I was hoping some of you could help me with my choice of a sink
for my studio - I am finally getting water (and a sink) in my
studio. The contractor and plumber are recommending fiberglass
and/or porcelain - I only recall seeing stainless steel sinks in
metal studios but frankly, I do not recall whether I have also
seen porcelain or fiberglass… My work is fabricated (no casting
as of yet) - primarily silver but some gold (more and more) and
it often incorporates enamel. Any suggestions?? I would
greatly appreciate some input with those of you with studio sink
experience - negative or positive.
Hi Sheridan, I have stainless steel in my studio, so far is has
not been burned up with the splashes of molten silver and gold,
when the little balls drop of the ends of the wire if you get my
meaning. I don’t know if that helps but that is my experience. Susan Chastain
Dear Sheridan The sink in my studio is stainless and I have only
seen one porcelain sink that seemed to have held up well, lots
of dings in the surface however it was used for more then metal
smithing and has been in the local art center teaching area for
about 35 yrs! I’ve never seen a cast iron sink in a shop or
studio ( the few I’ve actually been in ) I am not sure how well
other materials would hold up under the pickles and other
chemicals in use today .My personal opinion is stick with
stainless about the worst you can do to it would be to dent it !
HTH Ron
Sheridan: I bought a cheap plastic sink to install in my studio.
I do mostly fabrication. I have had no problems. I bought the
sink in a hardware store.
If I decide to stay in the place I am curently renting I may put
in a real sink- but for now it is perfect. Why spend a fortune
if you do not own the studio/ building
To save space I installed a small stainless steel “bar” sink
with a goose neck spout in my workshop. It is very compact and
has proved to be all I need. The only thing I would change
about my setup is to have given myself a larger water proof
surface on either side of the sink and behind it. I also had
the plumber install a sillcock type faucet under the sink so I
could fill a bucket. Anthony Toepfer Keene, NH
Hi Sheridan. I have always used Stainless steel sinks . They are
the strongest and most durable. Instead of using a standard trap
under the sink, I prefer to instal a plastic or fiberglass Square
Bucket like item under the sink which is then attached to the
Normal Trap . When it is done this way, It makes it much easier
to get things that fall down the drain.They are now in an easy
to retrieve from container instead of having to take apart the
drain. hope this helps. Daniel Grandi http://www.racecarjewelry.com
sheridan - one of those fiberglass laundry sinks works well,
they’re big & deep - if you drop anything into it won’t break or
chip. as to stainless - they’re a pain in the neck & even the
best ones don’t hold up to things like citric pickle without
scumming over, & even the best will rust in short order. my
partner bought 2 new f.g. laundry sinks at the same time so
there’s always one waiting, but they last forever. one
suggestion: take about a 2 foot square of fabric netting - like
bridal veiling - wad it up & stuff it down the drain of whatever
sink you get - you will be so glad the first time it dawns on
you that it was a ‘good thing’ to do. ive
Hello, Regarding the query about a studio sink – the one I had
off my home studio was marble and the hot metal did absolutely
nothing to it (some stains, which come out with bleach). If you
can get one, real marble is my pick and looks very nice,
aesthetically pleasing. --Madeline
To save space I installed a small stainless steel "bar"
sink with a goose neck spout in my workshop.
I discovered when I put in my “bar” sink that the screened tea
ball that we use for steaming diamonds and parts is also Great
for a fit in the base of the sink as a strainer for the smallest
of diamonds and little things that might end up under the sink.
I just took one of the screened hemishperes off the handle and
popped it into the throat of the sink and has been well worth the
effort of not losing thing down the drain. Ron Kreml
Hi, my studio has a plastic utulity sink which has worked fine
for may years, the only problem is that it stains, but for $25 or
so, you can pop in a new one when you need to. I like them
because they are quite deep and things don’t dent when you
dropped on the sink surface. Good luck, Andy Cooperman
G’day, When we had our present house built, I specified a large,
fairly deep stainless sink in in my workshop. Since that part of
my workshop is also a small laboratory, it gets used for all
sorts of exotic things - acids, alkalis - you name it… It has
sat there for 16 years and if I were only to clean it more often,
it would be just like new. Cheers, John Burgess
...as to stainless - they're a pain in the neck & even the
best ones don't hold up to things like citric pickle without
scumming over, & even the best will rust in short order.
