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Author Topic: Bison's Tales of Hobby Crafting  (Read 56224 times)

Bison

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on: September 12, 2021, 04:53:13 PM
Ok. So this is not a game AAR. But it is an account of my ongoing hobby projects that will enable playing games.

Mostly my hobby table consists of painting miniatures. I am not a great painter but I enjoy it. Be prepared to be wowed and amazed and bored by my tales of making scenery, RPG bits and bobs, clipping counters, putting felt on things, and other sorted fantastic tales of grown child adventure!

A couple of notable details:
 
1. My pile of potential (a.k.a. pile of shame, a.k.a source of many questions from the wife) is mostly RPG miniatures, a couple of piles of 10mm pewter minis for DBA armies, and Games Workshop stuff for Middle Earth and WH40K.

2. I have a sheet of MDF. It's 4x8. It will become a battle board and some scatter terrain. I have had it for a long time now. Life gets in the way of my hobby ambitions.

3. I have not painted a miniature in about 2 years due to work and moving.

4. ...well...uh...there is no number four unless having a pile of rulebooks counts. Cause I have a good many of them that come and go across the table.

My name is Bison. I make a mess doing things. I use those things to occupy boxes, shelves, and my game table. Enjoy the journey. And please share yours if you feel so inclined.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2021, 05:32:41 PM by Bison »



Bison

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Reply #1 on: September 12, 2021, 04:58:54 PM
A tale of a man and his airbrush.

So I bought an airbrush several years ago. It's an Iwata Eclipse. Of course, all hobby tools require other tools and accessories. I have a portable paint booth and some other do-dads. I also have the required compressor. It's blue and likes to occupy space at my feet.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2021, 05:31:17 PM by Bison »



Bison

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Reply #2 on: September 12, 2021, 05:07:20 PM
A few weeks ago...I decided I was going to finish building some WH40K models I started a couple of years ago. Of course, as I often do, I got sidetracked and purchased Middle Earth Battles of Pelennor Fields. I actually built all the models. Now I need to paint them.

I tried to spray primer once from a rattle can. It was a disaster. The weather was hot, humid, and generally not friendly for rattle can work.  This is how I developed my initial scheme. Bison if you cannot manage a spray paint primer there is only one thing to do. Buy an airbrush. So I did.

Anywho...fast forward to twenty years into the 21st Century and there was setting up the airbrush to prime some Lord of the Rings models. I primed over 40 models black in one night. A lifetime world record.
« Last Edit: September 12, 2021, 05:27:22 PM by Bison »



Bison

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Reply #3 on: September 12, 2021, 05:10:20 PM
Here's Troll and a couple of random models including some orcs and a horse. I am not a photographer. The lighting sucks. I know. I also paint in equally crappy lighting conditions.

I now need to figure out how to actually paint a horse ... :censored:



bbmike

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Reply #4 on: September 12, 2021, 06:02:59 PM
Great idea! I look forward to the coming tales.  8)

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Tolstoi

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Reply #5 on: September 12, 2021, 06:31:41 PM
I agree with bbMike: Great idea!  :) 

Looking at your portable paint booth, it looks like it has good lighting; however, I'm curious about how you handle the ventilation? Do you spray outside? In the garage? Your set up looks great, thanks for sharing with us. :bigthumb:



Doctor Quest

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Reply #6 on: September 12, 2021, 06:35:43 PM
Looking at your portable paint booth, it looks like it has good lighting; however, I'm curious about how you handle the ventilation?

I had the same question. :nerd:

"Everything you read on the internet is true." - Benjamin Franklin

"Something so addictive about the whole kill and loot dynamic, though." - Gusington


Bison

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Reply #7 on: September 12, 2021, 08:17:57 PM
The ol' paint booth story, eh? Well dear fellows please do not judge me too harshly. It's a tale of woe, danger, and questionable decision-making.

You ever see the people of Walmart and their car photos? You know the ones with the hot tub in the trunk that are powered by a generator duct taped to the bumper? Well it's not quite so bad but I did put a lot of creative engineering skills to work. I am a desperate hobbyist. Desperate times and situations require quick and decisive thinking. Weigh the risk and overweigh the reward outcomes...and bam there you are air brushing in the master bathroom until midnight.

