Hi All,
I'm thinking about designing some new modular terrain boards. I've previously used mdf, but as an idea to help with transport and not having the means to cut wood to the required size, I was thinking about the possibility of using artists canvas boards as a possible alternative. In my local Range store they stock these in various sizes, including useful 12" x 12" packs at a reasonable price. They seem sturdy enough and as I'll only be placing 6mm models and 3mm buildings on them, I hope they will be strong enough.
I was wondering whether anyone has used these before and can offer any expereince as to their suitability or otherwise. For example, will the canvas be strong enough to take sand texturing and gluing small model buidings to it ?
Any comments, suggestions or warnings would be much appreeciated.
Thanks for taking the time to read the above and any replies.
Regards,
Tim
Have you thought of using 'blue' foam?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/252463703759?lpid=122&chn=ps&googleloc=9046886&poi=&campaignid=620800750&device=c&adgroupid=27378723426&rlsatarget=aud-160025029746%3Apla-181480804146&adtype=pla&crdt=0
As they are for painting on, I expect they are fairly resistant to water - do you have to treat canvas before you paint on it? is this called sizing? I might be completely misremembering this.
I had thought about using those frames previously, but using them upside down - so really just a way of getting wooden frame, that you could have terrain cut down into - but obviously with issues at the edges.
I am not sure which boards you are talking about.
There are canvases, which is a frame with a canvas cloth stretch over the frame and there is a very heavy cardboard that has a canvas glued to it in a rigid sort of way.
My own view is that neither make a good gaming board.
The canvas on a frame is not supportive enough, it will visibly sink with things on it and worse, something heavy in a small space will leave a permanent stretch mark behind. Also the edges are wrapped and tacked down, when you put the board together, the wrap creates a too larger gap at the surface and the joins are very obvious.
The glued down canvas on board, even though designed to take oil and acrylic can bow in both directions, this is particularly true of the cheap boards (Winsor and Newton being the better ones, though dearer than the Reeves ones) and so again, Side by side to form a modular layout - they don't look very good. Also the corners have in effect a double wrap, this extra thickness causes mating problems for the boards when placed together.
If you can get yourself to a timber yard, many of them will cut a board down for you, get them all done at the same time, as it is unlikely that they will ever get the saw blade exactly in the position to match your first cut and subsequent squares will always be ever so slightly out. If you visit a timber yard, ask to look at (forget what it's called, sun something) the POSH pinboard, it is expensive, but it is thick, quite dense but relatively light - that might offer you a good alternative, the staff can advise re warp etc. There used to be a thing called fibre board, which was really useful, but the pinboard stuff replaced it.
I'm with Jim, foam is light, easy to work and not too expensive.
I picked up 30 squares, each 300mm x 300mm x 50mm for £32 plus a few quid postage from EBay.
For my terrain I use 2' x 2' acoustic ceiling tiles (upside down). I can then stick trees I have made directly into the tile.
This is bigger than you want but they can be worked rather easily, though somewhat brittle. See my FPW batrep for the terrain layout/look.