important, I think you could demonstrate this better and make this a good work of reference.
"Funny," needs to be used appropriately, these may be amusing but don't fit with the "how to" philosophy of the site, or integrate into your guide very well.
(Mentioning various chemicals is right off the point., nothing to do with "clean")

It's going to be less exciting, but more useful if the emphasis is directed towards the title.

L

[M4industries]

Wow.... You just explained the vague topic of what exactly makes a good 'ible in a matter of sentences. Good job thanks.

[lemonie]

You've got potential on this one, I don't think anyone else has done this - make it tidy and you're on to a winner (so to speak).
With ref' to Instructables, here are the official and unofficial:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-great-Instructable/
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-a-bad-Instructable-by-The-Duchess-of/

L