Cleaning Your Lab/Workshop - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 08:29:21 am
content: Question: How often do you clean your lab/workshop? In my case the workshop is a spare bedroom in the apartment that is also a guest bedroom so once every couple of weeks I sweep the floor to get rid of all the solder balls and component leads. Apparently that's not enoughWe have a guest coming to stay over Friday night and not only has SWMBO insisted that the floor be vacuumed but afterwards it needs to be mopped as well. Electronic/Electrical Engineering is not THAT dirty an activity (after all, Dave walks around in bare feet) so how clean is your little lair?Must go, I have to vacuum underneath the couch

author: Electric flower
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 09:16:41 am
content: My "lab" is my bedroom and it has relatively small workbench and usually i don't bother cleaning it because it wont stay that way for more than ten minutes, I don't have any shelves near table so i keep a lot of tools and parts on floor, I keep it in mess sometimes for weeks and even months at some times, I only clean it all when i know i wont be doing any projects.Btw. working in such environment is not pain in the ass, but more like pain in the eyeball and ass too, efficiency of work is very low, most of the time i work I spend on looking some tools that moments ago i had in my hand.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 09:32:12 am
content: I clean the desks and vacuum the floor every now and then. In order to minimize the effort the vacuum cleaner is always plugged in and the hose hangs from a cabinet so it is ready to go.

author: nfmax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 09:38:54 am
content: I find that a paperhanging brush e.g.http://www.amazon.co.uk/T-Class-Delta-9-inch-Paperhanging-Brush/dp/B0079X2R2U/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1443087177&sr=8-4&keywords=paperhanging+brushis a great tool for cleaning down bench tops of solder splashes, wire ends, metal swarf, etc. The lack of a long handle makes it easier to get into the corners, and the bristle density is high enough to handle the tininess of the typical bench debris. You can also use it to dust off instrument control panels, etc., although you need to make sure there aren't any trapped metal bits.

author: fivefish
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 09:50:34 am
content: I clean my workbench as I go along working... if more than a few lead clippings accumulate on the bench, I sweep them with my hand and throw them into the trash can sitting just beside my desk.And no, I'm not OCD... I do the same thing when I'm cooking... clean the work area as I cook, in-between steps... like a chef. With cooking, it's more of a healthy habit having a clean work area to avoid making people sick who'll eat my food, avoid cross contamination and all that... and I guess the same habit transferred to working with electronics too.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 10:09:25 am
content: Never trust an electronics engineer with a tidy work area.

author: German_EE
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 10:36:27 am
content: Exactly, a clean desk is a sign of a sick mindhttp://www.ebay.com/itm/albert-einstein-laminated-print-and-quotation-on-cluttered-desk-/400738249261

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 10:49:55 am
content: Quote from: Psi on September 24, 2015, 10:09:25 amI'm the other way around. I have seen some desks covered with piles of wires and boards and asked myself how anything serious could be made there. I have setup 3 work areas on my desk (it is quite long) and have the policy of clearing a work area before working on a different project.

author: fivefish
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 11:36:38 am
content: A picture is worth a thousand words... not white-coat lab clean, bunch of papers, breadboard in progress and some crap on the workbench, and test leads hanging willy-nilly.

author: Throy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 11:44:22 am
content: If a cluttered desk resembles a cluttered mind... what does an empty desk resemble then?

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 11:48:43 am
content: About once a month I vacuum the floor; usually 'stuff' slowly accumulates on the desk, e.g. DMM leads, various size solder, clips, spare parts , after a week or three I am overcrowded so have to tidy up. A new project may also precipitate a clean.Across the small room from my electronics bench is a general purpose bench where I do panel drilling, filing etc, That gets vacuumed at the same time. Lots of swarf on the floor so definitely a shoe wearing area!

author: LektroiD
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 12:05:25 pm
content: Seems there's a trend of untidy work areas amongst EE's, seems to have become popular since the Jim Williams story was posted a few years back. My first job was in avionics, they were strict about keeping your working areas tidy. I continue to work on a tidy bench; I can find everything easily, and have plenty space to work.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 12:09:24 pm
content: My office/workshop is an addition on the back of the house and has the only door to the back yard. Letting the dogs in and out multiple times a day tracks a lot of dirt so I sweep the floor every couple of days. I try to keep my workbench relatively clean as I use it for both work and hobby, but that is usually a losing proposition. Since I am also barefoot, if I drop screws/nails/cut solder leads, etc, I try to sweep that stuff up when I am done with whatever I am working on. So far nothing in the bottom of my feet. Now if I can stop dropping very heavy items (big UPS and Dell PowerEdge server) on the tops of my feet, I would be in good shape. The UPS required a trip to the hospital as it landed with a corner right at the cuticle and my big to bled like a stuck pig/swelled up double and I thought I broke my toe. Luckily, the x-rays were negative.Now if you look at my desk, that's another story. I have a big desk calendar that I write things to do for the month on, but it is always buried.

