Need ideas for paint organization

I know you said you didn't want to build one, but it was the only way for me.

Here's a pic of the shelf system I built, custom built to fit Tamiya paints, and the bookcase I use as a main storage area. The pic is an older one and I have twice the paints on it now!



The shelf is organized gloss on the left, flat on the right with a space left between to seperate them. Each tier can hold 23 bottles and there are 7 tiers, thats space for 161 bottles of paint. I could have pushed the width to fit another bottle per tier for 168 total bottles, but I wanted a place to store sandpaper (that's what is jammed into place on the right side), besides Tamiya only makes 33 gloss and 55 flat for a total of 88!

Don't look too closely at the mess below the paint shelf. this is a work in progress!

International Hobby lists the Humbrol Rack, but there is no picture and it's not currently in stock.

MicroMark has the Model 80 Carousel which might work for you.

Good Luck!

 

Ditto bgrigg on having to build one... it was the only way for my situation.  This took me about an hour with mostly precut materials and CA glue.

My wife picked up a wood silverware tray which works perfect for me.  I have it sitting on it's side and load up the paint jars, label out.  I'm going to have her get me 2 more so all my paints can go on the racks.  Eventually, I think I'll mount them on the wall behind my modelling desk area.

wing_nut wrote:

Ditto bgrigg on having to build one... it was the only way for my situation.  This took me about an hour with mostly precut materials and CA glue.

I like it!

When you said precut materials, where and what did you look for?
 

uproar wrote:

I have probably close to 150 or so bottles and tins of various paints, ... I would prefer not having to build a rack or locker...

When I was a kid my folks got me a few of those old wooden spice racks that hang on the wall. But with a 150 or so bottles, I think you'll be best to build something.

Very nice setup 

I'd recommend building one if you have the time and resources. Scrap wood, hardboard, etc would work fine. I built mine. Looks a lot like bgrigg's setup except instead of rows on top of rows mine is built like a bleacher, row behind row with each row being a little higher than the previous one. Guess it depends on how much space you have to work with though. I keep all like colors together i.e. blues with blues, greens with greens, etc. except for all of my RLM colors. They have a row to themselves and also the few RAF colors I keep grouped together. The Tamiya colors have a dedicated row also as does all of my Allcads,SnJ and other metalics. I guess I'm a bit anal here but at least I know where to reach for a particular paint and I also know when I'm out of a color. Which reminds me, I also keep a notepad at my workbench that I use to jot down anything that I find I need to order or buy. I'll forget it if I don't write it down. One of those things that happens when you start on the downhill slope of life.    Hope this helps.

 

Thanks Dave

 

I used basswood strips 1-1/2x1/4x48 inches and piece ¼ luan plywood that comes in a smaller 2x4 foot size (both from Home Depot or Lowe’s.  The only cuts I had to make were the shelf spacers and the plywood needed one cut to make the back the same height as the shelves.

You want to hear anal? I have a spreadsheet list of all the available Tamiya paint colours identified by stock number, color, and whether or not I have it.

I keep it in my wallet. OMG I need a 12 step program on styrene and paint addiction!

Yikes

 

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

 

 

“Hi… My name is Marc… and I have a modeling supply problem!”

 

 

“Hi Marc!”

 

 

 

It's kinda funny, if you look at the pictures posted, one guy has all Tamiya paints and the other has all Testors Model Master (or mostly).  Me - I'm all about the Model Master.

Jesse

usmc1371 wrote:

It's kinda funny, if you look at the pictures posted, one guy has all Tamiya paints and the other has all Testors Model Master (or mostly).  Me - I'm all about the Model Master. Jesse

 

"I love the smell of VOC's in the morning."

Bgrigg wrote:

You want to hear anal? I have a spreadsheet list of all the available Tamiya paint colours identified by stock number, color, and whether or not I have it. I keep it in my wallet. OMG I need a 12 step program on styrene and paint addiction!

Why am I not surprised?

Does your family know about this behavior?

I don't think you're being totally honest here though.  Aren't you forgetting the "other" columns?
 - % of paint remaining
 - estimated time until paint jar is empty
 - estimated re-order date

Methinks there's even an automatic report that is generated and sent to the owner of the LHS on which paints to order and have ready to pickup.
 

