The Gem Cave Workshop

by alinke in Workshop > Tools

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The Gem Cave Workshop

workbench.jpg
door_closed.jpg
door_open.jpg
full view before.jpg
looking in.jpg
wall before.jpg
jewel wall shot.jpg
jewel in wall.jpg
storage.jpg
bench tools.jpg
hanging tools.jpg
kid area.jpg
storage bins.jpg
more storage.jpg
various adhesives.jpg
workshop phone and webcam.jpg
plier storage.jpg
home network and av.jpg
music.jpg
mina.jpg
blacklight.jpg
Building the workshop was the easy part, the hard part was convincing the wife to give up what was previously basement storage. After some negotiation, I set off to build my workshop. The inspiration for the gem cave theme came from the gem mines in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The original wall was crumbling cinder block concrete. After scraping it clean, I added a coat of quick dry cement from Quikrete and also used the quick dry cement to mold the rounded wall edges. You can mold quick dry cement like clay and it hardens in 10-15 minutes, very cool stuff.

The glass gems came from eBay. I used a hammer drill to carve out holes and then cemented them in. To simulate veins of gold and silver, I sprinkled in fine glitter and then sealed with high gloss concrete sealer. The gems are sprayed with invisible black light spray paint that makes a cool effect with the 4 fluorescent light fixtures hidden in the rafters.

The Kids Play Area allows me to work while the kids keep themselves busy (well, when they are behaving). The wall is chroma-key blue which I use as a background for Photoshopping the kids.