"14 Mesh Plastic Canvas Sheets: Potential Flooring For 15mm?" Topic

I found this by accident . . .

Instead of the typical 7 perforations per inch, this Perforated Plastic Canvas (by Darice crafts) has 14, and is black:

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QUESTIONS:
Could this be small enough to work as grill flooring for tunnels, corridors, sewers, etc., in 15mm gaming?
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Or could it even be used as flooring or window/door grill/grating for 28mm?
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Your thoughts?

Thanks.

Dan
PS. Older threads on using the standard 7-mesh canvas with 28mm figures:
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Also: link

Not a bad idea. I may give it a go.

Chrome Cat,

Please be advised that the black 14 mesh is not available everywhere.

Many stores only carry 7 mesh. Some carry 7 and 10. And those few that have 14, have them in white, clear, or beige . . . not black.

Dan

Wouldn't just mesh screen from Home Depot work at that scale?

So it is just fine sized granny grating? Works in 28mm, I wouldn't see why it wouldn't work in smaller sizes. I would think it would make really good fencing for 15mm.

If I were you I'd check the Plastruct catalog first. They've got some great stuff like that. It's online as a PDF download.

Thanks for posting that. It would probably work great for15mm. For 28mm windows, I'd probably opt for regular screen materiel, but it's great to see that their are sources for granny grating in black.

Also of note, Granny grating is also available in circles as well, which has alot of use in 28mm sci-fi.

Lastly, Painting Granny grating is alot easier now that KRYLON Fusion plastic spray paint comes in satin colors.

I have used that material for ships flooring, looks fine, paints easy with spray paint and wash.

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Shots of the lower deck floor walk ways for my tramp steamer.

Alfrik,

That is fantastic! Love that ship too. Thanks for that link.

Dan

These guys have the same product at $3 USD in clear, white, and ivory link

I assume if they can get those colors and it is the same brand then they would/could order black. If you need a bunch then 1/2 the other price adds up fast :)

I've used 10-count mesh in the past on other projects. My local Michaels has the 14-count, but I recall that the holes lost their squarish shape and just became pin pricks in the plastic. I may have to go back and take another look, though.

@ Jav, I picked some of this up at Michaels today (thanks for the tip). It certainly doesn't have the square shape so probably wouldn't make good fence or grating for 15mm or 28mm. It will make a good textured "sci-fi" type flooring material. Much cheaper than investing in plastruct. I don't own any 15mm minis, but I'm guessing it would work for them as well as my 28s.

Jav,

You KNEW about 10-mesh and didn't tell me? :)

Until yesterday, I had no idea there was anything other than 7.

Dan

I just got a couple of packs from this distributor:

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The 14 mesh holes look a bit rounded, but that works for me as grating with circular openings.

Will try to post photos soon, next to 15mm figures.

Thanks.

Dan

Hi everyone. I hope someone can help me. My question is about plastic canvas 14 mesh and it's not about using it for needlepoint or any flooring. But I need to know some things. I am a sprouter. That means I use mason jars to sprout seeds. I'm looking for a non-metal insert to place inside my mason jar lids (so I can rinse and drain my seeds). I've been using metal screening from the hardware store, cutting to fit, and it's been fine, EXCEPT they fray and I have little bits of metal on the floor and my husband has numb feet and they get stuck in his stocks and they cut him. So I heard about the plastic canvases that needlepointers use, I googled it, and found this forum. What I need to know is can these plastic canvas 14 mesh be cut to fit inside a lid of a mason jar, that is, are they easy to cut. Are they thick enough so they won't fall apart. I really hope someone knows the answer. Thanks much.

Very, very easy to cut, with scissors or hobby blade. And it is plastic, so it will not fall apart. I can definitely see it as working great as a draining aid.

However, I think that the 7 mesh normally sold at craft stores will do best. No need to special order the tinier mesh stuff discussed here.

Hope that helps a bit.

