"Making a terrain cloth" Topic

I'm a firm believer in good looking terrain.

Here are some photo's from some of our recent games as recorded by Jeff (War Artisan)

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Jeff gave a drescription of how to build the table:

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Now I've done the description of how to do the cloth:

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Hope you find this useful.

Elliott

Really lovely effects. Very impressive.

The "Latex" looks like latex caulking, ie, DAP or Mono, yes?

Do you rely on the caulking to bond with the flock?

How flexible is the finished product? Presumeably enough to form over the sort of table set up Jeff describes?
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Tim

Very nice. How does it store?

The latex cauk was DAP for sealing windos etc. The latex binds the flock really well.

Storage is easy, fold and put in the storage box.

If you don't treat the canvas with gesso it's really flexable and folds over a table really well.

The pictures and tutorial are super. I really like the idea of a cloth but I have a few questions.

Does this technique also work with Static Grass as well as flock?

How do you store the mats?
Could you roll them and store this in a plastic drainpipe?

Regards
Mick

I've never tried with the static grass. IIRC that is the slightly longer version of flock and I'd be concerned with the finish. That said it is an alternative to the fine turb from Woodland Scenics that I normally use.

Mine are folder and put into a plastic box, rolling them into a tube would work well.

The latex mades the canvas slightly thicker, but it does not make it stiff unless you make the mistake of treating with gesso.

Elliott

Thank-you Elliot,
I think I will try a small mat as a prototype.
Regards
Mick

Mick,

I have three of them, the oldest one being in more or less constant use for about six years. They have travelled all over the eastern half of the continent with me, to various conventions and gamedays, and they are holding up very well, with very minor touchups (nothing serious enough to qualify as "repairs").

I never store them in anything; when not in use, I just fold them up and throw them in the back of a closet. They occasionally get a crease in them, but hanging them over a clothesline overnight gets rid of those. Very low maintenance.

Jeff

Dear Jeff,

I am getting convinced. For quite a while now, I have been trying to decide whether to go for 60 cm square terrain tiles or to simply have a flat table with a cloth. My current table top is 120 cm x 180cm and difficult to store.

Cloths would allow me to do more variants – desert, European landscape, urban, beach etc.
Regards
Mick

Cloths would allow me to do more variants – desert, European landscape, urban, beach etc.

All good ideas.

I have been thinking about a winter one to use for WWII (the Barbarossa Campaign) and/or Napoleonics (Eylau and the 1807 campaign); frozen mud, drifted snow, dead trees and snow-covered rooftops.

Over the years I've used various types of terrain. The cloth is the easiest answers to my needs. I'm really pleased that Jeff (War Artisan) introduced me to the technique. The alternative that I had in England does not seem to be avaliable in the US – over there I could get cork tiles about 24" square. Those worked really well as modular terrain.

With the model railway supplies you've pleany of choice of colours. I use a mixture of turfs so to give some natural variations in ground coverage.

I found I could make the mat with about 10 hours worth of work. I'm sure with the next one this will be quicker.

To give you some idea of cost, I estimate that it cost me the follow;

Cloth $10 USD
9 tubes of latex $40 USD
3 large containers of flock (used about 1/2) $30 USD
Latex cleaner $3 USD
Bushes and ballest (plenty left over) $10 USD

I used Naugahyde (vinyl) to make my mat and it works great, flexible and durable. Just paint it and glue on sand then the flock and coat with Woodland Scenics cement. Do not use felt, the little strands make it difficult to glue flock to and it is not as durable.

How do you get the caulk to not stick to itself when it's stored?
We have some caulk roads and rivers, but they need to be seperated by wax paper when storing them or they stick together.

Also, very cool looking mats. I would like to do something like this.

DS6151 this is never been an issue with the caulk both War Artisan and myself have used. Once dry, about 1 hour there is no problem. The terrain cloth is stored folded up in a box and has never had any sticking problem.

Thanks for that link. I've been planning to make one and this has both informed and inspired me to get it finished.