Reloading Room buildout

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Ya got to pour some bleach down those drains once or twice a year. The drain pan on the bottom of your evaporator on you house AC unit needs the same or it will stop up and run over.

Vinegar works just as well to break up the mold and kill any bacteria breeding in the fluids - I got one of them pieces of paper says I can talk about such things Our dehumidifier and HVAC units both have internal interrupts/breaker switches which knock the unit offline if the level gets over 2/3 up the pan. That's what I meant by "kicked off a breaker," the internal one in the unit. Works great.
I think a lot of people forget there was people handloading long before there was air conditioning. Bill Jordan, Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton didn't have any A/C and they done good.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

No one around me rents them, unless they just started in the last few months, I have a 12x20 shed I bought to work out of when we started construction in July of 2020 so I didn't have to drive 90 minutes one way every day to make sure subs were doing their job and looked into it and no one had them to rent, I looked at the DIY kits, and for a closed cell foam kit to do 4" thick area 320 sq ft was going to be over $1400, unfortunately, that's just out of my budget. I can do a vapor barrier, 2" radiant foam boards and R-13 for less than $475.

Vapor barrier is nice. Keeps the mold down. People have been handloading since gunpowder was invented. A/C has only been around since the 1930's and has only been widely used domestically since the 1970's. Where I grew up in Florida we had a pizza place that had a big sign, "Air conditioned dining area!" with a picture of ice cubes and "wind blowing." It wasn't the whole dining room, just an "area" attached to the dining room with two tables you had to reserve. That place was new when I was a kid in the 60's. Most places didn't have A/C until the late 70's and the house I grew up still doesn't have central heat or air - we had these things called "windows." My dad likes fresh air and claims it's cooler with a cross-breeze than A/C.

 

[hightide610]

Welcome to THR and to our wonderful hobby of reloading that is a passion for some of us.

Shop plans look great.


Some suggestions.

When my BIL asked me to build him an insulated 12'x24' room inside his 10,000 sq. ft. metal shop with plan to use 10,000 BTU window AC where shop got to 100F+ in the summer, I chose to use 2" foil backed polystyrene sheets against the west facing wall joined with foil tape and further insulated with R30 fiberglass insulation covered with sheet rock. Ceiling was lowered to 8' and R30 fiberglass insulation was used without any polystyrene sheets with sheet rock. Inside walls were insulated with R30 fiberglass insulation with 1/2" polystyrene sheets under the sheet rock. Exterior insulated metal door was used for R value and security.

Even though I framed an opening for a window AC unit, room remained in the 60s to 70s most of the year and upper 70s when shop temperature reached 100F. BIL said hottest room ever got was low 80s when shop temperature hit 110F+ and never needed to install the window AC.

So consider dropping the ceiling to 8' and increasing insulation to better maintain ambient temperature and lighten the workload for AC/dehumidifier.


I live at the coast where it is 100% humidity during winter rainy season and I reload indoors. Everything rusts here, even stainless steel gun parts and I found WD-40 Specialist Long-Term (Rated/tested up to a year in salt water condition) to be most effective in rust prevention. So now, all of my gun parts and tools get sprayed with WD-40 Specialist (Make sure it is "Long-Term" rated for 1 year against rusting as there are more than one version) then lubed with oil/grease and I have not experienced rusting issues. Over 45 lubricants were tested in this comparison for rusting under salt water conditions and WD-40 Specialist came out on top - https://dayattherange.com/?page_id=3667

As to powder/primer storage, I store both indoors and return powder back to container as soon as I am done reloading. Primers are stored inside plastic bags that are taped. Just with these practices, I have not experienced any issues with humidity in regards to powder/primer.


To reduce lead intake from reloading activities, I sort/dry tumble brass outdoors and deprime where spent primers are captured through a plastic tube into a drinking water bottle - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/reloading-safety-exposure.896104/#post-12080442


Have you considered keeping bench height for standing but building a rolling bench for sit down reloading?

While I started reloading with standing height bench in the garage, I built 2'x3' portable bench with casters from Harbor Freight furniture dolly to roll anywhere in and around the house. 11 layer plywood was used reinforced with 2x4s for "no flex" bench top and with presses mounted at the ends, I could resize thicker military .308 brass even with bench empty on hardwood floor. If you load a lot, having a sit down option will be welcomed by your tired back/feet.