author: Mechanical Menace
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 02:53:12 pm
content: My 'lab' is a fold out table and a box of tricks that gets set up in my living room or bedroom depending on my mood. I've never felt a need to clean either more often or more thoroughly than I normally would, even when my 'lab' has remained their for a few weeks.

author: aargee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 08:20:12 pm
content: Vacuuming is where you hear the tinkle in the vacuum tube of that small screw or part you spent half an hour on you knees searching for without luck.I 'reset the parts void' - vacuum - every couple of months. More effective than sweeping, which just seems to redistribute the dust.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 08:27:45 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on September 24, 2015, 10:49:55 amMaybe I should adjust it slightlyNever trust a electronics engineer who's work area is always tidy.A messsy work area is an area where interesting things happen and a tidy work area is a sign of no work at all.It's like if you walk into a mechanics garage and everything is clean. Tools are all bright and shiny and hanging on the wall. There are no oil spills or grease marks anywhere.Do you trust him to get the job done? Not a chance you run away

author: hammy
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 08:44:53 pm
content: I vacuum every second week and the room is mopped once a month.A tidy workplace is, in my opinion, a better place to work. No frustration due long searching for parts or tools. A lot of space on the desk helps for a clean test setup.The Equipment is in a better condition, even after years of use.The other positiv effect is: A customer/buyer/client shows up and you can demonstrate or show something. A representative room and workbench, clean and tidy, shows a structured and proper work style. They trust you, if you say you take especially care for something or you do something precise and accurate for them. They see the room and workbench and believe your words.Normal people don't like such untidy and cluttered workbenchs. They can only build their impression based on what they see. Your skills are not visible for them. Only the lack of your skill to keep your workbench clean is obviously visible.If someone gets a bad first impression it is way harder to convince them.But this is all a different story if you only tinker on your own for hobby or you don't need to show someone your work area. Or you run a mail-order shop.I'm only able to be creative and effective in a workplace I feel comfortable.BTW a tidy workplace does not look like there is no work at all. It does not mean there is no DMM lying around or some leads are on the table, or even a piece of work is at the moment under test.If I go into a hospital and look into a surgery room it has to be clean and tidy. It does not look like there are no surgeries at all. It just looks clean and tidy. And with my lab it is the same: If there is no "surgery" going on, it is clean and tidy. This does not mean I'm not going to produce a lot of chaos during development and testing. BUT afterwards I clean it up.I don't trust a doctor whose surgery room is spilled with blood and he tells me he is the best in his job!

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 08:50:46 pm
content: Quote from: aargee on September 24, 2015, 08:20:12 pmBuy a few pairs of pantyhose and slip them over the vacuum cleaner tube, so that you catch those small parts as you work. A few pairs on sale are cheap, as you do not care about size or colour, and you get 4 usable socks out of them, or more if you cut short or use the waist side. open end is closed with a small cable tie or a knot.Ninian and Lister Factory is just down the road from me, the "not perfect" is less than 50C each or even less for the reject. Went shopping there last week, got a month's supply of Jockey for under $20.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 08:51:48 pm
content: Quote from: aargee on September 24, 2015, 08:20:12 pmI have a vacuum cleaner with tubes on the handle that insert into each other, I shove a pair of tights or such like across them and then I dont lose things to the suction monster.

author: hammy
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 08:58:06 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on September 24, 2015, 08:27:45 pmIf I see a mechanics garage and it is covered in oil, the mechanics are all dirty and the tools are old and exhausted -> I run away.Obviously they pay low wages, they don't care for the safety of their people and they want to fix everything on my car with a hammer and a pipe wrench!No way! I run away and have a look for a clean and tidy garage.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 09:15:38 pm
content: Cleaning ? and lose all the 'patina'NEVER , JAMAIS, NIEMALS !!

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 09:24:05 pm
content: I probably vacuum my lathe more often than the lab

author: alsetalokin4017
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 09:28:08 pm
content: Reminds me of the old joke about the town with one barber shop with two barbers. You go in for a haircut, and you see one barber is neatly groomed and clean, has a well-swept station and soft music playing, while the other barber looks like he's slept in his clothes, hair is all raggedy and unshaven and has hair all over the floor, with rap music on his radio. Which barber do you choose for your shave-and-a-haircut?

author: fivefish
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 09:46:05 pm
content: QuoteI think the raggedy hair barber cut the hair of the neatly groomed barber.But the neatly groomed barber is a selfish jerk and refuses to cut the hair of the other barber.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 09:50:28 pm
content: Quote from: alsetalokin4017 on September 24, 2015, 09:28:08 pmI was waiting for a punch line along the lines of the first barber going to the second to do his hair. Who else is available?

