"Source for 3mm Masonite in 6" x 6" Squares?" Topic

I'm starting yet another project, and need 6" x 6" squares of 3mm masonite hardboard to base urban terrain. A dozen or so to start with. Does anyone sell these?

Thank you!

Al | rivetsandsteam.com

Litko or Georgo Bases. Probably Renaissance Ink too.

Renaissance Ink does Masonite 1/4" think, that's pretty close to 3mm. Not sure if they do 6"x6", but its worth asking. I know they WILL do custom work, so even if you don't see the size you want on their website, drop them an email and ask.

Thank you, Der Alte Fritz and Ivan DBA!

Litko – 6" not listed, and masonite not offered.

Georgo Bases – Couldn't find their webpage. Link please?

Renaissance Ink – Would 3mm be "thick" or "thin"? And 6" x 6" not an option. Email sent.

And checked Gale Force 9 while I was at it. No luck, either. Email sent, as well.

Thanks again!

Update: stumbled across Litko's custom base design software – link – and it's USD$99.49 for a 10 pack of 6"x6" 3mm plywood. O_O' A bit beyond my budget, I'm afraid.

Is cutting them your self an option? You can get 2 x 4 sheets of MDF for under $5 USD at Home Depot.

Chuck

I would be happy to cut you some for say $2 USD each plus shipping.

Litko will do custom orders -- very reasonable. They'll do 6x6.

Georgo Bases -
no web page (at the moment) – he doesn't do direct sales, he works through a couple of stores. You can go to games-plus.com and drop them an email through the store's web page and they will put him in contact with you.

Will he do them ? Yes – he does all sorts of custom work for folks.

Cost ? Being that I'll see him tonight I'll make sure I ask him and get back to you tomorrow (hopefully) here or by email if you contact us that way.

Hope that helps.

"Renaissance Ink does Masonite 1/4" think, that's pretty close to 3mm. "

Er … 1/4" is about 6mm. Twice as thick (and heavy!) as 3mm.

In the US:

link

1/8" tempered hardboard, very close to 3mm, $0.52(USD) each with a bulk discount for 12 or more reducing them to $.047(USD) each. Good quality boards. Very little warping, even here in humid Indiana. My only complaint is some sizes you get boards that are not cut true to size…this happens when you get the larger sizes and they send you mounting boards instead of pallets (same board, but the mounting boards are cut slightly smaller to accommodate a frame).

Broadsword, have a look at your local hardware store for pre-cut 1/8" hardboard panels (1/8" is basically 3mm). My Home Depot for instance sells them in 24x24" and 24x48" sizes. I don't remember the price (it's probably gone up recently) but it's cheap enough I have extra sitting in my hobby closet from my last terrain project. It cuts easily with a jigsaw and can be cut with a hobby knife without too much effort -- just get a metal ruler and score with multiple passes.

For a lot of 6x6" tiles you probably want better precision though. Find out what the lumber store charges to cut it for you on their table saw. They probably charge 50 cents per cut or something, which sounds like a lot, but I've had boards cut down before for other projects and it's fairly common for the person doing the cutting to be very helpful and never write up all the cuts. I've even been to lumber yards where after doing the cuts for me, they fish in the scrap lumber pile and pull out additional matching material and cut it down too -- which they give me for free.

All that said …

Paintbeast, thanks for that Dick Blick link. There is one near me and I had no idea they sold pre-cut hardboard panels. That is a nice resource when I need something quick.

Is hardboard MDF or is it something else? How resistant is it to warping in say a 12" x 9" piece (or similar).

Renaissance Ink can do the 3mm thick bases (Thin Wood) 6x6 squares. Drop me an email for custom size pricing.

jwirth4702@aol.com

*sigh* Edit, not delete…

Email sent!

Dick Blick Art Stores are a great source for things we use all the time in this hobby. Even if you have one locally I would suggest getting hold of their catalog, since the stores never stock everything carried by the chain. They send you the catalog quarterly once you place an order with them.

Hardboard/MDF/Masonite are all pressed partial boards, and the name used changes regionally and at a whim…with the exception of Masonite with is a brand (excellent quality, but more expensive). There is a proper usage of terms, but it is largely ignored by stockists and therefore useless. What you want to look for is heat treated, tempered or Masonite as these will be very resistant to warping. Sometimes these terms will not be used, in those cases you can tell the quality board by the smooth finish, dense press, fine particles and dark color.

That being said, it will all warp under the right conditions so pay close attention to your surface area vs. your thickness.
Indiana is very humid, my 2' square MDF boards are 1/4" thickness while my 2'x4' and 4'x4' boards are all 1/2" thickness (if not being braced) to avoid warping.
When using cheap 1/8" MDF for basing individual items I prime both sides first, build the terrain item on a cookie sheet, and transfer the terrain item to the primed board using Liquid Nails or Hot Glue.

My friends in Arizona use cheap 1/8" board for everything and never seem to get any warping…until they come visit.

Interesting Paintbeast but why the cookie sheet? What does that offer to the process? Learning mode on..

@Podette: Sorry, should have explained that. By building the piece on a cookie sheet I avoid warping the base through moisture and shrinkage…caused by glue, plaster, clay, etc…

Years ago I found myself removing warped bases, sometimes before I even got the piece painted, and replacing them. The new bases lasted years. One is still in use at a local store to this day, 15 years later. A local old timer told me it was moisture seeping in from my work and suggested priming the base, and then building the terrain piece. This helped, but there was still some warping. It was obvious that shrinkage was the cause so I began building my pieces separate and then mounting them on a primed board. It works like a charm, no more warping and I never have the problem of overloading my base because it is cut based on the finished footprint of the terrain piece.

I won't cook on Teflon, but I build my terrain on it…lol

Thank you, all!

The plan was to make one pattern for 6" x 6" x N" buildings, use that pattern to make a dozen or more buildings out of 5mm foamcore, and glue those to the hardboard bases, instead of meticulously hand crafting each and every wall to fit my poor attempts at carpentry.

End results:

Litko's custom base estimator calculated USD$99.49 for 10 tiles cut from 3mm plywood. As much as I like many of their other products, another source is needed.

GF9 came back with an offer of USD$3.00 each plus shipping. A whole lot closer to my budget. :)

7th Va Cavalry offered USD$2.00 each plus shipping.

Renaissance Ink can deliver at USD$1.00 each (for 16) plus shipping.

Blick Art Supply will cost USD$0.47 each plus shipping for 12 or more. I've placed a small order to see the quality and accuracy of the cut, even if it means bringing my own dinner to the next game night. :) The tiles must be consistantly 6" square to allow my dreams of world conquest to achive fruition. If they're not, they can still be used for other things, like the bases of ruins and piles of rubble.

Update: They are consistently 5 and 15/16th inches on each side. I can work with that.

Paintbeast – Thank you!

Chuck & donrice – The local DIY will cut MDF sheets down to 12" x 12" and occasionally have forgotten to charge for the cuts. I can cut 'em myself, but the hope was to save some labor, time, my fingers AND get accurate cuts.

Thanks again, everyone!

Al | rivetsandsteam.com