Reclaiming my hobby desk!

So,  a few years ago I set up my desk with the intent of doing some professional level sculpting projects.   I wanted my tools organized and accessible, but out of the way, and I needed to set it up on a zero budget using stuff I already had.

I had just moved back to my small town house from Phoenix.  And in that move the previous room mates had left alot of stuff behind when they left.   Including a decent glass topped steel framed desk that I believe is from Ikea- but I cant be sure.   Anyhow,  The rather hefty tempered glass top would be great as a work top- easy to clean,  and perfect for sculpting since you can roll your putty right onto the table top.

To organize I had some wire cube shelving I had been using as closet storage.  And while they aren't designed for supporting tools,  with some extra support from zip ties or hose clamps I figured they'd be more than sturdy enough for what I needed them to do-  and they were!  

When first set up in 2009 I only envisioned the need to support some lighting and my 2 speakers so I could listen to music and watch netflix or hulu while I painted or sculpted stuff.   A simple 4 socket power bar was plenty,  it would power a dremel, laptop and a couple lamps.

But sadly, that wonderful desk fell into disuse for almost 4 years.   Why?   Well,  thats a lengthy story that will be covered in detail in future blog articles- but the short version is that I had a rapid onset of health problems that affected my motor control in my hands(and everything else).  When sitting at a desk- and handling sharp things- and you drop a sharp thing- it falls into your legs or feet.

After dropping a large sharp thing and causing a large bloody mess- I had to accept that it was not safe to handle sharp things while sitting at my desk anymore.   So,  I gathered up the tools into boxes and did my work on the floor- where dropping things wouldnt hurt the carpet much.  And by that time I was dropping the minis quite often as well-  it was less damaging for the minis- so it just worked out better.

Now, nearly 4 years later,  the room my really nice desk sits in has mostly been used as a giant closet/catch all room.  You know the room-  the one when you dont really feel like cleaning you just put everything in there?  Ya,  that one.

So- over all this time the health problems that had me stop using the desk havent gone away,  in some ways they've gotten worse.   I've had to relearn how to paint,  how to sculpt,  and how to do alot of the little hobby things I used to take for granted.   If  I didn't already have 10 years of experience before I had these problems I dont know if I could have adapted like I have.   Not very many people have to learn how to paint  all over again, or sculpt.  But my hands just forgot how even though my brain knew.   Anyway, the desk.

Since I've adapted to the problems,  and they arent surprises anymore- I decided it was time to save the desk.  Unearth it from the monumental pile of stuff on it and around it.   I was going to take before and after pics-but the mess was truly embarassing- so the after pics of the desk are what you get ;)

One of the other reasons for digging it out- is that its actually set up really well for doing video tutorials on miniature work.   I've already rigged up a articulated camera boom thats way better than what most of the guys on youtube are using (and its something I hope I can help them fix if they are interested!) so getting close ups and using my camera can be a bit more dynamic since I don't have to stick it on a tripod and leave it.   So, to that end,  the right side is usually occupied with my laptop and camera mount leaving the middle and left side as work areas.

I'd be turning out videos already, but our good freind CenturyLink- seems to think that less than lmpbs down load and like .5 mbps upload rates with a bunch of jitter in the line is somehow 'looks fine'.   But trying to upload a video to youtube isn't getting much success right now.    So,  worst case scenario is I cant really get behind video production until after we get moved from Arizona to Tn in the next couple of months.

Wow, its bigger than I thought it would be O.o

It didn't really do much 'will shrink to fit available space' did it?  I didnt think it would be quite so...large.

Think its too much?    I was figuring a bunch of it would get trimmed out and I'd get to move the window around like I did with my Google+ profile.

If I realized I had more space I coulda crammed in a few more books and minis to make finding Waldo more challenging!

Anyways-  if it seems like its too much dead space to scroll by to read an article lemme know so I can trim it a bit.

At least with the larger format space opened up now I can more easily arrange articles and tutorials I want to do whether its with pics or vids.  Anyways,  if anyone cared/noticed let me know if you think the old format was better in any way-  I dont think it was,  but in case I missed anything different perspectives are always good to have :)

Superblog Sunday!

Yep.  I totally ripped that off/made it up on the spot ;)    I hadn't really planned on working on the blog today.  But its could and chilly outside(by Arizona standards at least)  and its not looking like my ISP has gotten anything fixed to the point where I will be able to manage much of a functioning +Hangout just yet- so my apologies to the +Warmachine and Hordes guys (wtf Google no linky?!)  I mentioned that I might start one up today.  I can get one going still but it will probably limit me to just text contributions :/

Anyhow-  back to ME!  Or at least the blog.  Poking around I discovered the format options buried away.  So I could finally widen the columns and utilize all the dead space.   For years having like a 3 inch frikkin margin has annoyed me but I was never able to find a way to adjust it and it seemed like it was just reserved for ad space.    Its kinda stupid that its hidden in the templates section,  not in the editor section where you can actually move the columns...

Anyhow- with the new wide body format- its like going to HDTV all over again!  Hello 2005!   So,  I'll be working on a new banner pic,  which is alright I suppose since I needed one for my G+ & youtube page(videos are about a month away while I struggle through video editing!)  and this can sort of tie my 'brand' identity together I suppose.

So,  keep an eye out for my new banner pic.  It will be a sort of evolution of the old one above.  But will have more space to fit in some of my larger nerd swag and gamer themes(future article and vids too!).   It will likely take a while to set up,  so I might not get it done until later tonight or even tomorrow since theres alot of stress here at home right now.

Compressor build yesterdays(Friday) progress.

