Lighting

I has wondering.....if I ever get my garage cleaned up.......what type of lighting I should install, where and why. Any thought and/ideas would be a big help.

thanx

Use the most lighting that will give you ample amount of light that will reflect on all body panels and also the back area of the vehicle. The inexpensive overhead lighting will be your best source for this purpose.

Florescent, incadecent, colored?

thanx

Flourescent all the way, that is the only ones we use at the shop.

you can use the standardflourescent lights. if you have some room, you can even mount the lights on the walls.(picture lighting similar to a paint booth). they even come with covers that keep water or buffing splatter out of them. cheap to run also.

Llighting design is a complex subject. I have found that
the basis for review of almost all lighting concerns is best dealt with by
determining these characteristics:
1. what are the adequate levels of light needed to complete tasks
2. how do you position the lighting to reduce glare - both reflected and directed to the eye
3. aestetic appeal of the space
4. life cycle cost effectivity of the lighting ( cost/ lumen of light/ life of lamp)

I have come up with a few basic answers to these questions from a
detailing perspective. You should make changes to suit your individual needs and liking:
1. between 500 to 1000 footcandles are recommendeded for perfomanced of very prolonged and exacting visual tasks
ie: inspections, bench work etc.- these levels of light are measured by a light meter on the surface at the surface of the work.
2. a)to reduce reflected glare - position the light so that it minimizes the reflection of the light itself on the surface you are
working on.
2. b)to reduce direct glare - provide sheilding or a lense to refract the light on any fixture that may be mounted withing a zone
45 degrees from the horozontal
3. aestetic appeal in a shop is subjective to your liking.
4. as toddco said - flourescent is probably your most cost effective choice as they are typically inexpensive and a low cost 34 watt 4 ft tube is rated to last for 20,000 hrs and are generally 400 percent more efficent than incandescent.

Flourescent will generally emmit 40 to 100 lumens per watt compared with incandescent at 15 to 20 lumens for watt. Look at
the life too, light bulb average 1000 hrs, flourescent tube 20 times more life.
Lastly color rendering can be important.....if you have major concerns you can get " full specturm flourescent lamps" that provide a true color spectrum. These lamps are more money and are used usually where marketing is a major issue ( ie: grocery
stores where they need fruits and vegitables to look great in order to sell them.

Hope this helps

Now, I want to just use candles & save all of my expenses on electricity. I can purchase five candles for a dollar. If I light one candle for each hour minus the wax drippings plus the extra foil for the drippings, I might be able to purchase five more candles. If I only use three, but lose one, minus the first two & if my assistants wifes mother gives me twenty, but she loses two opening the car door, & trips over the guard dog & the dog eats three more & only swallows one, how many is left for my to light up my shop for the next three hours?

Sorry, but that was just too tempting! Really thanks for the info on the lighting aspects, I will really want to change some of my lighting in the shop during the winter months. Don't be upset with the above equation. Where did I put that last candle?

Toddco

Good point.. but you may want to check with your local fire marshal or insurance company.. ha ha

Your creativity demonstrates the ability to undertake complicated and mutlilevel tasks...not to mention being quite humerous.... given the gravity of events have and that are occuring in our world on a daily basis... I think that light hearted good natured humor is just what the doctor ordered.

On a more serious note... you undoubtely have all the qualifications that would be required to make a more than suitable evaluation of your lighting wants needs and requriements and then bring it all together into one outstanding cost effective end result.

Good luck, keep up the good work and best of the season to you

Lone Wolf asks a simple question about lighting and S10 Guy wants to try and turn it into rocket science? Wow.

S10 guy made a very good point about the lighting theory, & I have changed some of my lighting techniques around his theory. A very good point on all aspects of lighting.

I am also going to take a long look at my lighting setup as well. Thanks to
S10 Guy it seems that I have overlooked some of my lighting needs as well.

S10 Guy, Im thinking about changing over to halogen lighting. What is your opinion on halogen as oposed to flourescent lighting? Personaly I don't think flourescent gives enough light when detailing black paint...or any dark colours. When in the vehicle is in the sun light problem areas show up that are hard to detect when in the garage. I've been told it takes fewer halogen bulbs to get the equivalent lighting of flourescent.
What is your experience on this issue in duplicating sun-light conditions indoors?