"14 Mesh Black Plastic Canvas Sheets For 15mm SF" Topic

Plastic canvas is usually known by the nickname "granny grating", and 28mm gamers have found many uses for it through the years:

link

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the 10-mesh canvas (10 squares per inch) usually sold at craft stores in many, many different colors:

Well, I've just ordered these black 14-mesh ones (14 squares per inch):

auction

I've ordered and used 14-mesh white ones in the past, but never seen it sold in any other colors before. I always wondered if the black plastic ones would work better if, for some reason, paint was to chip on them. Well, I should find out soon, I hope.

Hope it helps others who might be looking for something similar.

Thanks,

Dan
TMP link
TMP link

By the way, here are some 28mm figures on top of common black 10-mesh, used as flooring:

More: link

Here's another example of someone using common 10-mesh canvas with their 28mm:

More:
link

TMP's "Javelin" also used 10-mesh for his pipe flooring. Here is a 28mm figure on top of common 10-mesh:

Here are a couple of his 15mm figures on top of common 10-mesh:

More:
TMP link

Seems clear that common 10-mesh (10 squares per inch) is way too big for 15mm figures.

So . . . I will try to take photos soon of 15mm figures on top of 14-mesh (14 squares per inch) for comparison. I have a feeling you 15mm gamers will like the way that will look.

Dan

what mesh for 6mm then you reckon?

6mm mesh, how about window screen material?

Wow. For 6mm, I'm at a loss!

Dan

Very interesting. Thanks for the link.

If you can, I'd love to see a pic of what 28mm figs look like on 14 mesh when you get it. 10 mesh looks good from a gaming perspective for 28mm, and I use it often, but I wonder if 14 might look even better.

As for the benefits of the color black, I've found that it really does work better. You don't have to worry so much about getting it completely covered in the painting stage and when it chips, you barely notice. I use clear/white when I need round pattern grating (only carried in white at Hobby Lobby), and it's not as easy as the black that I use for square pattern grating.

However, I do still recommend lightly sanding it and using Krylon "Fusion" for plastic spray paints (the Camo series "Black" is very nice) to prime it as that's about the only paint that will give you a really sturdy gaming surface on soft plastics like this.

Window screen is way too large for 6mm.
You can find finer wire mesh. Pipe smokers use some type of fine mesh in some of their pipes, craft store sell some fine wire mesh for sculpture armatures.

But, I would head to the fabric store and look for fabric mesh such as that used for vails or other see through effects.
Mosquitoes netting or the like.

what mesh for 6mm then you reckon?

Brass mesh from K&S Engineering. It's the little brass and aluminum rods and sheets that are found at many model train shops (at least on this side of the pond): link

-Chris K.

IDK – 10 mesh has its uses for 15mm I think, just depends on how you want to use it.

You can get fine meshed, black plastic windscreen material at Ace Hardware, and probably at Walmart too.

I think that the main advantages of using plastic canvas for flooring are that it lays flat, without the edges curling up as with the window screen materials, and it is thick enough that if glued down and painted, the pattern still shows through nicely.

Dan

That's true, but if you glue the screening down on a hard backing, e.g. styrene, other plastics, wood, etc, it will lay flat.

Paint the undersurface black, and then use a spray adhesive to glue the screening on top of it.

Drybrush metallic, or other colors desired.

Alternatively, glue first, then do a heavy, dark wash, and then the lighter drybrush on top.