Mobile Shop ?????

[brayjr4484]

Im considering building a mobile studio / living space for me and My GF :) So we can travel the USA and Blow glass. We wanna come hang out with anyone who invites us as well. We would of course do anything and everyting we can to help out while we are there.

Im looking into trailers/ toy haulers/ buses etc.....

I know this is possible just wondering if anyone has done or seriously thought about it it and Has any info, tips, advice, 2 cents to throw in.

Not sure which route to go yet?

The electric parts would be most trouble for me prol as it would need to be able to support a whole shop setup.

Im handy and like to do stuff myself or with help of friends but not a full on do it yourself'er for some things.

Thanks JR

[blumant]

Are you talking about lampwork beads, small ornaments or are you talking furnace work? If you are talking about lampwork beads etc. there is a thread where someone put their studio in a horse trailer.

Here is the link:

http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124125



-Eric

[brayjr4484]

Sorry I guess I should have specified that in first post ~ I make alot of functional boro work/pendants...etc. Im strictly boro and my GF does some soft glass beads and pendants as well as the same with boro.

That horse trailer shop is so cool! Just not big enough for two. Has anyone else used a toy hauler or large trailer?

Most things Ive looked at are around 8 ft width which works and is same as shed I work in now - Im looking for atleast 10ft length for shop space which again is about same as shed im in now.

Basicly first decision to make is what route to go as far as Vehicle/trailor/rv choice

I originaly thought was a Conversion van thats been decked out to live in and A 12 or 14 ft enclosed trailer that wired up and rigged to be just a shop.
we have Been wanting a van for a while so one person can sleep in a bed while we moving and we can shift drive on long crosss country hauls.

But, I own neither, lol and seems like could be an expensive option @ this point. Allthough This will be my home and transportation so Thought Being able to un hook shop and just Use van would be nice as well as the sleeping in vehicle in a bed while other is driving. Allthough I own a Bike and have no problem riding it for in town traveling. Just not sure how big of trailer a conversion van can pull? This is also prob the shortest option as far as total legth from front bumper of vehicle to back bumper of trailer. So would be easyiest for driving, specially in citys or traffic right? Also would be easiest to fit in someones yard, drive way due to small size. the other options are much longer and thus I would assume harder to find spots for. But if we end up somwhere for longer than a week Were Living in a Van, lol. I think I could do it for long time and Am used to life on the road in a truck @ this point, but the other options after this could be more comfortable. But the Size thing???????

I do own a 05' Ford f150 with 170,000 miles on it (Ive had it 3 years in Nov. and it had 18000 miles on it when I got it, LOL, Like i said Im used to being on the road)

Think Trucks got atleast another year in it maybe :/ kinda freaks me out though

So other options would be a 20 - 22ft or larger enclosed trailer thats wired up and rigged as living quarters (basicly just a bed and storage) and glass shop. Ive seen a few of these on craigslist but may build from scratch if this is chosen. Im concerned about heat, airflow and comfort in a trailer, specially as using it as a home as well. It would be rigged up to an a/c but doubt unless you were plugged in somewhere you cun run a/c and the whole shop on a gas or propane generator.?? what do you think. Maybe Muultiple generators? We do go places from time to time for a week with no elec. hookups. The Nice part about big enough trailer Is i could maybe fit my Harley into as well and move it out when were stopped :) Because of open floor plan you can set up however. Down side is Still traveling In Truck and there is no getting good sleep in it so no Extended Shift driving possible really. I know from experience :)

First two options have no sink shower toilet- Not sure If we really need em though since we mainly would be @ camp grounds or staying in friends yards etc...... But Im sure they could be nice, I duno - They could be worked into the trailer option maybe with a lil longer trailor and some research on how to rig em up but unless spending even more money on a Roadtrek or similar RV van the van options prol wont have any of those.


third option is pull a toy hauler camper with truck. Still no shift driving really but now we will have shower toilet sink stove fridge -alot of ammeneties of home when were able to hook up to em (key point- how often will we have option of hooking up). Would have to find one that has bed not in the garage area so has a seperate atleast 8X10 garage but prefer larger. This means usually alot longer camper. This is also the heaviest option I assume and the trailer option prol would be lighter thus getting me better gas mileage right?? You still can unhook from truck - but chances of having enough space for Harley too is slim *the Harley thing is not at all mandatory*** Just would be great to bring it with me- RIGHT ! HArdest to drive with this option and park @ someones intown house, but Like having a house wit you eveywhere.