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 10:07:48 pm
content: Keeping your lab clean is more fun if you own a ManVac(tm) - everyone should own a black ESD safe vacuum made by 3M -http://www.amazon.com/3M-Service-Vacuum-Cleaner-SV-497AJM/dp/B0000WU8I2

author: alanb
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 10:52:19 pm
content: Quote from: alsetalokin4017 on September 24, 2015, 09:28:08 pmIts less of a problem than the town with one barber who shaves everyone who doesn't shave themselves.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2015, 11:57:52 pm
content: Quote from: aargee on September 24, 2015, 08:20:12 pmPerhaps a ring of neodymium magnets around the hose is in order. Put those dead hard drives to a new use.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 12:34:41 am
content: A surprising tip for finding dropped screws on carpet is to look with a blacklight. They appear with very high contrast.(remember to wear glasses when using UV lamps)

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 03:30:06 am
content: Use the Japanese 5S system and you are off to a great start.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5S_(methodology)It takes a lot to get there initially, but it only takes some discipline and minimal effort after that to keep your lab in excellent condition.

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 05:19:11 am
content: Remove unnecessary items and dispose of them properlyMake work easier by eliminating obstacles.Reduce chance of being disturbed with unnecessary itemsPrevent accumulation of unnecessary itemsEvaluate necessary items with regard to cost or other factorsRemove all parts not in useSegregate unwanted material from the workplaceNeed fully skilled supervisor for checking on regular basis (ie significant other)Don't put unnecessary items at the workplace & define a red-tagged area to keep those unnecessary itemsArrange all necessary items so they can be easily selected for useMake it easy to find and pick up necessary itemsEnsure first-come-first-served basisMake workflow smooth and easyAll above work should be done on regular basisClean your workplace completelyUse cleaning as inspectionPrevent machinery and equipment deteriorationKeep workplace safe and easy to workKeep work place cleanStandardize the best practices in the work area.Everything in its right place.Every process has a standard.Perform regular auditsAnything left out? Now I will see if I can do one of them

author: nowlan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 05:38:18 am
content: These only make sense if you have room to store and keep crap off your desk. Piling stuff in boxes under table etc just makes life hard.

author: Gribo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 06:07:17 am
content: I sweep my lab every two weeks, and try, without much success, to get rid of any stuff I don't use. Hoarding is not good for your health

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 06:59:05 am
content: QuoteIt doesn't matter how tidy you keep it or how often you clean it. Some projects take so many parts and specialized tools. Sometimes you need to use nearly all of your equipment at the same time. Wires, tools, parts, everywhere. It's good to be clean, but it's not possible to do a complex project and remain clean, short of setting up an entire assembly line in your workshop. I dunno, but my workshop isn't large enough to stay clean.

author: MikeW
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 08:01:34 am
content: Quote from: ez24 on September 25, 2015, 05:19:11 amYou need to have workflow diagrams displayed if you want to conform to ISO 9000 standards.

author: VK3DRB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 11:00:49 am
content: Quote from: ez24 on September 25, 2015, 05:19:11 amYou missed out: Rinse. Repeat.Seriously, label where everything goes. "Everything in its place and a place for everything."I once worked for a Japanese electronics company. The went nuts over 5S and recycling employees mobile phones and recycling and zero defects, but they did not care much about the welfare of their employees, as long hours and being on call 24/7 was expected in spite of their crappy salary. The Japanese were 30 years behind in their management style. I quit after 2 years. But I did learn about 5S amongst other things whilst I was there, and made some good friends.

author: nfmax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 11:11:54 am
content: A place for everything and everything in its place:https://www.adafruit.com/images/galleries/4/4-27.jpg

author: dexters_lab
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 12:02:42 pm
content: i usually have a tidy when i have to step over things to get in the lab

author: rickselectricalprojects
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2015, 12:07:18 pm
content: when do i tidy my work bench?i tidy my work bench when my parents force me to!!!

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 26, 2015, 04:20:55 am
content: Quote from: rickselectricalprojects on September 25, 2015, 12:07:18 pmSWMBO doesn't like coming out into my office/workshop space so I get no hassles about cleaning up after myselfThe most time she spends out here is to drop off the paid bills into a box on the filing cabinet for filing. She tells everyone that it is a scary place.Right now there is a soldering project going on so the workbench is pretty messy and it will be that way for awhile until I get some replacement parts next week for some company equipment that needs repair, then everything will get packed up only to come out again when that project is done.

author: rickselectricalprojects
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2015, 04:26:07 am
content: Quote from: GreyWoolfe on September 26, 2015, 04:20:55 amunfortunately for me my bench is where my mum parks her car which is her pride and joy so she always makes me tidy up my workbench so i spend more time tidying than i do actually making things

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2015, 05:29:19 am
content: Quote from: rickselectricalprojects on September 25, 2015, 12:07:18 pm

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2015, 05:56:42 am
content: Quote from: helius on September 25, 2015, 12:34:41 amThanks, helius. Hadn't heard of using blacklight for that before.

author: LektroiD
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2015, 04:47:44 pm
content: Quote from: bitseeker on September 26, 2015, 05:56:42 amMy bare feet usually find them quicker.

