Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Make way! The Peace Keeper is Here! My Review...

A while back I posted about ordering my latest addition to my shop: a monstrous 36-inch wide spray booth dubbed the "Peace Keeper Deluxe" by Pace Industries.


The beast came the other day and boy it's a beauty!!!! So far I'm loving it!

Sooooooo much roooooom to paint in! I lined the inside with paper held up by little magnetic push-pins.

I love that it's internally lit. Because I'll be using rattle cans primarily with this booth, I'm using a sheet of paper towel (held up by magnets) to act as a kind of pre-filter due to the huge amount of overspray that rattle cans spew out. This keeps the actual filter clean for longer, otherwise it will clog within minutes, rendering it useless really quickly. Replacing the paper towel is also far cheaper.

I did however need to seal some the inside corners with aluminum tape to keep the air from leaking. The only air I want escaping is through the filter, through the fan, and out the window. Sealing the frame that holds the filter is a must for keeping the fan particle free.



I also love the inclusion of the two power sockets on the side. I have these powering an overhead utility lamp and an additional ventilation fan mounted in the ceiling to help clear the air of escaped paint odor. Each is individually wired with its own switch (Power Port 1 / Power Port 2) which is really handy.

This spray booth seemed to work pretty darn well for my needs, and I expect it performs even better with handling airbrush overspray. Aerosol spray cans are just so messy and they can be a challenge for many spray booths, but the Peace Keeper seemed to handle it perfectly well, so long as the paper towel pre-filter is replaced often.

My thoughts? Worth every penny. I even did a blind test and ask the wife if she smelled anything. She smelled nothing so I guess it's doing its job. It did however need a couple of adjustments like sealing the inside corners with aluminum tape, and the filter is a little cumbersome to replace as it's in an awkward angle. The unit is made of thick sheet metal so one can expect things to need bending back into shape for better fit. This was the case with the filter frame. But not a big deal. Easy fix, and now it's perfect.

If anyone out there is shopping for a spray booth, check out Bob Pace's selection first. Everyone I've found who owns one of his booths is extremely happy with them. Mr. Pace just earned himself a new fan!

Production Update (3-25-2014)

Incase anyone thinks I've been slacking off...

Seen above are two stacks of Idol Artifact Pedestals. The four on the left have been base-coated and ready to paint. The three on the right need final cleanup to be sealed and primed. As a side note, as of this writing, FIVE of these pedestals have already been claimed through a waiting list. If you want first dibs on a pedestal, or any item you see here, please feel free to contact me and I'll place your name down for one before they are officially back in stock to the general public. Many of my stuff will show as "sold out" for quite a long time, but that doesn't necessarily mean you can't order one. I place things "in stock" and ready-to-order on landronartifacts.com if I have a handful of them that have not been claimed ahead of time. So, as I've mentioned before, the quickest, surest way to get a hold of any "sold out" item is to contact me.


Here are base-coated castings of the "Tongue" and "Fangs" small wall reliefs, part of the City of the Twin Serpents (COTS) artifact series.

....But is that all?


Heeeeeck no! Top right are five Siva Linga stone castings almost ready for sealing and priming.


Six more Siva Linga stones, base-coated and all snug in their bunks, ready for final painting. Two more are on a shelf.


Didn't think I forgot about these guys did ya? Here are eight "Faces" tea-light holders, also part of the COTS artifact series. These are fresh out of the mold. And yes, those three objects hiding on the far right are three more Siva Linga stone castings fresh out of the mold.


And lastly, these two "Twin Serpent Guardian Spirit" wall reliefs are also ready for final painting.

Wheww! Time for a drink...

Saturday, March 15, 2014

"Palms" Small Wall Relief Sculpt Update


Here are a few peaks at yet another addition to the City of the Twin Serpents series of artifacts. This one, dubbed "Palms" is in its final stages of sculpting. It will measure approximately 4 1/2" in diameter.




"Faces" – Ceremonial Tea Light Holder getting Molded


The next addition to my "City of the Twin Serpents" series of artifacts is currently getting molded. It's the "Faces" Ceremonial Tea Light Holder. The final product will have the same color finish as with the rest of the series and pictures of it will be revealed soon. Stay tuned!

Monday, March 10, 2014

Oh Man! This Sucker's Comin' Home!!!!

