Realtively Easy Fancier Tile Option
Dec 11, 2015 16:11:20 GMT
Wyloch, kgstanley81, and 1 more like this
Post by sotf on Dec 11, 2015 16:11:20 GMT
Okay, this method isn't one that I came up with personally. It is one that I got shanghai'd into assemble a pile of them for a friend who's planning on running games where he normally lives and basically used his vacation time to stay in the area from Thanksgiving to New Years...so I've made a heap of these in a power through them thing while I got a few interesting things in return, but I don't have the tiles to show.
The basic idea takes a LOT from Wylochs method, but refines it away from cardboard and actually is far less difficult to get together than most methods. The only tiles this doesn't work as well for are the more organic ones or more detailed metal, though I might have a few ideas there that are percolating in my head.
Basic Method
Materials
2.5" Squares of Plywood (Precut being a good option such as from Woodcrafter.com)
Thin Craft Sticks (Buy the large box of them, these are the ones that look like long boards anyway)
Wood Glue or Tacky Glue (Not Hot Glue, trust me, it's a bad idea to trust it here for assembly)
Pyrography Pen/Wood Burner Stylus (You can get a basic one, or one of the kits that are aimed at kids, relatively cheap and really useful)
Sandpaper (To make sure edges are flat)
Pencil
Ruler
Heavy scissors or hobby saw (Cutting the craft sticks, preference is key here, so use what you can use or just like more)
Primer & Paints (For whatever type of tile you want to make, stone or brick tend to be the best options)
Stages
1.) Make sure that your squares are smooth, no burs or issues. Woodcrafter tends to be quite good about cleaning their work up, but some issues can slip through.
2.) Measure and mark the 1.25" grid on one side of the squares in pencil. This works as a good starting point For further work in making it look like stonework. For the wall pieces, use one of the sticks to mark where you want them to go along the edges for those pieces with the pencil. Even if you don't use a grid in play, the use of one in the tiles themselves helps in several ways from matching up to a map from your module, or just in judging where you want items to fit in things and assures that you keep your tiles lined up correctly...feel free to ignore them while in play, but they work very well for making them look right.
3.) Use the pencil to mark out the major stone setup. If you want brickwork or patterns, or even cracks and chips, this is when you start working out how you want it to look. (If you want really fancy, one easy suggestion is to measure a smaller square out of cardboard that you can position at the intersections of the grid to add a flourish at each of them).
4.) Cut craft sticks for the walls and sand their edges. You can either measure them with a ruler, or just against the tiles. The ones I made use two layers, but you really only need one layer.
5.) Use the pencil to mark where the walls would have their bricks, make sure to mark the sides as well here.
6.) Use the wood glue to attach the walls to the tiles and to add the 2nd layer if you want it.
7.) Use your finger to work a bit of extra glue into the join points in a layer if you have a corner. This helps both blend that in with the later work for stonework and makes it more solid.
8.) Let the glue dry completely. If you don't there can be issues.
9.) Use the pyrography pen to etch the tiles where you marked with the pencil, walls included. Be careful here these things are hot and can be dangerous if you mess up. Don't do this near flammable things...and be prepared to put out small fires if you keep the pen in position to long. This is burning the wood to gouge into it, but everyone I've known figures out how to handle them quite quickly and decently well. Don't worry about absolute precision, but try to keep it as close to the pattern as possible..
10.) Let your tiles cool. While it's tempting to rush at painting them, don't. Give them 10-15 minutes to cool down after you use the pen.
11.) Prime, paint, and seal them. The tiles are dead simple, but their major advantage over most of the work here is that wooden tiles are durable and will last, effectively, forever in normal gaming. Sealing them up makes them even more damage resistant, especially to chipping and water damage. Plus it means that you can wipe things off of them with a damp cloth.
A Step Further
Additional Materials
White Glue
disposable brush
Felt (Large area, try to get larger than the total size of your tiles since you're covering all of their undersides here)
Sharp Scissors (For cloth)
Stages
1.) On a large table or even a solid floor (noncarpeted, you want flat with little give here), take the felt and stretch it out flat and use things to weight it down in that position.
2.) Take your completed tiles and cover the underside of them with glue. You want good coverage across the entire tile, especially the edges. Try to avoid getting any on the sides, and you can just wipe off any that get there.
3.) Press the tile into the felt firmly with the glue side down, if you have small, heavy objects that can be placed onto tile without moving much, use them. You want a solid bond between cloth and tile here, and you don't want it separating.
4.) Let the glue dry completely. Overnight is good here.
5.) Use the scissors to cut apart the felt and trim along the edges of the tiles.
Quick & Easy Prime/Paint/Seal
Use a black spray primer, then the textured stone spray. Follow that up with a thinned down black along the engraved parts and a bit heavier along the interior of the wall (Wipe up excess here, it works easily and isn't that hard with a brush). Any details in the stone you want to stand out get handled. Then hit it with a spray sealer (You can easily find ones for outdoor furniture that tends to be quite good, hard wearing, and cheap at hardware stores.
