What every gunsmith needs

[Pat_Cameron]

MORE LIGHT!!!!. My little gun room has always served me well for a lot of things.
Loading modern ammo etc. But now that I am trying to turn a $280 piece of maple into kindling I find that I am in need of MORE LIGHT. Maybe it has something to do with older eyes, maybe not. I have been fitting a couple of butt plates on two projects I am working on. Inletting lamplack from candles shows what you can't see but there is still no substitute for MORE LIGHT. So with that in mind I think I will pick up a couple of Halogen flood lights. They aren't expensive and are on sale someplace almost every week.

Pat Cameron

[northmn]

Another thing my old eyes need that really helps is a pair of reading glasses at 200X.

DP

[smallpatch]

Pat,

You're going to find Halogen floods VERY hot.  You can go with smaller floods and use low wattage halogen bulbs in place of standard incandescent bulbs, or fluorescent lamps.  You will get more "lumens" for the same wattage.  Wattage =heat. 
In Arizona, where I live, we just don't need any more heat.

[George F.]

Be careful of Halogen lamps, They Get VERY HOT!!! I think you might be better off with a few globe utility lights. The kind with the sort of bowl/ funnel  thing on them. They come with a squeeze clamp on them. Put a 100w bulb in them. .....Geo.

[Jerry V Lape]

Something else I find quite useful when I want light exactly where I am looking is an LED headlamp which tilts to my point of focus quite handily.  Sure fills in the dark areas larger lamps don't reach because of their angles. 

[Scott Semmel]

I went the way of trying to light my shop space to an extreme degree, the space is about 12x12 and I had 8, 100 watt incandescents and three four foot fluorescent fixtures and still had issues. Then in a discussion on this board I saw the light (pun intentional) the real need is to have the light in the right place shining in the right direction. A movable desk lamp attached to the bench or ceiling or a stand lamp with a flexable neck allows you to adjust the the main light source for the work area so it is coming from a direction that allows you best vision of the work area.

[rick landes]

Years ago I rec'd training as a lowvision specialist. In this training I was told the following info...Before going and spending your dollars on "lights" and comparing opinions beware that people do see different with various lighting types. Your best bet is to take a portable piece of work into something like a Home Depot and try seeing the piece under differing lights to see what is best for you. Take it home and give it a try, if it does not work out take it back.
Personally I use a mix of incan's, flor's and sometimes a halogen. It just depends on what I am doing and how I need or do not need the shadowing and brightness to be. I also use a flor' ringed 6" magnifier.
Lots of "light" may be more problems than help.

[Dphariss]

What every gunsmith needs?
A rich patron or two

Dan