Noob question.

Hi guys,

I've been getting away with mounting all my large wargaming things on CD"s, polystyrene foam & cardboard for years. But over the past few weeks I've started to think about trying out the much used & recommended MDF option. And seeing as I'm new to this technique of basing I thought I'd ask some "experts" a few questions about how to go about getting the best out of it.....so could you guys give me a few "pro tips" please?

Here's a few annoying questions for you all:

1. Whats the "best" thickness to use for mounting buildings or large wooded areas on?

2. I've heard that it can/does bow when you apply PVA to it to apply the flock. I've read of a few ways that you can avoid this problem. One is by applying PVA to both sides and letting it dry. Another is by spray painting it on both sides. is this a valid concern? Or does it depend on the thickness of the MDF? Also, if it's a problem, are the mentioned remedies valid?

3. What are the best glues to use it? To avoid warpage issues if any. Would it be better to use adhesives that don't soak into the wood that much? Like hot glue, liquid nails, areldite etcetera?

4. Is there a better option to MDF?


Thanks in advance, my fellow lead addicts :grin:
 

ardyer

Member
You're in Australia, right? There are a couple of Australian companies that do really nice precut scatter terrain bases.

If you're worried about warpage, you can also find acrylic disks b on eBay, too.

To your questions, I've ordered 1/16 the inch (sorry, I'm an American, no idea what that is in mm) work no problems.

I use wood glue to flock.
 

Chico

Member
1. Whats the "best" thickness to use for mounting buildings or large wooded areas on?

3mm, 2mm tends to warp more oftern but does look better to my eyes

2. I've heard that it can/does bow when you apply PVA to it to apply the flock. I've read of a few ways that you can avoid this problem. One is by applying PVA to both sides and letting it dry. Another is by spray painting it on both sides. is this a valid concern? Or does it depend on the thickness of the MDF? Also, if it's a problem, are the mentioned remedies valid?

To stop mine warping (I use MDF for Mutli-basing Kings of War mostly) I avoid anything slow drying such as PVA and use Super Glue to sand/gravel the MDF base.

3. What are the best glues to use it? To avoid warpage issues if any. Would it be better to use adhesives that don't soak into the wood that much? Like hot glue, liquid nails, areldite etcetera?

Cheap ass Super Glue

2016-05-07-026_zpsqntnmnvf.jpg
 
ardyer":37mw27at said:
You're in Australia, right?

Only for a few months out of the year.....sometimes. Mostly I'm in Thailand, where I can get hold of MDF quite easily.

If you're worried about warpage, you can also find acrylic disks b on eBay, too.

Are they just the round bases that you use to mount minis on? Or terrain bases? What did you type into the search bar to find them? coz I couldn't find'em.

To your questions, I've used 1/16 the inch (sorry, I'm an American, no idea what that is in mm) work no problems.

Oh, that's quite thin isn't it. Thanks for the tip :grin:
 

ardyer

Member
optimus":2lqd9v8h said:
ardyer":2lqd9v8h said:
You're in Australia, right?

Only for a few months out of the year.....sometimes. Mostly I'm in Thailand, where I can get hold of MDF quite easily.

If you're worried about warpage, you can also find acrylic disks b on eBay, too.

Are they just the round bases that you use to mount minis on? Or terrain bases? What did you type into the search bar to find them? coz I couldn't find'em.

To your questions, I've used 1/16 the inch (sorry, I'm an American, no idea what that is in mm) work no problems.

Oh, that's quite thin isn't it. Thanks for the tip :grin:
I just searched "acrylic disc" on the US eBay site and found a lot of listings. I've seen them in the UK site too comparing standard and metric thicknesses.

Also check out: http://www.miniaturescenery.com and http://www.back2base-ix.com
 
I also agree with superglue (for gluing pretty much anything!) About the only time I use PVA is for baseboards, and they're thick enough to not worry about warping.

I also frequently use cork floor tiles. They're about 300mm square and 3-4mm thick, but you can easily cut them to random shapes and bevel the edges to give a more natural finish. They're also laminated on one side usually, and if you use that side downwards, it makes them a bit more robust.
 
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