"Building a custom DM Screen challenge!" Topic
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 Sgt Slag  | 29 Jul 2025 2:19 p.m. PST |
Over on The DM's Crafting Forum, I launched a build challenge: build out a custom DM Screen, to your custom specifications… Here is a link discussing the parameters, suggesting materials ideas, and more. Here is a link to my original, 1987 DM Screen, which I upgraded in 1998, and 2025, which led me to creating this build challenge. I plan on building myself a new DM Screen, bigger, better, and much nicer, as well. I have two tanned leather hides, bought for a project which never happened. These hides have been sitting around in storage for the past 10 years, but now, I have a plan for one of them: to cover my new, custom, modular DM Screen project. This project will receive its own, unique DM's Craft thread, demonstrating and explaining how and why I made it. The new Screen will have replaceable inserts, front (Players) and back (DM); I hope to build it such that I can change the orientation of the side panels alternating between portrait and landscape, to maximize their usefulness to both me, the DM, and to my Players. This building competition will expand and expound over the next several months, possibly longer. Come on over and visit, take a peek at what we are doing, and, just perhaps, join us in the competition! 8-\ I know you want to… >;-) Cheers! |
| John Armatys | 29 Jul 2025 2:57 p.m. PST |
Both links give "You do not have permission to access this thread." … |
 Parzival | 29 Jul 2025 4:52 p.m. PST |
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 Bobgnar | 29 Jul 2025 5:33 p.m. PST |
Oops, there was an error!
You do not have permission to access this thread. |
| Sgt Slag | 29 Jul 2025 7:08 p.m. PST |
Sorry, I forgot that the majority of threads are not public… I recently became a Moderator so I'm still learning. I will post my stuff here, shortly. Apologies for the security SNAFU. Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 29 Jul 2025 7:21 p.m. PST |
So, first of all, here is the post on the topic/competition: I propose a new challenge to the DM's Crafting Forum members: build out your custom DM Screen, with your own thread covering your very own Screen Design Project. The prize will be recognition on this forum, and the pride and use of your screen, in your games, at your gaming table, along with the accolades you receive from your Players when you show it to them, saying, "I designed and built this, myself…" If you choose to enter this contest, please open a new thread in this forum, with a title of: "Custom DM Screen by @your-screen-name-here". For example, see the thread for my original DM Screen, crafted back in 1987 (updated in 2025, with some embellishments), titled: "Custom DM Screen by SgtSlag (original 1987 screen)". Q: What are the size parameters? A: That is up to you to decide. Bear in mind that the screen needs to block your Players from seeing your notes, but it should not be so tall that it blocks your Players from seeing you, the GM, during your game sessions! Q: What style can I build it in? A: Any style you like. This is a crafting forum where we share, discuss, and dissect different approaches to crafting projects; where we learn from each other's successes, as well as from each other's failures! It can be for any genre, any period: D&D; Pathfinder; Call of Cthulhu, Super Heroes, etc! You can build it with square panels, rectangular panels in either Landscape or Portrait orientation -- or both. You can give it three panels, four, or more, as your needs dictate. Q: What materials can I use to build it? A: Any material you think will be durable enough to survive being transported to/from games at your friends houses! Some of the recommended materials would be: MDF (lightweight, easy to saw into shape, inexpensive, available everywhere around the world); wood (thinner plywood sheets would be best, but any flat wood material can be used. Exotic woods can be used, or even heavy corrugated cardboard (be sure to use either the double-thick kine, or create the double-thick type by gluing two layers together, but with their corrugations 90 degrees from each other, for added strength!); another option would be foamcore, but this will be less durable than most options… Q: What game systems will it be used for? A: Any game, any genre. You can make it using permanent charts, tables and diagrams for your preferred game, or you can make it more modular, adaptable to more than one game genre or rules set, by making it such that the charts/diagrams/artwork can be replaced by others, as needed. Q: Suggested dimensions, styles, configurations, etc? A: I have made several suggestions within my answers listed above, already. However, here are some additional ideas to consider as you draw up your designs… Modularity: I suggest making it such that you can replace artwork, and/or tables and