Now ideally the booth is designed to push venting air out a window. It comes with a coupler to attach to the back of the fan, 6' of hose, and a contraption to slide under a window. See the photo below. It's a Master's paint booth. You can get them on Amazon.



I planned to place the booth in the garage. I cleared a table. Mastered the garage door to the point I could stop it just inches off the ground. Measured the distance from the booth table to the garage door. I had it all calculated out. Fast forward to the weekend. The wife undertakes a major minimization purge operation. The garage is fill up with opened boxes and the folding tables are cluttered with odds and ends of her efforts. Being a man of action I sprung into execution and pushed caution to the side. Did Columbus wait for GPS to sail the ocean's blue? Hell, no. He hopped in a ship and headed out into the yonder!

I setup the booth on a folding table in the master bathroom. From previous experience, I knew the fan and filter system deals with a good 95% of paint fumes. The other 5% goes into the air, sure, but mostly it passes through the filters and the hose into the air outside the window. The bathroom exhaust fan and a floor fan provide additional air circulation. The key to the Operation Paint Booth Panic was a little contraption I rigged to catch the exhaust air, provide an extra filter, and additional counter-measure to prevent paint particles from getting free.

I attached the fan couple as normal. Acquired my trusty roll of painter's tape, a Walmart plastic bag, packing paper, and a box (thanks to the wife's efforts in the garage). I filled the plastic bag with shredded paper towel,  loosely covered the bag with packing paper, and inserted it into a box. All secured with blue painter's tape. An ingenious contraption which surprised myself and other doubters in the house with it's effectiveness. Do I recommend this to you dear readers? Hell, no. It's a dumb idea that only a desperate fool would undertake. See exhibit A for the makeshift secondary filtration system. The box and packing paper have been removed as the booth is currently located on my hobby table in the walk-in closet. Life in a walk-in closet is a long tale for another day.

Honestly, it worked well as a temporary solution. However, I do wear a mask when air brushing and if I had been working with anything but acrylic paints I would not have done it. The whole operation is powered by my trusty little blue compressor. See him in all his glory below. I think a tale of compressors is in order for another day.





« Last Edit: September 12, 2021, 08:21:25 PM by Bison »



thecommandtent

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Reply #8 on: September 12, 2021, 08:37:50 PM
This is my new favorite thread.



Also, I relate to points 1-4 and feel very called out.  ;D



Doctor Quest

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Reply #9 on: September 12, 2021, 09:39:36 PM
Brilliant!

"Everything you read on the internet is true." - Benjamin Franklin

"Something so addictive about the whole kill and loot dynamic, though." - Gusington


Bison

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Reply #10 on: September 12, 2021, 11:58:08 PM
Brilliant!

Thanks. I think with a little more over engineering there is real potential for further development.

Also, I relate to points 1-4 and feel very called out.  ;D

It's a vicious cycle. The true challenge I have failed to comprehend and overcome is not adding more to the to do list. My game store miniatures dealer assures me you cannot die if you still have miniatures to paint. I chose to accept his word.

The contraption held up for another night of priming. All have have left is the Fell Beast but I need to glue the flying stick securely first. Anyway, I am itching to slap some paint on some figures. So I think I will move in that direction tomorrow. I just need to find my trusty painting towel first...



bob48

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Reply #11 on: September 13, 2021, 06:48:32 AM
This makes for fascinating reading  :bigthumb:

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Undercovergeek

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Reply #12 on: September 13, 2021, 07:33:47 AM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9TmgE-EHxlA&t=862s

Easy to do horses from a guy who hates doing horses



Bison

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Reply #13 on: September 13, 2021, 05:04:25 PM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9TmgE-EHxlA&t=862s

Easy to do horses from a guy who hates doing horses

I can appreciate his feelings. The contrast paint line is not something I have experimented with yet but I like the look of his brown toned horses. 



Undercovergeek

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Reply #14 on: September 13, 2021, 05:37:44 PM
I kind of wussed out on my horses - morgul knights I did black which was the base coat anyway and highlighted with grey

The elves I left corax white and shaded with contrast apothecary white