author: felixd
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2015, 05:31:49 pm
content: Just started to clean my lab today. When I'm going to finish it? I have not idea----Pictures can be found in below albumhttps://goo.gl/photos/HXmewnCtsexgZ6Mz9----Movie from today's cleaningCleaning Time Lapse- bench still needs to be cleaned, but this was left for tomorrow

author: Cubdriver
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 05, 2015, 04:34:08 am
content: My schedule follows something like a roughly sawtooth shaped curve with mess level as the y axis and time as the x. The mess builds up at varying rates until it reaches critical mass at some point. I then snap, lose my patience for looking for things I had in hand moments earlier, and go on a cleaning spree. Everything gets put away/neatend up, and then the process starts over again from a 'clean' beginning.-Pat

author: felixd
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2015, 10:47:29 pm
content: Some photos - Before and Afterhttps://goo.gl/photos/HXmewnCtsexgZ6Mz9

author: SLJ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 09, 2015, 11:28:43 pm
content: My main bench gets a through cleaning a couple times a year. Just a general pick-up between restoration projects.It bugs me when I can't find tools or parts.However my micro/SMD soldering station is always kept spotless.The room though gets piled high with projects at times to the point where I trouble moving around.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2015, 12:57:05 am
content: As usual, anything I try to do turns into a cascade of interlocking sidetrack projects, usually non-electronic. This includes just trying to 'tidy up'. Like this:* Start another cycle of optimizing what goes where, in two areas - the electronics lab and the machine shop. A lot of the current placement is poor, due to being an evolution that involved a house-building.* Realize it's time to clear out a pile of stuff up one end of the machine shop, add extra bench and shelves. Also insulate wall at the same time.* But that means the sheet metal guillotine and folder (sitting on top of some of the junk) now needs a roller base. Which I'd been putting off making for ages. But till the bench, shelves and other stuff are done, don't have the free space to make it.* After finishing the shelves and some extra wiring, now constructing the heavy duty steel base. Which incidentally is also going to be a storage space for some big heavy objects (anvil, swage block, big transformers, rotary table etc) that currently really get in the way.Still not going to have enough room. But it's an improvement. Most importantly by clearing out a fair bit of stuff from the electronics lab, that didn't belong there.1st pic is part of the original mess. I can't find a photo angled more to the left. It was worse.2nd pic: the sheet metal folder. This *has* to be mounted on a roller base; it's way too heavy to move around otherwise. I can barely even drag it.Then a few pics of ongoing base construction. Finally a view of the work area, 'much improved' but still some work to do after the metal folder base is finished.

author: Cubdriver
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 10, 2015, 01:53:35 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on October 10, 2015, 12:57:05 amDo you have some sort of rotary jig there that you're using to make the welds attaching the nuts to the tubes? If so, I'd be interested in seeing a photo of it. That's got to be the neatest MIG weld I've ever seen - they usually look like a dog's dinner! I'd have thought it was done with a TIG machine if I didn't see the picture with the wire feed gun in it.And I can totally relate to trying to do something and winding up going off on all manner of tangents then seeming to get nothing accomplished!-Pat

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2015, 05:33:43 am
content: Quote from: Cubdriver on October 10, 2015, 01:53:35 amYep. Improvised. Here:http://everist.org/NobLog/20091009_pipe_rotator.htmQuoteYeah, it's amazing how much better MIG (and TIG) welding works, when you take the bozo out of the process.QuoteYeah. Well, _sometimes_ some of the stupid number of entangled projects individually reach completion. The stand shouldn't take much longer. So long as I don't die from this damned flu first. 2nd bad one in a month. Or maybe, the first one come back with a bam, due to staying up all night at a party on Malabar cliffs on October 3rd. Getting a bit old for stuff like that. Possibly breathing the fumes from people chucking plastic on the fire didn't help. Including a large PVC banner. God that stank. Poor, poor old lungs.

author: Cubdriver
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 10, 2015, 06:38:58 am
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on October 10, 2015, 05:33:43 amVERY cool!! I need to keep that in mind if I ever find the need to do that sort of thing - it looks very useful.QuoteAin't that the truth! Many years ago when I worked for National Semiconductor, they had an orbital head welder for joining small diameter (half inch and under, IIRC) SS tubing for plumbing gas supply systems without using fittings. It was pretty amazing - there was a cutter to square and prep the tube ends, then they'd be butted together and clamped in the welder's head. Press a button (obviously with the machine set up as required for the size of tube being welded), and a few seconds later (I'm assuming after a brief argon purge) you'd hear 'Eeeeeeeeee' as the arc fired and a motor drove the electrode around the joint. In under a minute you had a beautifully fused joint. The whole thing was about the size of a medium suitcase, just add an argon bottle and tubing to be welded. I didn't weld at the time, and it wasn't my department so I never got to play with it, but still think it's a pretty cool piece of hardware more than 25 years later.QuoteOnce again, I can relate. I'm slogging through what's turned into a multi-year home renovation, and am presently working on getting heat properly installed so I don't have to spend another winter freezing my butt off and stepping over a few pieces of finned tube baseboard radiator mickey-moused in and laying across the floor propped on pieces of 2x4. Everything seems to take ten times longer than it should, require multiple trips to the hardware store to get that one more thing you didn't think you'd need, and/or have something else that has to be finished before it can be done. (I can safely say that I much prefer electrical work to plumbing - the holes are smaller and gravity doesn't matter!)Umm, yeah - breathing burned plastic fumes? Probably not gonna make your lungs happy. Nasty stuff! (As you doubtless already knew, and have now had reinforced by example after the party!) I'll stick to rosin flux smoke, thanks just the same... Here's hoping that whatever ails you passes soon and you can get back to YOUR fun in the shop.-Pat

