Painting Desks?

[Captain Hwarang]

Hey all, I'm looking into getting a permanent setup for painting/modelling. Right now, I am using a kitchen table. This is my current setup:

 

http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac110/jcttkd/PaintingStation.jpg

 

Um, yeah...

 

As you can see, I've got a lot of stuff to organize. You can't even see all the stuff under the table. And believe it or not, I actually paint regularly in this exact location, with all the stuff in that exact location. Every model I've posted on here as been painted under these circumstance more or less.

 

First of all, how do you all organize your paint? I have probably around $1000 worth of paint from several manufacturers. I've got MIG powders, I've got homemade powders, I have some quickshade, not to mention all the cans of spray: tamiya surface primer, whole bunch of rustoleum products, GW standards, etc. I've also got about half a dozen mediums, and loads of brushes. So where do I start?

 

I'm thinking organized by color, i.e. reds together, blues together, etc. Maybe just warm and cool, with gray tones in a separate section? Mediums would be a separate section, as would metallics.

 

But what about my powders/washes/glazes? Should I put the washes with the corresponding color, or in a separate section for washes? Same goes for powders, etc.

 

On the modelling end, I've got all the GW tools, an array of putties, cutting board, cork, basing material, glues, etc. And then, of course, all of my UNBUILT, UNPAINTED models, sitting on sprues or in bitz boxes.

 

What do you guys think about this:

 

http://i890.photobucket.com/albums/ac110/jcttkd/Desk_Sweep.jpg

 

Looks like it might hold everything, but...it's seven hundred bucks! You can see all the things in the desk because the top is glass, and then pull out the drawers, and there are compartment on the sides, blah blah blah.

 

Any other thoughts or ideas? $700 is definitely the extreme price limit.

 

What do you guys do with your stuff?

 

Thanks for any help.

 

-CH

[franzdietrich]

Now, in a fantasy world where everyone was doing well with money and nothing was too expensive :D

I would say GO FOR IT! Much better.

 

Sadly, it's not. I'd suggest sticking with the table, maybe organising with some smaller drawers to the right of the kitchen table for your paints. On the bright side, THOSE don't cost $700 - maybe about $20 for 2? Just an estimate. Good luck!

[T14]

Build your own with a lid so you can "clean up" the room in 5 seconds flat.

I am pleased with mine :)

[Brother Anvilus]

Templar14: never accidently hit that stand away on your right? *imagines the headaches you'd get*

 

OT: I got a deep computer table, using a 'beam' of styrofoam to get several levels to put my paints in tiers, so I have easy identification of paints and easy acces.For bits storage I use those high tower with little drawers used for nails, screw, etc.

[Grotsmasha]

Hey dude, try Miniature Scenery's Paint Accessories, it's an Aussie company that does quick assembly MDF kits for a pretty reasonable price.

 

Cheers,

Jono

[Jimmy Carmine]

I use a VIKA AMON desk from IKEA, £20 for a 150 x 75 mm desktop, and another £10 for four VIKA ADILS legs. It gives me a massive workspace so I can have modelling and painting projects out at the same time. To keep things organised I just have an office desk tidy up top, and a chest of drawers underneath.

[Captain Hwarang]

THanks for the ideas so far everyone.

 

Grotsmasha, that is an absolute beautiful find, bro. Now i just gotta figure out what I need. I'm thinking 6 paint racks, with maybe a row of three stacked behind the first row, on a 5 inch piece of styrofoam or something. That will hold 156 paints, which is almost enough. AFter that, though, I start running out of space real quick. If I go this route, I'll probably end up storing most of the modelling supplies under the table. Which pieces have you found most helpful? And do you know if I can fit more than 26 paints on the paint rack? Thanks again for the help.

 

-CH

[Grotsmasha]

THanks for the ideas so far everyone.

 

Grotsmasha, that is an absolute beautiful find, bro. Now i just gotta figure out what I need. I'm thinking 6 paint racks, with maybe a row of three stacked behind the first row, on a 5 inch piece of styrofoam or something. That will hold 156 paints, which is almost enough. AFter that, though, I start running out of space real quick. If I go this route, I'll probably end up storing most of the modelling supplies under the table. Which pieces have you found most helpful? And do you know if I can fit more than 26 paints on the paint rack? Thanks again for the help.

 

-CH

 

I actually am "making do" with the Citadel Paint Station for the moment, as I bought it a week before discovering the site. But for me I'd be looking at a Parts rack or two as well, it'd help organize parts I'm going to use 'immediately', so that I can rummage through the bitz box first and have somewhere separate and close-by for when I want them. As to the Paint Racks, the top, middle and bottom rows are 7 pots each, and the two remaining rows of 6 pots each, totaling 21+12=33 pots per Paint Rack, which means with 6 racks, you'd have a 198 pot rack.

