Paint Stands- Turntable

Paint Stand – Turntable

Turntable for Die-cast Painting by Mike Groothuis

Have you been looking for an effective way to paint your die-cast from all angles on a very tight budget? Here’s a simple solution. If you have about 4 bucks in your pocket, a dremel, a vise, a hammer, and a few extra screws lying around, this is easy to make. All in all, it takes about 45 minutes from start to finish.

A. The main components of this project are two flat pieces of wood, a swivel-type caster, and non-skid bumpers. The wood I used was found at WalMart in the crafts aisle, and the caster was found in the hardware aisle. Make sure the piece of wood used for the base is larger than the piece used for the turntable. That way, it’ll be heavier on the bottom and keep it from tipping over.

B. Use a dremel’s metal cut-off wheel to cut the axle in between the wheel and the fork. Don’t use one of the fragile, wafer-thin wheels. The axle on the caster is thick, so a sturdy, fiber-based cut-off wheel is essential. A hacksaw won’t work. The axle is free spinning, so a hacksaw will only turn the axle rather than cut through it.

C. After the axle is cut, remove the wheel.

D. Place one of the forks in a vise. About 1/4 inch above the axle hole, bend the fork outward 90 degrees. You’ll need a hammer. The metal is thick. Do the same to the other side.

E. The old axle holes will be the screw holes that anchor your swivel to the base.

F. Screw the two pieces of wood to the swivel. Start with the smaller top piece and use 4 screws to attach it to the swivel.

G. Attach the swivel to the base. This can be tricky unless you have a short, 90 degree angled screwdriver. So instead, I used screws with hex-heads so I could tighten them with a wrench.

H. I didn’t have short enough screws, so I cut off the excess using the same cutting wheel used earlier.

I. Sand or cut off a section of the leftover rubber wheel so that one surface is flat. Most die-cast will fit perfectly over the wheel to elevate it off the base while painting. That way, all surfaces are easily accessible to the paint. Also, since the wheel is rubber, the body to be painted won’t slip down the curve of the wheel.

Thanks to Mike G for this great idea.