charts, as needed, as this will make it more flexible, giving it more life expectancy, as you may change games/genres as you get older. Mechanical Hinges, or Magnetic Hinges: Magnets are better, in a variety of ways, but they add complexity to the design; they may also be too weak to hold everything together, as strongly as desired. This is entirely up to you to decide. What features/functions should I incorporate into my Screen's design: Initiative Trackers, and other rules-specific markers, are up to you, the Screen Designer, to determine whether they are useful enough for you to include them! Give this aspect careful consideration. Including such elements may limit the usefulness for other games; alternatively, you could try to incorporate such rules-specific elements into your Screen, allowing it to be used for multiple rules systems! There really are no restrictions on this aspect, except those restrictions you impose on yourself! Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 29 Jul 2025 7:41 p.m. PST |
Custom DM Screen by SgtSlag (original 1987 screen)
So here is a link to the photo album for my original 1987 DM Screen design. It was made many years before YouTube existed! Crafting forums did not yet exist because the Internet was still in its infancy! In 1987, 1e AD&D was the only version of AD&D that existed… Gary Gygax had mentioned coming out with a 2nd Edition, but that was before he was pushed out of TSR, the company he hand founded more than a decade earlier. In 1987, the Fantasy Role Playing Game genre was still fairly young, and about the only DM Screen available, was one sold by TSR, made of two long sheets of folded cardboard! In 1987, I had never even heard of water-based acrylic paints! Technology was so much younger then, and computers were very young, as well, running only on DOS (Disk Operating System)! Those were different times from today, I can tell you! Let's take a closer look at my 1987 design, to see what we can learn from it -- the Good, the Bad, and the downright Ugly… As I stated, in 1987, I had not yet heard of acrylic paints. I had access to B&W photocopiers (as far as I know, there was no such thing as a color photocopier at that time…). I started out by rattle-can, spray-painting the three sections of MDF, black on their smooth finished front sides; the back sides of the MDF panels were all rough textured. The panels measured: 11.5" x 15.5" (two side panels), and 21.5" by 11.5" (center panel). I drew, using a pencil, the images of a planet, its three nearby moons, and a Knight, armed with a lance, flying on a Blue Dragon. This is as far as I got for a while -- I really had no idea where to go from there, for quite some time. One of my players commented, after I finally painted the Knight, and his Dragon, how much he was anticipating seeing it painted, having been teased for so long, by the faint pencil drawing. I painted the planet, and its three moons, using a crude school paint brush, the kind that I now buy in packs of 30, for brusing on Minwax polyurethane stain onto my painted figures! If you look closely, you might make out the soft borders of the planetary circles: I cut out some circle templates using a cereal box, taping this to the MDF surface, slathering on the oil-based Testor's Model Paints. For the stars, I dipped a toothpick into the paint bottles (red, white, and blue, but mostly white, as the other colors did not show up very well), dabbing them onto the MDF to create star points -- not difficult, but rather tedious considering how many DM mixing up a scenario soup concoction, in an older, 1970's issue of Dragon magazine. I printed it out, on a then-available color laser printer. I cut it down to its borders, and I used the only technique I was familiar with, at that time, to apply it to the MDF panel: I cut an oversized piece of Clear Contact Paper (peel-n-stick, translucent clear vinyl kitchen shelf liner), overlaying the printout, bonding it to the side panel. So at this point, I had the DM Screen (originally constructed in 1987, with only the center panel decorated with a painted picture of a planet, and its three moons, with a Knight flying on a Blue Dragon), with one side panel adorned with a Dragon magazine cartoon I liked. Fast forward to 2024, when I added the last embellishments to my 1987 DM Screen: additional artwork copied from old Dragon magazines on the CD-ROM collection, which I had to colorize myself, with pencils; these pictures were printed on full-sheet, peel-n-stick label paper, cut to size, and applied to the third panel of the DM Screen; I further embellished it with artistic corner decorations I discovered on Amazon.com, intended mostly for fancy hardcover books, I believe. I did a sloppy job (some of the Ugly)of applying the metal corner embellishments using 2-part epoxy (I did not want them to ever fall off…). These embellishments came with tiny nails to be used to hold them