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2015, 02:19:19 pm
content: Quote from: Cubdriver on October 10, 2015, 06:38:58 amGod, tell me about it. I don't think I want to ever do another owner-builder building.Btw, if you can get a slow combustion wood-burning heater, do so, They are great. I have one in my electronics lab, and so glad of it in winter. Helps to have more deadwood from the trees on my property than I can burn. Free heat from the Sun.There's now a partial writeup of my current 'cleaning up my workshop' project here:http://everist.org/NobLog/20151012_spring_diversions.htm

author: Galenbo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2015, 03:08:56 pm
content: Quote from: aargee on September 24, 2015, 08:20:12 pmI don't use a vacuum cleaner.I have an air compressor in the garage, and installed a pipe to the room above.8bar works much better than vacuum. Especially when precision is needed.

author: isaiahA
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2015, 10:23:56 pm
content: Quotetrue!

author: crispy_tofu
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 06:53:43 am
content: Quote from: SLJ on October 09, 2015, 11:28:43 pmQuick edit in pixlr - fixed it!

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 09:18:59 am
content: Fixed it

author: funkyant
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 09:39:25 am
content: I tidied my bench 3 days ago. My biggest issue with the untidiness is incomplete repairs. If I'm waiting on a parts order to arrive, I don't want to completely re-assemble the unit to safely store it again.Only when I have all or most repairs completed does my bench get a fully thorough clean.This does frustrate me though, as I hate mess. Every time I look at it, the OCD part of my brain wants to explode.

author: alsetalokin4017
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 09:49:49 am
content: Oh nooo.... better close your eyes quick!

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 08:43:29 pm
content: Quote from: alsetalokin4017 on October 18, 2015, 09:49:49 amwhew I am not the worse

author: Artlav
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2015, 09:41:51 pm
content: Quote from: crispy_tofu on October 18, 2015, 06:53:43 amHah.One thing i was shocked to realize was that having everything organized and compartmentalized does not make losing stuff any harder.In other words, i still can't find "that thing i need right now" more often than not.Difference is, now i tend to lose entire projects rather than just separate parts...

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 03:23:23 am
content: Quote from: Artlav on October 18, 2015, 09:41:51 pmNo worries. It was probably just a distraction anyway. Now you can get on with something new.

author: matseng
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 04:31:21 am
content: I think the level of neatness is inversely proportional to the size of the desk(s). In my Bangkok condo I just have a small desk in my bedroom and when I'm there I keep the desk clean and neat all the time - even while working on something. In my "real" lab back home in Kuala Lumpur I have two full rooms dedicated to electronics and a plenty of deskspace, but it's always so messy and disorganized that even I get annoyed at myself. :-)

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 04:48:08 am
content: There is a difference between a lab that has a metric shit tonne of stuff and a lab that is messy.

author: lapm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2015, 05:22:24 pm
content: I try keep my little corner neat, thanks to two cats that like to play with anything small they can find on it... Wife's opinion docent matter, but considering money i can spare to electronics, every damn component counts.. Not to mention learning hard way how it feels to peel of 40 pin dil package from bottom of your leg. Not nice feeling, 40 small holes, all 5 mm into your skin...

author: med6753
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2015, 01:32:43 pm
content: Since my "lab" is in my living room it's always tidy and get's dusted/swept/vacuumed once a week without fail. Unfinished projects are put away in a closet. And there is no permanent estrogen unit living here to prod me to do this. I am an admitted neat freak.

