Is it best to add stowage before or after painting?

I’ve seen plenty of brilliant models here beautifully augmented but very delicately painted stowage. Ho is this best accomplished? Is it better to affix the stowage to the vehicle prior to painting it or is it easier to paint the stowage individually and then glue it to the finished model? If you paint the gear separately what substance do you use to secure it the vehicles deck etc? I have tried using drops of “crazy glue” in the past but it didn’t work very well since the vehicle was already painted.

Any tips or techniques you can share would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Noah

For me - I paint it separately. I will also 'adjust' the glue process in these cases. I will either 'deal with' the fact that CA will not adhere as well to paint vs. plastic, or that it will be more delicate.
Or I will use a file and scrape away a bit of the paint on both pieces to expose some plastic for better adhesion. Be careful doing this that you don't scape away too much and ruin the paint job.

I also paint seperately. I use enamel paints exclusively, and I find that the regular Testors glue does a good job of holding fully painted parts together. No special strategy for me.

Im one of those who glues as much as possible before painting. I believe in the principle, if you can see it ... you can paint it.
Most things can be got to easily enough, and if they´re out of direct sight, they usually don´t need to be painted perfectly, as they dont stand the same scrutiny. On the other hand, some items ... depending on what they are, or how visible they´ll be afterwards, will be kept seperate and painted individually. This is something that you choose to do in the building process .. and probably with more experience, you´ll see which suits you best. Personally, Im a disaster with glue ... I tend to go too heavy to ensure a good fix, and always run the risk of this being seen.
Theres no right or wrong ... just what suits every individual modeller.