Paint box suggestions

[BlindSquirrel]

I currently keep my paint in a tackle box. The problem is if the paint jars lie on their sides (so I can read the label) I run the risk of a leak.

If I put the jars upright in the bottom of the box, I have to pull out each one to see what color it is.

What do you guys use?

 

[Clerval]

Depends on the paint... some jars, I'll put a decent amount on the lid, if the lid's white and I can read the color. Then seeing it from the top's no problem. For my Vallejo line, I have to go by a chart and shake the bottles, and well it's a pain too... the Model Air line is small compared to their regular line, but still, lotta damn bottles. Vallejo's pretty goof proof for spills, so I'm lucky there.

Anyway, again, it depends. I only box up stuff that's relatively nasty, and it stays ventilated. I've just accepted that hunting through the nasty Floquil, etc is part of getting ready to work. For other colors, I have them sitting out, relatively in the open. In the past, I've used boxes, but kinda got to where you are, it's a pain if you need to find something on the fly.

I don't know of any perfect solution, maybe a lucky find of a spice rack, mount it to the wall so you can see the botttles from the side? I've really never even seen a good 'purpose built' paint stand for such.

Good luck, if anyone's got any ingenious solutions, I'd love to hear about them...

 

[BlindSquirrel]

I got this in my email...

I was browsing through the Replica Prop Forum and saw your post inquiring where to store paints. I would have contacted you through the forum, but I tried to sign up and got a message saying that the administrator had disabled registering. Anyway...

I use the "Paintier 40 Paint Carousel" made by Vatican Enterprises. I bought mine from Squadron (http://www.squadron.com/ItemDetails.asp?item=VAT10040). You can also see one here: http://www.wargamescenics.com/Paintier40.html. The second page has some nice pictures of one.

It is essentially a "Lazy Susan" (i.e. it spins around) made for holding paint bottles as well as brushes. It is very sturdy and can be lifted by the handle if you need to move it around. It will hold roughly 40 paint jars/bottles (maybe a few more if you are using very thin bottles). You can easily spin the device around and see the paint you are looking for.

I hope this helps.

Feel free to post this email on your topic at the RPF in case anyone else is interested.

-Matthew



Thanks Matthew. I may have to go this route.

 

[temponaut]

This isn't exactly an ingenious solution, and it may be more trouble than its worth. But my wife has basically the same problem with the dozens of bottles of spices she's got in the kitchen. Not that she's expecting a spill, but she can't read the label on a bottle without pulliing it out of the rack.

She ended up making little labels for the top of each bottle.

The paint carousel is an elegant solution (and how nice of the guy to e-mail you).

For anyone who wants to go a less expensive route, a sheet of Avery labels and a pen may do the trick.

 

[Watson]

I made this cheap and easy shelf system for my paints. I have since severly outgrown it and will be building a bigger one soon but it is nice. I just point the label facing out.

JDH

 

[Forsaken]

A friend of mine made a paint rack, a simple frame with a number of shelves, it looks like a simple wall hanging spice rack, or like JDHÂ’s rack pictured above.

The underside of each shelf had magnetic strips attached, the kind that hold hand tools so the magnets held the bottles face front and upright with the labels facing outward.
Only trouble is it can only be used with metal top bottles.

But I personally think JDH has the better idea.
Hope this idea is helpful.

Bye for now
Al