Ahhhrgh!

Week two: still no studio! This is going slower than even I expected (not because I’m a pessimist mind, mostly because I’m a slow… well, lets say deliberate, decision maker). The space is getting closer to being fully signed off – but it’s currently still under construction.

I would have had a drill press by now, but after waiting a week for it to come in stock, the one that had been delivered to the store was faulty. Next week it will be mine…

The workbench store (mentioned last week) turned out not to do the sort of custom work I’m after, so despite drawing plans over the weekend I haven’t been able to send them off to get a quote just yet. Luckily, a hint from another maker (thanks Candice, wherever you are) has netted another economical workbench manufacturer.

The biggest time burner in the last day or so has been the sand blaster or ‘abrasive blast cabinet’. Once again, the internet was my friend, but to get beyond the superficial some serious investigation was necessary. The reviews I’ve seen of the cheaper models, which are seemingly available everywhere at the moment, say that they leak media and the internal fluoro light and dust extraction are both a bit iffy. Finding a better product sees the price jump from a range of $200-$900 to over $3k. (Burwell, Pan Abrasives, ABSS, Blastmaster all have models in a similar price range) That’s not in my budget, suffice to say. Tomorrow I’ll take the long drive to Dandenong to check out a couple in the flesh.