designing reloading room would like advice

[oneounceload]

You'll find some good ideas in this thread:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=218720&highlight=reloading

especially the ides Rembrandt used..........

 

[brassbullets12]

thanks for the many replies
i have been gone for a few days. i will send pictures back, when i get it built. digging foundation in AUG, and building the building in Sept-Oct. i hope to have the reloading room done before thanksgiving.

THANKS ALOT BRASSBULLETS12

 

[HOWARD J]

I have 3 benches jammed into a small furnace room

Pistol reloading area:

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Shotgun & rifle:

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Cleaning & making parts:

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It gets the job done..........................

 

[brassbullets12]

sorry i have been go so long. i am breaking ground tuesday. i had to move workshop, and had foundation changes. but reloading room will be the same, actually its going to be 10 X 40 now... more cleaning, , storage, bench, and reloading area.. going to do it right, don't on planning to this again. i will keep in touch. i hope to have foundation completly done by
sept 1. i am right on schedule as i had planned.

thanks to all...for all your ideas

brassbullets1

 

[W.E.G.]

One comment on the the tumbler.

At first it might be difficult to pull this off... but brass has a way of accumulating at a remarkable pace.
Buckets full of it.

I try to only do tumbling one weekend a year, preferably on a dry (low humidity) day, and moderate temperatures.

The tumbler runs on the back porch, and all the brass I will use for the year gets tumbled then. The dust that WILL escape from the tumbler can blow in the wind, and the tumbler can be put away until next "tumbling season."

 

[Win1892]

When I'm loading on a single stage I like working in a corner with powder management to my right, press and press operations to the left. My Dillon 650 is mounted away from the corner because it is self contained. Lots of overhead, and against the wall lighting, and a movable work light mounted to each work area.

Figure the size and storage you think you need then double it.

 

[Steve C]

A 10x20 room privides plenty of space for the reloading equipment you describe. See that attached pdf of a quick plan I put together.

I'd suggest buying commercial or industrial benches, either new or you may be able to pick them up used at an auction. Free standing commercial steel shelving capable of holding more than 300 lbs per shelf should manage powder and bullets unless you want to load them with lead shot or ingots, then get some 1,000 lb per shelf units.

Hang (2) 4' Fluorescent 2 bulb T8 light fixtures in the ceiling. Add drawers to benches and wall mount cabinets as desired.

If you use free standing benches and cabinets they will be easy to move around and likely less expensive than custom built in. Its more of an industrial look but its functional.

 

[THe Dove]

Is the room or building you are gonna build 10 feet wide or are you saying the bench will be 10 feet wide???? My dad always said if you think you need a one acre pasture then buy a 10 acre pasture... I don't like to be crampt, so I would build the room as big as Momma would let me!!! However, if we are talking the bench width then 10 feet wide would be to much in my opinion..... 10 feet long would be okay but wide I couldn't see using all that space.

The Dove

 

[tasco 74]

lots of good help here........ my2cents is i fastened a 3 light bar with moveable lights on the wall back of my loading bench which was a piece of old counter top attached to the wall with heavy brackets.... i put a leg in front under the heaviest most used press to keep things sturdier....... also i use a flexi lamp with a magnifing glass clamped to the bench....... it's real handy sometimes........ i think mine came from staples or some other office supply place........... are you going to a seat of some kind?? years ago i bought one of those knee chairs on wheels for a seat while reloading.... i wonder if they still have those?

