Re-furnishing the Study

This is where my Pain(t) Station desk used to be

I have not been doing much on the hobby front lately; first of all because we went on our annual family camping vacation the last two weeks of July, and then because it is so hot here in Denmark that it takes a lot  of guts to do anything but cower in the shadows.

Last weekend though, we spent packing and moving stuff from my late Mother-in-Law's estate outside Haderslev, and I have been busy emptying my trusty old desk in order to replace it with the somewhat larger and nicer desk formerly belonging to my, also late, Father-in-Law.

I also took the opportunity to organize some of the mess along the radiator under the windows (I have placed the bookcase 15-20 cm from the radiator, and as it has legs, I expect some kind of convection to happen when the radiator is on). Some of the figure cases are all but empty, and as soon as I have removed the last minis from them, I shall sell them off to free some space.

I have built another filament spool tower for the Prepping Station. I now have LotR minis on the right one, all kinds of mixed stuff on the other.

Yesterday I finally got the new desk put in place. I can store most of my paints in and on the desk, now, and as the Miniaturicum paint rack fits behind the elevated desktop, I am going to put something underneath it to be able to reach it while working - and I am going to print some racks to sit beside it, as there is plenty of room left.

So, next up is to find some suitable STL models for the extra racks, and boxes or the equivalent to elevate the racks.

In two and a half week we have Lea's postponed confirmation, and I shall be busy making preparations for it (moving stuff out of the living room so we can set up tables for the celebration, tidying up the garden and coutyard, etc., etc....), but after that, I expect to find time to work on the Smials for Frodo's Quest (and other projects).

Operation Cleansweep - the Next Level!

My prepping station has been cluttering up again, lately, and I think my 3D printing is now offering me a solution: I found files for printing parts to turn empty filament spools into a drawer storage organizing box, and it struck me that without the drawers, it becomes a stacked series of turning shelves instead.

So when I had two identical empty spools, I printed the base, one spacer and two center pieces, as well as one cover for the top (I Think I shall source some other files for drawers when I want to make an actual storage box).

After assembling it, I started organizing some of the clutter, and I already have much more workspace on the prepping station - and when I add a third spool, I think that I can actually get the cutting mat and the newspaper off the surface and get it cleaned properly, for once!

I may ad magnetic sheeting to the shelves to keep washer-based minis firmly in place, but for now, I am more than happy to just get the prepping station tidied up (as it has not been for about half a decade)!

Got Myself a Nice Sideboard

Today, we went to the permanent flea market in Kirkeby, and I found this sideboard, perfect for the purpose I needed it for.

For a long time, I have been wanting a place in the basement to put my schnapps away, and as it should be kept in the dark both while extracting and maturing, it needed to be something with doors.

I got the thing for DKK 250,- (about £30), and I am very happy with it!

As seen below, I only use two of the three sections - the last one is now used for storing homemade marmelades/jams and pickles like pickled beets, cornichons, and pickled gherkins-

This has freed up a lot of shelf space in the bar cabinet, the kitchen, and the basement, and I think my wife is rather chuffed by the arrangement, too!

Add to that, that I now have a much better overview over my WIP schnapps, as well as the bottles with the finished product, and this is an all over win-win!

Some Progress in the Attic!

Cosy Corner has been finished!

Yesterday, I took a deep breath, and ventured into the garage attic to start readying it for som gaming (this spring has hitherto been very cold, so I have not been very motivated.

As, however, our living room is beginning to look like Santa's workshop, I thought I should better move some stuff from there to the attic as soon as possible, and that means that I have to first work through the final stages of laying the floor down.

So, I moved a lot of stuff away from the area around the old trap door and the new stairwell, so I could get some of the boards fixed in place.

Of course I put some stuff back there as soon as I had a couple of boards in place in both sides, notably the drawer cabinet and the small table you can see in the last picture were moved away from Cosy Corner to allow the armchairs to be placed in front of the stove.

I have to work the next two nights, so I probably shall not get more work done until the weekend, but then I have eight days off, which should see me getting at least the middle boards up to the trap door laid down, and hopefully also get the area around the stairwell done.

The Attic Gets Cosier!

The first leather armchair for the Cosy Corner in Argonor's Attic has been acquired!

I also have an appointment to pick up another tomorrow.

They have cost me DKK 50,- each (plus a bit of petrol/gasoline), so all in all a bargain for a couple of comfy chairs for patrons to sit and read rules, sip cold drinks, or having a cup of coffee/tea.

I do not expect to organize Attic Attack III until after the summer holidays, as my vacation is very early this year, and I need to prepare a lot of things for a camping trip to Northern Italy.

Table Mended!

Got the screws in the wedges replaced today (also hammered the table top a bit to close a gap/crack that had formed between two parts of it).

We bereived the cat of its new favourite resting place earlier today, as we turned the table over for proper use.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get a little work done, there...

Mending the Table

We got the table overturned last night, and an inspection revealed, that not only has the leg come loose, but the tabletop seems to have shrunk a bit in the warm, dry living room, so that some of the wooden wedges holding the top in place against the frame no longer have a grip.

In addition to fixing the leg, I'll have to shift quite a few of the wedges, to secure a stable connection of the top and frame.

But I did manage to get the leg glued in place today (with the help of PVA and a rubber mallet), so I expect to get the table back to fullly operational status tomorrow, or Saturday at the very latest.

Major Obstruction!

Leg placed to support the table

I had planned to start working with the decals for the DreadBall team today, but, alas, the Powers that Be willed it differently...

While I was checking my email, and ordering a few bits and bobs, I noticed that the table (the old dining table in the living room, and on which I conduct extracurricular hobby activities) was a bit wobbly. I investigated the matter, and found the leg where I was sitting a bit askew. I assumed that the table had been pushed a bit by someone, so lifted the table corner to allow the leg to align itself - and it simply fell away!!

There I was, with my laptop in front of me, holding the table corner with one hand and trying to get hold of the table leg with the other...

Luckily, the table is solid oak, and very heavy, so it actually stands on three legs (as long as there is no object in the leg-less corner), so I managed to save the day, but the weight of the table also meant that I could not turn it over by myself for repairs - thus, no further tasks cold be performed on the table.

I placed the loose leg to support its corner, while I emptied the table (we wouldn't have candlestick, vase, and other stuff tilting onto the floor by a freak accident, now...).

Plain to see that something's askew...

My wife is trying to get the kids to sleep right now (it is Pancake Day, or Hvide Tirsdag/Mardi Gras, so we had pancakes with lots of syrup, which is, perhaps, not the best diet just before bedtime...), so I am not sure if we'll get the table overturned this evening.

I need the table space to lay things out on, when fiddling with decals, and cutting cardboard and foamboard for some stair for my Hidden Temple project, so I shall not be making progress until the table is fixed.

In the meantime, I'll try to get some painting done on an overdue sort of 'commissioned' task - but I am entering my 5-night work week tomorrow night, and I haven't had much luck finding painting time after sleeping 3/4 of the day after a night watch.

Well... 'crumbs are also food', as we say around here, and if I can once more make a habit of painting at least one hour each day, I should be able to make some progress, however slowly.