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2015, 05:48:14 pm
content: Quote from: med6753 on October 21, 2015, 01:32:43 pmIf you live in San Diego maybe you can come over and clean up my "lab"

author: Elias Salas
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 23, 2025, 11:34:08 am
content: Cleaning your lab or workshop regularly is essential, especially when it's a shared space like a guest bedroom. Sweeping every couple of weeks is a good start, but for both safety and functionality, it may not be enough—particularly if you're soldering or working with sensitive components.Dust, solder balls, and metal shavings can accumulate in hidden corners and on surfaces, potentially affecting your electronics and creating fire or short-circuit hazards. More importantly, if you're using chemicals, flux, or other potentially hazardous substances, lab equipment decontamination should be part of your cleaning routine—not just sweeping the floor.A more effective schedule could include:1. Weekly: Wipe down benches and equipment with isopropyl alcohol or a mild cleaner, and vacuum instead of sweeping to avoid stirring up particulates.2. Biweekly: Do a deeper clean—clear off shelves, inspect tools for residue, and clean air vents or filters if any.3. Monthly: Check for corrosion or buildup on tools, perform lab equipment decontamination where needed, and organize or dispose of unused parts.Keeping your lab clean not only improves safety but also boosts productivity. A clean workspace makes it easier to find components and avoid mistakes. Since your workshop doubles as a guest room, cleanliness also reflects on your professionalism and hospitality.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 04:48:49 am
content: Quote from: Elias Salas on May 23, 2025, 11:34:08 amGood idea, but since this is spam masquerading as a legitimate post, I'll give you two choices.Either your company's link or name isn't mentioned anywhere on your profile or any posts, or, you get banned with all posts removed. I've taken the liberty of actioning the former for now. If you have any questions, contact me via PM.

author: Messtechniker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 05:58:41 am
content: I use 5 cm wide double sided sticky tape (one side after the other)to remove small wire pieces, insulation bits, solder balls, dustand other small items from my work bench.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 07:20:04 am
content: I've been making cable assemblies for a while so my lab floor is presently covered in little pieces of stripped insulation. It's getting uncomfortable to walk on, so that means it's time to clean up

author: Haenk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 08:02:51 am
content: Quote from: hammy on September 24, 2015, 08:58:06 pmI think that's a bit different from your (my) personal workbench.Those oily tools, oily mechanics and oily boots *will* transfer oil into or onto your car - and that's hard to remove.As for the cluttered tools - you are paying them by the working hour (unless you have agreed on a fixed price) - so looking for that nut or wrench or plier or special tool will cost you real money.(Plus: Spilled oil on the floor is a real safety hazard, and - at least in Germany - has to be removed immediatly to avoid accidents.)

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 02:31:55 pm
content: The fact this thread started in 2015 an is only three pages deep shows how much we clean our labs...

author: abeyer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 08:11:19 pm
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on May 24, 2025, 02:31:55 pmTo be fair, it was dead for 10 years until necroposted by a spammer.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 08:25:17 pm
content: I work for 15 hours strait, end up going to bed at 5am with re-runs going on in the back ground, carefully looking through little containers with tweezers. In the end I determine nothing can be thrown out, and I need to buy 5 more organizers because I discover for instance that a small amount of #6 crimps are being stored with #4 crimps and that they should be separated instead of jumbled together. Then I wall my self in with more organizer boxesis it really clean if all 3oz of serrated grounding washers (some with solder tabs, some with bend) are jumbled together in one organizer division?Its like running a micro miniature kids version of a major port with containersand nothing makes you wanna clean less then if you find something on ebay thats better organized then your stash, cheaper and more through. Like fuses lol. Like spend 6 hours to go through and organize a fuse drawer when you can buy like a monster kit for $100.

author: abeyer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 08:49:50 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on May 24, 2025, 08:25:17 pm...and dump them all into the same drawer!

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2025, 09:04:13 pm
content: Well, the smartest thing is getting the buss 5 fuse cases. But how do you get the cases if you have bare fuses. Statistically if you shop junk enough you might get alot of buss cases.If you really wanted to get it down you would make a sheet metal bender mold for making a DIY bus case that closes with a acrylic window and quantize your fuses in 5 fuse blocks that are labeled on all sides with the type of fuse. But how does it feel like to make a tiny box.the other problem with fuses if you just collect them is figuring out what the hell it isor I suppose you can use match boxesActually, 3d printing mini fuse boxes could be a solution, that go into a tackel box organizerthis is one of those things that you will renemebr as being a waste of time for like 20 years.For power resistor s up to a few watts I will buy the little green container for them and label and store it because they are invaluable kind of. And usually I don't have more then a few. If you bend the leads you can stagger them and get a fair amount in a box. but a fuse is basically a troll unless you have the right sized box. And it will rattle and its not supposed to do that because its like fragile. and fuses in bags are like ball sacks

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 12:07:14 am
content: Quote from: alanb on September 24, 2015, 10:52:19 pmDo barbers shave anybody any more?

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 12:13:09 am
content: Quote from: MikeW on September 25, 2015, 08:01:34 amISO 9000 just confirms that what you do is repeatable.Making the same mistake 10,000 times is not a road to efficiency.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 12:23:02 am
content: Quote from: funkyant on October 18, 2015, 09:39:25 amThat is the problem if you are working somewhere you have to prioritise jobs.You can be "up to your armpits" in a job & another pops up that "absolutely, positively has to be fixed now!".Wasting the time to put the other job away neatly before starting the urgent one will slow you down significantly, whilst the people who need to use the urgent thing are having conniptions!

