Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Kikuchiyo on January 31, 2023, 03:44:00 PM
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I usually use 1p coins for single 20mm miniatures - 2p for pairs but need something a bit bigger for Mortars/MMG's and possibly Artillery - think fallschirmjager recoilless rifle not PAK 40 :)
Anyone make 40mm and/or 2" steel discs?
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Stick 2" steel discs into duckduckgo (other browsers are available) and you'll get a raft of companies eager to sell you such things.
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I usually use 1p coins for single 20mm miniatures - 2p for pairs but need something a bit bigger for Mortars/MMG's and possibly Artillery - think fallschirmjager recoilless rifle not PAK 40 :)
Anyone make 40mm and/or 2" steel discs?
I think Litko make some. Gaming Enhancements was the UK retailer for them but they seem to have gone kaput.
An outside the box solution might be to order a larger round sabot base from Warbases (https://warbases.co.uk/product-category/movement-trays/single-figure-circular-trays/) then glue a penny/2 pence into the hole and have that side be the bottom.
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Do a search for fender washers or penny washers. Can usually be found at hardware and auto repair stores. Come various sizes. Work very well in storage boxes lined with a magnetic sheet. Bonus hole in the middle which can be used to hold a small magnet if you want a lot of strength.
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I will slightly recommend against washers of any stripe.
I spent several years using them and being happier about it than my previous use of standard plastic bases. However, they have a number of drawbacks. First, they tend to be very inconsistently sized, especially in the outer diameter. Inner diameter is what most industrial uses care about, so both thickness and outsides can vary a noticeable amount; enough to sometimes not fit into custom sabot trays. Likewise, the finish on outer edges is often rough, being too sharp, dinged, dented, or even flattened in spots; I'd say somewhere between 10-15% of the washers I bought were damaged enough not to be useable for what I wanted. Next, they also often come coated in grease or oil to prevent corrosion, which necessitates cleanup and also makes me worry that they might well actually rust out over time, especially if you're not careful to get zinc or nickel coatings. Finally, being washers, they always have a hole in the center. It doesn't take much in the way of a spot of painters tape or the like to cover it before putting minis on, but the bigger thing is it means any magnets I put in sabot trays have to be off center, because otherwise there's no material there to attract to.
I've since switched to plain steel discs, which I originally discovered as "magnetic strike plates" meant for use in things like closures on jewelry boxes and so forth. In particular I use ones from Total Element (https://totalelement.com/collections/steel-discs), which come in a fairly convenient array of sizes. They're a lot more consistently cut and much thinner than most commonly available washers, don't have a hole to fill/cover or require cleaning before use and have a nice nickel coating to resist corrosion.
About my only complaint is that they don't have a sizes or shapes that correspond well to some of GW's more unusual bases like 28mm rounds, cavalry ovals, or large monster/small vehicle bases. But that's pretty nit-picky.
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Interesting: my experience with washers is completely opposite from what you describe.
I buy mine from a hardware store (Hornbach), where they're paid for by the weight and over the years, they've been extremely consistent in their dimensions, both in diameter and thickness. Also, they're not greasy or rough around the edges at all. They do have a rounded side and a square side to their edges because of the cutting process, and I use the rounded side on top and the harder edge on the bottom, so it grips the terrain ever so slightly better.
They're pretty good, especially for minis with integrated bases, but as a disclaimer, I only use the 25mm ones and I don't put magnets underneath mine.
I would absolutely go for consistent steel disks instead of washers, but until your above post, I never found a good source (but admittedly, I never really looked for them either).
For plastic minis though, I tend to go for Renedra plastic bases which are indistinguishable from washers once flocked and painted. And they have all of the more exotic base sizes and shapes covered too.
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Definatly want to go with the discs rather than washed
unfortunately I'm in the UK so need to keep searching
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I'm in the UK and have bought 1" steel disks from both Amazon and EBay. Pretty sure the companies involved offered larger and smaller disks than the ones I was after.
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Managed to find these guys
https://pwsltd.square.site/steel-bases
anyone use them?
worth a go since only need a few
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Interesting: my experience with washers is completely opposite from what you describe.
I buy mine from a hardware store (Hornbach), where they're paid for by the weight and over the years, they've been extremely consistent in their dimensions, both in diameter and thickness. Also, they're not greasy or rough around the edges at all. They do have a rounded side and a square side to their edges because of the cutting process, and I use the rounded side on top and the harder edge on the bottom, so it grips the terrain ever so slightly better.
They're pretty good, especially for minis with integrated bases, but as a disclaimer, I only use the 25mm ones and I don't put magnets underneath mine.
I would absolutely go for consistent steel disks instead of washers, but until your above post, I never found a good source (but admittedly, I never really looked for them either).
For plastic minis though, I tend to go for Renedra plastic bases which are indistinguishable from washers once flocked and painted. And they have all of the more exotic base sizes and shapes covered too.
Totally agree with you. I have been using 25mm washers for a few years for my 28mm collection and I'm not going back to plastic bases.
For 15mm miniatures I use 2 cent coins and they are just perfect.
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I use Feeder Washers that are 1/4 x 1 inch from the local branch of Ace Hardware. Never had an issue at all, easy to get, and cheap.
I like the added weight they provide over plastic bases. The hole in the center is easily covered over, as most plastic models use a puddle base anyway.