We will be vending @ diff types of things from time to time while on the road so the ease doin that need to be considered. We have not done this yet so any thoughts on how that could play into this decision would be awesome.

fourth option would be some sort of Motorhome or Bus thats gutted or half gutted and turned into shop slash mobile home- def has to be most expensive option right? And you would have no other vehicle to drive and your shop would always be with you always (good or bad i dunno ). You Maybe could have a small scooter with ya , lol. But again you would have more home like amenaties when able to hook up to em. Atleast with this option you would not be pulling a trailer.

I do have long hair and a beard and Im young so I think a bus would just get me hassled all the time.

I guess any of these could be stopped @ a walmart, rest area, truck stop and slept in. But van and motorhome would be the most on the Down Low for sleeping there.

Also Things to think about are power/electricty/generator situation. I imagine the toy hauler rv's or motorhomes generator and or power system could not handle having a shop also goin. So you would have to have seperate elec sytems I assume and would have to do similar thing if converting an enclosed trailer right or bus?? I know very little about electricity and correct ways to do things. Specially In a mobile situation like this.



Could a gas or propane generator power a vent fan or fans, shop lights, kiln, personal fan and small radio? what would be best way power this thing ? Could it generators contained somewhere permanent?

I would obviously wanna use quite generators, no one like those loud ones.

Thanks in Advance to anyone who can throw in there 2 cents !!!! I really wanna think this out and do it the best way I can.


Thanks - JR

[loco]

Contact Kati O'Meara (kto here on LE) & Brian Mortensen (facebook). They have a toy hauler with a studio in the back. I believe it's currently in Montana, they live in Alaska and travel in it during the winter.

[lindag]

My DH and I are currently considering this as an option. We're thinking a toy hauler is the best way to go - lots of studio space as well as living space. We'd have to get a new truck - our Dodge ram isn't strong enough to tow a 25' trailer. So then we consider an RV and towing our Subaru. We just don't know. The toy hauler is cheaper until you consider a truck. We just don't know which way to go. I do lampwork and DH does wire/metal. I'll be interested in hearing what you eventually end up doing.

[Kym]

I am considering the same thing. Yep, lots of thought and sometimes going round and round in circles too. At times I think I should just buy a HH and go with that but I have never used one and really don't want to give up the cricket.
We have sort of decided on a ToyHauler and using the toy section for the studio. I have been looking and really, 29-32' seems the minimum length for a fifth wheeler that has the 'garage' section at the end. When moving, it will also hold a scooter. We don't envisage moving everyday or so, its more like : drive somewhere, park it and stay there weeks or months before moving on.

I use a bead annealer that is lightweight but the O2 is the real issue, isn't it?
I can't/don't want to use Oxy tanks in the 5th wheeler so am limited to either two smaller concentrators or one larger unit as I want to run two crickets side by side. My preferred option is two small units so if one goes down, I still have one to use. Boro just won't be an option as I can't carry everything and need to stick to one COE, which will be 104.

The Toy Haulers I have seen are 8' wide so thats reasonable bench width for two torches. If the ramp opens to the side, that bench can run across the very back with an extractor fan that vents out the back as well. Underneath the bench there is room for two concentrators on the floor and the propane tank mounted in a bracket outside the window.

There is room for two fixed cupboards for storage behind on each side of the door leading to the inside of the van.

I won't be able to use aircon I wouldn't think, while running the torches and annealer. Music will be an ipod or similar with battery speakers.

With a reasonable Annex, I am not too worried about inside space as long as there is a bed, simple kitchen and shower/toilet. Weather, where we will be travelling/living most is hot so we will be BBQing a lot outside/living outside etc.

I don't know about US roads but I figure ours are OK for hauling 30' with an Iveco or similar.

