#24 Project Implementation, Miniature Storage

Implementation, Miniature Storage

Introduction

After my extensive research session it came time to make a mess, I have built my miniature storage method and surprisingly it has worked. I have learnt a few things and can make a few recommendations for people following in my messy footsteps.

How to video:

My Guide:

You will need:

1. Washers which are the diameter of the bases you want to store.
2. Sheet magnets to cover the base of the tub you wish to use.
3. A tub to hold the miniatures.

 

 

 Step By Step:

1. Take your washers
1. Prime one side (not sure the paint will stick otherwise)
2. Paint one side
3. (Optional) Varnish one side (extra protection).
2. Take your tub.
1. If the magnetic sheet doesn't fit then cut to size, I'd suggest using a template
2. If the magnetic sheet is not self adhesive, then you will need some kind of glue, I used a spray on adhesive. I'd think you could get away super glue but might melt your plastic might want to check the back of the bottle.
3. Take your miniatures and glue the washer to the base.
1. I'd wait a while if you used superglue, I ended up with "burn" (the white dust) on the magnets in my usage.

 

What Worked?

 Most stuff, I managed to store about 80 miniatures on one a4 sheet, according to the internet the max you would be able to get was 91.

Finding 25mm and 30mm washers were easy and cheap. The A4 magnets sheets and tubs were cheap too.

For a total investment of $30 I was able to store about 160 miniatures.

What Didn't Work?

The  larger washer are harder to reliably locate, I am still looking for a good source for 40 and 50mm washers.

I still don't have the perfect tub, I'd say you really want a tub with draw depth of 70-80mm to suit most of your collection.

Conclusion

This has made me happy and made more room to store on my self. Out with the old in with the new or so they say.

Would Recommend.

9/10

#23 Project Research, Miniature Storage

Research, Miniature Storage

Introduction

I have a problem, within the house I have one shelf which I keep my miniatures on, its full. I need to store them somewhere and thus project storage begins.

Requirements

1. Keep them away from the kids.
2. Keep them clean.
3. Allow me to find stuff.
4. Keep them from rattling around.
5. Make them transport safe.

Current Solution

I am currently storing my guys in unused takeaway food containers. They are cheap but not ideal as they don't have any padding and let the miniatures rattle around. I then pile them up in plastic tubs which hold a heap of food containers. This is working OK, I just want something better.

 

Current Solution Issues

1.  I usually know what tub something is in but then I have to search through and find it.
2. The models are getting broken and beat-up due to rattling around.
3. The containers don't really lend themselves to transporting the miniatures.
4. My wife hates my boxes, they are migrating around the house.

What I'm Going To Try

I've got a pile of washers and some flat magnet sheets and some boxes and hopefully this will produce the outcome desired.

The Washers

If you are anything like me you tip over your beloved miniatures on a regular basis, this can be because you are clumsy or just because the model is top heavy, doesn't matter (I'm clumsy).

When I first started playing I added small change (5c and 10c to the bases of my models to move the center of gravity down closer to the ground reducing my chances of tipping. Something heavy at the base of the model makes the model less likes to tip. So heavy washers that are the same diameter as the base sound like a great idea.

You can buy steel washers that will be attracted to a magnet so its a match made in heaven being the correct radius, adding weight to the base, flat and relatively unobtrusive.

After a bit of searching I came up with this table:

Game	Description	Diameter mm	Length
Warhammer 40k	Standard Infantry	25
Warhammer 40k	Bike Bases	25	70
Infinity	Small	25
Warhammer 40k	Clear flight stands small	30
Malifaux	Small	30
Warmachine	Small	30
Warhammer 40k	Large Infantry	40
Malifaux	Medium	40
Warmachine	Medium	40
Infinity	Medium	40
Malifaux	Large	50
Warmachine	Large	50
Infinity	Large	55
Warhammer 40k	Monsters	60
Warhammer 40k	Clear flight stands large	60
Warhammer 40k	Flyer	90	120
Warmahine	XLarge	120

I ended up purchasing 25mm, 30mm and 40mm, covering off a heap of the list and the vast majority of the miniatures I'd be dealing with.

The Magnets

Initially I wanted to use neodymium magnets, they are awesome strong, fairly cheap and easy to get your hands on. I chose to go in the other direction of flat magnets solely because of how I would apply them to whatever I wanted to carry the miniatures in.

