Some of you may know that I am a model maker for a company that builds tool and garage storge equipment and systems. At the recent Walldog event in Danville, I ran into a few "issues" of not having what I needed or simply not having my equipment organized very well. So additional time was spent searching for something that could or should have been easy to find!
Over the course of the weekend, Ted Turner and I were bouncing around the idea of building a tool cart designed for mural painting and or moblie sign painting. Generally, we thougt of something you might wheel in and out of a small trailer that would hold all the equipment you need for this type of work. We thought it would be great if this cart could be locked up at night and secured at the site. Or simply rolled in to a trailer as one unit?
I have decided to take this idea a bit further and build a functional ptrototype. I am looking for input as to what you think the paramiters for such a piece of equipment should include?
Should it have a work surface, and if so how big and made of what material? Is the weight of the unit a major concern? Should it have drawers or more cubic space behind locking doors? Does it need an air compressor and or power? Paint storage?
I have started doing some research on what types of similar carts already exist. There is nothing that I have found that suits the needs of this particular purpose yet. I did put together a short list of equiment that is used at a mural site.....
paints in a selection of colors that corresponds to colors in your preliminary design empty containers with lidscoffee cans, cups, etc for mixed colors primer rollers roller pads extension handles for your rollers rags and/or paper towels drop cloths buckets brushes in many sizes yardsticks beam compass masking tape painting palettes or trays for mixing colors metal scrapers to clean dried paint off palettes stirring sticks wire brushes brooms eye protection (goggles) ladders scaffolding paint spraying system milk crates or other sturdy boxes to store paint cans tunes, radio, iPod
If you have any thoughts or ideas on this, I'd love to hear them. Feel free to email me ideas if you have them also. For now I better get busy sketching up some idea concepts.
Thank you!
[ August 11, 2010, 10:53 AM: Message edited by: Dale Manor ]
Posted by Ken Henry (Member # 598) on :
Sun/rain protection system ? A shade tarp that can be rigged to scaffolding with a telescopic adjustable frame ? Also include sunscreen/sunglasses/ cool ties/ sunhat for those very bright sunny days.Sweatband optional.
Work area that hinges to the side of the cart and raised/supported by a couple of snap-in tubes ?
Solvent disposal/recycle cans & funnel when there's no practical place to dispose of used solvent, it should be stored safely until a suitable disposal depot can be found.
Chalklines, tapemeasures, plumb-bob line, rolls of saran wrap for temporarily storing/sealing roller covers that might be needed later.
A very interesting project to say the least
Posted by Tim Barrow (Member # 576) on :
Dale you might consider doing some research into the tool boxes the nascar teams use,...they are alot like the knap tool boxes that you commonly see on construction sites. they are kinda heavy though and shipping and transport restrictions may very well create logistical problems. I would think a tool box for the purpose you propose would have to be made out of a lighter substrate than sheet metal for shipping and hauling purposes,....the use of metal angle corner braces and brackets for support comes to mind here with a very light weight panel container on wheels with a foldout shelf and compartment or drawer cover to utilize as a mixing table,...
Posted by bill riedel (Member # 607) on :
Andy Goretsky had such a trailer which was well stocked and locked up each night on the location. You might want to talk to him. Bill
Posted by Dale Manor (Member # 4858) on :
I have been doing some research on what is out there so far. Tim, I also thought of the Nascar "war wagons" and found a few pictures in my library from recent trips to Talladega. Here is a few samples...
Now these things although cool, are way more elaborate than what would be required. They also run about $100,000 which is a bit much for the average mural or sign painter. But there are elements from these carts that I would like to incorporate into my design.
I think the fold out, pop-up canopy would be a nice feature. A stainless steel top work surface would also be nice. I'm not saying that this thing would have to be a huge wagon that would require a trailer to haul around. It might be a few modules, that once assembled, become a work surface/table with a pop-up canopy. It's all blue sky at this point.
All I know is, there has to be a better way to carry and organize all the equipment we need for this type of work! I just have to define the problem before I can develop a solution for it.
I am required to come up with a few new ideas during the course of the year and this is one that I intend to explore. So, once again, if anything comes to mind....toss it my way!
thank you,
Posted by Ed Gregorowicz (Member # 1842) on :
How about including a built-in 24 foot hydraulic man lift????