into place, but the MDF pieces are rather thin, and I felt it would be nigh impossible for me to hammer them into place properly, so epoxy was the better part of valor, in this case. This was the last update performed on my now venerable DM Screen. The new artwork was in line with the 1987 panel, but the corner embellishments really kicked its design up a level. The interior of the DM Screen was made using two copies of the cardboard, 1e TSR DM Screen, covering them with Clear Contact Paper, to make them water-resistant, gluing them to the rough sides of the MDF panels, hiding the wrapped Contact Paper. These have never been changed since it was made. To be honest, I never found the tiny print of the tables and charts to be all that useful, when running my games. There was too much information, in too small of a print size, to be able to read it quickly in session. For my next DM Screen, this will need to be changed for something more readable (I passed age of 40, decades ago, when Human eyes undergo a permanent aging change making reading small print even more difficult…). I think my next design will have 5 panels, with the central panel being Landscape format (low and wide) so I can see over it easily, but with the other panels being Portrait format, allowing me to insert 8.5" x 11" sheets of paper, with larger printed text on them! I will make the pages on the DM's side of the Screen, replaceable, allowing me the option to insert maps, and other informational sheets into them, as needed. I believe I will make panel inserts on the outside panels, facing my Players, as well: I can then change up the pages shown, as desired, to set the mood, to show regional maps of relevance to the game session I am running, and more. I used very small, delicate metal hinges (more Bad), two at each panel joint (note that they are not perfectly aligned -- more of the Ugly). Over the decades, and several moves between multiple apartments and multiple houses, the original hinges broke, and I replaced them with identical hinges -- they have only been replaced once, since 1987 (38 years of use and gaming abuse), which is quite good, I think! But for the next Screen, I will employ more magnetic hinges, far less delicate, with no chance to "break" -- come apart, yes, but they should never "break." In short, my next DM Screen will be very different from my classic 1987 model… But that, dear Crafters, is another thread yet to written. Cheers! |
| Striker | 29 Jul 2025 10:40 p.m. PST |
Interesting idea. I went the lazy route and got a screen with multiple open folders. |
| Sgt Slag | 30 Jul 2025 7:00 a.m. PST |
I picked up some materials, last night, at Menards: galvanized steel sheets, 9" x 18", times three; and MDX plywood board, 2 feet x 4 feet. The sheet metal will be cut up to fit the sections of the Screen, allowing me to use magnets to attach stuff, but these will be glued to the board, then covered with leather (not vinyl -- I must have pitched the extra vinyl I recovered from my Ping Pong Table when I retired it, but I found two cow hides, fully tanned, from another project that failed to launch). I will need to order neodymium magnets, if I go the route of magnets. That is a trickier way to make the sections hold together, and my MDX board is only 1/4" thick (I want to keep it as lightweight as possible), so I have little thickness to work with. I will attach the magnets to the board sections, employing a steel rod in between the sections, for their magnets to cling to. So far, I am looking at around $40 USD in materials cost without the leather hides (bought two skins, around 10 years ago, and I forget their prices). Hoping to cut up the MDX board in the next few days, to form the panels. I may need additional galvanized steel sheets: I hope to put them on both sides of the plywood, to allow me to use magnets to attach sheets/artwork/etc. to both sides of the Screen sections, without having anything permanently attached, as that would detract from the leather. This thing will be encased in leather (I hope), and I don't want to hide it when I have no artwork to display on the sections. I know how to wrap the leather around the MDX, and I know how to adhere the sheet metal to the MDX. I need to see if the sheet metal needs to be wrapped in leather, separately… Stay tuned, same Bat Channel, same Bat Time! Cheers! PS: I will add photos later. Cheers x2! |
| Sgt Slag | 31 Jul 2025 9:46 a.m. PST |
