How much time do you spend at a modeling session?

[crazyjim]

About 2 hours every day.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Unfortunately for me, not nearly enough time in most cases.

I would love to spend a few hours every day at the bench, but there are other things that take precedence that need to be done.

 

As it is, I'm lucky to get 2 or 3 hours a week in the shop, and often times, if I can get that much free time, it's likely all in one session.

Either that, or it's 15 minutes here and there throughout the week.

Goes a long way to explaining why it can take me a year or more to complete a project.

 

 

 

Steve

[Anglia105E]

I find that I usually spend around 2 or 3 hours in my loft (attic) workshop, actually building models, but I also spend a great deal of time at the planning stage, which includes studying reference photos and Google searching on the computer. Sometimes I am held up while waiting for paint to dry overnight for 24 hours or longer, in which case I work on some other aspect of the same model. I do try to work on only one model at any one time.

Being retired, and also having an understanding wife who likes gardening at her allotment, this allows me to go up to the top floor of the house whenever I get the opportunity. One build usually takes around 2 months, but the current Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud build is going to be way longer than 2 months.

David

[Tom Geiger]

A bit of advice from a Certified Ergonomist.. First you need to make sure you have set yourself up correctly. The right chair, at the right height, to a bench at the right height. And proper lighting. 

Then just like office work.. sit at the bench for 45-50 minutes, then get up for a short break. Walk around, stretch your muscles, refocus your eyes on far away objects like across the room. 

Bathroom break, sip of water and you should feel refreshed enough for the next hour.

You will be more productive, and have given muscles you are overusing a break. 
 

 

[BDSchindler]

Until recently, my time in the Hobby Room has been sparse.  For instance, I have a GTX project I started last year and work had been such a PIA that I was tired by the end of the day and weekends were spent split between the Honey-Do list and, spending time with the wife and/or family (Vacations, Family get-togethers and so forth), or a function at my Daughter's School (She's a Senior at Towson Unversity).

I will carve away time for a 2-3 hour sprint or until I get frustrated that I stop before I try to embed something I am working on into the wall.

Recently, however, I retired after 45 years in I.T. (yep, I am 65 now) and over the last 3 weeks, put a major dent in the Honey-do list (Honestly...I am busier now than I was in the last 30 years!!!!!!  refinished 3 peices of furniture and built a cabinet my wife has been wanting me to do for a looooong time!  I think it's more my wife trying to find things to keep me busy and out of her hair! She is still working from home for The Discovery Channel.  Jokingly, I put in a request with her for a Vacation day to go into the Hobby Room for a day!  She just rolled her eyes.)

My plan is to spend a couple of hours a day or week going forward but I'll need to clear that with the boss first!  😁

 

[Chris in Berwyn]

I was at my bench the other day wondering this same thing.  For me it’s usually 2 hours max. I usually have an automotive show on TV (Wheeler Dealer, Kindig’s show, etc) or music in YouTube. I also get much less done than I should be able to in that time, and just keep adding stuff no one will see (hmmm…maybe I should add a fuel line after all….)

[StevenGuthmiller]

6 minutes ago, Chris in Berwyn said:

I also get much less done than I should be able to in that time, and just keep adding stuff no one will see (hmmm…maybe I should add a fuel line after all….)

Who cares!

If it's fun, do it.

Having fun is the whole point.

 

 

 

Steve

[Ulf]

Everything from a few minutes to hours in pursuit of what I'm really chasing, nirvana, flow when I forget time and space. Sometimes I reach this state and it is always just as wonderful. This summer, my wife saw how I got there when I was sitting in our little former guest cabin at the summer house and she really spoils me for these moments Good strategy and planning for construction evenings when my wife has some commitment makes room for this

[LL3 Model Worx]

In the winter time my work schedule allows for some good build time.

I alternate weekends and work four 10hr days... so one week I work 

Monday-Wednesday then off Thursday and Friday and then work Saturday and Sunday. Then the next week I'm off Monday and Tuesday then work Wednesday-Friday and off Saturday and Sunday...rinse and repeat.

So from October- April/May I never work more than 3 days in a row without 2 days off and my wife works mon-friday so I get alot of alone time.

And I spend 90% in my hobby room.

The warmer months is alot tighter on time.

[Ace-Garageguy]

37 minutes ago, Ulf said:

Everything from a few minutes to hours...

Must be wonderful to have a wife who has her own interests, isn't jealous of time you spend doing what you enjoy, and is secure enough in her own identity...and value to both herself and you...that she doesn't need constant companionship and reassurance.

[LL3 Model Worx]

1 minute ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Must be wonderful to have a wife who has her own interests, isn't jealous of time you spend doing what you enjoy, and is secure enough in her own identity...and value to both herself and you...that she doesn't need constant companionship and reassurance.