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 12:44:39 am
content: I noticed though everything is super urgent always and it is maybe 5% of the time.(from some people)So you either get nagged to get it done while you are cleaning, or you get chewed out for dirty area later. The dirty area is worse because it might become a 'thing' for some reasonI feel like organizations have people that like claim its clean because they basically walk around like the trash police. You don't wanna be on their radar (and usually their bullshit employees). So if they don't wanna work or do something they can get out of it by just saying "oh I will check XYZ because XYZ needs inspection frequently". I don't like giving people fake 'jobs' . if they don't have BS to BS with then someone might actually put them to actual work lol (where they need to turn on brain).Good things actually can happen if the bosses are able to utilize their direct subordinates (that are above you) efficiently (i.e. they don't have a perpetual 'alabai' from doing the thing they were hired to do by being some kind of pesudo HR/SAFETY/upkeeping maintenance/whatever). Something akin to bears doing whatever bears are supposed to do to make the forest good instead of loitering near picnickers and ignoring their actual forestry duties.For instance they can work on hiring people properly (instead of the bullshit game they play with AI, ghosting, etc), develop whatever unknown upgrades the bosses are thinking about involving services, negotiating better pricing, ordering cabinets, replacing the floor, etc)

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 01:29:16 am
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on May 24, 2025, 02:31:55 pmNow, that, is insightful.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 02:44:52 am
content: I wonder how many stubbed foots there are in this thread now that people might have started to put stuff on the bench on the floor so they can maybe put something away into a boxI am having a difficult time because I don't feel like I am looking at junk, I am looking at lots of small questions.Like OK I have a shit load of precise potentiometers from bourns. I went through every box and I got a handful of random cheap non bourns carbon trimmers. Their drift and cheap. But I think they are very low inductance. I was always meaning to try RF circuits that have potentiometers or rheostats in them. Its not a high priority but sometimes I wonder about it. Am I ever going to order special PCB or parts to do this experiment, or will it be done with some copper clad. So then it takes me like 1 hour to figure everything out and determine I should keep them lol, because its unlikely I will ever buy parts to do the experiment. And the cheap ones are easy to take apart (and small) so I can maybe modify them to work with some more complicated mechanical thing.I really feel like I opened some doors by keeping some esoteric BS for 10 years and then finally studying it one night to discover there is like a huge thing behind it that no one ever heard of but it leads to information that effect other things later.But I swear I spent 1+ hour thinking about keeping or throwing away a table spoon of random potentiometers. And it lead to other ideas with junk resistors. Getting material to do your own thick film resistors is abitch. But I wonder if you can make a paste out of old thick film resistors to make custom ones if you scrape and grind it.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 25, 2025, 04:10:30 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on May 24, 2025, 04:48:49 amEmail is marketing@...company so spammer. Surprised they didn't post a link.

author: EC8010
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2025, 10:02:01 am
content: Quote from: KJDS on September 24, 2015, 09:24:05 pmExactly. Dirt on a lathe bed increases wear that reduces accuracy, so you vacuum after each work session. A dusty floor in the electronics lab doesn't impair accuracy, so it gets left. I aspire to a tidy electronics bench and it's certainly easier to work on one, but it soon gets untidy once things start happening.

author: Grandchuck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 29, 2025, 08:10:07 pm
content: A clean floor helps to find dropped stuff

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2025, 08:39:22 am
content: That moment, when you work with ultra tiny ICs worth $10+ each, and you hear a whole bunch of impact sounds while vacuuming the lab and wonder how much $ that was.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2025, 09:50:37 am
content: Use a wire mesh cap (or a piece of nylon tights) attached at the vacuum cleaner hose.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2025, 10:51:27 pm
content: I bought a bunch of tiny boxes and sorted 1/2 my fuses. around 60 left to go in full form cartridge sizeI don't know if I want to sort my small size or 2/3 size fuses. I don't think I have anything that uses them. All ordered by accident over the years

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2025, 06:01:32 pm
content: Quote from: German_EE on September 24, 2015, 08:29:21 amHow often do you shower? Once every couple of weeks?How often do you change bed sheets? Once every couple of weeks?Mind you, you are from Germany, and that is not norm.Your work shop is your FACE.... Why do you think someone is going to trust you with their electronics and pay you to fix their stuff if your face looks dirty?You clean your workshop at the end of the day. You come in morning and do your job, and every evening you clean your work area. It's a religion.