So, as I promised, pictures of my new DM Screen construction progress. All five sections, laid out in proper alignment, with urethane stain applied to one side only: photo-1. The other sides have been coated with a darker urethane-stain; they should be ready to work on, tomorrow. Center Section, laid atop my Chessex Mondomat, with 1" squares, allowing you to gauge its size. It is 24" long, and roughly 10" tall: photo-2. Right, player-facing, side boards, oriented to Portrait, roughly 12" tall, by 10" wide: Photo-3. Left, player-facing, side boards, oriented to Portrait, roughly 12" tall, by 10" wide: photo-4. As you can see, this is MDX board: quite rough, unfinished wood, though it was sanded on one side. The DM's side has knots, and other defects in it. The quality of the wood's surface is a minor consideration, as it will be covered, entirely: the player-facing sides will be covered in either vinyl faux leather, or real leather, depending upon a few factors yet to be determined; the DM-facing sides will be covered with black-painted steel, offering a magnetic surface to attach maps, charts, notes, etc. My next step is to play with the vinyl, to figure out how to cut it efficiently, and accurately, for my needs. This will depend heavily upon the size and layout for the sheet metal pieces on the finished screen. I plan to use Craig Vetter's CAD System for this portion: Craig Vetter designed the first frame-mounted fairings for motorcycles, in the early 1970's, altering motorcycle history forever; his CAD System was Cardboard-Aided-Design, much like DM Scotty, 30+ years later! Once I determine the size and layout for the steel sheet metal, I will begin to cut it to size and shape, which will allow me to know how to cut the vinyl/leather to fit, appropriately. I believe that this will be the most challenging aspect of the design process. Until next time… Same Bat Channel, same Bat Time! Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 04 Aug 2025 9:43 a.m. PST |
After giving it a great deal of thought, I realized that the leather hides would stretch, and sag, over time, if I used them on my DM Screen. I considered using leather glue, and/or epoxy to adhere them to the plywood boards, to prevent them from looking sad, in the future, but it just was too much hassle to worry about. I went back to my burgundy vinyl fabric scraps, and I began covering the plywood boards with those: it can be stretched taut, and stapled, with minimal sagging possible in the future. Everything else is on track. I realize that I will likely need to provide some sort of spacer, between the metal sheet and the plywood board, to create a filler. Even though I pounded the steel staples into the plywood boards to make the vinyl sit as close to the board's surface as possible, the vinyl still creates a stand-off space above the plywood board. I have some extra sheets of craft foam, which I can sandwich between the vinyl covered plywood boards and the sheet metal surfaces. The crafting foam can be adhered to the plywood using either spray adhesive, or contact cement (if it does not melt the plastic foam material!). Two things I forgot to take care of… First, I need to attach some sheet metal beneath the vinyl on the large center section, to allow me to attach maps to its surface; secondly, I need to iron the vinyl to remove that crease in it. I will likely do the same for the one side board, which also has a crease in it. I may put some sheet metal in each side board, on the front sides, for possible future use allowing me to attach documents, with magnets. Once I glue the craft foam sheets onto the boards to cover up the vinyl stapling, there won't be any way to go back and fix anything… I hope to finish covering the remaining two plywood boards, today, along with applying the crafting foam spacer sheets to the board sections. After the crafting foam is in place, I will cut-to-size the sheet metal, paint it, and then I will adhere it to the boards. After that, it will be time to attach some hinges, and some decorative finishing touches to the boards. Finally, I will need to create the tables and charts that I need in-game, laminating them, and applying them to the finished DM Screen using magnets, making it ready to use. Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 04 Aug 2025 8:27 p.m. PST |
Progress Update: I bought an Aviation Snips (Tin Snips) tool, using it to cut the 26 gauge steel sheet to fit a side panel. I learned a great deal cutting this first metal panel: it is greasy, needing to be thoroughly cleaned before painting (either 91% isopropyl alcohol or turpentine will degrease it before painting); using Tin Snips, it is very challenging to make rounded corners -- it is far easier, with far better results, to just cut off the sharp corners; the straight cut edges tend to deform, but these can be hammered to flatten the edges of the metal sheet; no foam sheet filler/spacer is required -- this is critical, as it greatly simplifies the construction process; all cut metal edges need to be dulled with a grinding wheel on a moto-tool, before gluing them to their boards -- I will wait until all of the sheets are cut-to-size, so that I can grind their edges smooth, assembly line style to maximize efficiency! So, having explained all of that, here is a photo of my first metal sheet, cut-to-size, with around 6-12 left to cut… I might clean and paint this piece tomorrow, then attach it, as proof of concept, so that I know what works, and what doesn't. More updates as progress is made. Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 05 Aug 2025 6:34 p.m. PST |
