Sgt. Rock Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 So I'm planning on magnetizing my bases for my Crimson Fists army, for storage/transport. Problem is, the bases I'm making with my 3D printer don't have hollow bottoms, so in order to use the standard neodymium, I'd have to drill each base, and risk drilling all the way through the base because my rotary tool is too powerful. Does anyone know of any magnet sheet that would be strong enough? Best I can find, really, is some 60 mil stuff on Amazon. Or should I just suck it up and start drilling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raindog Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Drill. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ish Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 I’ve used the magnetic base bottoms from Litko quite a bit on WHFB models, back in the day. They’re self-adhesive, about a millimeter thick, and the “standard” strength ones are easily capable of keeping a standard infantry-sized mini attached to a steel sheet; but I’d opt for their “heavy duty” ones for pewter figures or especially beefy ones. I’ve always had good experiences with Likto. Speedy shipping, good customer service, and so forth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Do you know anyone with a drill press? It's easy to set a drill depth, so no danger of drilling through the base. Plus, it'd go a lot faster than hand-drilling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Rock Posted January 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 9 hours ago, Ish said: I’ve used the magnetic base bottoms from Litko quite a bit on WHFB models, back in the day. They’re self-adhesive, about a millimeter thick, and the “standard” strength ones are easily capable of keeping a standard infantry-sized mini attached to a steel sheet; but I’d opt for their “heavy duty” ones for pewter figures or especially beefy ones. I’ve always had good experiences with Likto. Speedy shipping, good customer service, and so forth. As long as they can hold things like Dreadnoughts and Rhino-chassis tanks (with an appropriately sized magnet, of course) then that might be the way to go. 11 minutes ago, andy said: Do you know anyone with a drill press? It's easy to set a drill depth, so no danger of drilling through the base. Plus, it'd go a lot faster than hand-drilling. Unfortunately, I don't. I only have my rotary tool and a full on driver-drill at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ish Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 15 minutes ago, Sgt. Rock said: As long as they can hold things like Dreadnoughts and Rhino-chassis tanks (with an appropriately sized magnet, of course) then that might be the way to go. That’s probably beyond them. Sheet magnets like the Likto ones are a thin layer of plastic, embedded with millions of magnetized steel particles. The strength of a magnetic field falls off inversely with the cube of the distance from the magnet's center. Steel magnets have lower strength fields than neodymium magnets to begin with and the Litko magnetic bases are thin and wide... which means the field falls off rather sharply. About 5 mm from a ferrous surface and they’ve got no “pull” at all. So just ordinary jostling motions of a carrying case is going to give a Rhino or a Dreadnaught enough momentum to “jump” out of the magnet’s ability to hold it steady. The Litko magnets are great for infantry, for vehicles you need to go neodymium (or foam). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Rock Posted January 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Well, poop. I really was hoping to save myself some time and effort. I guess I'll have to suck it up and do the extra work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pecksata Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Set a drill depth on your bit by rapping tape on it as a stop. Use a strong thick tape and don’t be afraid to cover that bit all the way to the chuck leaving only the right amount of exposed bit. It’ll go a lot quicker and prevent over drilling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Rock Posted January 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 I'll probably end up trying that, but the problem is that I'm drilling into PLA, which is harder than the stuff GW uses, and my rotary drill is crazy powerful. I may have to use the driver-drill, because it's got a softer touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ish Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Could you edit the 3D printer files to put holes in the base for magnets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Rock Posted January 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 I'm nowhere near that good with the software. I could try, I suppose. TinkerCad has a function for it, maybe I'll dink around with it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 A few ideas here. First, you could use a 1/4" low fluke angle drill bit by hand. I currently do this for most of my magnet holes and it is fast and easy on plastic, but dont know about 3d printed plastics you are using if it would work at all. Second, It might be MUCH faster in the long run to learn how to use your software and make a hole for magnets before you print them. This would be my #1 choice. Third, there are many commercial places to buy what you are looking for. This one comes to mind: https://www.squadmarks.com/ I just check Thingverse and it looks like there are 32mm bases you can download that have magnet holes in them. Just a thought too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 3 hours ago, Sgt. Rock said: Unfortunately, I don't. I only have my rotary tool and a full on driver-drill at the moment. https://www.amazon.com/Dremel-Workstation-Portable-Drilling-Perpendicular/dp/B00068P48O There are also cheaper 3rd party options. Drill presses are super useful in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Rock Posted January 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 I'm not sure where I'd put such a device... Hobby space is at a real premium for me. I'll probably just alter the files for magnets or use my hand drill. Though I do like the concept behind those Squad Marks widgets... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninefinger Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Hate to rain on the parade, but in my experience pla doesn’t necessarily drill cleanly (if you’re printing with resin it’s probably not a problem) wouldnt it be possible to modify the files and extrude a recessed hole into the bottom of them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Rock Posted January 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 That's part of my concern. I got one to drill a hole okay, but I worry about the long term viability of such a strategy. I suppose I'll try to mess with the files a little bit when I get home this afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Yeah, I think you're right -- if you print them with the hole already there there's no problem to solve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Rock Posted January 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 Next question: for the sake of making my life slightly easier, vis a vis the aforementioned drill issues, what do y'all think of putting tanks on bases? If I can print bases with holes for my tanks, I don't risk dropping magnets into the hollow sides of my tanks when I drill through the tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ish Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 21 minutes ago, Sgt. Rock said: Next question: for the sake of making my life slightly easier, vis a vis the aforementioned drill issues, what do y'all think of putting tanks on bases? I think it will look odd, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted January 30, 2020 Report Share Posted January 30, 2020 All the new ork buggies are on bases and it's a royal pain in the ass. It may not seem like much of a difference, but they really bottleneck a lot easier. I wouldn't do it unless I had to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestRider Posted January 31, 2020 Report Share Posted January 31, 2020 Yeah. It makes the smaller GSC Vehicles take up way more room as well. The Ridgerunner actually has a slightly larger footprint than a Goliath Truck, despite being a substantially smaller Model, because of the base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hodor Posted April 5, 2020 Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 This has probably been solved since it is a few months old, but in case it is useful. Ebay (and others) sell thin 1mm Neodymium magnets. These could fill the role of the "sheets" you were looking for if you glued a bunch of them on the base. Could also use a flat bit and drill down just 1-1.25 mm and place the magnets in with minimal disruption to the base or worry about going all the way through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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