Compressor update!(if anyone actually cares :P)  Heres a scale pic so you get an idea of its size.  Some seemed to think it was huge-  but its about half the size of a soda bottle.  Keep in mind the part we're working with is the round black thing.  The rest is just the crap its temporarily bolted to :)   Its cold and raining today,  so I doubt I get to work on it :(

So,  With the wiring finally solved on Wednesday on Thursday I was able to pickup a few bitz at Harbor Freight I thought I was going to need.  Mostly hose fittings, and a set of star wrenches to undo the mounting bolts holding it to the plate.  Ironically- it turned out I didnt need any of it.  But- I did score a great deal on a clearance roofers airhose(super light weight, rated 250 psi) 7$ for 25 ft.  and got a bottle of compressor oil for 2$.   The first thing I wanted to test Thursday morning was to make sure it would work under pressure and actually fill a tank.  So I did some temporary fittings,  emptied my 5 gallon tank and started filling it.  mentioned stopping and starting it with it under load- and as that seemed like a prudent suggestion I stopped it at 35 psi, and 70psi.  This type of compressor isnt designed for rapid cycling so I did give it a moment before turning it back on and there was no air loss while waiting.  Both times it came back on without any issues.  And as the pressure loads increased it actually seems to fill faster.  The noise level never increased either.   Total run time, not counting the stops, to fill the 5gallon tank to 100 psi was about 11 minutes

 By comparison,  the shop compressor in the pic below can do it in about 5 minutes I think- I've never actually timed it.  Even though its outside,  and around a corner.  I generally turn it on and basically run away because its so damn loud.  Dont get me wrong- its a great piece of hardware- years of solid service and all that.  But it doesnt really cooperate with my migraines at all.  And in case anyone asks- yes,  the bird poop is an advanced weathering technique- and no I will not share the secret of how to do it with you.  I will however sell you a kit with the ingredients...

Anyways,  in the pics are a few of the steps I took pics of.  The out flow pipe is actually steel rather than copper-  which caught me by surprise.  I had to adapt some different bending techniques so it didnt crimp.  Luckily I had some extra gas in the torch and a fat socket nearby to give me a radius to bend around.   On the plus side- its less likely to get bent in the future from an accidental bump like a copper tube would.

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 During the bending I discovered the outer diameter of the tube is nearly the same as the inner diameter of ther quick connect air hose fittings I have laying around.  Even for my littler airbrush stuff I try to use mostly standard 1/4" connectors just to make swapping stuff around easier.   I went the the process of trimming this fitting on my redneck lathe(aka power drill clamped to a bench and used a hacksaw on the spinning part).  But I might instead go with a threaded fitting and put a moisture/oil trap in place- as this is an oil filled compressor I need to keep that in mind and have the filter in line at the compressor or tank before it hits the hose to my brushes.

My phone died before I got pics pics more pics,  but I got it off the mounting plate, and the wiring cover in place.   I'm almost certainly going to have to paint it up to look like some sort of goofy little robot.

Finally- I do not know what the hell is up with the formatting on Blogger today- everytime I try to preview its changing things around.  If it does something hideous with the text on the actual post I'll try to fix it.


  

First video post- free compressor build ^_^

So,  this wasn't on the agenda perse',  more of a random inspiration idea that Im currently crusading about on.  Im salvaging an old fridge compressor into use as a silent indoor airbush compressor.  Theres several vids of them on youtube, and others have done it on various hobby forums over the years.

Any how-  its my first video post- since pics just wouldnt do and I want to get used to talking you guys :)

So- up to the vid I've yanked the compressor out of old fridge,  and banged my head on my keyboard for a couple days trying to figure out how the wiring works because like most modern stuff there seems to be way more than is really necessary.  Anyhow-  once I stopped overthinking it-  it was pretty easy.  Tomorrow I'll pick up some oil and basic fittings to give it a test run on filling up a tank :)

If  theres any enthusiasm for recycled and repurposed tooling for our hobby work, drop a comment and let me know if theres anything specific you'd like to see covered :)  If I havent already thought of a way to do something,  Im always up for a challenge and figuring out ways to save us some cash so we can buy more miniatures!

Damn migraines! Down, but not out!

So, 19 days of migraines!   Hopefully that shit is done and over with so I can get down to getting some content generated!

Sneak previews of upcoming stuff in the next couple of weeks.

Crayons and miniatures!! (Yes really, and its AWESOME!)

Right round baby right round...(rotary tools for our hobby)

Hack your paint!  How to make you paint do more with stuff already in your hobby tool kit!

And:

Shopping!  Its come to my attention most gamers are shitty shoppers.  Im going to share some tips with you guys on how to get your hobby supplies at some crazy discounts(if you're willing to get off your ass!).

You're doing it right! Privateer Press.

Its always nice to be pleasantly surprised when your favorite game companies do something that makes you remember why you like them in the first place.

http://privateerpress.com/content/announcing-the-privateer-press-digital-reader-app

http://privateerpress.com/privateer-press-digital

Not only are they offering all the MKII books in digital format,  they are priced lower than paper versions, and you can update them as errata fixes are made!  Anyone familiar with Privateer knows theyre much more prompt about 'patching' their rules when a problem is found than some of the others out there.

Not to mention the IKRPG books,  and all the issues of NQ will be available as well(including subscriptions- no more relying on that pesky mailman!)

I dont have an e-reader yet,  but knowing I wont have to try and force some PDFs to work and I can play the game off a small tablet or reader has me much more motivated to get one.

Also,  it seems they have learned from the mistakes of thier recent past,  as some of you may recall the War Room app that was released with much fanfare but kind of fizzled.   It was a great attempt,  but fell short in the QC department as the programming staff hired really wasn't up to a job of that size.    This time however- they went to a reputable professional company with Leeway/Hertz.

Is Privateer the first major gaming company to do this?  I havent heard of any others doing it for more than some PDFs.