Progress Update: I deburred the cut piece of sheet metal. I scrubbed it with just soap and water to degrease it, dried it, then I painted it with some glossy Kona brown spray paint I had left over from another household project -- since it was proof of concept, I wanted to use what I had on hand. The paint is dry to the touch, but I will let it cure overnight, before I paint the backside's edges. After that, I will use Construction Adhesive, a high strength type of silicone caulking, to bond it to the vinyl-clad plywood side board: photo of the painted sheet metal resting in its proposed position atop a side panel. Once I have that done, I will proceed with cutting the remainder of the sheet metal pieces, debur those, paint them, and adhere them to each of their vinyl-clad boards, including the long, main section. Before I glue this first metal sheet to the board, however, I need to determine how to attach the metal hinges to the board sections. I want the hinges to be attached to the wood substrate, not the stapled-on vinyl covering -- that would lead to the vinyl tearing, with usage. The metal hinges can be screwed to the plywood panels (1/4"-thick) using short screws, or they can be epoxied to them. The hinges might require a cut-out in the metal plates, so this is going to be an interesting challenge. It really depends upon the type and size of the hinges employed… Time to shop for some hinges! The long main section will require two separate pieces of sheet metal. I need to determine where to put the seam for those two pieces: center, or offset. It depends upon the length required, along with what I have left over for sheet metal cut-off's, as to where I will make the seam. Ideally, I will put it in the center. I am considering using a small amount of Construction Adhesive on a narrow metal sheet strip, applied to the backside of the seamed pieces, pressing them flat, to minimize the seam, keeping it as flat as possible to avoid any future snags, or catching, as I employ it at the table. Cheers |
| Sgt Slag | 08 Aug 2025 1:00 p.m. PST |
Progress Update: I found some Halloween eyeballs at Michael's Craft Store, in their just-put-out-for-the-season, Halloween decorations. I couldn't resist these. I bought some round magnets, peeling the backing paper off of the backs of the eyes, applying them to the magnets. Now I have managed to turn my DM's Screen into a Mimic monster. LOL! If I find a mouth sculpt, full of sharp fangs, I will turn that into a magnet, as well, giving my Mimic Screen some bite! The Eye magnets are, of course, to be used to hold papers to the screen, when completed. I plan to have metal plates on the Player's Side of the Screen, and these Eye Magnets will be used to hold maps on that side, as well. Construction is proceeding according to plan. I have revised my technique a bit, though. Working with 2-part epoxy is messy -- really messy! Construction Adhesive is also messy to work with, though not as challenging as epoxy resins. I am planning to use High Temperature Hot Glue to attach one of the metal panels to a side board: it has high strength; it is inexpensive; it is relatively easy to control where it goes on the product; the High Temperature Hot Glue has a working time of around 2 minutes, which is sufficient for this project, but much shorter than 2-part epoxy (mine is 30-minute set time, but since it is 25+ years old, it is more like 90-minutes set time, with proper mixing ratios…) and Construction Adhesive (1+ weeks to fully cure!). I suspect that I will need some crafting foam spacers between the Hot Glue patterns to keep everything level, as the vinyl corners do lift up the metal plates from the wood panel surface. I plan to press the metal plates with books stacked atop them, while the Hot Glue cools and hardens, after I verify everything is aligned properly; I will employ Parchment Paper between the Screen boards and the books, to protect the books from any excess overflow. Excess overflow of Hot Glue can be cut away, as needed; touch-up's can be done with the hot tip of the Glue Gun, to reshape as needed. I've used both High and Low Temperature Hot Glues for crafting for many a year. I know how they both work, I know the working time for each type, and I am familiar with the bonding strength of both, along with their durability over time. Once it hardens, removing the metal plates will result in their destruction and complete mangling into scrap metal. Hot Glue is the easiest option to work with, and it will prove to be quite adequate for the task. I hope to finish cutting up the metal plates this weekend, maybe even finishing the construction of the whole. The hinges arrive today, along with some decorative elements. In my final post, I will give a succinct summary of each of the steps involved in making the Screen. Until next time… Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 09 Aug 2025 7:27 a.m. PST |