 

[brassbullets12]

building is up, room will be built soon..

been a while , been busy. finally got building up. will be starting room soon, still have 10 X 30 with one more 10 x 10 room avaivable . going to have plenty of storage, benches, outlets ., computer, .. i will keep in touch, and send plenty of pictures when finish,
here is a few outside its 30 x 40 x 10 high at walls

thanks for all your info, if anybody has more please send it . i will be starting room in about 2 weeks

brassbullets12

 

[Maj Dad]

Graham's Law of Diffusion

Brassy, don't know if you ever took chemistry, but Graham's Law says that a gas will expand to fill the container in which it is contained. That's why when your dog farts at the other end of the sofa, it will eventually work its way into your nostrils. It also directly relates to George's Law of Diffusion: reloading/gunsmithing stuff will expand onto every surface available, eventually reaching a steady state of complete saturation (rcmodel alluded to this, if tangentially, mentioning "junk of the reloading bench"). There are those who will show you tidy reloading/work areas with everything in its place and the surface of the work bench gleaming like a gauge block. DO NOT BELIEVE THEM!! From time to time, we all have to expend vast amounts of energy to put the stuff back into its places and containers, but entropy demands that it return. I have come to accept this and rather than gnash my teeth when I can't find my Dillon 550 under the detritus, I just use the RCBS or Herter's U3, secure in the knowledge that the stuff will eventually shift and I will rediscover missing equipment...

Congrats - enjoy your new space, whether tidy or like my half of the double garage...

 

[~z]

Looking good so far. Beware, Maj Dad's warning is true! I believe I could have a 5,000sqft reloading room and still not have enough room. Sure, it would be ample and possibly tidy for the first year or so but once strange and exciting new gear starts to colonize it... entropy strikes again
~z

 

[brassbullets12]

you are right

you are right about only tidy for a while.

i have been reloading for long time on a 4X4 bench , you can walk around it. SOMETIMES, OTHER TIMES NOT..i have 4 presess mounted not including 2 shot guns presses i remove them and 3 different powder measures...i will send a picture of it , you wouldn't belive it. i do use it for other things too...the way i figure this is the reloading room will be for reloading only, and nothing else, i will have storage up to 10 ft. high and also all the way to floor..
but know i have worked on cars, lawnmower, and everything else in the world... on this little bench. my new benches might get cluttered but it will only be reloading clutter, not car, elecectric, hvac, and lawnmowers. i will have a extra 10 x 10 room for more expansion latter...
this is why i have ask for lots of ideas, over the last 4 months they all will be used....
i will send picture soon of the picture of my bench right now, i bet it can't be topped. it could quallify for a HORDERS SHOW. BUY THE WAY I HAVENT RELOADED LATTLEY BEEN TOO BUSY ON THE BUILDING..there is no way any body could reload on the bench..with out a hour clean up...

THANKS TO ALL

 

[rtpzwms]

Spend some time thinking of the electrical and entrainment wiring. I'm not a huge fan of shop lights they are just butt ugly. If your going for a ruff unfinished look then they're OK. But think of under cabinet lighting and even above cabinet lighting.

Think of the low voltage wiring now and how things might be changed in the future. I'd put in some hardwired network cabling in at least a few locations. Some phone cabling to match would not be a bad idea either. Don't forget cable for TV and now that would include HDMI while the walls are open. How about wiring in some ceiling mounted speakers for some tunes?

How about a ceiling fan to make sure the sweat smell of hoppies is everywhere. With the size of your room you might want two of them. Wall switch location is key also you don't want to walk 30 feet to turn something on. Think about 3way switches. Extra electrical outlets are also important (I hate extension cords).

I have to share the garage with 2 cars, its a 3 car garage. I used the gladiator garage organizers in my garage. I even have the matching fridge. Some of my lower cabinets have wheels so I can move them where I want to accommodate my needs at the moment. Your work counter does not have to be a one piece immovable object. Some of it can be flexible to fit changing needs.

Sounds like a fun project don't forget to post pics when done!