Hey, those are great ideas. That way I won't be surprised when the jar turns out to be empty.

Now, how can I write a macro for that auto report for re-order? The LHS is computer illiterate, so I'll need to log this somehow to send the email prompt to my work email so I can stop off after work...

David, can you email me your spreadsheet? Methinks you thought of these ideas because that's what you do!

If case anybody was wondering why I built a shelf that hold almost twice as many paints as Tamiya makes, the answer is simple! Thinned and unthinned paints, as well as custom mixes. <image of me tapping my temple, which is either an indication I'm smart, or crazy>

Chaps, I really don't see the fun of it : my own spreadsheet has a red alert at the end of the line "Acheter" (To buy) when the quantity goes to zero bottle; the problem is that my computer is not near my workshop so I could forget to upgrade the spreadsheet while I'm in the corridor. I think I'm going to adapt the thing to my PDA ; no it's already done so I know what I have when I go to the Hobby Shop. Maybe my work (analysing and searching administrative files ) has finally a very bad influence on my private life...

As for storing my bottles, I bought drawers at the DIY shop, enamels at one side and acrylics at the other side, by colours ( ala Federal Standard : blue, green, red,etc...)

I hope it will help you ( the second part, as the first one is beyond mental recovery)

Bgrigg wrote:

You want to hear anal? I have a spreadsheet list of all the available Tamiya paint colours identified by stock number, color, and whether or not I have it. I keep it in my wallet. OMG I need a 12 step program on styrene and paint addiction!

Yeah, you do have it kinda bad.   I used to carry one around with me, albet not as extensive, but I stopped because all the local shops closed their businesses, all in the last year or so. What's the use now. Oh well, anal retention ain't such a bad thing and our addiction to something could be worse. Enjoy your shopping.

Hud

hud wrote:

I'd recommend building one if you have the time and resources. Scrap wood, hardboard, etc would work fine. I built mine. Looks a lot like bgrigg's setup except instead of rows on top of rows mine is built like a bleacher, row behind row with each row being a little higher than the previous one.

Hud,

I've just seen your pic links at the How Many? thread

http://www.finescale.com/FSM/CS/forums/584661/ShowPost.aspx#584661

and I think you're confusing my paint "stairs" with wing_nut's paint shelf. Mine is built just like bleachers. Here's a cross section illustration of how I built mine:

So far we've thought alike on paint storage, and turntables. Wish I had your skill at building...

10-4 on the confusion. My bad. As far as my building skills are concerned............well they're mostly on a wing and prayer.   But I keep at it. Thanks.

Hud

Bgrigg wrote:

<image of me tapping my temple, which is either an indication I'm smart, or crazy>

I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo NOT going to take advantage of that blindside you just displayed.

Well! So much for my spreadsheet on who's naughty and who's nice!

Thanks for the advice, everyone....I went out and bought some divided wooden silverware drawer inserts from Lowes, which I shall attach to the wall as paint shelves....I determined that I probably have well over 200 bottles of paint, not all of which fit in the rack, plus numerous jars of every type of weathering powder on the market....I think I need about 7 or 8 drawer inserts.  This is ridiculous.

Even though you don't want to build one, I thought this might be of interest anyway.  It's built with a lazy suzan base with materials from the local home improvement store.  The tilt of the sides helps keep the bottles from falling, even if they're stacked two deep.

A how-to article is available here:

http://www.ipms-phx.org/articles09.htm

espins1 wrote:

My wife picked up a wood silverware tray which works perfect for me.  I have it sitting on it's side and load up the paint jars, label out.  I'm going to have her get me 2 more so all my paints can go on the racks.  Eventually, I think I'll mount them on the wall behind my modelling desk area.

 

That's what I've done; I found one of those wooden silverware dividers at a yard sale a year or so ago. At first I kept the divided tray full of paint in a drawer, but the drawer was always too full and hard to work with, so a few months back, I mounted it on the wall on its side (that is, the tray's bottom is screwed to the wall). It works pretty good, and I was able to finally organize that top drawer!