Posted by Dale Manor (Member # 4858) on :
My last wall was 40' tall....might need a built in boom lift!
Posted by Jackson Smart (Member # 187) on :
I am in the process now of painting a large mural downtown in Port Angeles, WA
All of my stuff fits neatly into the back of my Toyota truck and camper shell. I can unloadquickly now and have everything near me (within 20ft) I have a 10'x10' pop-up canopy (white) to reflect the sun that gets set up first Then I have a card table that I set up 4 ft from my tailgate and slide a flat plywood table out and set on the cardtable. Works as a mixing and cleaning table. The rest of the brushes and paints are in thier own seperate containers. A five gallon water jug sits on the end of the tailgate for water. There are two of us doing the mural (1150 sq ft). It sets up and takes down very easily. I take my truck home each night. I have a place to park next to the mural on the sidewalk. We sit on lawn chairs and bring a couple of small coolers with water and food when we need to take a break. It is also right downtown, two blocks from the ferry to Victoria, BC...so we also get a lot of tourists. They are fun to visit with. We tell the whole story of the mural at least 12-15 times a day. We tried to ignore them at first...but alas....they won't be ignored.....so we paint and visit. Also we are putting thier names in the mural (for a tidy donation) of course. This whole system suits us well....and we are having fun. Great summer weather here.
Interesting idea tho...to keep it in a big rolling cart....that would have worked for us also. Maybe next time.
Jackson
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
I've often thought about the mobile cleaning carts that cleaners at shopping centres use... bucket & cleaning chemical space underneath, an area for brooms & mops or long handles like roller extensions, & other assorted storage areas, all in a footprint of about a bit under 3' x 2'- Wheels at the front & castors at the back, & somewhere to hold your mug of coffee & some app tape, & a garbage bag holding area at the back to toss rubbish in to.
Here, they sell at around the $100 ish.
Posted by George Perkins (Member # 156) on :
How big is this going to be??? It sounds like it might be a whole lot easier to modify a small enclosed utility trailer like Bill mentioned. Put an rv awning on the side for shade. A pneumatic rubber tired flip down tongue wheel would make it easily movable.
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
Power! An electrical outlet plus a hidden extension cord. Maybe a false bottom can store the electrical cord. Big wheels, extra heavy duty, with brakes, so it can easily be rolled onto the bed of your truck. Or maybe something that hooks up with a trailer hitch, like this,,,
I thinks this is a mobile mini restaurant.
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
A set of sturdy stackable boxes that you can use to sit on and as table tops for your paint on the scaffolding. It saves a lot of reaching and stretching. The boxes should be rectangular versus square so there is a variance of working levels.
A clamp on pulley and a bucket on a rope so you can have a system to hoist things up to the top and lower them from the scaffolding.
Light sheets with clips or velcro that can be hooked onto the scaffolding for shade.
My father made padded seats that were a pentagon with three 1" legs screwed on that allowed the seats to sit securely on a 5 gallon pail. You could use the pails for water or throw some ice in and use them to keep drinks cold, store your paint in them, etc and they stacked up for transport. He used them for fishing.
Paint brush holders, paper towel rack, space for stackable paint containers, clipboards for artwork....
Hope some of these help.
Posted by Ted Turner (Member # 2799) on :
I have been in the process of a cart / wagon for the last couple of months. big enough for the bed of the truck, not so heavy I can't get it out myself.
With all the aluminium we have available at the shop, there are plenty of fabricating options. ( plus I need a nice surface for a trick paint job on it...)
Heavy duty totes for storage, a detachable rack maybe? lighting for night time paint mixing and cleanup. Probably want some drawers for the little stuff that gets lost also.
I have a nice set of Bridgestone enduro cart slicks and polished wheels to go with it. Should probably finish making spindles from the other project so this can have four wheel steering.
Might as well put a 5hp Tecumseh on it and drive it from wall to wall ( you think I am kidding?)
Posted by Tim Barrow (Member # 576) on :
I just remembered when I was working on the nascar circuit 15 years ago I had a sheet of half inch mdo with casters mounted thru it,that would roll out and the casters would catch on the slot for the tailgate hinge. This gave me a quick and efficient table to work off and made cleaning out the bed of the truck a snap. it was a great way to organize mu paint and tools so I could simply remove several gallons of paint and then with a helper empty out the bed of the truck on short notice and have space to haul panels,...the casters were mounted from the top of the board thru slots to save vertical space and keep the bed clean on the truck. here is a rough diagram,...it saved me alot of work from time to time painting on location,....
