back up equipment, what do you keep

[Shanarchy]

In an earlier post Homer mentioned how he has a backup printer and would recommend that everyone does, because if it goes down, you are screwed. This led me to wonder, what do people keep for back up equipment in their shop, just in case, and why?

I have kept my original exposure unit (nu-arc first light flo lights w/vac). It doesn't take up much room stored away, and in an emergency if my glass ever broke, blanket ripped, bulb died, etc. I'd be pretty screwed. Especially considering I do a lot of printing on the weekends.

Your turn!

[mk162]

To name a couple things...
A backup film printer
Backup light for exposure unit
Extra 16x20 platen in case I burn one I am not down a day
Heat press, we do a lot of digital printing that we need it for

I am sure there is more that I am forgetting...I do have a grainger less that 1/2 mile from me(they are also a customer).  I can get most anything I don't have in stock from them.

[Fresh Baked Printing]

A backup 3000 printer
Backup bulb for exposure unit
Extra platen(s)
Computer file backup
Never run down to my last container of ink or chemicals or other consumables.

[Homer]

white ink
few dozen black shirts
Epson printer and ink
exposure unit and bulbs
external hard drive x 2
bullets

[Frog]

Pretty sparse here

A spare ink jet, (only 11x17 though)
Big monochrome laser (doesn't see much action now other than paper, but would love to come off the bench and play again)
Spare MH lights
A bunch of heat presses

edit
* Spare spot gun (Mr Tees reminded me)

[Mr Tees!!]

-extra spot cleaning gun.
-extra glass for the exposure unit.
-extra bit of pallet rubber.

this is not to mention any consumables, such as film, ink, emusion, etc. And over the last couple of years I have built up quite a stockroom of blanks.

I dont keep a backup printer, there are three office supply stores right near me, I can go get another 1400 in a jiffy if needed. Same with my pressure washer.

[JBLUE]

Spare bulb for exposure unit.
Spare film printer.
Spare stroke cylinder and a couple of chopper cylinders
Spare parts to completely rebuild a valve if I have to.
Spare proximity sensors.
Spare 1 amp fuses for the presses PC board. Not easy to find by the way at 10 at night....lol
Spare shirts
Spare flash panel.
And a few other  things I cant think of.
 

[ZooCity]

Exposure lamp/power supply/bulb  (yeah, the whole thing, un-cannibalized)

Emulsion stripper (when the dip tank solution keels over)

Beer

Platen rubber and adhesive

O-rings

Beer

Mesh and panels

Squeegee blade

Epson 1400

Time machine drive

Various other substances.

*I seem to always shoot nearly every round of ammo I buy moments after buying it or I'd have that too.  too effing expensive to backup.  Always have five rounds for boomstick home security device though. 

[Chadwick]

The method.

[Denis Kolar]

Exposure lamp/power supply/bulb  (yeah, the whole thing, un-cannibalized)

Emulsion stripper (when the dip tank solution keels over)

Beer

Platen rubber and adhesive

O-rings

Beer

Mesh and panels

Squeegee blade

Epson 1400

Time machine drive

Various other substances.

*I seem to always shoot nearly every round of ammo I buy moments after buying it or I'd have that too.  too effing expensive to backup.  Always have five rounds for boomstick home security device though. 

Hey Zoo.

You forgot to mention Beer

[mk162]

It's hard for me to list every part I keep around, but pretty much if I cannot obtain it within a hour and it's cost is less than the downtime I would have, I keep one around.  This includes parts for the auto and embroidery machines that tend to fail on a somewhat regular basis.

That being said, I am about due to have an indexer hanging around.  13 years and a lotta prints tell me this one can't go that much longer. 

I am lucky that I have a supplier literally 2 doors down.  I can walk there and pick stuff up, except Wilflex has the WORST handles for long distance walks.  Probably not one of those things a lot of people complain about.  But walk a couple hundred yards with a gallon in each hand and that wire handle starts to dig in.

[Clark]

I keep a few parts for the auto. DOn't keep extra quartz bulbs because  hardly ever use all bulbs on both flashes, so I can always pull one and replace.  I have two epson's in two sizes, but an extra 1400 is about an hour away round trip.  I don't keep a bunch of stuff laying around because I just don't have the room, and everything is a day away any how.

[dsh]

1400 printer - used for color transfers, but can sub for the all black normally used
Heat press
110 V flash
1st belt dryer - small BBC where the oven lifts off the belt.  The belt becomes a good table on wheels and can be an extension belt if needed.
Rubber for top of platten if one fries.

[blue moon]

like many, we have a bunch of backup stuff.

I actually had to open the box with the backup vacuum blanket and use it this week. The main one was beyond saving (with patches). I've also had to use the spare exposure unit bulb when the unit suddenly died. It was not the bulb, but having one helped troubleshoot that. With few pointers from M&R we were back up and running in a couple of hours. While I was digging through the Nuarc, we were using the old halogen setup to expose the spot color jobs that had to be done. On several occasions I had to replace the blown fuses which we had in stock. So, yes, backups do come in handy.

pierre

[Shawn (EIP)]

It's smart to have a back-up dryer if you have the room. Dryers break down all the time, least mine do a few times a year.

extra high temp wire
extra element
extra breaker