Progress Update: Some of the needed parts arrived yesterday: decorative brass corner pieces and the brass hinges (zoom in to see the axle stop flap of brass which prevents the axle from falling out -- this is the bottom side of the hinge). This opened the door to putting everything together so I worked on two side panels to figure out the best way to assemble it. I also nailed in place the brass corner decorations, as well as Hot Gluing the two painted metal panels into place. Again, this is a first time, trial-and-error situation. Note that I do not possess any woodworking skills beyond what I vaguely remember from my Junior High School shop classes, back in the late 1970's… I followed my plan, employing High Temperature Hot Glue, and craft foam sheet cut-out's as spacers; the penciled X was a guide for where to apply the Hot Glue -- I applied it atop the foam spaces, as well, for extra strength. First, I glued the spacers in place, covering them with Parchment Paper, then books piled on top of that. I waited five minutes to ensure that the Hot Glue had fully hardened. I dry-fitted the metal sheets, turning and adjusting them for the optimal fit and placement. Then, I applied a liberal amount of High Temperature Hot Glue, applying the sheet metal, the Parchment Paper, and the required stack of books, to flatten everything out while the Glue hardened as it cooled. This is where the issues arose. The small Glue Gun was too slow, pushing out too little Glue, so I switched to a larger Gun I had sitting next to it, ready to go, but with only one Glue Stick in it! I did not put extra Glue Sticks for the larger Gun, close to hand, so I grabbed some smaller Glue Sticks, and shoved them into the larger Gun, to push out enough Glue for the job, all the while the Glue already applied was cooling! As I reached for the Glue Sticks, I grabbed the Gun tip with my finger, by mistake -- OUCH!!! FYI: High Temperature Hot Glue adheres to skin far stronger than does the Low Temperature Hot Glue; High Temperature Hot Glue melts at a much higher, much hotter temperature, and it burns much more severely than Low Temperature Hot Glue. You have been warned. It all worked out very well, in the end. There were gaps along the edges of the sheet metal which were not bonded, initially. I was able to carefully insert the Glue Gun's tip into the space, injecting more Hot Glue, then pressing it down with the Parchment Paper and the books again. Yes, Virginia, the Glue Gun tip will melt and burn vinyl, so be very careful with this! In the end, it went rather well, aside from my one finger tip which was burned. Next, I applied the small brass hinges. This was a bit tricky, as I needed to hold the two side boards butted together tightly, because the hinges, being so small, had little reach beyond the edge of the boards. To achieve this goal, I pressed the two boards together, applying blue painter's tape in three strips, to hold them in place while I screwed the hinges in place. Larger hinges would likely serve better, but I wanted to keep them small, with less visual impact. Hiding the hinges beneath the vinyl covering is possible, but with usage, I feared the vinyl would separate, creating an eye-sore at the hinges. I did not think of a means to align the hinges, until this morning. I will try my idea on the other two side board hinges to see if I can align those better than the first. The hinge's tiny brass screws achieved a pretty good grip into the plywood panels. I used three hinges to add extra strength, however. I may need to add two more hinges, just to be sure they do not pull out, with use. My hinges have a brass piece, bent over the end of their axle, which prevents it from falling out. This means that the hinges have a top, and a bottom, and you need to orient them so that the pins do not fall out! The brass corner decorations attached with nails, solidly penetrated the vinyl covered plywood. They are short enough that they did not go through the plywood. These really add a great look to the Screen dressing it up nicely. So here are some additional images of the side panels: the Mimic eyes on the metal sheets; the fully folded side panels (the brass decorations prevent them from closing as much as I had hoped, but I won't be transporting this Screen, so it will just sit upon my table, being removed only when I run a miniatures game); the finished side panels in a slightly folded position. If I had not placed the corner decorations near the hinges, these side panels would fold much closer to flat. I could have removed them, but I feared the vinyl would me marked up, and I don't have enough left over to recover two the panels -- lesson learned. Today, I plan to assemble the other two side panels -- this time with the correct, larger Hot Glue Gun with extra Glue Sticks close at hand! I need to cut and deburr the metal sheets to size for the side panels, as well as the main central panel; I need to paint them, then I will be able to glue them in place; I need to attach the remaining hinges, this time trying to better align them along their joints. I hope to finish them today, or tomorrow. Once completed, I will post an update for that. I will follow that with a summary post with some details to help others avoid the Gotcha's I encountered along the way. Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 09 Aug 2025 2:49 p.m. PST |