Yea, stop spying on me bro... 🤣

[Bills72sj]

2 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Must be wonderful to have a wife who has her own interests, isn't jealous of time you spend doing what you enjoy, and is secure enough in her own identity...and value to both herself and you...that she doesn't need constant companionship and reassurance.

I have one of those too. On rare occasions she says something about how I have too many models. I jokingly tell her I could take up gun collecting and drinking if it will make her feel better.

[Ace-Garageguy]

5 hours ago, Bills72sj said:

I have one of those too. On rare occasions she says something about how I have too many models. I jokingly tell her I could take up gun collecting and drinking if it will make her feel better.

A girl I was considering getting involved with asked why I had so many models, 'cause "you can only play with one at a time...and aren't they expensive?"

I asked her how many $400 dollar pairs of shoes she could wear at one time (already knowing she had a closet full).

Her response was about on the meltdown level you get if you answer "it's not the pants" when asked the classic "do these pants make my butt look fat?" 

No more romance there, for which I'm daily thankful.   

Edited October 31, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy
TYPO

[CabDriver]

I try and get in a couple of hours a day, minimum - and if I’m not working on a particular thing I still try and achieve SOMETHING, or practice a new skill or even just tidy a little.

I challenged myself this year to hit an hour a day of PRODUCTIVE time every single day, rain or shine, and mark off on a calendar when I managed it.  I’m on a 90+ day streak right now, and I find that the longer the streak the more I wanna keep working.  That’s 90 hours of focused building (or at least, practicing some skill) that I might otherwise have spent on the couch or watching a show or whatever that I wouldn’t have had otherwise probably, and I’ve enjoyed it being a part of my routine

But also, I keep remembering something that I saw famed lowrider builder Armando Flores say in a GREAT video - if he has 5 minutes spare to work on SOMETHING, he’ll take it (and his productivity and results speak for themselves).  I’ve been conscious of taking any little bits of down-time in my day to try and think “ok, what can I do right now so I’m ready for doing something more later…”

Of course, if it ever feels like a JOB I’ll take a break too - I already have a real job and I don’t need a pretend one 🤪

[restoman]

I'm a bit jealous of those folks that can spend long periods of time at their bench.

My actual "build bench" is a piece of 3/4" plywood that I lay across my legs (I'm a chair-user most times) and any more than a couple of hours has my back, neck and eyes ready to walk due to the abhorent labour conditions.  Rare days, I can squeeze in two sessions in a day.

My big bench is in the basement, where the kits, parts, etc are kept. My build bench is in a corner of our living area, so keeping it small and contained is a must. A small three-legged corner table, a swing-arm lamp, most of my small build tools, and a kit or three (always put back in the box or a safe space when I'm done for the day) is all that's near the build bench at any given time. Mrs. resto rarely ventures into my basement workshop, so leaving my build bench area tidy keeps the peace. 

Typically, when starting something, I spend more time planning and mocking things up than actual building. I've found things go much easier (I don't care about faster) when I know how it all fits together, and seeing as how the big tools and parts are in the basement, getting the build organized can take some time before the glue and paint comes out.

Through the summer months, I'm lucky if I'm at the bench at all for weeks on end, but in the winter, a few times a week is normal. Most of my painting is done in my un-heated garage (I'm too cheap to crank the heat on for a model paint-job), so the fall months are when most of the spraying gets done. Some builds sit all summer before their spray time rolls around.

I can spend a good bit of time on any given build. It may not show it, but it's pretty commonplace to have well over 50-75 hours on each one. Some are into the 100s... good thing I don't do this for a living. I would have fired me long ago!

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by restoman

[restoman]

12 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

A girl I was considering getting involved with asked why I had so many models, 'cause "you can only play with one at a time...and aren't they expensive?"

I asked her how many $400 dollar pairs of shoes she could wear at one time (already knowing she had a closet full).

Her response was about on the meltdown level you get if you answer "it's not the pants" when asked the classic "do these pants make my butt look fat?" 

No more romance there, for which I'm daily thankful.   

Way back when we just dating, the future Mrs, resto commented, after one of my tool-truck purchases, "My Dad has a hammer, and he didn't spend $75 on it!".

I said "Good for him. I use mine to earn the money so we can go out. Is this a good time to mention that I have a couple dozen hammers?"

She never mentioned it again, though I never let her forget the comment. Yeah... I'm that kind of A** hole.

