My Workshop

So, before I go much further, I guess it behooves me to describe, and maybe drop a photo or two of, my workshop.

I live in a third-floor condo with a ground-floor two car garage - the workshop is in half the garage. When I was a kid, my dad had a garage workshop, and having the workshop anyplace else doesn't feel right. Of course, my dad also had a Playboy calendat on the wall, but since the wife doesn't like Playboy, I settle for old pinup art calendars...

The workbench is really cheap and easy to build, and suits me well. I have two "Wal-Mart special" particle board bookcases we were going to throw away on either end. Between them, resting on the next-to-top shelf, is a hollow-core door, also that was going to be pitched. The door is wider than the bookcase shelves can accomodate, so a slot for the bookcase side panels was cut in the door so it would slip into place. Across the top of the bookcases is another piece of particle board, supported in the center, acting as a top shelf for supporting an architects lamp and holding various stuff. Under it are where my lazy susan's full of paint, brushes, plastic organizers full of stuff, and other tools go. The hollow-core door is stiff, hard, and very light, and the doorknob hole is convenient for running electrical wires through to the rotary tool mounted on the front.

The workbench is rather high, so I have a barstool to sit at when I want to, but I can stand and work as well. To rest my feet, I keep some empty milk cartons turn upside down under the stool and bench. There's also a space heater under it for when it gets cold.

I also have a home-made spray booth - one sheet of 1/2" plywood cut into a 2'x2'x3' box with the front corners knocked out. It's supported by some 1"x2" pine boards with a lower shelf stiffening the legs, and stands a total of about 6' high. My dad and I built it a few years ago, but I still haven't installed the exhaust fan, so right now, it's just a big overspray catcher - with a flourescent light and lazy susan in it... :-)

My airbrushes include a Thayer and Chandler Omni 3000 with some T&C Vega tipsets (they work in the Omni), and an Aztec dual-action (old, but functional). The T&C is my enamel\lacquer airbrush, while the Aztec only gets acrylics through it. Since I do most of my work in enamels and lacquers, the Aztec is mostly unused. For brush painting, I've got a collection of brushes, most of them bought from the local art supply house, but some from local beauty supply shops as well.

I've got shelves put up around the garage to hold my unbuilts - I'm still a bay at this, as I only have about 150 unbuilt kits stored there (I know people with 400-600 easy, and one guy who claims to have 3000 unbuilts). Next to the workbench on the left is a plant stand that is acting as a magazine rack, along with some empty milk-cartons for storage.

Oh, there are woodworking tools (drill press, router, table saw), toolchest, a fridge (to hold beer and other sundries) and a stereo (to listen to while I work) down there too. Sometimes there's a car, but mostly it's just me, the motorcycle (Harley Davidson FXDWG, thankyouverymuch), and the models.

And that's the end of the self-gratifying description - pics will be posted as soon as I find some.