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The workbench of shame


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I totally clean up after every project. By the end of a project, I can't find anything, and the lack of usable room to work drives me nuts. My work area looks like a disaster at times, but I'm not sure how I'd ever find anything if it was to that extent. Definitely recommend cleaning it up, as it really does offer a clean train of though.

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I`m thinking have the lower "story" free of anything. Sortoff like if you nuked it. (the area where you rest your hands when modelling) As long as you have this one area free of anything you won`t have to waste all that time moving stuff out of the way when you need to do something. You need some golden rules like this to get by in this hobby, creativity or not. Good luck !

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Wow that's something to see. About the only rule I have with modelling is to clean up at the end of everyday. I use large plastic tubs and storage drawers to keep all the parts of my projects together and out of sight.

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Exactly, Clean up after each session and when you sit down next time to do some modelling everything is good to go and you don't waste time trying to find tools etc from the last session.Maybe that's just the engineer in me that everything has it's place on the workbench.

Cheers, Gene

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Dude, is your workspace in the kitchen? That looks like kitchen cabinets and countertops to me.

Haha no, for some reason the guys we bought the house from built this tacky dry bar in the basement. I do my modeling here since the socializing is done upstairs.

If that is the kitchen, then I know someone that isn't married.

Ah no, I'm happily married. She puts up with this hobby, my other hobbies, my nerdiness and other such shenanigans.

Anyway, I'm here to report my progress to you guys. Partly built models have been put in their open boxes along with all sprues and shelved behind me (the in-progress shelf). I'm doing this one surface at a time, divided into four surfaces. The main work area is now cleared of stuff, now to wipe stuff down.

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More to come.

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Great start Tom. I feel your pain. I can barely walk into my hobby room let alone get to the work bench. Hoarding kits doesn't help either. Your post is providing inspiration. I think I'll hit mine tomorrow for about 30 minutes like what was recommended.

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Darn! A modeling area that is actually worse than mine! The bigger problem here is that the basement overall is in about the same condition. And the wife has announced that she wants to move her Quilting/Sewing room down there when the weather gets warmer (got a bunch of stuff down there she wants to put in a yard sale before she gives/throws it away (Not to say that we ain't started to clean down there, cause we have - but we aren't going to get intense about the cleaning until the weather gets several degrees above freezing and stays there). And I am So looking forward to it. (NOT!)

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Depending on my inspiration, time, and energy, I've used several successful strategies adjusting for the situation. Setting a clean-up time (like the 30-minute example) is a good one to prevent burn-out/exhaustion. Another one I've used is to divide the location into sections, and focus on cleaning up and organizing one section, then move on to the next when it's done. I divided my garage into nine sections, and the strategy seems to help because I focus on a smaller area, get it managed, then move onto the next.

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Workbench%2520of%2520Shame.jpg

Photo%2520Jan%252010%252C%25206%252023%252052%2520PM.jpg

More to come.

Looking better already! One of the nice things about making a little bit of progress, is it really encourages more effort.

I will say though, I thouroughly cleaned my bench and my whole little hobby room, and my I didn't realize how much I kind of nibbled at a few kits at the same time, so I found myself utterly devoid of inspiration when I had a clean bench and one model. As always "it depends" too much extreme one way or the other isn't helpful-- for me at least. I know everyone is different.

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Personally, I clean my bench every time I leave town for work. I tape my current projects together and set them on the desk so that when I get home I get inspiration from them looking good. While I'm at home, the desk slowly gets cluttered as I work. I find it to be a nice ebb abd flow of dirty/clean.

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Here's one for ya: I don't have a workbench.

You read right. I. DON'T. HAVE. A. WORKBENCH.

Haven't had one in many years, not by choice, believe me! It's that as a father with one of the kiddos having very severe emotional needs, I can't stay in a back room for any length of time.

So, I'm mobile. I have a bin with my primary tools and the paints I use most often and I'll take a section I'm working on out to sit in the living room. I've gotten amazingly good at no spills. Airbrush time is tough, and is confined to rare occasions in the garage. Very rare.

ANOTHER POINT: You all pushing for the Shelf Queens are mistaken, my friends. What you see in these photos are BENCH Queens. THAT'S what I keep forcing myself to finish before starting anything else, under pain of death!! Or at least under pain of non-finishing....

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And it's done. I'll need to replace that cutting mat eventually, it's got some glue spots and part of the laminate of my old modeling bench stuck underneath. Hard to make decent cuts with it. The three boxes across are the ones I really want to get done, so those are my focus. Thanks for your encouragement guys!

Photo%2520Jan%252010%252C%25209%252008%252004%2520PM.jpg

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Here's one for ya: I don't have a workbench.

You read right. I. DON'T. HAVE. A. WORKBENCH.

Haven't had one in many years, not by choice, believe me! It's that as a father with one of the kiddos having very severe emotional needs, I can't stay in a back room for any length of time.

So, I'm mobile. I have a bin with my primary tools and the paints I use most often and I'll take a section I'm working on out to sit in the living room. I've gotten amazingly good at no spills. Airbrush time is tough, and is confined to rare occasions in the garage. Very rare.

...

I too don't have a dedicated space

I build and brush paint on my desk in the family room

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Have my most frequently used tools in one of those kitchen drawer orangizers

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With the rest in cabinets behind me

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It's actually quite nice not to have to disappear for my hobby, well, except when I'm airbrushing in the garage...

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I have a dedicated room for my model building, mainly because my wife knows if I don't it'll be everywhere, BUT, I feel bad locking myself in a room all day and not seeing her, so a lot of time I grab what I need and work on a TV tray so I can spend time with her while I work. Still have to airbrush in the Garage though.

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