I've built a couple of make-shift spray booths to save my lungs from the terrible paint fumes while sealing/priming/clearcoating, and none of them work well enough to keep me from feeling like I'm floating in Neverland with a hangover. The wife also had enough of the fumes and I can't say that I blame her. It's now come to a point where I had to say, "Enough is enough! No more screwing around! I gotta get a spray booth... a real spray booth." After all, it's my lungs we're talking about.

After extensive research I've found several interesting options ranging from cheap to somewhat expensive, each one with their own deal-breaking pros and cons. I've also found that good spray booths don't come cheap and you generally get what you pay for, at best. None I've seen so far impressed me for what they offered at their price tag, until now. Now I've found my new ultimate weapon. Feast your eyes on this wicked piece of industrial machinery...

(Image © Pace Enterprises, as seen on pacepaintbooths.com)

Meet the "PEACE KEEPER DELUXE"! 34 x 20 ginormous inches of work space and 265 cubic-feet-per-minute air-sucking power! And incase you didn't notice by the ol' spangled banner across the overhead front panel, this hunk of metal is made in America, son!

(Image © Pace Enterprises, as seen on pacepaintbooths.com)

This baby comes equipped with internal lighting and dedicated toggle switches for the fan, lights, and each power socket on the side for hooking up other tools.

(Image © Pace Enterprises, as seen on pacepaintbooths.com)

This is the flagship model in a series of spray booths designed and personally built by independent entrepreneur Robert Pace of Pace Enterprises in Perrysburg, Ohio. After reading up on all the reviews I could find on his booths I was sold. I called Bob up on the phone, who by the way from what I've read is the sweetest, most upstanding fella, and I can attest to that fact by my delightful phone conversation. After thinking it over a bit more, I called him back and placed my order.

No, it wasn't cheap, but not unreasonable either when compared to the competition. No other offerings at this price point had anywhere close to the work space that this one offers, not to mention internal lighting, handy extra two power sockets, and the professional quality look and construction. And from what I've read all over the web, The "Peacekeeper Deluxe" seems to represent the elite of hobby spray booths short of multi-thousand dollar industrial monstrosities. I've heard nothing but rave reviews from people who've been using Bob's booths for years and I'm sure I'll be yet another voice giving Bob high praises for his handiwork. I can't wait to use it when it arrives, and I'll be sure to post some pics and my thoughts on my new toy.

Big investments should be those that are meant to last, and I have no doubt this thing's gonna be getting a lot of use for years to come. I can already hear my lungs thanking me.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Fruits of Today's Labor


I managed to cast 5 Idol Artifact Pedestals, 5 Siva Linga Stones, and a handful of the "Fangs" and "Tongue" small wall reliefs (they are piled on the right with a folded paper towel between them). I'm just getting started!


Oh, there's something else I forgot to mention. I have several castings of the "Twin Serpent Guardian Spirit" wall relief left over waiting to be painted so they will be back in stock eventually.
If you wish to be placed on a waiting list to receive yours as soon as one is ready (long before they are officially back in-stock) please let me know and I'll set one aside for you.

Ok, I'm calling it a day...

Production Update 3-8-2014

Just a heads up on what's going on right now.

I've been busy fulfilling waiting lists on certain items so that's the main reason it's been taking so long for them to be back in stock... they get first dibs. All have been shipped. So if you've been waiting on something to be back in stock, my recommendation is please contact me and I'll add your name to the list and your item will be at the front of the line, weeks if not months before I have enough inventory to put them back in stock and available to order for the general public.


But, as a general product availability update for today I currently have 2 left-over Siva Linga Stone replicas up for grabs and available to order (all others have been claimed... which is why it's a good idea to ask to be placed on a waiting list... you get the item first).


I also still have 3 of City of the Twin Serpents "Tongue"Small Wall Reliefs (pictured left) available to order, and 1 featuring the "Fangs" design (pictured right).

And now for the production update...

I'm now casting like crazy to get everything back in stock so I'm multitasking.


Here's a yet-to-be demolded Siva Linga Stone replica.


These are the "Fangs" and "Tongue" small wall reliefs just poured into their molds. They are ready to be demolded as I type this, freeing up the molds to make more.


More Idol Artifact Pedestals are also being cast as I type this. I had a small batch made but they've all been claimed so if you want one, please feel free to contact me and ask to be placed on a waiting list so you get first dibs on the next batch. I'm planning on making the next batch as big as possible.

That's it for now. Well, better get back to the workbench...