So, I guess I didn't make that clear in the plan but you are spot on... Inside the lean-to I am building a loft for extra storage of other things (non gun-related) and stairs leading up to it so the room will be fully enclosed inside the lean to, the left exterior wall faces directly south and the back wall faces west, those two walls are getting 2" polystyrene insulation boards with a reflective radiant barrier (inside the metal framing, which isn't shown in the rendering but exists on 4' centers) so I will place them in the metal framing of the building and seal them in with foil tape (just like you explained), then build a 2x4 wall that will have a vapor barrier on the outside of the wall then set in place and insulated with R-13 because I can't find any R-15 in stock and then sheet-rock. The wall that you would be looking at from the view below (inside the lean-to) will have Reflectix (roll insulation) on top of a vapor barrier and then R-13 and sheet-rock. Because I want a loft, the ceiling frame/truss will be out of 2x8's on 16" centers following the same principle, Reflectix/Vapor Barrier but R-19 and then sheet-rock and the wall facing the shop will just be vapor barrier and insulation and sheet-rock.



I already have this commercial exhaust fan sitting in a box and although it will be a challenge getting it into a 2x8 ceiling, this was my plan for exhaust (as center to the room as I can make it).

 

[hightide610]

@hightide610, just wanted to say welcome to THR! Is the tide that bad in central FL?
You’ve gotten a lot of good advice on the benches and it seems you’ll build whatever strong enough. I just wanted to say in addition to the bench space, I plan to have my scales on a separate but close bench to minimize vibration.
I also added 4’ LED shop lights, and they are great - don’t skimp on light, especially if windows are at a minimum.
Finally, my space started small, but in addition to bench space, I ended up with 3 wire racks, the HD 650#/shelf, 5 shelf, 6’ high, 4’ wide and 18” deep adjustable to hold tools and reloading gear, components, and finished product. Even then I was tripping over stuff on the floor like boxes of brass, so, I hear you say 8x12 and that’s all you got, but you’ll fill it quick. Plans are great, but I think numbers are paper are a good place to start but you may want to lay out with mockups, cardboard or something, and see if it really works. Good luck!

I picked up a set of 6 low profile LED cans in daylight color a while ago, 6 may be overkill (they claim to be 100w equivalent) but I like light!! The 30x30 shop has twelve 4' LED fixtures that are supposed to be 300W equivalent) and I love them!! No shadows and low power draw!

I wish I had the room for it to be double in size, but this was what I could afford so I gotta get creative and purposeful!

Its funny, as soon as the shop was built last December I took moving boxes and cardboard and laid this all out, my wife laughed at me but in a space this size it actually really helped me plan on how I would work in there.

 

[LiveLife]

I guess I didn't make that clear in the plan but you are spot on... room will be fully enclosed inside the lean to ... and insulated

Nice.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Vinegar works just as well to break up the mold and kill any bacteria breeding in the fluids - I got one of them pieces of paper says I can talk about such things Our dehumidifier and HVAC units both have internal interrupts/breaker switches which knock the unit offline if the level gets over 2/3 up the pan. That's what I meant by "kicked off a breaker," the internal one in the unit. Works great.
I think a lot of people forget there was people handloading long before there was air conditioning. Bill Jordan, Elmer Keith and Skeeter Skelton didn't have any A/C and they done good.

Yeah, I think I still got some papers around here like that some where. They didn't ALL used to have those fancy cut outs. Heck, I didn't even have drain in the floor for it to run down. Just boxes of the kids old school papers to soak it up. Just as well, I'd have NEVER got rid of that pile of stuff other wise.

 

[thorswhisper]

I went much the same route as you with the planning. Just a few notes:
1. The room will get smaller very quickly.
2. A reloading bench is for reloading. It is not practical to also use the space for working/cleaning you guns. Do that on a separate bench. (Room gets smaller).
3 T -track will typically not be as strong as you would like it to be. Even if it’s steel. In-line fabs mounts are definitely the way to go for mounting tools. Caution: They are a gateway drug! So are his led light kits.

 

[Hooda Thunkit]

You are pretty much set for size and layout of the reloading room. There is only one suggestion from me.

Reverse the door. Make it open out into the shop. That will increase the floor space of the room, and help with security - a door is harder to pull open than it is to push (beat down) open.

 

[dh1633pm]

Just wondering where your going to put the snow blower? I like your space. I had to use what was available in the basement. I have a lot of room, but didn't get to design the space.

 

[drband]

12” shelves are too deep for back of bench. My opinion only. You’ll never find stuff if you double layer in a deep shelf. Reaching across a 24” bench to get stuff out of a 12” deep shelf will be awkward. Most reloading items can easily fit on an 8” shelf, many on a 6” shelf. Just a consideration.