Progress Update: Some new work has been accomplished on this project, but there is still some distance to cover before the finish line appears. All of the metal plates have been cut, de-burred, and some have been Hot Glued into place, but others are still waiting. I Hot Glued a 2.5 inch tall strip of steel to the center board, beneath the vinyl. This will allow me to use eye magnets to hang maps as appropriate, to show the Players. If you look closely, you can see it pushing out against the vinyl. It should last for decades before the metal plate cuts through the vinyl, if it ever does. These magnets have to reach through the vinyl layer, so their grip on the metal strip is weaker than the reverse side which only has spray paint between the metal and the magnet. I placed some of the brass corner markers onto the metal plates on the DM's side of the screen to see how it would look: layout 1 and layout 2. I also wanted to see if they would interfere with the pages of notes, charts, etc., I want to hang on my side of the screen. I have some flexible peel-n-stick magnet tape, for labels, in a big roll which one of my son's gifted me from one of his jobs. I think I will try cutting it to shape to fit the brass corner markers, magnetizing them. I can then use them to hold papers to the DM's side of the Screen. The magnet labels were free, so I can afford to experiment with them -- they've been sitting in my house, unused, for 3+ years now. I did a mock-up of the finished, Player's side of the Screen, putting all of the pieces together to see what it will look like when it is finished. The hinged side panels, on the left, are finished; the center section, and the two side panels on the right side, are waiting for the sheet metal pieces to be painted, then Hot Glued onto them. I might not get everything done this weekend. Time will tell. Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 11 Aug 2025 7:45 a.m. PST |
Progress Update: I discovered that the soft magnetic vinyl with the adhesive on one side, can be cut to shape, using a razor blade, without too much effort. I had some extra corner decorations, so I magnetized them, to use on my DM's side of the screen, to supplement the eye magnets. I also learned that the paint+primer coating, even when fully cured (and baked to speed up the curing process!), is very easy to scratch off of the metal sheet steel. I need to apply a coating of aerosol urethane to protect it. That is something I hope to accomplish this evening. Once that is applied, I can Hot Glue the remaining steel sheets to the boards, add the hinges, and finish this project off. Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 17 Aug 2025 4:59 p.m. PST |
Progress Update: Nearing the finish line. All four side panels have been hinged together, as well as being hinged to the central DM panel. Here are some photos: DM's side, deployed in game position; partially folded, DM's side. I employed five (5) hinges on each joint. Experience with my 1987 DM Screen suggested that a little Over-Kill on hinges, for strength, is a sensible idea. The hinges get a fair amount of stress when the screen is folded, but moving it is particularly stressful on the hinges. It does not fold flat, as I had originally hoped it would. This is likely a good thing, as folding it completely flat would put even more stress on the hinges! I had Hot Glue'd the metal side panels on the left-hand side, prior to attaching the hinges between them, and the central panel -- this was a mistake. I managed to insert the screws beneath the edges of the metal panels, but it is much easier to attach the hinges first, then Hot Glue the metal panels over the top. I did not pay close enough attention to the clearance between the metal plates and the wrapped panel edges. Hindsight is always 20/20… I never anticipated the eye magnets, nor did I anticipate the thickness of the corner decorations interfering with the hinge operations of the panels. Can you tell that I am not a professional engineer? LOL! I hope to finish the panel either tonight, or tomorrow. More photos will be posted, along with a final write-up, when it is completed. Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 20 Aug 2025 8:32 p.m. PST |
"Is it done yet?" "About an hour."
