Armory Sponsor
Posted: 12/30/2013 2:24:45 PM EDT
Hey all, so the wife gave me the room in our basement to do with as I please . Ive decided to make it my reloading/gun/man cave room.
I need yalls ideas!!! It needs ALOT of TLC as you can see, so I've got lots of room to play Pics: 
|
|
How much reloading are you gonna do ?..... if you are going to do a lot, get some heavy duty shelving... heck even if you don't you will still end up using it somewhere.
How temp. stable is the room ?.... If the temp varies a lot and that fridge doesn't work... it would make an excellent temperature. stable storage place for your powder. Keep everything off of the concrete floor.... I see some water leakage.. and the concrete will transfer its temperature to what ever is on it. Not good for ammo stored in 50 cal cans. Even chunks of 2x4 are good enough when it comes to mitigating any possible water / temperature damage, although small strong pallets are your best bet... since air can still easily circulate. Some more electrical outlets... and if those lights are fluorescent bulbs , they can mess with electronic scales. Perhaps some bars for the windows ?... at the very least make it so no one can easily look in... OPSEC and keeping the bad guys away. And pegboard behind the loading bench or someplace, it is very nice to have some tools at your finger tips. ( Get the white painted stuff ) Did I mention more shelving ?? ... Lol .... I have found that you can accumulate all sorts of Man Cave stuff... and you will fill up the space over time. Good luck and keep us posted ! |
|
Quoted:
How much reloading are you gonna do ?..... if you are going to do a lot, get some heavy duty shelving... heck even if you don't you will still end up using it somewhere. How temp. stable is the room ?.... If the temp varies a lot and that fridge doesn't work... it would make an excellent temperature. stable storage place for your powder. Keep everything off of the concrete floor.... I see some water leakage.. and the concrete will transfer its temperature to what ever is on it. Not good for ammo stored in 50 cal cans. Even chunks of 2x4 are good enough when it comes to mitigating any possible water / temperature damage, although small strong pallets are your best bet... since air can still easily circulate. Some more electrical outlets... and if those lights are fluorescent bulbs , they can mess with electronic scales. Perhaps some bars for the windows ?... at the very least make it so no one can easily look in... OPSEC and keeping the bad guys away. And pegboard behind the loading bench or someplace, it is very nice to have some tools at your finger tips. ( Get the white painted stuff ) Did I mention more shelving ?? ... Lol .... I have found that you can accumulate all sorts of Man Cave stuff... and you will fill up the space over time. Good luck and Fridge does noy work, hadnt thought of prong the powder in there. Water leakage is from the house not having gutters before we moved in. That problem has been corrected. Plan is to reload for everythingi shot.. I'm addicted lol |
|
Strong Shelving - either made yourself or if bought able to withstand a lot of weight. Remember, you'll be stacking a lot of different things that will weigh ALOT!
Do you have kids? If so, make sure you have a way to keep them from getting into your powder supply. The fridge idea is pretty cool. Add a lock and there you go. As mentioned above, make sure you prevent moisture from accumulating in your components or finished ammo. You can usually pick up decent skids at a local place that repairs them. I know we give like 5 bucks each for the good quality refurbished skids and we ship a lot of heavy stuff out at work. Have you considered a safe? Remember when planning your layout to keep in mind where your safe will go. +1 to blocking the windows. While natural light can be a wonderful thing, someone looking in and getting ideas can be bad for their health. Understand that no matter how much room you think you have, you'll always want more. Stuff stacks up quicker than you think. (See item #1) Most of all, enjoy the hobby, have fun and learn something. |
|
Quoted: It took me several years to come up with a design that I like. I finally pulled the trigger and came up with a 25x13 room. Two of the walls are nothing but bench. The shorter wall is for gun cleaning/maint, a shotshell reloader and a roll sizer. The long wall has the presses. 3x1050, 2x550, Co-Ax and a 50 BMG press. Hindsight being 20-20, I should have made it bigger. If you think it is as big as you might ever need, make it a bit bigger. http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac105/puebloshooter/Reloading%20Stuff/DSC02772.jpg http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac105/puebloshooter/Reloading%20Stuff/DSC02568.jpg |
|
Here's what I would do: Toss the fridge. If you put a lock on it to store powder that seems like an enclosed box they tell us not to store it in. Could be wrong and will defer to the hive. If I had kids, I would build shelves with wire mesh over the doors and put them head high. Get rid of everything not essential and paint the place white. Do a speckled epoxy floor paint for easy spillage cleanup. Now you have a clean slate. Might keep the natural wood wall. Consider a knockdown texture on the ceiling painted high gloss white- this will make the room seem taller. Pick up some cheap used shelves at a garage sale and use them as templates for bench tops and whatnot. I second the move to excessive shelving and bench tops. If possible, segregate one bench top where you will do then reloading. That one should always be pristine. There is wisdom in having to carry the powder jug to the reloading station and back. Cuts down on horrible mixups. Plan out where you are going to do the bulk of your reloading and plan the lighting around that so you don't have to deal with shadows when looking into cases. Consider air flow. Fans and scales do not mix. Don't want to get sweaty. Consider humidity in terms of moisture, but also too dry as it creates static electricity. If it was me, I would concentrate on spending the bare minimum to save for components and tools but make it some place the wife would be proud of. Happy wife=happy life. Plus, you may need the extra help sometimes. |
No basements here - they would just fill with water. 