Posted by Chris Lovelady (Member # 2540) on :
wow timi that looks cool and very efficient...so it slid up into into a bracket is that to keep it stable. I like this!
Lovelady
Posted by Tim Barrow (Member # 576) on :
Chris the board was the length of the pickup bed and I put the casters where they would slip into the space that is just above the hinge on the tailgate when pulled out. I could empty out the bed to clean it in seconds by setting the board on sawhorses with the help of a buddy. all we had to do was set out the heaviest cans of paint and then roll it out onto the bucks.the casters followed the groves in the bed and it was really handy when I had to paint out of the back of the truck on site.I could also roll it out farther to reach stuff in the front of the bed without reaching over the side and getting paint on the truck.
[ August 14, 2010, 10:26 PM: Message edited by: Tim Barrow ]
Posted by Carl Wood (Member # 1223) on :
Why not just buy a van ????
Posted by Dale Manor (Member # 4858) on :
I could do that Carl but I would still have to carry everything out and set it up at the site. I've found that you can't always pull right up to where you are painting.
Plus I want to have all my stuff together and organized so it is easy to find. No more searching for stir sticks, paint cans, etc. Be nice to have it all set up with a built in canopy and table to work from.
Playing around with this idea could take me in a totally different direction that I haven't even thought of. This is the process of new product development.
Not to mention one of my goals in life is getting through my entire life never having to drive a Mini Van.
Posted by Tim Barrow (Member # 576) on :
Dale you might consider more than one container that will link in some manner to make a larger work station,if you want them to be transportable for shipping purposes when you fly to a location and or as you say "I've found that you can't always pull right up to where you are painting." That might make the process of setting up shop a lot simpler and more practical considering the number of tools and materials you might need for a large mural.
[ August 17, 2010, 12:47 AM: Message edited by: Tim Barrow ]
Posted by FranCisco Vargas (Member # 145) on :
dale, what you want is a tough one to put together, I know from that mural in Selma, everyday we would set up a 10'x10' canopy like the flea markets the roll out two carts full of paints, hoses, tarps, extention cords, compressors, five gallon buckets, etc, etc, took about 15-20 minutes each morning. Then wrap it all up and roll it back for the day. very time consuming. I see what you mean about just roll out and start. From your kits I see your a very organized guy. I think you'll come up with something. but if your asking, then those pics of the Cadillac carts from the racing teams. might be a little heavy. So I think a trailer, a Step Van, or an RV might be your ticket. Set up with a generator, compressor and all your goodies. you could even have a bed in it. I had one kind of set up like that once.
Posted by Bill Davidson (Member # 531) on :
Question. Is the terrain flat and smooth to the base of most of your jobs? To pull or push a cart on rollers? Send me an email with your answer. Have an idea for a pretty simple trailer type thingy, one you could push or pull!
Posted by Dale Manor (Member # 4858) on :
Hi Bill,
Could you shoot me your email address and I'll send my response to your post.
My email is...
dalemanor@netscape.net
Posted by Chris Lovelady (Member # 2540) on :
Dale, saw a contractor last week and this was his rig...not sure if this is what you meant. He made this himself.
Lovelady
Posted by Tim Barrow (Member # 576) on :
Chris The one I made wasn't quite as fancy nor as clean after the first week or so,....I only used 2"x2" dividers to keep the paint cans from sliding around in the bed and to keep weight down,...then we used a bed cover to keep everything dry,...
Posted by Carl Wood (Member # 1223) on :
Hey....ANYtime ya git into that much labor; well, ain't that what the "Un-documented Workers" are for????
[ August 24, 2010, 02:46 AM: Message edited by: Carl Wood ]
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
Now something like the above boxes that slide out from the truck bed that actually had folding legs on casters (based on the premise below) that you could fold out from underneath and adjust and lock in place to fit the terrain would be my idea of useful. I'm thinking of a release catch on the truck bed until you had the legs underneath them that would allow you to wheel the whole setup away from the truck and then wheel back and slide back into the bed.
I thinks this is a mobile mini restaurant.