 

Looking at the "Combos" they do, I'd like to pick up a Parts Rack Combo with a side of Corner Paint Rack, just as soon as I can afford it.

 

Cheers,

Jono

[kataklysm]

If you dont mind weeding through the sexual deviants and con artists, Craigslist.org is a great place to find cheap furniture.

 

Picked this bad boy up for 60 USD a while back. Tons of storage and workspace and at a fraction of the cost to buy it from the store.

 

 

 

Bad ass desk

[Kurgan the Lurker]

Assuming you have space, the 4' x 2' folding tables at Office Depot/Max are $50 each. I used this set up when I was living in Utah:

Went with this set up when I moved back to Idaho (this was several hundred dollars):

and have since torn that out and done this in the garage (this cost me about $75 to build) -- Sorry it is dark, I should have opened the garage doors:

[Captain Juan Juarez]

Seeing the options here, I have no wish whatsoever for my own area for modelling to see the light of day on the internet :yes:

[Subtle Discord]

I wrote this when another B&C member asked about Ergonomics. I'll leave it as-is, since I think light is very important, and many people overlook it. But, my main point I would suggest for the actual painting table is to consider height. Take any of the great ideas/setups that have already been given/shown, and add a second short table on top of the first.

 

Light. Stability. Height.

 

Light is straight forward enough. Have lots of Cool White ('Daylight' compact florescent) light, coming from different directions if possible. Arm Lamps are great for this, and it helps in general, by keeping you from needing to hunch in really close to see any details while you paint.

 

Stability is gained by a matter of preference. Elbows down close to the body, wrists locked works well on its own, but better is having a surface to brace your elbows and/or wrists on for added stability. That's why, if you can setup a long-term painting area, consider the next point...

 

Height is something I learned about only in the last few years. If you've ever seen a Silversmith/Goldsmith work bench you'd notice it is very tall (38"+), has a drop tray (a thin drawer you can pull out to catch falling bits), and pull out braces that you can lean your elbows on. All great ideas, and that's where I got the idea to put a smaller table on top of my painting desk. I have a normal desk that's 30" tall, and on top I have a smaller table that's another 10" tall. Combined with a short chair, (office chair, lowered all the way down) when I place a miniature on the upper painting spot it sits right at my eye level. Then, I can lean my elbows on the desk, and brace my wrists on the edge of the small table that sits on top, while I paint. I'm sitting upright, and my arms/hands are totally supported and steady. As an added bonus, you gain a large area on the lower desktop that you can keep paints, brushes, water, pallets, tools, and drying miniatures, since your actual work area is suspended above the desk.

 

Once I got used to painting with a surface at ~40", I find it very hard to paint at a normal desk/table. They're just too low. Perhaps when I give my work area a n overdue tidy up, I'll take a pic to add it to the others, to give a better idea what I'm talking about.

[Captain Hwarang]

I actually am "making do" with the Citadel Paint Station for the moment, as I bought it a week before discovering the site. But for me I'd be looking at a Parts rack or two as well, it'd help organize parts I'm going to use 'immediately', so that I can rummage through the bitz box first and have somewhere separate and close-by for when I want them. As to the Paint Racks, the top, middle and bottom rows are 7 pots each, and the two remaining rows of 6 pots each, totaling 21+12=33 pots per Paint Rack, which means with 6 racks, you'd have a 198 pot rack.

 

Looking at the "Combos" they do, I'd like to pick up a Parts Rack Combo with a side of Corner Paint Rack, just as soon as I can afford it.

 

Cheers,

Jono

 

Thanks again man. Yeah, I did my math wrong, well actually I just didn't notice that there were 3 rows of 7. 198 sounds much more like what I would need, so I'm more inclined to to go this route now.

 

I don't know if this remains true for Australian dollars, but when I convert the price into US dollars on their website, the combos are actually more expensive than the individual units, sometimes significantly.

 

The only problem for me would be the shipping.

 

Seeing the options here, I have no wish whatsoever for my own area for modelling to see the light of day on the internet :)

 

It can't be worse than mine, can it?

 

-CH

[Captain Juan Juarez]

Seeing the options here, I have no wish whatsoever for my own area for modelling to see the light of day on the internet :)

 

It can't be worse than mine, can it?

 

-CH

 

Unless you use the bodies of dead people and animals, then yes mine is worse ;)