Painting and making a reloading bench

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blissman20

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I just picked up a old metal and wood office desk today for free and I'm looking to turn it into my reloading station. I think I will have to extend the top of it which shouldn't be a problem since i have lots of spare wood laying around. How long should a reloading bench be? I would like it to be comfortable. Also I want to paint the surface of it. Is there any type of paint that would be more durable and easier to work with on the bench while reloading or it doesn't matter at all. Here is the desk
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A reloading bench doesnt need to be very big, mine is an old computer desk and tower cabinet in one, ive got my shotgun on one side and a single stage on the other, perfect size so not too much is on the bench at one time, and any kind of paint will work, just prep is the big thing to any paint job to stick, a light scuffing of the old surface, wipe to make sure it is clean from dust and junk on it from sanding, i found any kind of non-ammonia glass cleaner works well like invisible glass then paint away.
 
i like white because you easily see if it's clean or not.
any paint is fine.
I used rustproof metal oil paint that I had left on mine.... works.
 
Semi matte and a light cream or grey might be easier on your eyes, depending on your lighting (less glare). Agree high gloss is easier to clean, but not that much more efficient on a loading bench, which should not get that dirty to begin with.

Looks like what you have has been painted before - you may have limitations on what can be painted/adhere over the existing coat - lighter colours may take a couple of coats to be true. If you're limited to spray cans, you may have to deal with white, rather than another colour. make sure you prep the surface to match the new paint requirements.

Looks like you may have some delamination on the left side and may have to replace the desk top, or place another cover over top (doubles the thickness) that will make it more rigid. Good luck!
 
Here is one similar I did up for my hunting rounds. I put an aluminum plate down where i mounted my press for added strength.
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Here is a panoramic of the room now with a bench and a progressive loader mounted on it. The bench is 2 1/2" thick white maple with 1" walnut strips down the center.
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scout said:
Semi matte and a light cream or grey might be easier on your eyes, depending on your lighting (less glare). Agree high gloss is easier to clean, but not that much more efficient on a loading bench, which should not get that dirty to begin with.

Looks like what you have has been painted before - you may have limitations on what can be painted/adhere over the existing coat - lighter colours may take a couple of coats to be true. If you're limited to spray cans, you may have to deal with white, rather than another colour. make sure you prep the surface to match the new paint requirements.

Looks like you may have some delamination on the left side and may have to replace the desk top, or place another cover over top (doubles the thickness) that will make it more rigid. Good luck!
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What looks like delamination is a crooked cut, the people who gave me this desk replaced the top and did a bad job cutting it, nothing my circular saw cant fix.


That looks really clean and organized, I might have to build to aquire another desk for a progressive press whenever i decide to pick one up. That is giving me a few ideas
 
length - whatever will fit what you want to put on it.

height - ay, there's the rub. My set-up is also on one heavy pig! of a desk, very solid (weighs 250 pounds), but I find that I'd rather be standing at a bench. Working the press seated involves some odd ergonomics, which usually doesn't mean GOOD ergonomics, lol! So I'm thinking of ways to raise this basically good desk. Plinth? Platform? I'll figure something out.

I have all my gear bolted securely to fir 2x6's, which I then clamp to the desk as I require. (RCBS Rock Chucker, trimmer, powder measure, etc. I load in steps; resize and trim a few hundred, prime them all some other night, etc.) I can thusly clear/adjust the work space as needed, bla bla bla. Four drawers (two each side) gives me some decent storage, as well.
 
dont need tons of space. keep what space you have organized, and have a shelf or two or three to hold all your items and you will be good to go. some people like standing, i most often sit when reloading. the key is to start with what ever you have and make the most of what you have. and you can change little things as you go along.
 
blissman20 said:
Thanks guys, I think I will pick up some white tremclad tomorrow
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I repo'ed a desk top from work off of a corcan desk that was getting thrown out to modify my work bench in my garage (where all the magic happens). I find the glossy surface helps me to see if its clean or not. I give it a good look over to make sure there are no kernels of powder left in order to mitigate the risk of cross contamination between different gun powders. Overall it's a cinch to clean.
 
Are you using a small single stage or a larger press? My reloading bench is small, it's a triangle shape in the corner of a room. I like having the press far to the side so I have lots of room to use the scale, prime and clean brass.
 
I would add at least a 3/4 inch plywood top to the actual desk top (on my first reloading bench I laminated two 3/4s together, I hate flex in the work area). If you have an IKEA near you they sell butcher block style counter tops that are also awesome for reloading benches.
With your old desk you will have to bolt it to the wall as well so it doesn't tip towards you when using the press.
 
"...How long..." The height is more important. Has to be comfortable for you. Moreso if your back is buggered.
If the top is particle board, it'll break.
 
sunray said:
"...How long..." The height is more important. Has to be comfortable for you. Moreso if your back is buggered.
If the top is particle board, it'll break.
Click to expand...
Absolutely agree on the height issue for sure,I've really screwed my back over a couple of times and I find if the work height is too low or too high I'm either stooping too much or arching my back too much.Both make for an uncomfortable posture which translates into at best discomfort and worse case nagging back pain.Not something you want when you are playing around with reloading ammo or anything else for that matter.
 
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