Sorry for the neglect of the blog lately but to tell the truth I’ve actually been doing hardly anything hobby related for quite a few weeks now. It’s just been one of those periods of constant real life distractions. Not least of which has been moving house.
Since this has been my first chance to actually have all of my own furniture and stuff I’ve taken the opportunity to actually go with some kind of decor/theme. I like the aged vintage beach and French industrial styles so I’ve been buying furniture to fit in with that. Some stuff though it’s easier/cheaper to do yourself – the hobby desk being one such item. I have to admit though that primary inspiration for this came from my mate Seb – he recently picked up a cool looking vintage hobby desk and emailed me a photo to brag share his excitement 
Since my hobby desk will again be in my bedroom (it’s a single bedroom duplex bachelor pad) I decided that my existing hobby desk was just too “office furniture” looking. I didn’t want to spend big money on a new desk though, so after looking around I came across an old used timber desk for $50. It’s a lot smaller than my old desk but since it has 5 drawers I figure I’ll be able to make more efficient use of the desktop space.
I got some paint mixed up and painted it “Calypso Blue”. Then distressed it (which entails attacking the edges randomly with sandpaper). Then wiped on a dark grey-brown glaze to give the paint an aged appearance. The end result is great.
The top that the desk came with was just crappy laminate so I decided it had to go. I bought a sheet of laminated pine from the hardware with the intention of staining it an aged colour. But I found that I quite liked the juxtaposition of the aged blue and the new pine so I simply lacquered it as it was. Admittedly I made the top a bit wide for the base – I might yet cut a little bit off each end so it looks more appropriate.
Here’s a pic:
The next trick is to sort out some drawer handles and then it will be properly finished, but in the meantime I couldn’t help but get the desk set up. I was right about the usefulness of the drawer space! The wide single drawer on the right is fantastic for storing all of the various stock materials (styrene strip and tube, etc.). The other drawers are organised into:
- Large hand tools (the Chopper II, saw, calipers, dial gauge)
- Mould making (Lego, clay, MDF boards)
- Other consumables (terrain making supplies, sandpaper)
- Misc figures and kits
I’m sure it will get organised differently once I start actively using it again. My next trick is to get my compressor and casting gear setup so that I can continue painting my SAW!
Next week on Homemaker Addict we’ll be discussing crochet for the modern housewife….. :p
2 Responses to “New Hobby Desk”
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August 1st, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Looking good! I could easily mistake that desk for being 30 years older than it really is – forgivable when it comes to furniture, not so much with people :p
Speaking of casting; I’ve been wistfully pining for a stack of your futuristic infantry parts ever since they were originally showcased last December. Are you still planning on making them available to buy at any point? Or perhaps you might cast a dozen for me as a one-off? I’ve not found anything like a contact email address, but if possible I’d love to discuss a purchase with you.
Cheers!
-Dan
August 1st, 2012 at 3:20 pm
It’s quite possible that the desk itself is that old – it’s just the paint job that isn’t
I’m really sorry about those infantry components. They are coming, but my associates are having delays getting set up. Let me find out an ETA for you and if it’s going to be too long I’ll arrange casting you up a bunch myself!