On the Go Paint Storage

I travel quite a bit in the local area with my paints. I'm always on the look out for an easier way to both transport and keep it organized. I have four paint cases from Reaper that have a foam interior that is cut out for paint bottles. These are apparently small pistol cases and I find them very handy, I use four of them. Three are used to carry the standard Reaper MSPs that I like to have with me when I go painting and the other is for the paints that I'm using on my current project. That way I'm not digging for or trying to remember what paint I was using from one session to the next. Each of these cases will hold 36 bottles. I like them but I need to figure out a way to label them since I'm constantly opening the wrong case looking for the color I want.  These cases will hold Vallejo and Scale Color (from Scale 75) bottles as well but those bottles are little taller and you have to force the cases shut when they are in there.

I was on TMP today and some one had find some cases at Joanne's for "Glitter Glue" that are just about perfect for my purposes. Each case comes with two trays to hold the bottles by their caps (in other words upside down). They are just the right height for Vallejo and Scale Color and each case will hold 64 paints. And since they are clear cases I can see what colors are inside them at a glance. It has a nice latch system and a handle so they will be easy to carry as well. These are a tad on the expensive side but they were 50% off today at Joanne's so I picked up two. I had first heard of these over on the Reaper Forums but had completely forgot about them till I saw the post on TMP today.

When I head over to the conventions I usually put everything in my roller bag. Since these look like they are re-purposed scrapbooking paper cases they should fit inside that quite nicely. I have heard some concerns that paint would leak when its stored like this. As long as your lids are on tight that shouldn't be an issue. I used to store my enamel and lacquer paints upside down so they wouldn't evaporate out of the jar. If you have some kind of shaker inside your bottles that's like to be up in the tip though so keep a sharp pointy object nearby to clear the tip.

The specifics in case you decide to give them a look: ArtBin, Glitter Glue Storage, 6959AB

And of course pictures are better than anything I can describe:

Here is the case, not quite empty. I started to fill it before I thought that maybe some pictures were in order. Clear case, with two trays inside each holding 21 bottles of paint, caps down.

Here is the first one that I filled with my Scale Color paints (which also took up a portion of the second case). I will at least fill the second tray in the second case with Vallejos. While I still own a lot of Vallejo paint I find I don't use it as much as I used to.

Here is the lid open. I actually wish the lid just came completely off, so I could leave the lid off while I'm painting.

Each of the trays also has a little "kickstand" as well. The trays are completely removable, so now that I think about it I can just take them out of the case completely while I paint.

Here is the case standing upright on the table. Two latches to hold the lid shut and a nice handle to carry it with.

Paint Transport for the Pack Rat

I am a self acknowledged pack rat and I like to have my stuff with me. I regular pack up my paints 2 or 3 times a week and paint at the local FLGS or at friends' houses. Although I have a container that holds my "ready" paints. I hate to be in a situation where I don't have something that I need. I have tried various snap tite containers over the last couple of years and overall they are pretty good. But they haven't held up to the constant transport abuse like I hoped they would. To that end I keep an eye out for something to supplement them with. Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Lowes and Home Dept are the usually culprits and the scrap booking and tool box sections are usually where I end up. Back in November I struck gold at Hobby Lobby. A transport designed for scrapbooking that was twice as wide as the ones I usually find. The interior compartment was deep and was sectioned off with compartments but closer examination showed that these were velcroed in place and could be removed. Three compartments on the outside and wheels with a collapsible handle sealed the deal. The price tag $130.00. Pretty rich for my blood, but then if you sign up for Hobby Lobby email alerts you get coupons for 40% off on a regular basis right to your email. So one month later this baby was mine. It has served very well and I have it packed full. Since its designed for a hobby that deals with paper its pretty sturdy and it looks like its going to hold up to my abuse for a long time. So here are the pics of the thing loaded down, including a shot of everything I'm currently carrying in the main compartment. It will be doubling as a troop transport when that need arises.

Yes, I know, the palette needs to be cleaned.

Here is the bag of holding shot. Three of the large snap tite cases, three of the medium snap tite cases, my Ott Light, a box of Vallejo Washes, a ziplock bag full of steel wool, six bags of Old Glory WWI Miniatures, one little box of Brigade Games WWI Miniatures, two Osprey Reference books and three Battlefront Flames of War books (because I keep forgetting they are in there). Not inside the box were the two sets of keys, the sunglasses, the newspapers or the dining room table.