I am planning on setting up a 'trial' version of the studio area and workng in it to check on the feasability of space and setout. I am already considering lightweight options for everything! i.e. Choose the presses I really have to have and ditch the rest. Glass is so heavy.

Anyway, that's as far as I have got so far as this is still 2-3 years away.

Good Luck with your plans
Kym

[brayjr4484]

Thanks for your time and Info!

[SteveWright]

My wife and I spend 5 years on the road full time. We had a MCI 5 bus conversion and towed a 4WD pickup. We set up in RV parks and I would set up a show tent and make beads in it.
RV parks are limited to 50 amp service, so electricity would be trouble. A generator running would not be well received. Oxygen on the road can be trouble. Not available everywhere, and can get expensive. I paid as much as $35 for a 252 tank in Minnesota. It's $11 here.

We had a Liquid oxygen tank delivered to our camp in Superior Wi., where we spent several summers.

Steve

214039

[brayjr4484]

So how did you run everyting??? Goin to look @ a class c fun mover toy hauler tommorrow, I hope.

[SteveWright]

We did not torch inside the bus. This was where we lived full time and walked around barefoot, so that was rule #1.

We used a 15 amp annealer, Don McKinneys toolbox annealer and a national torch.

We both did some good work, I developed my Paperweight bead there, following a class with Loren Stump.

Steve

[glass obsessed]

My husband and I have been traveling in a new 27' travel trailer for the past 3 months. We have found that even when in a campground hooked up to 30 amp service we are blowing our main fuse if we have the a/c on and anything else that draws much electricity - like a hair dryer, a toaster, a coffee maker, iron and sewing machine, or the electric water heater. Not all of them at one time mind you just one of them being used when the ac is on will trip the main fuse. And that is without lampworking. While we do have a gas generator with us, as mentioned above, others in the campgrounds do not appreciate it being used. So my thinking is that you would need a rig that has 50 amp capability. Especially if you plan to be in the warmer states during the summer like we have been. It is like being in a tin can, a hot tin can.
Good luck and keep us posted.

[SteveWright]

You definitely need 50 Amp service inside the RV. Then you will be confronted with RV parks that only provide 30 Amps of power. We stayed in the Manistee, Mi. area and it was barely 30 amps, and just a few people were allowed to run ACs at night.

Steve

[rainygrrl]

I have just about 1 or 2 cents to add, as DH and I just got back from a 1-month cross-country trip with a little travel trailer. Fifteen foot box, 19 feet overall. We loved it!

When we first bought the trailer we thought we could tow it with a Toyota 4runner. We thought we'd done our homework, and on paper it appeared that it would work with a good margin. Theoretically we could tow about 5000 pounds, and we estimated about 3500 after loading the trailer. But it was definitely underpowered, and we likely would have wrecked the transmission if we'd kept at it. So we ended up buying a bigger truck, Silverado with a 6.2 L V-8 engine. It cost more than the trailer, even after trading in the Toyota. But it is made to haul.

So at some point we decided to weigh our rig on certified scales, looked up specs, etc. And it appears that we probably couldn't upgrade much at all without upgrading the truck again!

The good news is that we're happy with the current setup, at least for a while. So I guess that's a long winded 2 cents. There's probably some good info available somewhere, but it definitely is a big and potentially very expensive factor to consider.

[Kym]

I had a Toyota 4Runner a few years back and it was underpowered just hauling itself! Of Course, I don't know what size the engines may be now. A lot of people here use Iveco trucks and they seem happy with them.

I better keep the camp beds in case we need to sleep outside at night in summer if aircon is not a reliable option.

Kym

[SteveWright]

Underpowered is half of the equation. Stopping the thing is a big problem. We met a lot of people that upgraded their tow vehicle so they could stop their rigs. That took their economy 5th wheel or trailer and put it behind a $70,000 truck.

[glass obsessed]

Steve this is a bit off the topic (well maybe a lot off topic) but during this rv trip while looking where to retire we went to Corpus Christi and I just loved the beach areas. Just curious why you ended up there after 5 years on the road?