[dragstk]

I have been building models, on and off for more than 50 years. Work, wife, life all kept me from building more than a few hours a week. Especially, in the last few years Id keep telling myself "when I retire, Ill build all I want"

Well, the wife has gone by by and I retired in May. One day, after I retired, it finally sunk in that I could build what ever, when ever I wanted. So now I tend to get up early and at the bench by 6:30-7 am and Ill build for 2-3 hours. Then I go run errands, do life stuff and return to the bench mid afternoon to build for a couple more hours. And most days, around 8 or so, Ill put in another hour or so.

I have always loved building. But now, I have really fallen in love with building all over again. I so enjoy every minute Im there.

[iamsuperdan]

 

I try to spend an hour each evening, and then usually a Sunday afternoon, but quite often life gets in the way. Driving duties to get my daughter to and from dance or work, walking the dog, volleyball, yardwork, other family stuff, vehicle repairs, camping/hiking, etc.

Sometimes it depends what I'm working on. Could be a point where I do a couple of steps, but need glue or paint to dry/set before I can continue, and moving stuff and getting another kit out just seems like too much work.

Sometimes I'm just not into it. 

I just try to make sure I maximize the time I do spend there, and if I'm not enjoying it, I'll step back and do something else for a bit.

 

 

 

 

[TransAmMike]

Well for me, being retired and in my mid-70's I usually get around to doing a bit of work after lunch for an hour to 3.  Not every day tho. So it takes me quite a weeks to get a model complete. Big problem for me is I can't get a model finished before I wind up getting more to build. One thing for sure, I have a lot of kits that will never get build.  Not a good thing to think about.🙄

[Joe Nunes]

51 minutes ago, TransAmMike said:

Big problem for me is I can't get a model finished before I wind up getting more to build. One thing for sure, I have a lot of kits that will never get build.  Not a good thing to think about.🙄

I think a lot of us older folks have more models in the stash than we will ever see built; buying new kits is a big part of the fun. However, here is a thought you may want to consider. Years ago I had over 1300 kits in the basement. I gave a number of them away to model club members, sold some and put some aside for myself. There was still way too many in the house.  Desert Storm came along and Fine Scale Modeler had an article about donating model kits to our troops overseas for RR use. Long story short, my wife and I took about 700 kits out of the stash and had them sent overseas and to Veterans Hospitals. When I am gone my modeling items are going to be sent to the Veterans Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI.  Might be something similar you would like to do.

Joe

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, TransAmMike said:

That’s pretty much par for the course.

I’m pretty sure almost all serious builders have way more than they could build in two lifetimes

As far as myself, most of what I have for modern kits is pretty much just kit bashing fodder anyway, so I really don’t care a whole lot about any of that.

Modern kits are easily replaced, so I’m not particularly concerned about preserving them.

The vintage kits, on the other hand, have some value, so I do think about which of those I’ll be able to finish in my lifetime, and what will become of those that I don’t.

 

 

 

Steve

Edited October 31, 2022 by StevenGuthmiller

[TransAmMike]

1 hour ago, Joe Nunes said:

I think a lot of us older folks have more models in the stash than we will ever see built; buying new kits is a big part of the fun. However, here is a thought you may want to consider. Years ago I had over 1300 kits in the basement. I gave a number of them away to model club members, sold some and put some aside for myself. There was still way too many in the house.  Desert Storm came along and Fine Scale Modeler had an article about donating model kits to our troops overseas for RR use. Long story short, my wife and I took about 700 kits out of the stash and had them sent overseas and to Veterans Hospitals. When I am gone my modeling items are going to be sent to the Veterans Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI.  Might be something similar you would like to do.

Joe

Thats great of you to do that Joe and certainly something to consider.  Any thing we can do for veterans is a great thing to do.  My Dad did 24 years in the Army and Navy, I did my 7 years in the Army National Guard.

1 hour ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

That’s pretty much par for the course.

I’m pretty sure almost all serious builders have way more than they could build in two lifetimes

As far as myself, most of what I have for modern kits is pretty much just kit bashing fodder anyway, so I really don’t care a whole lot about any of that.

Modern kits are easily replaced, so I’m not particularly concerned about preserving them.

The vintage kits, on the other hand, have some value, so I do think about which of those I’ll be able to finish in my lifetime, and what will become of those that I don’t.

 

 

 

Steve

So far I don't really have any kits I would want to rob parts from....I still have it in my mind I will get them built even tho in reality I know it will never happen.

As a side note, when I say I feel old my dear wife says "Well, it beats the alternative"😂

[Rick L]

Whenever the Hallmark channel comes on, it’s time to kiss the bride and mosey down stairs to tinker with the work in progress.

[Mopar maniac 74]

Trans am mike 

An early happy Veterans day to you and your dad and anybody else on here that served.

To answer the topic usually 15 min to a half hour when I can.  Usually try to spray paint the major pieces and similar colors to start with and assemble and detail from there.

I think the answer for all of us is not as much as we would like to.