# Painting Rack



## bcall2043 (Aug 25, 2012)

Hope this qualifies for shop tooling. 

Most of us will need to apply paint when working with old tools and the projects you can make with them. Painting in the shop gets overspray everywhere and outside there is no place to hang the parts while painting them. I have been thinking of some way to build a paint rack that could be moved around. Earlier this week it came to me. I have a old stacker (pallet rack hand lift) that I had purchased from the scrap yard. It came without the forks and the hydraulic cylinder needs rebuilding. I have not wanted to shell out the 4 times price paid for the rebuild kit from the manufacturer so it has been on the back burner for projects. I got to thinking of ways it could be made to serve multiple functions in the shop. A mobil paint rack could be added to the stacker mask adding to the usefulness of the tool. Also thinking about building a work table and engine stand attachment for it. Enough uses around the shop might make it worth while to get the hydraulic cylinder repaired. 

The approach to the paint rack project was to add a "Receiver" on top of the mask that would accept a piece of "Unistrut" channel which I already had in the material rack. For those that don't know what the channel material is I have attached a link:
http://www.unistrut.us/index.php?WP=S00_Channel 

I wanted the rack to be easily removable and to clear the garage door when rolling the tool in and out of the garage. The project was almost sucessful. The stacker will clear the door with the receiver installed but the channel runs up hill a little and must be removed to clear the door, close enough for me.

I have attached a couple of photos of the finished project. There is one of the rack intalled on the lift mast with some parts and hooks hanging for the photo only, not painted. There is also a photo of what I call the "T-Hook". These were made from flat stock with a piece of 1/4" chain link welded to it. They slip into the channel and can be moved along the length as needed. I planned on making 6 T-Hooks to start and  cut the chain links but ran out of the right size flat stock so there only 3 showing. The assembly flexes the stacker frame when pulling down on the end of the channel so I made provisions (bracket with holes) for adding some struts to stiffen it if needed. I will wait and see how it works and add them if needed. 

Benny


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## David (Aug 25, 2012)

Great idea Benny.  Easy to move outside and then back in quickly if needed.  I could have used one of those today.

David


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