Things we know that help, but do we do actually do them?

[Tim Marlow]

Oooops.... sorry about that,foot now removed from mouth!! :sad: .....
.... Mind you,"Diet and Exercise" being banded around is just....
.....WRONG !!

Foot in mouth eh, well, as Barry might say, “a place for everything and everything in its place”

[Guest]

Jim as president of the TBC must be thrilled to see Barry's set up .

[rtfoe]

Although I keep my bench clean from time to time or when I get into a cleaning mood I find most of my creative building and scratching occurs when the bench is the most untidy and nothing really moves when it's tidy. :tears-of-joy: Oh boy am I a webel. Creating a delicate scratched part within a six inch square of available space can be exilliarating and a source of achievement for me.:smiling6: It's like management giving you the least to work with and making something out if it or rugby in a muddy field...nothing like a good scrap. :smiling3:

Cheers,
Richard aka Wabble

[Mini Me]

Same here Richard.........I ain't happy unless I'm wading through it to find what I need to get my next bit finished so's I can move on to the next. I will admit to putting all my tools and materials back where the belong at the end of the session though. Force of habit from the Aviation World. Everything must be accounted for at the end of the day.........or vee send you to zee kamp! :tongue-out3:

[simontie]

As i have built up my kits and tools i do find myself cleaning more, i only have one bench but tend to put sub assemblies on 1 cutting mat and 1 i work on a 3rd one is a small A4 i tend to lay my tools out on like an operating room couple of shelfs in front for the handy tools like glue and sanding equipment surrounded by the paint stands oh and i have BD mini buster very handy for that dusty mess. & at the end of every build i have a good clean up…

[Ian M]

?!!!!..... You're RETIRED man....
..... You have all the time in the world!!! :smiling3:

There is no such thing as a retired home owner. You are self employed, on call 24-7-365, underpaid builder/pipefixer/wood butcher/gardener. I wonder how I had time to go to work befor.

One of my old bosses had a habit of saying tidy desk tidy mind. Then HIS boss came by once and replied ; "yes, but a busy desk shows a busy mind and an empty desk.....".
he never said it so much after that.

I try to keep things in place and have a tidy up between builds. During a build my desk looks like a bomb has gone off. lol-
Agree about the dust though.

[The Smythe Meister]

Force of habit from the Aviation World. :tongue-out3:

Does that mean you have a shadow board then Rick?!!

[BarryW]

There is no such thing as a retired home owner. You are self employed, on call 24-7-365, underpaid builder/pipefixer/wood butcher/gardener. I wonder how I had time to go to work befor.

Old of my old bosses had a habit of saying tidy desk tidy mind. Then HIS boss came by once and replied ; "yes, but a busy desk shows a busy mind and an empty desk.....".
he never said it so much after that.

I try to keep things in place and have a tidy up between builds. During a build my desk looks like a bomb has gone off. lol-
Agree about the dust though.

You should tell him that a busy desk can still be a tidy desk Ian.

Below is how I left my bench last night. On the left my interior parts have had the detail painted by hand brushed acrylics and paint pens awaiting a semi-gloss coat ready for washes, next are a couple of small parts on a lolly stick needing some black primer (I removed some vulnerable moulded in aerials to be painted and glued back as final fittings). Then in a pot are black painted guns needing to be dry brushed with steel metal pigments.

The desk will get busier today because after spraying, thanks to MRP drying so quickly, I will be able to apply the enamel washes in the same session and as I like to leave enamels 24 hours before I apply a semi-matt varnish for dry brushing my next session (maybe two) today will be cutting and cleaning up parts pulling some more subs together. So the bench will be a lot busier but still relatively tidy, clean and organised.

I will post a picture mid-way through today’s work to show what it looks
like and another of how I leave it at the end of the day ready for another spray booth session in the morning.

[SteveH]

Super set up Barry.
Just what you need to produce such great planes.
Have you planning permission from the local council for the extension to build the Border models 1/32 Lancaster?
That will be a build to watch.
Enjoy your current project
Regards
Steve H

[BarryW]

Super set up Barry.
Just what you need to produce such great planes.
Have you planning permission from the local council for the extension to build the Border models 1/32 Lancaster?
That will be a build to watch.
Enjoy your current project
Regards
Steve H

Thanks Steve. The Border Lanc's wings are removable, so it is easy to display. Even bigger though is the Hobbyboss B24, the wings are not designed for removal, but I know some modellers have adapted it. My plan for that one is to first to see if the front to undercart will fit on my wide shelves, if so, that's how I will handle the size with it on the shelf over my workbench with it sat out of the way. My rough calculation suggests that will work and I will take a better look when I start kit. Otherwise, I will adapt the wings for removal.