If they were small magnets I would need to create a matrix of them. With a flat magnet I could hold any number miniatures based upon whatever fits. It also means I can use the sheet itself as a de facto movement tray. It wont be super strong but it should hold, at least that's what my initial tests seem to confirm, at worst I can fall back on neodymium magnets.

Printable magnets

 Otto A4 Magnetic Sheet

  

The boxes

I've been trawling through cheap shops looking for the largest boxes that will stack, my criteria seems to be mostly centered around being able to fit an a4 sheet and being tall enough to store the larger miniatures.

Rectangle Plastic Food Storage Container with Lid - 4L

Decor Tellfresh 12-Cupcake Storer

Plastic Storage Box

Plastic Sliding Drawers

Parallel 2 Drawer Cabinet

		Outside			Inside
Description	Cost	Length	Width	Depth	Length	Width	Depth	Times	Volume
Rectangle Plastic Container	4	281	191	100	240	160	95	1	3648
Decor cupcake Storer	10	330	255	80	290	210	75	1	4567.5
Plastic Storage Box	10	305	305	80	300	300	65	1	5850
Plastic Sliding Drawers	10	335	255	135	310	225	55	2	7672.5
Parallel 2 Drawer Cabinet	10	335	255	135	310	225	115	1	8021.25

The ones highlighted in orange indicated some trimming will be required of the sheet magents before they can be installed, while the green will accept a4 sheets neatly and even stack into one another making great candidates for storage.

The Greens however do not make good candidates for transportation, there is no locking mechanism and they are rather unwieldy when moving them around.

The models:

I've taken some random models from my shelf, choosing taller and shorter models to get an idea of the height range.

It appears that most will fall within the 55mm range, these include most of the troops with the exception of the troops with their swords raised.

It must also be factored in that the models will have a further 1mm of washer and the box will have an inlay of magnet, pushing the total room removed to about 2-3mm.

Conclusion

I am of the opinion that as long as the vast majority of the models are catered to this wont be a bad idea. I think the stacking boxes lend themselves quite well to suiting a larger range of miniatures. The stacking and the fact they fit A4 out of the box makes them great candidates.

The pathway I will follow is now set.

#18 How to, Masking your Models for Painting/Airbrushing

Masking your Models

Introduction

I have been painting with the air brush for about 6 months and since I started I was flummoxed by the people telling me about their masking materials.

In this most I'm going to details some things I've learnt and hopefully you will walk away with a few more ideas than you started with.

What I've tried (in order of my attempts)

Humbrol, Maskol
Price, $10

What is it: Latex Paint, Its purple and dries REALLY fast.
Removal: I use toothpicks as the hobby knife tends to remove paint.

Up Sides:

• Its quite easy to brush on it dries fast and can fit into your painting flow fairly easily, once dry you can rub to remove. 
• It does give you good clean lines.

Down Sides:

• You cant really clean it up, if you paint outside of the area you wanted to mask its one block and rather impossible to cut or move. 
• It dries fast literally, 30 seconds on the brush and you are going to be picking bits off (and they don't come off), I'm sure there is a solvent for it,  but I mainly keep to dip, paint, wash cycles having wrecked 2 good brushes.
• Its hard to remove from small crevasses, pits in chain-mail are annoying and if it stays it will screw up further layers of paint when it decides to come off.
• It leaves flash at the paint line.

Conclusion:
I've had very mixed success with it. I use it but am mainly using it for when i chose to pin models and mask off the join point.

Bostik, Blu-tackPrice: $3

What is it: Americans call it poster putty, its basically a sticky blob, it adheres to itself really well and is very flexible.
Removal: You use a ball of itself and it pulls itself off.

Up Sides:

• Cheap
• Flexible
• Usable till it starts leaking paint onto the miniatures.

Down Sides:

• Can sometimes strip paint.
• It's very thick which makes being exact hard.
• A real paint to get out of pits.
• It can melt if its too hot.
• I'm sure a solvent will cause it to decompose.

Conclusion:
I like it plus it use it for other hobby thinks like 3rd handing and propping up models for drying.

[No Brand] Cling-Wrap
Price: $3

What is it: Think plastic film used to keep in the freshness, I use it as a drop cloth.
Removal: Pull.

Up Sides:

• Cheap
• Flexible

Down Sides:

• It can melt if its too hot.
• I'm sure a solvent will cause it to decompose.
• Is not stuck to the models so will get blown away by the airbrush.
• Not really helpful for brushing either.

 Conclusion:
I'd recommend it for over spray protection and not much else.