One thing I can add: Regarding the ceiling, look for Benjamin Moore Muresco white ceiling paint. Contains titanium dioxide and makes the brightest white ceiling. My wife's friends think I am a genius for that tip. |
|
Thanks guys!!! I really like the epoxy idea on the floor. Just have to figure out how much prep I need to do to get the floor ready for it. The drylock for the walls is white, how white I'm not sure, but you can paint over it.
I already have a few lighting ideas, and might pick up some clearance LED Accent lights from work(lowes) tomorrow for the project, as well as a few other things. I will say this, buying components is on hold untili get this done unfortunately. I MIGHT be able to swing $50 without the wife getting to mad, but we will see lol |
|
Here are some suggestions...
Make the room into a space that you enjoy going to and spending time in because reloading can be time consuming. Cover the cement walls by framing, insulating, drywall and paint all of the walls. Enclose the toilet with a wall and a door, just make the toilet more private. The point is not to have the toilet as a focal point in the room. Carpet or tile the floor, again, make the area so you enjoy spending time there reloading. Have a area for a TV so you can listen to the news or your favorite shows while you reload. Have an area for a computer to research load data, order supplies, or just browse the internet in your man cave. Add more overhead lights so you have plenty of light, you don't want a dark or gloomy dungeon feel to the room. Shelves are nice and you should have enough space for shelving, maybe a corner style shelf or shelving that you can add doors so everything is out of sight. I like to have a lot of flat counter/desk top space and under counter shelves to store supplies in ammo cans with easy access. Spend money on a nice comfortable chair and set your counter height depending on your chair. I prefer an office style chair with my counter height the same as a office desk rather than the height of a shop counter. |
| buy once, cry once and be happy with your end result. if its in your house, fix it up in a way that if you decide to sell the house, that room will help you sell the house, not hurt. make sure you have a lot of electrical outlets and follow what the others have said. |
|
Lots of good ideas so far, here is the Reloading Bench thread. Mine is on pg 6. |
|
Quoted:
Lots of good ideas so far, here is the Reloading Bench thread. Mine is on pg 6. http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/262015_Official_Reloading_Bench_Picture_Thread___Now_with_100__more_Pictures_.html Dryflash, yours is outstanding sir
|
|
Quoted:
Don't do carpet under the press area. Vacuuming up primers isn't the best idea. Add a stereo too. Trying to figure out what to do with the floor actually. I Really wanted to do the garage floor epoxy, but i have an area that the concrete is starting to flake and come up.. Not sure the best way to fill that area in and have it last... Looks liek the plan for the walls is drylok, styrofoam, then drywall. should be a pretty good temp-controlled room.. Lighting, Still trying decide how to do it.. With all the options, LED, Standard, the twirly ones, lol. SO MANY OPTIONS. |
|
Quoted:
It took me several years to come up with a design that I like. I finally pulled the trigger and came up with a 25x13 room. Two of the walls are nothing but bench. The shorter wall is for gun cleaning/maint, a shotshell reloader and a roll sizer. The long wall has the presses. 3x1050, 2x550, Co-Ax and a 50 BMG press. Hindsight being 20-20, I should have made it bigger. If you think it is as big as you might ever need, make it a bit bigger. <a href="http://s890.photobucket.com/user/puebloshooter/media/Reloading%20Stuff/DSC02772.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac105/puebloshooter/Reloading%20Stuff/DSC02772.jpg</a> <a href="http://s890.photobucket.com/user/puebloshooter/media/Reloading%20Stuff/DSC02568.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac105/puebloshooter/Reloading%20Stuff/DSC02568.jpg</a> 3x 1050s, a spolar and a roll sizer.. Welp now |
|
Quoted: Trying to figure out what to do with the floor actually. I Really wanted to do the garage floor epoxy, but i have an area that the concrete is starting to flake and come up.. Not sure the best way to fill that area in and have it last... Looks liek the plan for the walls is drylok, styrofoam, then drywall. should be a pretty good temp-controlled room.. Lighting, Still trying decide how to do it.. With all the options, LED, Standard, the twirly ones, lol. SO MANY OPTIONS. Quoted: Quoted: Don't do carpet under the press area. Vacuuming up primers isn't the best idea. Add a stereo too. Trying to figure out what to do with the floor actually. I Really wanted to do the garage floor epoxy, but i have an area that the concrete is starting to flake and come up.. Not sure the best way to fill that area in and have it last... Looks liek the plan for the walls is drylok, styrofoam, then drywall. should be a pretty good temp-controlled room.. Lighting, Still trying decide how to do it.. With all the options, LED, Standard, the twirly ones, lol. SO MANY OPTIONS. Not really firearm related, but if you clean up all the lose stuff from where it is flaking up, hit it with a wire brush, then you should be able to float a patch over it. A trip to Home Depot will get you what you need. Total DIY project provided the issue isn't caused by roots or something else pushing up from the bottom. I am sure someone else will chime in with the exact items you need. Speaking of need, don't forget to leave room for a dog bed. Every reloading room should have a dog. I think it is a law or something. |
