How do you keep your workspace clean?

Prior to each modeling session I wipe down my work surface with Simple Green and paper towls. All of my spray painting is done in a different room using a spray booth.

Keep a trash bag handy, after each step give the mat a wipe down.  And clean up at the end of each session.  

I build on an office desk at work that shares space with a desktop PC, printer and laptop.  My home space is going to be a 52" tool cabinet when I get finished with the room.

My desktop is smooth particle board.  It is covered with white self adhesive shelf paper.  It is like Contact but a bit cheaper.  When it gets too bad with glue and paint spills, and cuts from knives, I pull it up and put down a new piece.

 

Hi JimLo - I use a desk with drawers & cupboards - bottles of glue, flow improver, thinners etc are kept in a drawer to avoid spillages.  The desktop is protected with a few layers of old newspaper - cheap, absorbent, and can be recycled - with my cutting mat on top.  I have a small pedal-bin under the desk for rubbish, and have just acquired a cheap desktop vacuum, of the sort used to keep computer keyboards clean - this deals very well with plastic dust & shavings, etc.  I tidy up at the end of each session & wipe down the cutting mat, any stray paint stains are dealt with using 99% IPA.  However, it still looks untidy!

                Happy modelling,

                     Hutch.

I only clean up and organize after I complete a build.I clean off and wipe down desk top and cutting mat and put all paints and tools away for the next build.

Ditto Tojo

Dynamite !

I do as Tojo also. Less chance to lose parts during a build. 

My building desk is just that. One side of drawers contains paints, the other side clamps, tweezers, scribes, etc etc etc. Smal baskets from Dollar Tree keep everything organized.

I build on a large cutting mat I picked up from Hobby Lobby. With the 40% off coupon it's a good deal and easily replaced when it gets too much paint or whatever on it. 

    The work space is supposed to be clean?

How do I keep it clean...........simple answer, I don't 

I'm a bit like the few others who have already said that they clear after each build ready for the next. Until that time it usually looks like a bombs gone off !!!!

I'm on the same line of thinking as Don and Tojo combined. My hobby desk is actually two very old 26x62 laminate conference / work tables. I buy bulk sheets of white construction board (posterboard) in 24x24 from Hobby Lobby (I believe it is a 10 pack). I also have a small 4x4 and larger 14x14 cutting mat. Usually by the time one build is done, I have glue, paint, knife cuts, etc. on the posterboard so I replace it for each new build. 

There are also times during a build where I need to clean (put stuff away) to keep organization of both the build and the supplies. If the work surface is boogered when I put stuff away I will also replace the poster board if needed. 

Also during my cleaning I wipe the surfaces down with a spray cleaner and then blow it off with the air from the air brush. If I accidently get paint on my cutting mat I used brush cleaner or thinner to remove it before the next build. This helps get all of the little sanding or scraping slivers away from the builds.

My paints are stored in a large old plastic fishing tackle box. Its many pockets and folding shelves in it allow for a wide range of storage possibilities. All of my brushes are in a carousel brush ends up. I have separate areas for the wide brushes, detail brushes, and dry brushes. My tweasers and speciality tools are in another carousel. Any pliers or cutters, rulers, calipers, scales, etc. are on a specailty tool rack beside the two tables and attached to my wood working bench.

The thing I really need to work on is the organization and storage of hundreds of decal sheets or partials not used on a build. Currently all of my unused decals reside in a large drawer (all scales and subject matter combined). 

As long as I'm telling on myself, I also need to organize my scratch build supplies and left over PE. It is difficult skeeping all of this stuff separated for me (plastic sheet, brass sheet, metal rods and tunes, plastic rods and tubes, plastic-struct items, little craft items from model and hobby stores, screen, lead foil), etc. 

And my final tell all, I do not have a vented spray booth. My air brush moments are done on the other end of the second conference table (near a window). Some day I will get my act together and build or buy a real vented spray booth.

Ben

What is this word clean?

I build in a corner of my shop/garage. I’m lucky in that I can keep everything out since no one else goes in there. Only problem is I get a good bit of dust so I have to blowoff and clean periodically during and after a build. My workbench is an old, counter height work center that a friend was getting rid of. I keep my paints, and tools stored in a multi-drawer, desktop file cabinet(a leftover from my classroom). Brushes are kept standing up in an old peanut butter jar and I use a tote with a lid for a spares box. Left over decals are kept in a gallon zip and stored in one of the drawers of the file cabinet. When I want to airbrush, I just back the truck out and set up a folding work table in the open space. I use an old wooden turntable that I used to have under my computer monitor to turn the model for airbrushing.

Tojo72

I only clean up and organize after I complete a build.I clean off and wipe down desk top and cutting mat and put all paints and tools away for the next build.

 

Ditto. Occasionally, if I am doing a messy sanding or grinding job, I pull out the Vac and suck up the dust/bits. I purchased a small shop vac just for my hobby bench. But after every project, I do a complete reset. Everything gets put away, organised, and the bench wiped down.

Bakster

 

 

Tojo72

I only clean up and organize after I complete a build.I clean off and wipe down desk top and cutting mat and put all paints and tools away for the next build.

 

 

 

 

Dito. Occasionally, if I am doing a messy sanding or grinding job, I pull out the Vac and suck up the dust/bits. I purchased a small shop vac just for my hobby bench. But after every project, I do a complete reset. Everything gets put away, organised, and the bench wiped down.

 

For most kits that is what I do too, but have been working on a couple of major projects, and found I had to clean off bench twice for previous build, and already cleaned it twice now for current build and still not finished (Allison Turboprop engine).  Lots of airbrushing and painting on that kit- lots of internal parts and lots of boubles, bangles and beads on outside too.

 

I keep it pretty neat even during a build.  I just wipe it down during the build (I have two desks)  I dust and and wipe it good when I start a new build.  I work in a  basement surrounded by my organized collection.  My paints are also organized by manufacturer and color.  I have several plastic drawers of those.  When I have to a lot of sanding, it is usualy wet sanding.  Otherwise, dry sanding using "flex a fyles" ( sp).  I don't do as much scratch building  as I used to do.  I work on old newspaper with a cuting mat on top.  So my work are is pretty small.  It's just as big as two kits, 1/35 tanks.  I'm a neat freak so I'm very organized with my hobby.  My planes go on the ceiling, armor on various shelves.

My decal spares are in old model boxes organized by aircraft, armor, other.  I have 6 large boxes of those.  I just keep it all clean when I paint.

I'm a bit like tankboy51 , I generally clean up after each nights build , mainly so i can find the right tools the next day .

 

I try to clean up every day after finishing for the day, I put away all the tools so I can find then the next day. I have the bad habit of using a tool a just push it away and not putting it back were it belongs, which means, that I usually have a hard time finding it when I need it again.

By cleaning up at the end of the day, I usually find all the tools and put them were they belong. My work bench is in a never ending modification routine, I am always adding new things to it or removing and changing the location of other items, I do this in an effort to make it more efficient. Of course, being a perfectionist, I will never be satisfy with the layout.

Maybe one of these days I may finally say to myself: "Wow, my workbench is now finished"

Joe