[Jim R]

Some entertaining and interesting posts. I know the running joke about the Tidy Bench Club, of which I am founder and president, but in Barry's initial post I recognise a lot of what I do. I hoover the bench regularly, I keep tools in groups in pots, I use old butter tubs for parts, tidy up at the end of each modelling session etc, etc. What is interesting is that there seems to be absolutely no correlation between the tidiness of the work area and the quality of the modelling. Some of the most inpressive builds come from the seemingly chaotic benches.

[Panzerwrecker]

Tis all well in theory, and no doubt a clean bench should work more efficiently. However, putting that into practice time after time, build after build etc is not always possible for me personally. TBH, as others have already stated, I seem to be far more creative if I DON'T continuously tidy up around me. It’s simply a distraction! Sure, I do clean up occasionally and it will usually be a big clean up, but although I know deep down it probably would be an easier space to manage without all the accumulated clutter, I’m not fastidious about routines. ADHD sees to that!

Dealing with my condition when it comes to the hobby can sometimes be frustrating. I start way more than I finish and am annoyingly precious about keeping unfinished work in a state so that I can regain momentum quicky. My finished builds go in cabinets in the house, unfinished projects remain in well-marked storage boxes in the cave. That process for some unexplained reason, I keep on top of!

My dedicated garden mancave is smaller than many children’s bedrooms at less than 3x2m internally and has undergone some major changes since it was built. I like to think each one has improved my ability to carry out tasks more efficiently, but the reality is, the more 'stuff' I have, the harder it is to manage! Consequently, I do separate my space into work areas. Being right-handed it naturally flows left to right. First space is the 'build area' the next is the 'prep for paint', followed by the spray booth, a 'finishing' area and finally a little worktop photo both. Often if I am on a 'role' with a project the build area won't get cleaned as I move onto the prep area. I know it will be a distraction and God forbid if I discover anything whilst cleaning up, that rabbit hole will be explored!:upside:

So, to the original question. 'Do we actually do them'. For me, yes, not all and I suspect not in a way many could cope with, but it works for me. It is however great to see other modellers benches and to see how others work. I copied someone else’s arrangement for splitting my bench into different work areas and it instantly helped. The very fact I DON'T have to tidy up the build bench to instantly progress to the next stage helps workflow and I like to think I’m a fraction more productive because of it.

Happy days

Los

[Panzerwrecker]

Some entertaining and interesting posts. I know the running joke about the Tidy Bench Club, of which I am founder and president, but in Barry's initial post I recognise a lot of what I do. I hoover the bench regularly, I keep tools in groups in pots, I use old butter tubs for parts, tidy up at the end of each modelling session etc, etc. What is interesting is that there seems to be absolutely no correlation between the tidiness of the work area and the quality of the modelling. Some of the most inpressive builds come from the seemingly chaotic benches.

That I most definitely concur with 100% :smiling5:

[Guest]

For instance yesterday I had the experience of finally evicting the damned spider that has been going around my room and leaving its web across everything. So out came the hoover and the extension pipe and around all four walls I went sucking up webs and finally cornerd the offending eight legged individual before evicting it up the pipe.... I am not a house proud modeller, even SWMBO refuses to spend as little time as possible in my room, and finally after much huffing and puffing from her I finally took down the lamp shade to dust it - after three years!!! She called it dust, I called it insulation.... When she comes past the open door she gives a grunt or sigh of disaproval and then seems to catch the door so it closes so that I do not infect the rest of the house.... There is a place for everything and everything in a place - but not in my room, I know where things are that I need, and those I do not need are away. But I got away without dusting the top ornaments/car key shelf - that is for another day when I can say "Look dear! I am having a clean up...."

[BarryW]

I promised a photo after my second session

A lot busier but still tidy and organised. I had a quick run around with the desktop vac before putting down the tools. I have another cutting, sanding and glueing session later today so I just left the tools I used out. It will be busier still after my next session with more subs done.


another photo later of how I leave it overnight.