[2nd childhood]

When my oldest son moved back in, I lost my modeling room with my designated desk - I need some sort of portable/temporary storage of paints, brushes, small tools & misc supplies, as I will be a Gypsy modeler around the house for a while. I've looked at things like tackle boxes, art supply caddies and the Gerstner-type wooden boxes, but all the ones I've seen have drawbacks - drawers too shallow for paint bottles, etc. I'm new to this forum, and apologize if this has been covered - any ideas or suggestions? (No, I can't make my son live in the garage.)

 

[geminibuildups]

Here are a couple suggestions for you (some assembly required) but its easy and best of all -- CHEAP!! For storage of paint brushes, needle files, scissors and similar tools, I made a portable tool caddy using some cheap water tumblers from a dollar store. Just pick 4 of whichever size you need and hot glue them in rows of 2 to a cheap wooden base from a craft store. This way, you can just slip them in a cabinet. I use miniature pliers also which I just hang over the side of the cups.

I use those plastic bins which are used for shirts and sweaters to store all my paint bottles, tubes and jars. They have covers and are stackable and can be put on the floor of a closet or under a bed.

Also try some of the miniature plastic units with the pull out drawers to store misc tools or decals. They come in different sizes and are available at Walmart or Dollar stores.

Hope the suggestions help .

 

[Lloyd Collins]

I bought a plastic roll around, tool mini carrier. Sort of like the red roll around tool cabinet, but black. It has a tool box like a tackel box on top, and it comes off, with more storage below it. Got it at Wal-Mart.

 

[Griffworks]

I use a combination of things. For my bottled paints, I use some of those Vidmar bins that you can stack together. These fit nicely inside of one of those rollaway mini-drawer sets from Wal-Mart. The rollaway can hold a variety of items inside it, as well as stack a small desktop set of even smaller mini-drawers on top of that. Makes it easy to not only store since they're fairly thin and small (going from memory, but I think they're about 40" tall x 12" wide by 18" or 22" deep) and can be rolled in to a closet until needed, then rolled in to another room, such as the dining room.

HTH,

 

[Arronax]

When my oldest son moved back in, I lost my modeling room with my designated desk . . . (No, I can't make my son live in the garage.)

Two things:

1. What's wrong with making him live in the garage? Maybe he'll move back out again sooner.

2. Speaking from experience, the last thing your son probably wanted to do was move back in with you. Anything you do to make your hobby portable should be considered temporary.

Remember Jim's thoughts on parenting.

The three happiest moments of your life as a parent are:

1. Your child moves out for the first time
2. Your child moves out for the second time
3. Your child moves out for the last time



Jim

 

[the Dabbler]

A couple of those cheap plastic tool boxes from a discount store with trays on top may work. I got one for less than $5 that I use for small electrical stuff. Use one for tools and one for paints. Put a dab of the color on top of the paint lids for easy identifcation from above. Paints on bottom and brushes, etc. in the tray. Mine also has a lift-up lid over and above the tray with compartments for really small stuff/parts.
Dabbler

Plus a piece of 1/4" plywood or Masonite covered with tin foil or freezer paper, etc. for a work surface to cut, paint on, etc. and you're in.

 

[the Dabbler]

The three happiest moments of your life as a parent are:

1. Your child moves out for the first time
2. Your child moves out for the second time
3. Your child moves out for the last time

YEAH, except once they're out they NEVER call !!

 

[TAY666]

I too don't have a designated area.

Check the bottom of this page to see how I handle a lot of my stuff.
http://www.tylisaari.com/models/where.htm

 

[Seaview]

The three happiest moments of your life as a parent are:

1. Your child moves out for the first time
2. Your child moves out for the second time
3. Your child moves out for the last time

YEAH, except once they're out they NEVER call !!

Never say "never"; there's always the "one-way loan" calls!

 

[the Dabbler]

Been there, done that ! Cost a couple grand for the son! ( Oh, and a small rental house to the daughter too. )
Daddy Dabbler

(Any phone call that starts out with....."...ah,...?......Dad..?? " is not going to end well ! )

 

[the Dabbler]

What happened to the guy who was designing the perfect modeler's desk/table ??

 

[Lloyd Collins]

......"......ah,....?......Dabbler...??"

 

[the Dabbler]

No Operator, I will NOT accept the charges !

 

[bert model maker]

No Operator, I will NOT accept the charges !

Dab, you got mail ! you are an honorary citizen of Nevada, the place where nothing ever closes it is a 24 hour state.

 

[razorwyre1]

when i was a kid my father built a model paint rack for me, which is somthing ive been planning to re-create, with some adaptions for airbriushing. it was very simple, but very handy.
basically you take 2 pieces of 1/4 inch plywood (or similar material) cut to whatever size you find handy (lets say 9 inches by 12 inches). you take one of them and layout a grid pattern on it, each square 3/4 inch wider than the diameter of the paint bottle, leaving a border of 1 1/4 inches all the way around. the perimeter. you then take 4 pieces of 1 inch diameter dowel rod, cut to about 1/2 inch deep (this is for shorter bottles like model master). you sandwich the 4 pieces of dowel between the 2 pieces of plywood at the corners, and either glue or screw the whole assemble together. viola! one paint rack! (many years later a friend built himself a portable rack out of acrylic for his tattoo inks , but it was esssentially the same thing.)

 

[NeilUnreal]

My painting area is also a multi-use part of the house. I like the plastic rolling bins (described earlier). The little drawers are perfect for paint -- and you can make dividers to keep ranges of color separate. The bigger drawers can hold airbrushes, etc. The rolling bins are also convenient, since you can move them around to get to lower shelves and cupboards they may be blocking, back closer to the workspace when in use, etc.

-Neil