Stew art  | 26 Jun 2014 10:34 p.m. PST |
hey TMP. I'm moving from Viking skirmish games to big battle games and i'm struggling with making some movement trays. all my models are so far individually based on 25mm round bases glued to a metal washer (so a metal base). this is because when i store them, it's in plastic containers line with thick magnetic strips that i got from hobby lobby. works great for transport and storage. to make a movement tray i basically tried the same thing. i got a piece of bass wood cut to size (8 x 3 to hold a unit of around 24 models), and glued a magnet sheet on top of it also cut to size. my problem is that the magnet sheet has a very weak hold and doesn't make the models secure. i'm afraid that if i paint it, it'll become even weaker. maybe i have the wrong magnet sheet? where do you buy yours? i see that Litko has one that is .020 thick, is that pretty strong, especially if i put some light paint over it? the only company i found that sells a magnet base is back to basics, and the product looks good, but if i can make it for cheaper i'd rather do that. but i'd like to learn from others before i try a bunch of trial and error. thanks for any help! |
| Nick Bowler | 26 Jun 2014 10:48 p.m. PST |
I do something similar to you. I use spray paint to paint the trays, and it doesn't seem to affect the magnetic 'stickiness' |
| nevinsrip | 27 Jun 2014 2:24 a.m. PST |
Go to your locl sign maker and buy the sheeting that he uses to affix signs to panel trucks. It's high grade and worth the extra money. It blows away any of the products that wargame companies sell. It's all I use. |
| korsun0 | 27 Jun 2014 3:06 a.m. PST |
Have you looked shogun miniatures? |
GildasFacit  | 27 Jun 2014 4:11 a.m. PST |
0.8mm (0.031in) is considered 'signage grade' and is suitable for figures up to 54mm – 0.5mm (0.020in) is too weak for most figures, it prevents slippage but figure bases are quite easily detached from storage surfaces. There is a thicker grade (about 1.2mm I think) but not that easy to get hold of in small amounts. Generally my customer feedback is good for the 0.8mm sheet I sell and it is OK to add a thin layer of paint on top. There will be some reduction in 'pull' but nothing significant. Sadly I'm in the UK and so shipping costs get astronomical to the US. |
| Stew art | 27 Jun 2014 9:38 a.m. PST |
I did see shogun miniatures and have heard good things about them. i will send Shogun a email and inquire about the price. it sounds like what i need is just a thicker sheet. the one i got was pretty thin. so somewhere between being thick enogh to hold the bases but thin enough to cut with scissors if they come in bigger sizes. i was browing on Amazon and saw a sheets there from 20mm to 60mm. what i am shooting for is basically a magnetic, hard, but relatively thin movement tray (with out borders / lip). i'm hoping that a magnet sheet on a thin piece of wood will do. then i want to prime it black and paint it the same color as the miniature bases jsut so it looks alright. i shall have to experiment. thanks for the feedback guys. |
 Bobgnar | 27 Jun 2014 12:10 p.m. PST |
Difficult to get magnetic sheets for metal based figures. Much easier to go the other way. Take a look at McMaster-Carr for all sorts of good holding magnets, even with sticky back. Peel off and stick to thin stiff plastic cut to needs link |
| Stew art | 27 Jun 2014 4:39 p.m. PST |
yeah, something i have found out, but it is too late as i already ahve over 100 figures based this way. guess i could rebase, though i'd rather try the magnetic tray first. |
| Stew art | 07 Jul 2014 8:03 a.m. PST |
just to complete the thread… i did order a test tray from shogun miniatures, a nice 8x3 made of metal with a small lip around it. very sturdy and nice. in the meantime for it to ship, i went ahead and used some 20mm magnet sheet and some wood from hobby lobby. painted both brown and here are the results..(metal tray on the bottom). [URL=http://s194.photobucket.com/user/stewwart_2007/media/movement%20trays/photo4.jpg.html]
[/URL] both the job well enough. the one i made of course is way cheaper. HOWEVER; the metal tray from shogun miniatures i think is the better way. i think the magnet is stronger from Shogun, the lip also helps hold in the miniatures, the price is doable, and the metal base will work with my already magnet storage system. plus it'll last forever. [URL=http://s194.photobucket.com/user/stewwart_2007/media/movement%20trays/photo23.jpg.html]
[/URL] [URL=http://s194.photobucket.com/user/stewwart_2007/media/movement%20trays/photo3.jpg.html]
[/URL] and, of course, the magnet keeps the miniatures in place.
[URL=http://s194.photobucket.com/user/stewwart_2007/media/movement%20trays/photo1.jpg.html]
[/URL] so i went ahead and ordered 30 from Shogun. that will give me enough to do both sides for my games (such as War and Conquest and Hail Ceasar). -Stew |
| Chris Abbey | 18 Sep 2014 4:41 a.m. PST |
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