Thursday 16 February 2012

The Modelling Table

In response to a request from Peter Douglas, here is my modelling/painting area in all it's glory!
Occupying the window end of my 'toy room', the Formica-topped table began life in my parents' kitchen in the '60s, and has been my modelling table for 30 years!  It's matching chairs perished in the 1970s.  At 2x3 feet, it is also the ideal size for pasting wallpaper - a role it has performed in at least four houses (most recently last week!).  No doubt it will collapse in a heap at some point, but I see no point in seeking a replacement until that happens.  The chair was liberated during an office clearance, as indeed were the bin and metal drawers (albeit different offices).  The Anglepoise lamp is at least 30 years old and uses a 'daylight' bulb.
The metal drawers to the left of the table contain various bits including balsa wood, some works in progress and (in the top two) tools. 


In the corner of the room lurks this 30cm wide cabinet (from Ikea) in which I store flock, decals, glue and my reserve stock of paintbrushes.
Perched atop the cabinet is this drawer unit which escaped from my father's office in the early 70s.  Following a long career of toy car storage it now accommodates paint.  The separate tray on the top (from JR's attic) is filled with Vallejo paints.  Does anyone know what 'Dewhurst's Sylko' was?
Increasingly sidelined by the Vallejo upstarts, the Humbrol acrylics (actually all my paints are acrylics).
Most of my books are in other rooms, but I keep a few to hand depending on what I'm painting.
A toy room essential - sound!  Some of these components are probably antiques by now.  The Cambridge Audio DAB tuner is a mere stripling of only ten summers while the CD player dates from 1993.  The amp and cassette deck (my apologies to younger readers who may be baffled by such things) date from 1983...

26 comments:

Conrad Kinch said...

There's something just wonderful about having your own spot - where you can leave things and come back to them. After years of living in flats it's one of the things that I enjoy most about having my own home.

Robert (Bob) Cordery said...

Tim,

Having a wife who makes her own clothes, I can tell you that Dewhurst's Sylko was a type of sewing thread. It was spun in Skipton (Belle Vue Mills) and I think that the company is now part of the Coats Group.

All the best,

Bob

Tim Gow said...

Conrad Kinch
A dedicated toy room is a great luxury and I feel very lucky to have such a thing!

Tim Gow said...

Bob Cordery
Ah - that makes sense - JR's wife is a dressmaker.

Paul said...

I am quite impressed by the sense of order and structure in this most enjoyable post.

I now feel very worried about the state of rampant chaos that seems to reign in the loft.

The music system is most impressive and kit like that never goes out of date.

Your music selection however was missing...

Springinsfeld said...

All looks frightfully organised and tidy... well done
cheers
Mike

Tim Gow said...

Springinsfeld
I did have a special tidy-up. You should see it today...

Tim Gow said...

Paul
The order was very short-lived, as someone just sent me a box of toys.... The music system makes a splendid noise, though I do have to thump one of the speakers sometimes. Do you really want a post on the CD shelves?

Steve-the-Wargamer said...

Feel like I could move in without changing anything... same drawer contents as my little place up in the eave's and until mine fell apart even the stereo looks familiar.. still have the speakers but the NAD amplifier (circa 1980) went to the great valve grave yard on the sky some time ago....... :o)

PS.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRib-2A1shwNnfy2LxCn1w-GFR1lJM8grsIKTg2cmWlzjGaBu2U

Tim Gow said...

Steve the Wargamer
Thanks for the pic - they do look rather familiar. A Nad amp? Blimey, I thought my stuff was old. I did have an old Nad amp for a while - the occasionally crunchy sound was bearable, the eventual smoke less so...

Paddy said...

Tim in photo 1 you appear to have 11 or 12 black basecoated 1:1200 ships on the table. Is this another competition for night time recognition?

The battleship is big - possibly Bismark but could be Yamato? The next one looks like a falt top but is small - possibly an escort carrier. Then I think I can also see a couple of light cruisers - Suffolk class? Possibly a copule of Tribals and is that a u-boat at the back?

Hugh Walter said...

Ooh! HI FI 'separates' I went with a Tectnics/Marantz layout! AND I had to hit the speakers occasionally!

I though Dewhurst's were the 'Master Butchers' and had images of an animal by-product that would shine hair or something! Glad to know it's not!!

Al said...

Cool post, my work area is never than tidy, I think the more one has the more you spread out sometimes :)

Tim Gow said...

Paddy
If it had been a competition you'd be leading the field! Future posts will cover these various ship models. The BB is indeed Yamato, the flat-top a bodged-up escort carrier. There are two Hipper-class cruisers and a pair of Yubari CLs, and some smaller stuff. As to your possible submarine sighting, it may just have been a glimpse of periscope....

Tim Gow said...

Maverick Collecting
The hi-fi seperates seem to have quite a following! I nearly bought a Marantz amp instead of the Pioneer.

Tim Gow said...

Al
I know what you mean - just don't ask to see the rest of the room! Last weekend it took me at least half an hour to clear the wargames table to set up a game.

Paddy said...

Tim,

LOL! Brilliant! Your collection closely mirrors my own. I've just comissioned HMS Cossack, HMS Sikh, Z-16 and U-22 into my RN and KM fleets respectively. I'm planning to buy Ark Royal's air wing, 3 merchantmen and some U-boats at Cavalier next weekend. So will soon be able to play some serious convoy battles.

You are ahead of me on the Japanese - where did you get the Yubari's from?

Tim Gow said...

The Yubaris (and yes I do know there was only one really) are metal models - very crisp castings with separate turrets. More info if I find it.

Peter Douglas said...

Tim

Thanks for the picture - far too organized for me to emulate but the table looks like one I have in the basement.

PD

Tim Gow said...

Peter Douglas
It took a long time to get things organised!

Ken H said...

I find this post strangely reassuring. My wife has banished me to a room now referred to as "the war room". Ikea have provided the cupboardage, messrs Creek, Pioneer, Rega and B&W have facilitated the music ( all kit from the 1990s and still sounding first class) but Mrs H still complains about what she refers to as "the mess and guddle" that I allegedly work in. Whereas it is of course simply a series of projects at different stages of non-completion...

Tim Gow said...

Ken H
On this blog at least Ken, you are among friends!

Ken H said...

I wish I could send you a picture of my cuboard and top shelf unit - you could play spot the wargame book..or "snap" I suppose more probably!

Tim Gow said...

Ken H
One of the joys of visiting other peoples 'toy rooms' - phisically or virtually - is the degree of commonality. Where in N Yorks are you?

Ken H said...

just north of Skipton

Tim Gow said...

Ken H
Not a killer journey then... Do you get to Triples at Sheffield?