Craft Desk & "Arms Length" Environment for Working on Katana
Jan 30, 2022 23:01:19 GMT
Post by steveboy on Jan 30, 2022 23:01:19 GMT
I thought it might be useful to do a post on the craft desk and the "arms-length" tools/supplies/environment that I use for working on katana. Maybe some info could end up saving somebody some time, money, or frustration.
I live in a very small, open-plan house that used to be a library. It suits me great, but there's no garage, workshed, or closet space, so living & working there takes some thought & arrangement.
I compartmentalized my main work area into a music desk (DJ, podcast, music recording), a writing desk, and a sword-customizing desk.
For swords, I wanted a craft desk with storage and a work surface that would fit a sword. Some online searching turned up a Nextdoor seller with almost exactly what I wanted, for $35!
It was made by Crate & Barrel, and it had a working surface that slid out to reveal more storage:
My only problem was that it was solid black, and I thought it might be hard to find objects in the compartments. Plus, I'd rather examine painting and detail against a white background than a black one.
I painted the desk white with flat-black trim, and painted the separators black as well. Just for fun I used striping tape to paint an arc design on the top shelf. It ended up looking like a piano!
It fit nicely between garage shelving along one wall, and an Ikea Billy case I use for airbrush paints. And right under a window for natural light and paint-fume exhaust.
I set two spare Ikea shelves across the leg braces for a bottom shelf, where I keep spraypaints, clearcoat, solvents, and my airbrush mini-compressor:
I clamped an air-brush holder to the left edge (I'm left-handed). It holds an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS and a supercheap Harbor Freight airbrush that's a terrible airbrush but a fantastic mini-paintgun for clearcoating undiluted polyurethane:
Overhead view of the pullout surface:
Far right are clamps for tsuka-maki (I cork-lined some of them so they wouldn't mar the ito), cleaning brushes, a jewelers hammer (used far more often than the little brass nuki that comes with katana-cleaning kits).
Overhead view of the desktop:
Top left to right: Rat Fink coffeecup with paintbrushes, rattail files, needle files, rulers.
Mother's aluminum polish and water-spray bottle.
8' duct & 4" inline exhaust fan for my home-made collapsible foamcore paint booth.
Bottom shelf: microfiber rags, souffle cups for airbrush cleaning, headband jeweler's loupe (obscured by clamp-on worklight with tons of lighting options), X-acto knives, cup of magnets (surprisingly useful), tsuba, stencils.
This post was way more detailed than I originally intended! I hope some of it is useful, even if it just puts a bug in your ear about working on swords. It may seem like a very specialized thing to do, but most of the tools you need aren't specialized at all, and are either inexpensive or not hard to make yourself. I'm happy to answer any questions (if I can), and certainly glad to hear any suggestions!
I live in a very small, open-plan house that used to be a library. It suits me great, but there's no garage, workshed, or closet space, so living & working there takes some thought & arrangement.
I compartmentalized my main work area into a music desk (DJ, podcast, music recording), a writing desk, and a sword-customizing desk.
For swords, I wanted a craft desk with storage and a work surface that would fit a sword. Some online searching turned up a Nextdoor seller with almost exactly what I wanted, for $35!
It was made by Crate & Barrel, and it had a working surface that slid out to reveal more storage:
My only problem was that it was solid black, and I thought it might be hard to find objects in the compartments. Plus, I'd rather examine painting and detail against a white background than a black one.
I painted the desk white with flat-black trim, and painted the separators black as well. Just for fun I used striping tape to paint an arc design on the top shelf. It ended up looking like a piano!
It fit nicely between garage shelving along one wall, and an Ikea Billy case I use for airbrush paints. And right under a window for natural light and paint-fume exhaust.
I set two spare Ikea shelves across the leg braces for a bottom shelf, where I keep spraypaints, clearcoat, solvents, and my airbrush mini-compressor:
On the front left side of the pull surface I screwed in a brass hook and hung the resin lollipop I made for tsukamaki. I keep it in a baggie so it won't collect dust, and also so it won't get all over everything (including me):
I clamped an air-brush holder to the left edge (I'm left-handed). It holds an Iwata Eclipse HP-CS and a supercheap Harbor Freight airbrush that's a terrible airbrush but a fantastic mini-paintgun for clearcoating undiluted polyurethane:
Overhead view of the pullout surface:
Far left compartment: Masking & striping tape, metal polish, cement, & a cup of hishigame.
To their right at the top are knotting tools, hooks, & carpet needles for tsuka-maki; and clear nail polish I use to seal the tassle knots of sageo.
Below those, on the left side are business-card-sized maple veneer I use for shimming sageo at the koiguchi (and as makeshift glue applicators).
To their right is a shaving brush & a makeup brush, usually for cleaning tsuka. Also various spare ito/sageo cord lengths
Right of those, at the top: superglue, wood glue, and glue sticks (a good cheat for stiffening ito if you don't have a resin lollipop).
Below those on the left is a sewing kit. Mostly for making sageo tassles, sometimes for tightening a lace stencil around a saya.
Right of those are metallic brush paints (mostly Plaid Liquid Leaf).
To their right at the top are knotting tools, hooks, & carpet needles for tsuka-maki; and clear nail polish I use to seal the tassle knots of sageo.
Below those, on the left side are business-card-sized maple veneer I use for shimming sageo at the koiguchi (and as makeshift glue applicators).
To their right is a shaving brush & a makeup brush, usually for cleaning tsuka. Also various spare ito/sageo cord lengths
Right of those, at the top: superglue, wood glue, and glue sticks (a good cheat for stiffening ito if you don't have a resin lollipop).
Below those on the left is a sewing kit. Mostly for making sageo tassles, sometimes for tightening a lace stencil around a saya.
Right of those are metallic brush paints (mostly Plaid Liquid Leaf).
Far right are clamps for tsuka-maki (I cork-lined some of them so they wouldn't mar the ito), cleaning brushes, a jewelers hammer (used far more often than the little brass nuki that comes with katana-cleaning kits).
Overhead view of the desktop:
Top left to right: Rat Fink coffeecup with paintbrushes, rattail files, needle files, rulers.
Two katana-cleaning kits, one nice, one cheap.
Airbrush discharge pot.
Mother's aluminum polish and water-spray bottle.
8' duct & 4" inline exhaust fan for my home-made collapsible foamcore paint booth.
Bottom shelf: microfiber rags, souffle cups for airbrush cleaning, headband jeweler's loupe (obscured by clamp-on worklight with tons of lighting options), X-acto knives, cup of magnets (surprisingly useful), tsuba, stencils.
Beside the desk is an Ikea Billy bookcase:
Tools, supplies, airbrush paints on step shelves. My Wen flex rotary tool (a steal at $20) is on a hook on the right side.
This post was way more detailed than I originally intended! I hope some of it is useful, even if it just puts a bug in your ear about working on swords. It may seem like a very specialized thing to do, but most of the tools you need aren't specialized at all, and are either inexpensive or not hard to make yourself. I'm happy to answer any questions (if I can), and certainly glad to hear any suggestions!