Of course, let each step dry thoroughly before painting the next one here.
The basic idea takes a LOT from Wylochs method, but refines it away from cardboard and actually is far less difficult to get together than most methods. The only tiles this doesn't work as well for are the more organic ones or more detailed metal, though I might have a few ideas there that are percolating in my head.
Basic Method
Materials
2.5" Squares of Plywood (Precut being a good option such as from Woodcrafter.com)
Thin Craft Sticks (Buy the large box of them, these are the ones that look like long boards anyway)
Wood Glue or Tacky Glue (Not Hot Glue, trust me, it's a bad idea to trust it here for assembly)
Pyrography Pen/Wood Burner Stylus (You can get a basic one, or one of the kits that are aimed at kids, relatively cheap and really useful)
Sandpaper (To make sure edges are flat)
Pencil
Ruler
Heavy scissors or hobby saw (Cutting the craft sticks, preference is key here, so use what you can use or just like more)
Primer & Paints (For whatever type of tile you want to make, stone or brick tend to be the best options)
Stages
1.) Make sure that your squares are smooth, no burs or issues. Woodcrafter tends to be quite good about cleaning their work up, but some issues can slip through.
2.) Measure and mark the 1.25" grid on one side of the squares in pencil. This works as a good starting point For further work in making it look like stonework. For the wall pieces, use one of the sticks to mark where you want them to go along the edges for those pieces with the pencil. Even if you don't use a grid in play, the use of one in the tiles themselves helps in several ways from matching up to a map from your module, or just in judging where you want items to fit in things and assures that you keep your tiles lined up correctly...feel free to ignore them while in play, but they work very well for making them look right.
3.) Use the pencil to mark out the major stone setup. If you want brickwork or patterns, or even cracks and chips, this is when you start working out how you want it to look. (If you want really fancy, one easy suggestion is to measure a smaller square out of cardboard that you can position at the intersections of the grid to add a flourish at each of them).
4.) Cut craft sticks for the walls and sand their edges. You can either measure them with a ruler, or just against the tiles. The ones I made use two layers, but you really only need one layer.
5.) Use the pencil to mark where the walls would have their bricks, make sure to mark the sides as well here.
6.) Use the wood glue to attach the walls to the tiles and to add the 2nd layer if you want it.
7.) Use your finger to work a bit of extra glue into the join points in a layer if you have a corner. This helps both blend that in with the later work for stonework and makes it more solid.
8.) Let the glue dry completely. If you don't there can be issues.
9.) Use the pyrography pen to etch the tiles where you marked with the pencil, walls included. Be careful here these things are hot and can be dangerous if you mess up. Don't do this near flammable things...and be prepared to put out small fires if you keep the pen in position to long. This is burning the wood to gouge into it, but everyone I've known figures out how to handle them quite quickly and decently well. Don't worry about absolute precision, but try to keep it as close to the pattern as possible..
10.) Let your tiles cool. While it's tempting to rush at painting them, don't. Give them 10-15 minutes to cool down after you use the pen.
11.) Prime, paint, and seal them. The tiles are dead simple, but their major advantage over most of the work here is that wooden tiles are durable and will last, effectively, forever in normal gaming. Sealing them up makes them even more damage resistant, especially to chipping and water damage. Plus it means that you can wipe things off of them with a damp cloth.
A Step Further
Additional Materials
White Glue
disposable brush
Felt (Large area, try to get larger than the total size of your tiles since you're covering all of their undersides here)
Sharp Scissors (For cloth)
Stages
1.) On a large table or even a solid floor (noncarpeted, you want flat with little give here), take the felt and stretch it out flat and use things to weight it down in that position.
2.) Take your completed tiles and cover the underside of them with glue. You want good coverage across the entire tile, especially the edges. Try to avoid getting any on the sides, and you can just wipe off any that get there.
3.) Press the tile into the felt firmly with the glue side down, if you have small, heavy objects that can be placed onto tile without moving much, use them. You want a solid bond between cloth and tile here, and you don't want it separating.
4.) Let the glue dry completely. Overnight is good here.
5.) Use the scissors to cut apart the felt and trim along the edges of the tiles.
Quick & Easy Prime/Paint/Seal
Use a black spray primer, then the textured stone spray. Follow that up with a thinned down black along the engraved parts and a bit heavier along the interior of the wall (Wipe up excess here, it works easily and isn't that hard with a brush). Any details in the stone you want to stand out get handled. Then hit it with a spray sealer (You can easily find ones for outdoor furniture that tends to be quite good, hard wearing, and cheap at hardware stores.
Of course, let each step dry thoroughly before painting the next one here.