<![CDATA[Latest posts for the thread "Designing the ULTIMATE Paint Station"]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/8.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net Designing the ULTIMATE Paint Station
I'm an original Dakka-ite, I was playing at the DakkaDakka store back in 1999 (okay, not original, original, but I go back that far). I even worked there for a stint and made some tables. I love this game and I've been gaming with Russ, Craig, Ragnar and some of the other guys for a long time.

So...I just bought a laser etcher, and I've been doing some work on it, I won't pimp my stuff here, I'll put that in another thread, but I wanted to tap into the best gaming forum ever to see what ideas you had for building the ultimate paint station.

Some things to consider...

I can only cut on a 12x20 inch area so I'd like to keep the tray that size.

Some ideas I've collected locally..

Righty - Lefty friendly = The paint and water cup holder can be place on either side (at construction or as a movable module)
Model holders = A section where models can be held securely or routered holes where a base could sit
Multiple Paint holders = meaning having many spaces but also varying or variable sizes to hold different types of paint

I'm wondering if anyone had any other ideas they'd be willing to share. I'm hoping to build an awesome design and many minds make light work (or something like that).

]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5617682.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5617682.page GMT Designing the ULTIMATE Paint Station http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5618666.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5618666.page GMT Re:Designing the ULTIMATE Paint Station http://www.dndlead.com/Painting/Paintbrushes.htm

Maybe a space/ way to hold miniatures in place? You see a lot of painters painting models stuck to cork or pinned in to cork to keep the model still. This would probably work well in tandem with the magnifying glass idea.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5618940.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5618940.page GMT Re:Designing the ULTIMATE Paint Station
 DarKHaZZl3 wrote:
It should have some place to hold brushes, a bit like the ones at the bottom of this article
http://www.dndlead.com/Painting/Paintbrushes.htm

Maybe a space/ way to hold miniatures in place? You see a lot of painters painting models stuck to cork or pinned in to cork to keep the model still. This would probably work well in tandem with the magnifying glass idea.

I could see that working well as a pinning/cork attachment to the magnifying glass as to not take up space on the board and can swing back when not in use..]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5618986.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5618986.page GMT Designing the ULTIMATE Paint Station MDF and it got soaked during a move and I had to junk it.

Now if you can laser cut me a maid to clean up my painting area, put all my tools and bits back exactly where they go and then maybe give me a shoulder massage...

This is the one I had...http://www.dakkadakka.com/wiki/en/Build-Your-Own_Painting_Station]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5619636.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5619636.page GMT Designing the ULTIMATE Paint Station
At the core, you already have a sense of the basic, "must have" accommodations - space for a water cup, brushes, and paint bottles/pots. For the water cup, having a spot on either end is nice, either to make the unit ambidextrous or to allow for separate cups when using regular and metallic paints, or to allow for water and thinner to be kept out simultaneously. For brushes and paint, 2- or even 3-layer racks are ideal (talking about structural sheets per rack, not number of tiers of racks), as varying the hole size of the layers allow for the secure storage of multiple container/handle shapes. Accommodating GW/Reaper pots, Vallejo/Reaper bottles, and potentially 2oz. craft paint bottles would cover your bases rather thoroughly.

Beyond that, I see a greater benefit to (small) tool storage than I do to in-progress model slots. People who paint without handles are already set, as based models can stand on their own. People using corks or dowels can very easily knock a hole into some scrap foam to hold their handles upright. People using empty paint pots or pill bottles don't need racks. Small tools, however, frequently get laid out on the desk haphazardly, get stood up in empty jars with blades pointing out, or are put away in drawers that make quick access impossible. Simple racks and/or shelves/dividers for things like pliers, sprue-cutters, knives, etc. would be rather handy (check out MicroMark's hobby tool storage department for some inspiration - a lot of the designs are dead simple, but highly effective), and could easily be made as separate add-ons to a core paint/brush/water rack.

Speaking of which, I think modular systems are the way to go, especially with flat-packed MDF or acrylic jobs that the buyer assembles himself. It would be dead easy to put a small notch in the bottom-center of each end-cap and include small connectors with each unit to allow for either secure, but still separable, setups, or individual free-standing units. Going modular would also allow you to make much more expansive setups possible without going beyond the scope of your cutter. A lap tray could only be 12"x20", but table-top racks could easily be butted together to span an infinite length.]]> http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5619961.page http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/preList/527077/5619961.page GMT