[No Brand] Aluminum Foil
Price: $3

What is it: A metal sheet that you use to keep the roast moist while not crisping the outside, I use it as a stiff cling wrap.
Removal: Unfold it off the model.

Up Sides:

• Cheap
• Flexible
• Stiff

Down Sides:

• Is not stuck to the models so it will move a little with handling unless your careful (much less than cling wrap).
• Not really helpful for brushing either.
• It is reasonably hard to get it to stay where you want it. 
• It MAY rub at your model.

Conclusions:
Its great if you don't want to stick anything on the model, but want non-straight line protection.

[No Brand] Masking Tape
Price: $1-$15

What is it, The white tape you used instead of the clear stuff for wrapping presents. Its really meant for putting on the walls, windows, etc and painting along then removing for straight lines.
Removal: Pick off a corner and pull.

Up Sides:

• Great for clean lines anything straight on a flat surface this is your go to method.
• You can also use for bending lines by using thinner tape.
• The better brands seem convinced they will have really good edges (cant confirm myself).
• The brands all claim not to remove paint.

Down Sides:

• I have had paint removed with all the types I've tried. It seems to be related primer used, how long it was adhered and how angry I was during removal.
• It horrible to mask off a larger model, it doesn't generally want to curve making it hard to use on normal models.

Conclusion:
For straight lines, would recommend as the go to.

Conclusion

I personally use blu-tack and foil for most tasks. Maskol may have a place but I find it so much of additional distraction that I avoid it.

For lines masking tape (not the cheapest), seems to be the way to go.

#14 How to, Malifaux, Stat Card Lamination

Malifaux, Stat Card Lamination

Introduction

Recently I began looking for a way to keep my Malifaux stat cards safe clean and whiteboard markable for the foreseeable future. I wanted a solution that was low effort, low price and repeatable.

 

Discussion

In discussions with friends card sleeves always seem to make an appearance. Having a background in Magic the Gathering, it seemed like the way to go, blow some cash on a nice set of transparent sleeves and that be the end of it.

Then I had a thought why not laminate the cards unlike magic there isn't a need to mask the cards or still have them flexible. Stiffness in the cards could be beneficial as I could mark them in the palm of my hand without bending them.

They gain good protection and I can be really lazy with them i.e. not putting the away neatly and not have them wrecked if I play with my kids. Win Win.

 

Starting Point

There's a video I found a while ago with a guy from 2012 laminating his Malifaux cards.

I don't want to take away anything from what he's achieved but looking from an outside perspective (i.e. Australia) we don't have access to all the exact items he used added to the fact I think the start cards might have changed since his days. So from him I learned, its possible to do and they don't turn out terrible.

My Research

After spending a little time reading up and getting some general info, the following would be useful to others. There are only a few things to worry about:

1. Paper size accepted, you can jam anything smaller in just not larger.
2. The pouch thickness seems to matter more than anything else, they will be rated at a max thickness, i.e. 125 microns, this is per side not total. Again anything smaller is fine.
3. You can jam a already heated pouch through multiple times and sometimes it will seal a little more.
4. Malifaux Card are 63.5mm X 89mm in size. Consequently so are the old Warmachine cards I own. Also the same size as the fate deck cards, including the promotional cards in the decks which is what I used for testing.
5. The thickness defines how stiff the the laminated product will be. 125 feels more like a credit card while 80 feels more like plastic paper.

 

What I Bought

After resolving that I was going to spend the bare minimum, I purchased the cheapest Laminator I could and hunted around to find the smallest pouches that fit the cards.

Laminator:

I honestly couldn't find anyone cheaper than Officeworks A4 $20, Kmart A4 came in close $29, If you want an A3 one go to BigW $30.

Pouches:
I hard a hard time hunting around to find the pouches. They exist online fairly easily to find, try searching "laminating pouches" on ebay.

I myself was already at Officeworks so picked up: These GBC Laminating Pouch 64 x 99mm 125micron Gloss 100 Pack they were just large enough and made me rather careful went setting them up, I've had good results but if you can find something a little larger I really would.

 

Cleanup

Due to them being "just large enough" I don't have to trim width wise, which is a massive bonus, I do clean up the length with a pair of scissor.

Conclusion

I'm happy how everything turned out. I do think the pouches would be a heap better at another 2-3mm width wise but I can live with them. Worst case I buy a new set of stat cards and buy some bigger pouches.

Would recommend.

8/10