New Home Shop - Side Hustle

pontiac428 said:
What type of fume extractor are you using back there? I'm looking for options that are more cost effective than buying a used Lincoln Mobiflex.
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Actually - was thinking of the Miller. No idea how much the Lincoln costs. The miller with the self-cleaning feature is really up there.
 
I haven't encountered a Miller in the wild, but I am a fan of the blue. I've done a lot of ventilation assessments on the Lincoln systems in use, and they actually meet the ACGIH airflow standard reliably. They also have big 8" ducts, which always perform better for welding fume entrainment and extraction. Anything less than 6" is suspicious.
 
MtnBiker said:
As for plasma, we don't want to do this at this point - we'll contract that out. Lack of room and adequate ventilation/waste water disposal, etc.
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It's less complicated than you think. If you can find the room, about 4'x4', you might look into the Langmuir Crossfire Pro. It doesn't seem that the cost would be an issue, but it's less than $3000 with all the options. The water table knocks down the fumes, so your extractor would probably be adequate unless your garage is air-tight. Wastewater disposal shouldn't be an issue either, unless your city has a strict pre-treatment program (and you don't want them to know what you're doing in there). The table holds about 15 gallons I think, and quite a few of the owners have posted modifications to conserve water and filter out the metal; the new table fluids are mostly glycol based (no hydrogen gas), and DIY fluid is usually Borax based, once it's filtered, you just need to adjust the pH before disposing in the municipal sewer system. (Wastewater rules are a part of my job.) I would suggest using one of the pink colored fluids though, since it looks like soap, and the others look like antifreeze or porta potty water if they were to escape down your driveway. The Crossfire Pro has been in the wild for about a year now, and there are plenty of YouTube videos of the Pro and the Original in use in small garages and workshops - now that I think about it, I might be the only person that's got an exhaust stack installed.

I'm building one in my garage now, although my garage is far from clean and organized like yours (I still don't know where I'm going to put the Bridgeport). And now my cheapo welding table seems...inadequate. :oops:
 
MtnBiker said:
Wish everyone thought like you do. I work in the homeowners insurance business and you are correct. My homeowner's policy wouldn't cover any of this stuff. We just picked up commercial insurance through the Hartford. Will cover all my equipment as well as business liability. Not that bad (about $70/mo). We also need a commercial rider on our auto policy. The side benefit is having a track record with an insurance company. That can make things cheaper in the long run (welding and fabrication is not something all the companies like to cover we found - especially for a new venture).
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Im sure you looked into it. But wouldn’t an umbrella policy provide you with coverage that your regular insurance didn’t cover. I know my agents and I discussed them when I had my businesses.

Also you have a beautiful shop, and I hope you have many years of profitable and fun success.
 
Hokie_PhD said:
But wouldn’t an umbrella policy provide you with coverage that your regular insurance didn’t cover?
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My umbrella policy will cover personal but not business liability (and that's the usual scenario). My homeowner's also wouldn't cover business machinery. Would be great if it did...but no joy.
 
Sweet setup. Now you just need a real welding machine in there. ;):cool:
 
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