|
Ahh, to have a basement again. :(
I'm jealous, just not all that common in this part of the country, while I grew up with an awesome basement/workroom/game room. The floor - just get some 'dash patch' or concrete patch after cleaning it up. Epoxy would be awesome, but check on the ventilation requirements while drying. As you said, Dry-Lok for the inside walls. Depending on how wet/damp your walls are naturally, I might go for more free standing cabinets vs endless shelves that need to be drilled into the block walls That room is waiting for some industrial strength used steel shelves off of craigslist, and a nearly full length workbench w/shelving above it. Add in gun safe, spot for computer with comfortable seating, adjustable still for workbench, and a flat screen + comfy chair for occasional unwinding/general man cave usage. I can't quite get the layout from the pics shown, as it looks like there's no way in or out. ;) As you've already got the plumbing set up to pump upwards to grade (or so it seems), might be a good idea to add a general open sink in there while you're at it. Lots of possibilities.. :) |
|
Quoted:
Ahh, to have a basement again. :( I'm jealous, just not all that common in this part of the country, while I grew up with an awesome basement/workroom/game room. The floor - just get some 'dash patch' or concrete patch after cleaning it up. Epoxy would be awesome, but check on the ventilation requirements while drying. As you said, Dry-Lok for the inside walls. Depending on how wet/damp your walls are naturally, I might go for more free standing cabinets vs endless shelves that need to be drilled into the block walls That room is waiting for some industrial strength used steel shelves off of craigslist, and a nearly full length workbench w/shelving above it. Add in gun safe, spot for computer with comfortable seating, adjustable still for workbench, and a flat screen + comfy chair for occasional unwinding/general man cave usage. I can't quite get the layout from the pics shown, as it looks like there's no way in or out. ;) As you've already got the plumbing set up to pump upwards to grade (or so it seems), might be a good idea to add a general open sink in there while you're at it. Lots of possibilities.. :) Thanks for the ideas!!! There is one door in and out, and depending on how we do it, there may be studs added When we put the styrofoam/drywall up. That would work to anchor shelving to. Plans are to put the safe under the stairs, out of the way, or maybe put the dog bed there. Lol. Thanks for the advice on the patch, and I will look into the ventilation requirements for the epoxy. I can open that little window if need be. |
|
Lights and outlets. The more the merrier.
I have 14 can lights in my reloading room and wish I had more. I put outlets just over the bench every 32 inches. I also added an outlet under the bench built into the cabinet below. My 1050s casefeeder cords go into the bench and are plugged in below. This was to try and keep the bench top cord free. The outlet that my hydraulic pump (shotshell reloader) is plugged into is also underneath the bench top. But the switch above controls it. The 1050 primers go into a tube and get dumped into a can inside the cabinet. |
|
Quoted:
Haha yea, just a tad. Plan is to damn near gut it Quoted:
Quoted:
Nice room , need to renovate. Haha yea, just a tad. Plan is to damn near gut it Well, if that's the case, the toilet needs to be upgraded to an ADA height elongated bowl. Other than that, I'll mention shelving again...all you can get. |
|
Quoted: It took me several years to come up with a design that I like. I finally pulled the trigger and came up with a 25x13 room. Two of the walls are nothing but bench. The shorter wall is for gun cleaning/maint, a shotshell reloader and a roll sizer. The long wall has the presses. 3x1050, 2x550, Co-Ax and a 50 BMG press. Hindsight being 20-20, I should have made it bigger. If you think it is as big as you might ever need, make it a bit bigger. http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac105/puebloshooter/Reloading%20Stuff/DSC02772.jpg http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac105/puebloshooter/Reloading%20Stuff/DSC02568.jpg Is it always that clean? My room was that clean..............once. 
|
|
Keep it like it is, it will keep your wife out.
go on craigslist, I buy all kinds of used shelves/cabinets. I used my old kitchen cabinets as put them in my reloading room. I like a desk for computer and a place to keep paperwork and manuals. I like a comfy desk chair for naps, and you need a TV and radio. I wish I had a toilet in my room, good luck on the build. |
Armory Sponsor