Plasticard

[hammurabi70]

I have no experience with this material.  How thick can it be and still be cut?  I want to do some counters of my own but want to mount them on as thick a card as possible but need to use a thickness and can actually cut!

[Steve J]

As a rough guide, up to about 3mm. The thicker the ABS or Styrene (the latter is Plasticard IIRC), you have to score it and then snap it, with it normally giving you a pretty clean edge. ABS is more chalky in texture so doesn't snap as well. For my bases I would regualry use 1.6mm ABS and had not problems at all.

Now the above was purely for rectangular or square shaps. For curved shapes, then probably 1.0mm would be fine and at a push 1.6mm, but you might get good breaks when you snap 1.6mm.

Hope this helps?

[fsn]

Have you thought about just buying counters and marking them up?


160 for £11.25 and they're the poker chips.



The thought of cutting out your own tokens exhausts me. 

[Ithoriel]

2mm MDF from our very own Pendraken?

Cut to custom size at very reasonable rates too, if the existing sizes won't do?

Cutting them yourself sounds soooo exhausting! Daaahling, peel me a grape!

[fsn]

[John Cook]

I use 1mm plasticard for all my bases.  Score it and it snap easily along the score line.  For scratch building I use up to 3mm which, I think, is about as thick as it gets.  Don't like MDF in any shape or form.

[Ithoriel]

I use 1mm plasticard for all my bases.  Score it and it snap easily along the score line.  For scratch building I use up to 3mm which, I think, is about as thick as it gets.  Don't like MDF in any shape or form.

Each to their own. It's my go to for bases, scratch building terrain, counters, roster sheets and so much more

[kustenjaeger]

I've used Plasticard/Styrene 30 x 30mm bases and rounded the corners by using nail clippers (hint - use cheap ones because they don't last long ....). I've mainly used these for 15mm WW2 - my 10mm Pendraken Arab-Israeli infantry are being tested on rounded corner mdf bases (40 x 25 and 25 x 25mm) and I am experimenting with mdf ovals for my sample 10mm Cold War figures.

I think I am going to have to base my modern 10mm vehicles but I am undecided as to how to do this.  My T-62s and Centurions are blutacked to mdf 60x30mm rectangles at the moment. 

Edward

[John Cook]

Each to their own. It's my go to for bases, scratch building terrain, counters, roster sheets and so much more

The info was really to answer the OP's question about plasticard. 

[hammurabi70]

As a rough guide, up to about 3mm. The thicker the ABS or Styrene (the latter is Plasticard IIRC), you have to score it and then snap it, with it normally giving you a pretty clean edge. ABS is more chalky in texture so doesn't snap as well. For my bases I would regualry use 1.6mm ABS and had not problems at all.

Now the above was purely for rectangular or square shaps. For curved shapes, then probably 1.0mm would be fine and at a push 1.6mm, but you might get good breaks when you snap 1.6mm.

Hope this helps?

Many thanks; very helpful and what I needed.

Have you thought about just buying counters and marking them up?

The thought of cutting out your own tokens exhausts me. 

Interesting idea.  Unfortunately that is 7p a unit; the plasticard solution is 1p a unit.  Might seem small sums but I currently want 1,200 with a view of doing more so in total it adds up.

2mm MDF from our very own Pendraken?

Cut to custom size at very reasonable rates too, if the existing sizes won't do?

Cutting them yourself sounds soooo exhausting! Daaahling, peel me a grape!

I now use Pendraken mdf bases for my troops but for counters using pdf would be 5p a unit.  As well as cost I am trying to understand the ergonomics of the different ways doing this!

I use 1mm plasticard for all my bases.  Score it and it snap easily along the score line.  For scratch building I use up to 3mm which, I think, is about as thick as it gets.  Don't like MDF in any shape or form.

I used to make my own bases but I like the precision cut of mdf rather than my 'almost as good' self made bases; never thought of plasticard but wonder about getting it thick enough for basing but still malleable ... for me.

The info was really to answer the OP's question about plasticard. 

Everyones input has been helpful and useful; many thanks to all.  The forum is really good for teasing out little details that add up to really assisting.

[fsn]

Interesting idea.  Unfortunately that is 7p a unit; the plasticard solution is 1p a unit.  Might seem small sums but I currently want 1,200 with a view of doing more so in total it adds up.

How many! 

There are lots of options on Amazon.
£14 for 400 (3p)
£3.99 for 160 (2.5p)
£7.99 for 500 (1.5p)

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Thought of card, specifically Mount Board. A1 sheet is roughly£4 and will do several hundered bases, depending on size

[Orcs]

Cutting out 1200 bases the same size is the way to madness, regardless of the material used. Even at 30 seconds a base thats 10 hours gaming o painting lost.

Whatabout prin ting them onto paper and laminating it they could then be cut out quicker with scissors. You can laminate a laminated sheet to get a thicker and stiffer result.

[hammurabi70]

Cutting out 1200 bases the same size is the way to madness, regardless of the material used. Even at 30 seconds a base thats 10 hours gaming o painting lost.

Whatabout prin ting them onto paper and laminating it they could then be cut out quicker with scissors. You can laminate a laminated sheet to get a thicker and stiffer result.

Thanks, interesting point.  Yes my oppo has told me I am mad. 

I have tried printing out on the thickest card the printer will take (160) and laminating as a result of which I have several hundred markers with the Balken Kreuz, Allied Roundel, White Star and Red Star; useful but not what I want in this case as they need to have more depth.  Interesting idea for basing as I might use Plasticard to create winter sabots for the models I want to use for summer and winter fighting.

I did use Pendraken 2mm pdf to make up hundreds of markers for Memoir 44: D-Day Landings, which we use to augment the material from the standard boxes when we play six map games. I went half-mad with multiple sessions sticking printed bits on the mdf so I am looking for methods of dealing with this that retain my sanity.  Unfortunately doing a thousand or more will inevitably be time consuming, whatever method is used.

[fsn]

You're a braver man than I!

I would have gone with printing labels and then sticking them on counters. Would probably spray paint the counters first.

£3.99 for 160. 8 bags required - £31.92

£15.73 for 5850 (so you'd have a few spare).

Total cost £47.65 plus hours of time plus saving a sanity roll.

If you're going to do it by cutting out the counters yourself then

I tip my hat to you, Sir.