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2025, 06:03:37 pm
content: Of course, different countries have different norms of normal.But I don't think it's normal to clean once every couple of weeks in Germany, at least not in East Germany!Granted, Germany now is full of none Germans from all over the world, even the Caribbean. Still. You have to strive to be a fine looking young man with bright future ahead of you.

author: Sal Ammoniac
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 06, 2025, 07:29:23 pm
content: I clean my lab, which is in a dedicated room in the house, about every 2-3 weeks. The main cleanup task is dusting. I tend to work neatly and do not eat or drink in my lab, so cleanup doesn't take long.

author: MathWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2025, 08:59:10 pm
content: I keep stuff pretty clean and tidy, but not putting stuff away, and working one thing for awhile, then moving to something else without "finishing" the last thing, junk and boxes tend to pile up and not get sorted correctly. And then dust starts building up.Yup time to go do some sorting and putting stuff away again, and vacuum again.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 07, 2025, 10:00:19 pm
content: auxiliary storage. turns into a fucking giant mess every time

author: ftg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 10, 2025, 01:31:54 pm
content: Ooh! We are doing videos of cleaning the lab?Here's what I do every few months the latest at the Kauniainen Amateur Radio Club OH2K, as I look after the lab there.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 12:26:20 am
content: vacuuming stuff off the bench is like some psycho wife stuffthose objects go into an altoids tin for later sorting. The only sadder thing then a clean lab is throwing away a RF connector because some custom made palladium plated superalloy super washer went missing

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 01:08:21 am
content: Quote from: Grandchuck on May 29, 2025, 08:10:07 pmSo does a magnet, as long as you get your "copper" wire from Temu or Wish.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 01:12:03 am
content: Quote from: ftg on June 10, 2025, 01:31:54 pmIf you're using a vaccuum cleaner as a debris brush then make sure you put a cyclonic seperator inline with the vaccuum cleaner hose, this collects all the debris rather than having it fill up the vac bag. You can get them for $10-20 from your favourite crapvendor.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 02:09:28 am
content: I am working on something that has little precise sensitive parts and its making me queezy to think about it.Pick them up with a magnet + cloth or tweezers

author: jonovid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 02:34:42 am
content: the issue with lots of incomplete repairs cluttering up the work bench.I put incomplete repairs into a shallow stackable large 30cm x 600cm plastic tub or tray.multiple repairs or unfinished projects can be stacked up in individual plastic trays like bakery bread.when the unfinished project is to recommence. the individual parts some with jumper wires still attached can be transferred to the work bench.in that way multiple incomplete unfinished projects need not occupy the scarce bench space.suggestions that may help-a vacuum trap setup made from a large glass jar with a screw top plastic lid with PVC in & out vacuum hose for finding lost SMDa large magnet from an old microwave oven on the end of a broom handle. for lost nuts and bolts on the floora fume extractor that is just a fan and a large hose going out the window. no need for replacing carbon filters.have No carpets in you lab or gaps in the floor.put castors on any lab furniture in the middle of the room. so helps with vacuuming the floor.

author: ftg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 07:58:55 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on June 12, 2025, 12:26:20 amDid you see those 20+ paper cups full of screws? They were not the only one's.And how long is it a reasonable time to keep abandoned parts and screws on the desks of the shared lab?Two weeks, two months, two years?And don't worry, we only throw away damaged RF connectors.

author: Hr_Satch
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2025, 08:22:13 pm
content: Haha, LoL,nice revelations.Same here: at my job, I avoid a too clean desk-office,because otherwise everyone comes searching stuff while abscent.Now they rather avoid my place, except when things are broken-- --At home its the misses, complaining about clutter in my workspace thoughout the house.I need a Castle, LoLMy standard reply is: and who fixes your everything that goes broken ? ? ?-- --Now, about the cleaning, every knows the ting-ting-ting noise when vacuum cleaning:aha, found that missing tiny partHowever to my surprise, I dicovered, it is easier searching on the ground a just fallensmall piece, when there are NO dust balls, nor hairballs from the dogs swirling around, . . .So yeah I vacuum clean a lot, and I open manually the dustbin of it,with a magnet, to retrieve stuff that I missed hearing ting-ting-tingVacuum cleaning is also good against sharp bits that remain cluttering around !And besides that: soldering I only do outside, when it is sunny.You really shouldn't sleep where you solder !Besides all that, I too never trust an EE with a bling-bling cleandesk, that's for managers,I really don't understand: people who have higher educational degrees,however they don't understand a clue about what you tell about your repairs,and in the end they get often a better pay/salary.My Head of Dep. a Professor, doesn't understand Jack-sh*t about my job,so in the end I say, than I am too a Phd, so why I don't get your pay ? ? ?Because of an additional theoretical paper

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2025, 04:37:30 am
content: I bought a robo-vac. Great little device.Now, all I need to do is clear it a path.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2025, 05:05:29 am
content: At every job that I have ever had, there was a box or jar on the workbench. And in that box or jar was an assortment of parts and pieces from the work bench and the surrounding floor. Most had at least hundreds of items and some literally had thousands.I named them the N-1 boxes because, in them you could always find one less than the number you actually needed of any screw, nut, washer, transistor, IC, or any other part/component you could think of.I am now retired and have two electronic benches, one in my office and another in my garage/shop. Both of them have a box full of parts and pieces. I need to properly label them, "N-1". And I need to get busy if they are going to get full before .....Quote from: ftg on June 12, 2025, 07:58:55 am