Being the only person who bases or rebases more figures than Hal Thinglum, I feel almost qualified to write an article on worktables, tools and tips on basing.
Let us start with workbenches. They are the LMVS landing craft of every workshop, requiring good Lighting, Magnification, Ventilation and Seating. You cannot have enough lighting in your painting or work areas. Try to have at least one high intensity flexible neck lamp that can direct light close to the work at hand. Photo floods on moveable stands are also a boon to a well lighted workbench.
For magnification you can't beat a lighted magnifying lens on a flexible arm. The best ones have a circular fluorescent lamp encircling the lenspiece. You'll surprise yourself as to what higher levels of detail you can paint at using this device. Mount the lamp opposite the hand with which you paint.
Ventilation of the work area can be accomplished by installing venting similar to that used on clothes dryers, but with an electric fan. Most spray painting with fumes and overspray possibilities should still be done outdoors, or in a garage in during Winter.
Seating hinges on bench height. Avoid that hunchbacked look by building a bench that is high enough. My own workbench is 36 inches high, with a cushioned swivel stool with a backrest. This allows me to keep my legs straight, with an added footrest on the base of the bench. An inexpensive alternative is a 3' X 5' folding leg table from an office supply shop, along with a decent quality padded of fice swivel chair that has hydraulic seat adjustment and adjustable backrest and armrests. Most serious bass fishermen will spend over $10,000 on a boat that is nothing more than a platform for their cushioned seating. So why should a wargamer blanche at spending $130 for a good swivel chair and a table?
Having visited the homes of many serious painters over the years I have observed that no matter how large a table we start out with we still usually end up with a painting area of about 12" X 18", the rest of the table covered with paint bottles, brushes and miscellaneous stuff. On my own cluttered table I maximize this 12" X 18" area by keeping a number of pieces of 3/4" board cut to this size handy. I then paint up whatever figures are on one board, when done they are set aside to dry and another empty board takes their place.
While on the subject of painting let me pass on a money saving tip on paints. Flint area gamer, Rick Caras, got me started using "Ceramcote" craft shop paints, the secret being the use of a paint sample card. As a ready color reference chart you paint one inch swatches of each color on a sheet of white artboard, writing the stock number of the paint in under the paint sample when dry. I have been able to match most military colors except for metallics using this system, with added cost savings whenever the craft shops put their paints on sale. A 2-ounce bottle can be had for under $1 during sales. For priming figures I have yet to find a better flat spray paint than Wal-Marts at .98 cents a can.
Having set up a decent workbench let us now look at some tools of the trade. Hopefully in this section you will pick up some tips to help you speed up the more boring operations involved in fielding armies.
Hand Tools
Hand tools are a staple for most of us, with the first work being the cleaning off flash in preparation for priming. Heavy flash can be cut off using a carpenters knife. This single tool is the "Ginsu" knife of hobbydom. I recommend a "Stanley" model #299, with extra blades stored in the handle. This is a fixed blade weapon that will give you many years of service and save many hours of work. Besides being the preferred tool for cleaning off flash it is also great for scoring basing materials and general trim work.
For removing mold lines and final finishing a set of jewelers files is a must, both flat and rat tail styles are needed. A pin vise with assorted small drill bits is essential to allow you to drill out excess metal from gun carriage wheels prior to assembly. I also use this tool to drill holes in hand of figures for holding flagstaffs, drilling a matching hole in the base later for a second point of support for the flagstaff. Needlenose and sidecutting pliers are a must on the bench, along with a pointed X-Acto knife for cleaning flash from leg openings on men and horses. Be careful with this small knife as it has a tendency to jump out and bite you!
A little known aide is the "Elephants Nose". Actually I keep a collection of pieces of kids plasticene clay rolled out into tapers that resemble elephants trunks. These are used whenever I have a problem piece that needs support while glue is drying, bracing flagstaffs or other items which will not stand upright on their own while glue dries. Just anchor the fat end of the snout to the tabletop and then bend the nose over to support the work.
On to power tools! The ultimate item being the "Binford" 280 Electrogamic Flash Remover, with 240 pounds of foot torque per figure. Light this sucker up and watch the metal fly. Really a "Dremel" bench tool with assorted bits and grinding heads is most sufficient. More esoteric tools could include a "Delta" tabletop band saw, useful in cutting out base materials or building houses or ships from scratch. A small electric glue gun can come in handy when you have to do things that require a fast drying flexible glue.
Basing Basics
Let me close with some speedy tips on basing figures. First off, my all-time favorite glue, "Weldwood" Universal Space Age Adhesive, dries clear, bonds to any surface, and is slightly flexible when dry.
The two best materials for bases are either sheet metal or styrene plastic sheeting. Metal sheeting allows you to use magnetic strips in your carrying cases for transport. They are best purchased pre-cut from War Games Accessories Inc. 7566 20th Street, St.Petersburg, FL.33702. Plastruc brand sheeting is available at most hobby shops in 4" X 12" sheets. It is easily scored with the "Stanley" knife, allowing one to snap off the bases after the scored sheet has been painted green.
Once the figures have been glued to the bases and are thoroughly dry I paint on a slightly watered down mixture of white glue and dip the figure bases into a large plastic storage box that is filled with T-49 "Woodland Scenics" grass. Get a large enough shoebox so that it will accommodate as many stands as you can handle comfortably. A neat trick to enhance artillery bases is to run two thin beads of white glue along the tracks where the carriage wheels would travel. Dip the base into a box of scenic soil prior to the final application of the grass.
For those suffering from painters paunch you might try building a combination workout bike painting bench. Attach a standard exercise bike to a painting table which has just one lamp. A generator attached to the bike wheel makes electricity, no pedal, no paint! Spray possibilities should still be done outdoors, or in a garage.
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© Copyright 1996 Hal Thinglum
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