Summer projects: update!
Almost a year to the day, I mentioned my wargaming table summer project.
Between then and now, I have:
A quick call in to their technical support people revealed that the adhesive desticks a bit if you blot it with denatured alcohol, so I'm dutifully dabbing and peeling.
So it looks pretty good!
While originally I wanted to hinge two pieces together so that folding and storing would be easier, I don't think that that's that good of an idea after all, particularly given the weight of these sections. (Yeah, I used three "that"s in a row; suck it.) I've consigned myself to hauling them around one or two sheets at a time instead. When we have a house of our own they won't even have to go anywhere anyway, now, will they?
And wouldn't it be neat to countersink some rare earth magnets into the edges of the board, so that they stay together when you're playing? The particle board's 1/2" thick, so I'm sure I can slip a 1/4" magnet or two in there without making it more fragile.
Also, while it's great to be able to turn any smaller table into a 6' x 4' playing surface, it's even better to put that 6' x 4' playing surface on top of a larger table, so that you have room to place casualties, reserves, and certain snacks and drinks. So I'm currently on the hunt for a cheapie ping pong table.
It never ends, you know.
Between then and now, I have:
- Taken four pieces of 3' x 2' particle board
- Moaned in despair at how heavy the damn things are
- Sealed the boards on both sides with polyurethane
- Moaned in despair at how warped the damn things are
- Backed them with cork, to cushion them and keep them from slipping around
- Moaned in despair at how the cork's flaking off at the edges, and torn in other places
- Purchased two "flock-it-yourself" kits from Lee Valley for the playing surface
- Moaned in despair at how it's the wrong colour and would be impossible to apply the stuff uniformly
- Thrilled to discover vinyl-backed flock mats available by the roll at my friendly local hobby store
- Moaned in despair when I overglued one of them and stuck it to the newspaper I was drying it out on
- Moaned in further despair when I noticed that the newspaper had a rip in it and I had glued the newspaper to the table
A quick call in to their technical support people revealed that the adhesive desticks a bit if you blot it with denatured alcohol, so I'm dutifully dabbing and peeling.
So it looks pretty good!
While originally I wanted to hinge two pieces together so that folding and storing would be easier, I don't think that that's that good of an idea after all, particularly given the weight of these sections. (Yeah, I used three "that"s in a row; suck it.) I've consigned myself to hauling them around one or two sheets at a time instead. When we have a house of our own they won't even have to go anywhere anyway, now, will they?
And wouldn't it be neat to countersink some rare earth magnets into the edges of the board, so that they stay together when you're playing? The particle board's 1/2" thick, so I'm sure I can slip a 1/4" magnet or two in there without making it more fragile.
Also, while it's great to be able to turn any smaller table into a 6' x 4' playing surface, it's even better to put that 6' x 4' playing surface on top of a larger table, so that you have room to place casualties, reserves, and certain snacks and drinks. So I'm currently on the hunt for a cheapie ping pong table.
It never ends, you know.