This is kind of true enough. Mine has a flat area on the left
for my crockpot og acid and soda rinse, and it doesn’t stay
clean. Even starts to rust in spots that are continually in
contact with wet steel tools left there. I just scrub it up every
couple a years, though. It’s no beauty, but I don’t mind.
You do need to make sure the steel sink is earthed so a possible
electricl fault (of a certain sort) in an electrical appliance
you put on it doesn’t turn the whole sink into a live wire.
B r i a n � A d a m J e w e l l e r y E y e w e a r � @Brian_Adam1 ph/fx +64 9 817 6816 NEW ZEALAND
One shop I worked in had simple, shallow wooden sink with
separation tanks below it. The wooden surface was high so that
you could work in it, without scratching jewelry, or without
fear of dropping it. This is how it looked: The sink itself was
wood, about 18x24 inches, fabricated into a box, sealed at the
seams, with a drain and fixture on the bottom. From there the
water went into a large (50 gal.) drum. An overflow spout, with
a section of hose, was mounted in the side of the tank, a bit
below the top. The overflow spout then dumped into a slightly
shorter drum, which also had an overflow spout, and so on
through 4 tanks. The system trapped everything heavy and the
owner was sure that his retirement would be supported by what he
took out every 5 years or so. It has been a long time and I am
sure he has retired, but have not checked to see if he was
right; I hope so.
Alan
Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts
760 Market Street . Suite 900
San Francisco . California . 94102 . USA
tel: 415 . 391 . 4179
fax: 415 . 391 . 7570
email: alan@revereacademy.com
web site: http://www. revereacademy.com
I have a stainless steel strainer that exactly fits the profile
of the drain for a stainless steel kitchen sink. Sort of like a
Smoky the Bear hat! A friend got it for me at a store in
Chinatown. Karen
Hi, I will be setting up a studio in our newly constructed home
next month so I have been following, with great interest, the
thread regarding studio sinks and ventilation.
I have further concerns. What is the purpose of an acid trap
drain? How does it work? Is it necessary to have one? Is there
any known problem with running studio liquids down the drain into
a mound septic system? Is it only necessary to neutralize with
baking soda and dilute with water?
I had a stainless steel sink put in my studio, and the only
trouble I have keeping it “clean” (heh) is when I get ferric
chloride drips on it. Tends to rust it. I got a faucet fixture
that has a big tall “neck” (is this what someone else galled a
"gooseneck"?), and has big lever faucet handles that I can turn
off and on effortlessly with my wrists, like the surgeons do in
"General Hospital". I had to special order the fixture to get
these handles (Price Pfister), but boy are they handy!
Rene Roberts
The best sink I’ve ever had for a studio came out of a used
restaurant supply house. The new regulations for restauarant
sinks require three of them for wash, sanitize and rinse. The
old stainless sinks with one or two sinks are useless to
restaurants but perfect for us metal workers. Mine is 30" x 60"
with one deep sink in the middle which will accomodate a 5
gallon bucket (for mass finishing rinse), and a shelf
underneath. It’s big, heavy and perfect and cost $175. Many
smaller ones are available but by the time you install the sink
in a counter, $175 looks cheap. I did have to replace the old
faucet, for ??$, something you have to do anyway. Buy used, you
get more and get to be creative. Judy Hoch, great skiing today
in Colorado. judy@marstal.com
My solution to sinks was to pickup a used stainless steel
kitchen at a garage sale ($15.00) & then recess it into the
counter so that any spills would drain in to the sink. Boat
building epoxy & fiberglass cloth ( from “System 3”) resulted in
a fairly durable surface, although it has stained. I included
sides & a top with a shall exhaust fan (Including a laminated
glass top half front!) in the design. My hot plate lives in one
sink, leaving the other free to be a real sink, water is plumbed
from the wall over the second basin leaving enough height to get
under the facet.
Hello Alice. Re: acids,the sink. DON’T. send any acids,
even neutralized ones down the drain. You don’t want to take
the chance of fouling up the ground water. It is better to use
a trap and collect all acids in a bucket… Then dispose of
them as prescribed for in your area. Here in Oregon, we have a
regular recycling center to which we can take them, and they
will dispose of them in a manner that will not harm the
environment. Another note. If you are planning to do any
enameling, be sure not to send any enamels down the drain, as
they will really foul up your plumbing. Although I do not wash
enamels, but use a sifter to remove the fines, there are times
when I need to clean implements that may have some enamels
clinging to them. These I wash in a bucket, making sure that
the enamel particles do not go down the drain. Good luck in
your new studio and best wishes from Alma