 

[Seedy Character]

Reverse the door. Make it open out into the shop. That will increase the floor space of the room, and help with security - a door is harder to pull open than it is to push (beat down) open.

Reversing the door puts the hinges on the outside. Easy to pop pins and remove door.
It also exposes the door bolt, a screwdriver, shim, credit card can slip in frame and open door.

I agree, reversing gives you more room, but hinge pins need to be fixed and dead bolt locked.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

We put a motion sensor in the storage room where I keep all my reloading stuff. If anybody walks in uninvited the alarm company calls the Sheriff. An hour later they'll call me up to say they didn't see onbody but it looks like some stuff might have been taken. They'll fill out an investigation report for my insurance company.

 

[Seedy Character]

Or just put a warning sign on the door

https://www.mysafetysign.com/rattle...5-Q1&msclkid=ff56b5fa334010264ca0d425144f5436

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Or just put a warning sign on the door

https://www.mysafetysign.com/rattle...5-Q1&msclkid=ff56b5fa334010264ca0d425144f5436

Yeah, don't work. We put "Beware of Alligator" signs all over the property where we had problems with kids sneaking in to smoke pot and get nasty with each other. One of the little smarties drew a smiley face on the alligator. We still have some of the signs but only where there really are gators hanging around the pond.
Game cameras in the trees took care of it. Best thing ever invented for rural homes. Sending pictures to the girl's dads of their little girls with boys whose daddy's they know... Well, let's just say we don't have quite as many problems with the local he-uns and she-uns as we did back when.
Hard to believe that was 20-something years ago. Some of them kids are all grown up now and have kids of their own.

 

[Soonerpesek]

Reversing the door puts the hinges on the outside. Easy to pop pins and remove door.
It also exposes the door bolt, a screwdriver, shim, credit card can slip in frame and open door.

I agree, reversing gives you more room, but hinge pins need to be fixed and dead bolt locked.

Outswing hinges and a backset guard........Presto....

 

[Seedy Character]

"Some of them kids are all grown up now and have kids of their own. "

and their lil darlings are doing the same thing.

"Outswing hinges and a backset guard........Presto"

As long as precautions are taken. Mounting an outward swinging door has issues that need attention.

Had a group HS kids sneaking in my back pasture. Wouldn't have minded, but the idiots threw their empty beer & whiskey bottles around and broke them. Not good for horses and cows to walk on. Then, the lil turds left the gate open.

Put a lock on gate and they cut fence. Called Sheriff, one of the turd was his. He says, it's just kids being kids.

The next Friday, I am hiding in ground blind, with a red and a green laser. A railroad tie "leaning against the fence had fallen" across the fence openining, hidden by grass.

I wave lasers across their vehicles and yell they are under arrest.

They scramble to leave. See my son at the highway. 2 of the geniuses floor it and make a run.

I made it very clear to the bunch, they were not welcome, I had tag numbers, most I knew and trespass charges would be filed.

No more problems, of any kind.

 

[hightide610]

Well, the project took a bit longer than anticipated and putting a few "self-inflicting" change orders in along the way likely didn't help but, the room is done for the most part, still some shelving to build under the bench, install a couple of safes for storage of parts and primers, but overall I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out.

 

[hightide610]

More


Hope I made the right call with outlets










Its not summer yet, but that A?C barely runs right now, we've had a couple of days into the 90's and it 72 degrees in the room and low 50's% humidity. Time will tell thru the summer months but I think its going to work out ok.

Also, that unit has an "auto" feature for both A/C and de-humidification.

 

[Walkalong]

Well now, that’s just awesome!

 

[hightide610]

Well now, that’s just awesome!

Thank you sir!

 

[bullseye308]

well that came out just fine and should easily do what you need it to do.

 

[Blue68f100]

That finished out nicely.

What is the vent in the ceiling for?

 

[GW Staar]

Even room for a 3d Printer........ Perfect!

You may need more legs near the presses you add. But that's an easy add, where ever you find you need one.....heck you could even make a portable leg that you could place, move, depending on where you need support that session.

 

[lightman]

Nice looking room! Ain't it great when a plan comes together?

 

[hightide610]

That finished out nicely.

What is the vent in the ceiling for?

So I have access to a pretty much unlimited supply of range brass, with all of the reading I have done, I thought it was in my best interest to put a decent ventilation fan in when I am processing brass.