[brayjr4484]

Great info yall! Got a Fun Mover mobile home/toy hauler last night :) Im so excited to start building the shop in it and then hit the road. There is pic on my FB but will post more pics of shop area soon and cant wait to hear everyones Ideas on how to set it up.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000909610456

[SteveWright]

Katherine,
We were going to end up in Vegas, but then we found Corpus. Little traffic, low crime and you never hear a harsh word spoken. Low housing prices, 7 minutes to the Gulf and some of the best fishing in the country, mild winters and manageable summers.

[brayjr4484]

Steve would love to come hang out when we get mobile ;) My gf would die to learn about wire wrapping rings and I would love to play with glass

[glass obsessed]

Steve, thanks for the info.

[brayjr4484]

Does anyone know about regulations for hauling oxygen???

[houptdavid]

Well I've been looking, From what I can see (and this may be wrong)
There is no special license required for hauling your own/rented tanks. While individual states may make additional requirements. BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT A COMMERCIAL CARRIER!

[brayjr4484]

Thanks so much David!

Here are pics of camper, love to hear what yall would do. Im thinkin pull everything off of the wall on the right. Build bench that folds up then ataches to wall. Oxy tanks and kiln behind me on ther wall. Cords and hoses run out the openings at bottom of walls. Not sure what to do for ventilation but there is two vents in area on ceiling. Pull out all the carpet in shop area. trying to decide on road worthy color holding idea as well as clear tube and rods. When we are driving the bench will be attched to wall and my Harley will be tied down in that spot, so glass storage also wall behind me when Im workin or in moveable containers maybe. Also need idea to protect kiln from road vibrations while traveling. Im goin to get a honda generator to run the kiln or have it plugged in to a seperate breaker than the rest of the camper so we can still run a/c if needed @ the same time. there is one plug in with two power bars in the shop. Im goin to plug fan for exhaust and shop lights into those outlets. cant wait to hear what yall think.


for all of the pics of the whole camper got my FB
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/a...00000909610456

[houptdavid]

Damm! SWEET! Cabinet with angled tubes for glass with a door for added security infront of rear axle. Bench and vent on 1 wall. Add an awning over the drop gate and lever legs to the gate.

[SteveWright]

Im goin to get a honda generator to run the kiln or have it plugged in to a seperate breaker than the rest of the camper so we can still run a/c if needed @ the same time. there is one plug in with two power bars in the shop. Im goin to plug fan for exhaust and shop lights into those outlets. cant wait to hear what yall think.


On the road, you will be hard pressed to find a second power supply to plug in to. RV parks will have one available to you.

We say a lot of rigs like yours on our big bus adventure. Very functdional, are you going to live in there as well as working in it?

Our Big Bus Adventure (http://www.tumbleweedglass.com/adventure.html)

Steve

[brayjr4484]

Thats why Im getting the Honda generator. Ya living in the camper as well as working in the seperate shop area in the back.

[brayjr4484]

I would love to have it all run from one power cord or generator if thats possible. can I have the elec. sytem beefed up to handle it all?

[brayjr4484]

Got most of shop built! Big thanks to N. Dark :)

Any Ideas for Ventilation????????????????

http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx48/turtleglass/mobileshop008.jpg

http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx48/turtleglass/mobileshop009.jpg

[brayjr4484]

Rockin Shop @ GlassRoots!

http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx48/turtleglass/GlassRoots/mobileshopmadison223.jpg

http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx48/turtleglass/GlassRoots/mobileshopmadison208.jpg

http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx48/turtleglass/GlassRoots/mobileshopmadison206.jpg

[brayjr4484]

http://i740.photobucket.com/albums/xx48/turtleglass/mobileshopnew.jpg

Ventilation is workin better now with the board directing air flow and may try to fine tune it even more. Got the shop lights all hung and its nice and bright in shop now. Also got kiln road worthy, its on straped down on 4in foam and is packed tight wit a pillow as instructed by the person who made it. Goin to my grandparents tommorrow to say goodbye and let them watch me blow glass in mobile shop. They have been askin to watch since I started, but now I can bring the show to them :) but they dont know I own a RV or that Im leavin, lol should be interesting. thanks everyone for your help!!!! from now on Ill only be posting in my thread in the shop forum so check there or may have updates from the road in Boro room sometimes.

[glass obsessed]

Best wishes and have a great time!