Dan

Glad to see more people trying the plastic canvas option:

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Dan

As is usually the way of these things, I discovered these cross stitch meshes while wandering around Hobbycraft looking for something else. Cacique, here's another pic for the pile:

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I've also used it for windows with many small panes of glass. I either put a sheet of clear acetate behind the mesh for glass or leave the holes open if the building is meant to be damaged.

My wife has cross-stitching sheets that should work like this I imagine.

-Eli

Yup, I think we're talking about the same thing, emu.

Yep. Same thing.

Dan

Now, if I can just get it away from her.

-Eli

LOL!!!

Dan

More needlework mesh used as skylights:

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Wow. That looks awesome!

Thanks,

Dan

@CC

I know I'm getting in to this discussion pretty late, but I just wanted to suggest you looking at regular door/window plastic screening. I made an Aliens board game 3d board using it.

Went almost crazy laying down the large grid with homemade plastic putty tool, but the sheet went down flat on the board, and has been in use for years. Also, darn cheap.

Course, it's not as stiff as the sewing stuff; needs support.

RE: Sprouting: Most any mesh is fine with beans, but you have to go really fine for things like alfalfa.

Doug

If you are looking to use make SF base surfaces where your figure will sit down in recessed space, please note the suggestions I posted at this more recent discussion:

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I hope the 12-step idea doesn't sound too daunting.

Dan

Some neat ideas in this thread.

I'm thinking of giving each of my factions a distinct base style.

This will help.

Since we have a little thread necro going on, for my budget space hulk project I used a lighting grate with screen door mesh glued on it. Worked out rather well.

A sample pic:

A tutorial: link
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TAZ

TAZ,

Is this the stuff that supports the mesh? Ceiling lamp crate?

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Dan
PS. Back in 2007 some called me crazy for suggesting such a thing:
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Exactly. It's too large by itself, but with the mesh it looks like support beams.

I love a good necro post.

And this is still a great idea.

Dan, all geniuses are called mad in their own era. Just think of Da Vinci.

LOL. The I'm in great company! :)

Dan

Zircher, that looks GREAT!

Thanks, I actually crafted enough to cover most of a good sized table. Here's a pitched three-way battle that the kids did when I wasn't around (I would have suggested using the clips to make it more tidy.)

The 'Pi' shaped things off to the right are doors that can be slotted in to any room/corridor entry point.

Zircher, was your mesh metal or plastic?

Plastic is what I used in my Aliens set up.

Working with lamp plastic gives me a bit of the willies. It can be sooo brittle, and cracks propagate like mad. I suppose the grid is less so.

Doug

Black plastic mesh was pretty easy to work with and cheap. It also was less likely to cause skin abrasions.

I used the white lamp plastic. It is brittle, but I had some nice shears that cut through it quickly. I think diagonal cutters would do the job as well, if you have some handy. Trying to cut it with a hand saw or xacto blade would be a problem due to the brittleness. After you do your first rough cuts, you can go back and trim them down.

If you look in the first image you can see the nibs, I only filed them down where corridors and rooms needed to be flush.
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TAz

For those who might need it, this place seems to still sell 14-count canvas in black:

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Dan
PS. Darice seems to have ceased production of the black ones. So, if you can still spot any, I say go for it and stock up.
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Zilcher, thanks!

For my box, I just sprayed a plywood base black, fitted the mesh, sprayed grey elsewhere, then glued to the board. THEN I put down the grid with plastic putty. Even mitre-ing the 'drawer walls' was less fiddly than that!

I will say it sounds like the lamp grid is much easier to work with than the flat 'lens' stuff I was also looking at. Nightmarish to cut outside of straight across.

I don't see the nibs, but I think I know what you mean. I'd tend to want to at least smooth/round them. Seems to me I'd catch my finger on them if they're what I'm remembering.

Doug

Ah, a picture is worth a dozen words. :-)

Should have said so earlier, but 10 count is fairly common, and noticeably smaller than the 7 count.

I know I was surprised at the difference.

Thanks, Zircher. I've not made it to the hardware store to see for myself, yet, but still think clumsies like me will fear 'Da nibs' on open spaces.

Doug