 

[brassbullets12]

i actually am a electrician, machinist, and hvac..this is actuallly a shop, not a garage for parking cars..i am having ac,and heat and pulled phone cable , and tv sat. cable too. i don't think i have left anything out . i will also control, the humidity. i am having lots of lights. i mean lots, but with the option of how many is on at any one time...i am installing outlets on ceiling, under benches and bench level....

thanks to all for all ideas please keep them coming... hope to put up a wall for reloading room in the next 2 weeks, still have work on building to do

 

[788Ham]

Kevin Rohrer,

Your questions about the lighting, white and yellow? Try going with one white and one pink in the same fixture, even if the 4 ft length. I know this sounds crazy, but the shadows aren't as deep, things are more like daylight. You'll probably have folks tell you to go with one blue one, that spectrum of light is harder on the eyes. Try it.
As far as my reloading room, I've got just 1475 sq. ft. to work with, I'm working on getting an electrician in to put in more lighting and a couple more outlets for tools. I want to enclose part of it, but then I've got the same problems as the guy that started this thread!:banghead:

No wonder my wife is always giving me dirty looks when the dog is lying on the couch!

 

[~z]

I was thinking about your project and potentially rehabbing my gunroom. Wife gave a thumbs down on the idea of knocking out a wall to colonize the guest bedroom. It went something like this...

her: "What are you doing in the guest room?"
me: "I'm thinking about knocking out this wall"
her: "Interesting, care to elaborate?"
me: "Well, I'm running out of useable space in the gunroom..."
her: "NO"
me: "Hear me out on this, it all makes perfect sense..."
her: "NO!"
me: "Seriously, hear me out on this, I think this is a good idea..."
her: "Seriously NO!"
me: "But honey we have folks stay the night maybe 3-4 times a year and most of the time it is one of my buddies who had too much to drink, he can sleep in the gunroom and would be happy to do it"
her: "I don’t care if your drunk friends sleep in the gun room, you can sleep in there too if you want"
me: "Will I have to sleep in there?"
her: "If that wall moves you will"
me: "So you are ok with the idea then?"
her: "NO!!!"
me: "It seems you are giving me conflicting answers here"

At this point I noticed a slight smell of ozone (like that sweet smell in the air before a thunderstorm) and decided to clean up the gunroom and put my remodeling plans on hold.

Entropy had struck again, here is what I'm working with in my little 220sqft gunroom, you dont wanna see the closet!

How is your project moving along? I think I may have to live vicariously through your project.
~z

 

[Whitman31]

When I get the means to build a dedicated room I will include the following:

As big as possible
Vault door, along with block walls (will act as a walk-in safe)
Plumbed with both compressed air and vacuum
Power ventilated (will have a cleaning station)
Excessive lighting and white paint, possibly even the floor.
Excessive outlets
Computer station
A system to collect spent primers, not sure of the method yet, but I never want to see one after it's been pressed out.
Obviously climate and humidity controlled.

Gotta have a goal right...

 

[cfullgraf]

Excessive lighting and white paint, possibly even the floor.
Excessive outlets

Go with grey on the floor. White will be too hard to keep reasonable clean.

You can never have too many outlets. My current house we put in 400 amp electrical service.

Also, every once in a while one has to sit back and increase the entropy of their reloading room--in other words, straighten it up.

 

[soloban]

You can also download Google Sketchup for free and lay out the room and view it in 3D to get an idea of how the layout works.

 

[amlevin]

I'm one of the fortunate ones. I have not only a large house but an agreeable wife. I've taken over one of the 4 bedrooms (there's only two of us in the house) and all my reloading is done there. I built the Reloading Bench from plans published on the net for years. At over 400 lbs it is more than stout enough. Comes apart in three sections should I ever have to move it.

Make whatever bench for your presses at a height where you can operate the press(es) while standing. For seated operation just get a Drafting Stool with back and footrest.

Make your bench for your cleaning operation (tumbler and separator) lower so you can fill, empty, and separate, while standing with the tumbler top about belt level.

A set of Heavy Duty metal shelves (I got some really sturdy, black wrinkle finished ones from Costco for $49) will handle any huge stash of brass, manuals, or other supplies you don't have room for on your bench.

A good addition to the "Reloading Room" is a Room Air Filter unit with HEPA filter. Will keep any possible lead dust in the air to a minimum. To really finish it off, also get an "Ionizer" that controls static should you live in an area that has really dry air and "lightning like" static when you touch metal objects. Will also keep powder from clinging to reservoir walls and plastic funnels.