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. "Is it done yet?" "About an hour." "That's what you said last time." "About an hour." "UGHhhh!" Actually, my custom DM Screen is done -- for now. I learned plenty in making it. Things I should have done, things I would do differently, if I made another one. Yes, folks, it is time for a post-mortem on this project. Strap in, and let's get started… Leather covering, or vinyl? Leather: requires special leather glue to secure it to the wooden board surfaces; more hassle, more fiddly, more things to go wrong in the application -- I have zero experience working with leather like this; requires periodical conditioning/cleaning with things like leather soap; expensive. Vinyl: very durable, waterproof (except when cut, or poked with holes), resists most common chemicals; never dries out; cleans with virtually any mild soap and water; can be stretched taut, without issues; easy to staple into place; relatively inexpensive compared to leather; no need to worry about dyeing, or matching dye lots. Sheet Metal for magnets to hold paper note sheets: not the easiest thing to work with, unless you have sheet metal skills and professional tools; can be made to work relatively easy with hand tools; can be costly; paint will rub off more easily than you imagine; coating the paint with something like polyurethane can help make it more durable, but it will still chip and scratch more than you expect it to; you could (and you should!) cover the sheet metal with clear vinyl shelf liner, to protect its paint covering; I will likely add this to mine, within the next week, as the paint continues to scratch off, in spite of several coats of polyurethane. Attaching Sheet Metal to Wooden Panels: Hot Glue sounds like a good method, but it has its challenges and its limitations; a better route would be to have used the Construction Adhesive (a strong form of silicone in a tube) would be easier, more effective, and with a cleaner application than the Hot Glue I used. Hinges: if you employ small brass hinges, like I did, they are delicate, and easily bent -- use more than you think are necessary, to make the whole more sturdy; plan carefully as to how you want the whole to fold up, make sure you account for any surface decorations you plan to apply to the surfaces which might interfere with the hinges folding. Overall: perform multiple dry-fits, to make sure things will work as you hoped when you visualized your design; many subtle changes along the way between mental images in your head, and how it actually all comes together in the making process, can potentially de-rail your entire project! Now for the photos, some in progress, some after the Screen was finished. Interior shot #1, left side panels finished, center and right side panels without their steel sheets applied yet. Interior shot #2, everything in place, ready to put to use at the gaming table. Interior center section, showing how easily the sheet metal surface can be scratched! Ouch! This metal sheet was given three coats of aerosol polyurethane, but it did not help as much as I'd hoped… Interior left panels, fully assembled, ready for charts, maps, or whatever I need to run the game session. Again, the paint, with polyurethane coatings, cannot withstand much abuse before the paint flakes off. Yikes! Interior right panels, same sad situation with the paint on the steel sheet metal. Some Hot Glue residue is evident, but most of what you see is bare steel where paint + polyurethane scraped away. So it is finished, but it needs some refinement -- a little fine-tuning, as auto-mechanics used to say when I was a boy. How does it function, you ask? Let's take a look at some shots showing it in its full functioning glory (such as it is…). Here is a view for the DM, with maps and a chart held in place by magnets (I use a Padauk Dice Tower, so I added that to show how I will utilize it at my gaming table); a close-up of the left side screens; a close-up of the center screen, with a map on the left hand side of it; a close-up view of the right hand sides, with a map, and a chart of Priest Spells; and finally, a view from the Player's side, with a map held in place in the center for their usage. I really like the burgundy faux leather (vinyl), with the bright brass corner decorations and the brass hinges. It has its blemishes, but it is something I made myself, and with all of that, I am still proud of it, in spite of the paint scratches. Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 21 Aug 2025 9:20 a.m. PST |
Post Mortem Part Deux: How much does it weigh? 10.0 pounds. How much did it cost in materials? Here is a parts-cost list of materials used for it: 4 x 26 ga steel sheet metal = $32 USD
1 x Tin Snips = $7 USD 1 x Plywood 4x4 = $19 USD 1 x Yard burg. faux Leather vinyl (mine was free) = $12 USD 1 x Brown Spray Paint = $7 USD 1 x Spray Urethane = $7 USD 1 x box of 50 Hinges = $8 USD 1 x pack of Hot Glue = $5 USD 1 x Hot Glue Gun = $10 USD 1 x Hvy. Duty Stapler = $12 USD 1 x box of Staples = $4 USD 2 x boxes of brass corner dec. = $26 USD 1 x pack of 14 Eyeballs = $4 USD 1 x pack of magnets (for the eyes) = $5 USD Total Supplies Cost: $158 USD The cost is higher than I expected, but it was a whole lot of fun to push myself to get this far with it. And, comparing it to all of the commercially available DM Screens, I don't think it came out too bad. I am looking forward to using it at my next game. Cheers! |
| Sgt Slag | 21 Aug 2025 1:19 p.m. PST |
I have discovered that galvanized steel should be cleaned with white vinegar, prior to painting. A paint specifically made for use on galvanized metals is also recommended. Now I need to decide whether or not to strip the brown paint, clean with white vinegar, then paint it again, as before, or try a specialized paint? Otherwise, I could just touch up the existing paint, and cover that with clear shelf liner… Hmmm. I think that I may need to chew on this for a spell. LOL! Cheers! |
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