UMS "Agram" : Making a plexiglass protection box < Articles < Hobby

Making a plexiglass protection box

Marko Paunović, 9th August 2020

Since the article about the Tabletop World terrain table done for Frostgrave was published, I received several questions on how we protect such a gaming bord from dust and dirt when not in use, so I decided to make an article where I describe the process of making a plexiglass protection box for an entire board (in this case the Frostgrave bord) so it could be left on display in the shared spaces of my gaming club UMS „Agram“.

Planning

The table was 90 x 90 cm with a small wooden protection frame around it made primarily to be able to fit the protection box. The height of the tallest building (TTW Town Gate) was around 45cm. All this meant my protection box would need to be 90 x 90 x 50 cm in size. A quick sketch proved that I needed the following:
- 1 piece 90 x 90 cm of 5mm thick plexiglass
- 4 pieces 50 x 90 cm of 5mm thick plexiglass
- 6 pieces of 2 x 2 x 100 cm wooden slat (linden) for 4 x 90 cm for the upper frame and 4 x 50 cm for the legs
- 4 larger metal brackets
- 4 smaller metal brackets
- 4 pieces M5x60 mm screws (for the upper frame)
- roughly 100 M3x16 mm screws (for the legs and the plexiglass)
- screwdriver (or bits for the electric drill)
- electric drill (small and large)
- circular saw
- sanding paper
- meter
- permanent marker
- masking tape

Building

The building process began with carefully marking each slat where I needed to cut it. Using a large table mounted circular saw I cut the pieces to size. Fortunately, the saw I used had a laser pointer which made cutting the slats to exact size much easier. When the cutting was done, I sanded the cut areas with some sanding paper.

Next up I assembled the four 90cm long slats into a square wooden frame. Once done, I used my Proxxon electric drill to drill the holes for the M5x60 screws. I used a 3mm drill bit. After drilling, I fixed the frame with the screws. The frame still wasn't perfectly aligned. To align it, I decided I wouldn't use any extra bits. I would simply use the plexiglass (which was cut to exact specs professionally in the store). Using a 1,5mm drill bit on my Proxxon, I drilled the holes in the plexiglass and the wooden frame. Once I was done drilling the holes on each plank of the frame, I immediately fixed it with five M3x16 screws a side. Note: the plexiglass comes with a protective foil. Do not remove it until all the work is done to prevent accidental damage during the build.

The upper part of the box was done. Next up were the legs. Using the M3x16mm screws I fixed one smaller and one larger bracket to each leg. Once all the legs were done, I fixed them to the upper part of the box. Once the frame was fully assembled, you can notice that due to the relatively small size of (even the larger) brackets, the legs are not perpendicular to the upper part of the box. In fact they were quite wobbly at this point. This isn't a worry as I would again use the plexiglass sides to fix the legs in place. However I decided to proceed with the assembly with the box installed on the Frostgrave board. This way I could place the legs perfectly in the corners of the board and then using the M3x16 screws fix the legs in place with plexiglass. This way, I would use the wooden planks for the structural strength of the entire box while the plexiglass sides would provide the shape and stability.

Finished product

Once the box was built, I carefully removed the protective foil from the plexiglass. In fact, as this was done just before a modelling show, I removed the foil at the show to prevent any possible damage to the case before it arrived at the show.

Latest articles

We visited: Slovenian State Championship in plastic modelling, Ljubljana 16.11.2024.

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	On Saturday, 16.11.2024. in Ljubljana, the Slovenian Nationals in plastic modeling was held. Our delegation performed in several categories.

	  

	After arriving, registering and placing works in the appropriate categories, the most important thing was to meet again and talk with colleagues from other cities and countries such as Slovenia and Italy.

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	It was a special pleasure for us to present and present several copies of our latest edition to our partners and friends from Back to Basics!

	  

	Also a real refreshment is the discovery of the (so far the only) manufacturer of real wooden bases and plinths in these areas - swood.si!

	  

	A little after 11:00, it was time to open the even officially and inspect the exhibits.

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	Given that, after several years of ugly weather, this weekend was sunny, we decided to use that time for a walk in beautiful Ljubljana.

	  

	  

	  

	Kruno: "This year, Slovenian Nationals were also an opportunity to see new and interesting works by colleagues from Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Austria and other countries. An opportunity to encourage your own creativity and ideas, to admire the craftsmanship, effort and skill of people with whom you share similar interests. The day was beautiful, so the walk in Ljubljana was quite legal and filled the impression of this year's Championship. Marko and Vanja made sure that some "precious" metal was attached to Agram's name, so I was carefree and enjoyed the nice trip."

	  

	  

	After sightseeing the city, we returned to the competition just in time for the awarding of medals. Our members won a total of 4 medals - 2 gold, silver and bronze!

	  

	  

	  

	On the way back, our team refreshed itself traditionally at the Reset brewery in Brežice!

	  
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	U subotu, 16.11.2024. u Ljubljani održavalo se Državno prvenstvo Slovenije u plastičnom maketarstvu. Naša delegacija je nastupila u nekoliko kategorija.

	  

	Nakon dolaska, registracije i postavljanja radova u odgovarajuće kategorije, najbitnije je bilo ponovno se susresti i popričati sa kolegama iz drugih gradova i država poput Slovenije te Italije.

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	Posebno zadovoljstvo nam je bilo predstaviti i pokloniti nekoliko primjeraka našeg zadnjeg izdanja našim partnerima i prijateljima iz Back to Basics!

	  

	Također pravo osvježenje jest pronalazak (za sada jedinog) proizvođača pravih drvenih baza i plinthova na ovim prostorima – swood.si !

	  

	Nešto iza 11h došlo je vrijeme za otvorenje susreta i pregled radova.

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	  

	S obzirom da je, nakon nekoliko godina ružnog vremena, ovaj vikend bio obasjan suncem, odlučili smo iskoristiti to vrijeme za šetnju predivnom Ljubljanom.

	  

	  

	  

	Kruno: “I ove godine je DPS bio prilika za pogledati nove i zanimljive radove kolege iz Slovenije, Hrvatske, Italije, Austrije i drugih zemalja. Prilika za potaknuti vlastitu kreativnost i ideje, diviti se umješnosti, uloženom trudu i vještini ljudi s kojim dijeliš slične interese. Dan je bio lijep, pa je i šetnja Ljubljanom sasvim dobro legala i popunila dojam ovogodišnjeg Prvenstva. Marko i Vanja su se pobrinuli da se i nešto "plemenitog" metala zakači uz Agramovo ime, pa sam ja bezbrižno uživao u lijepom izletu.“

	  

	  

	Nakon razgleda grada, vratili smo se na natjecanje taman na dodjelu medalja. Članovi su ukupno osvojili 4 medalje – 2 zlata, srebro i broncu!

	  

	  

	  

	Na povratku naša ekipa se okrijepila već tradicionalno u Reset pivovari u Brežicama!

	  
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Marko Paunović, 20th November 2024

Making a window

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	In this short tutorial, I will briefly describe the window creation process.

	  

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	I measured the dimensions of the hole and accordingly calculated how long the profiles I need (to cut them at 45 degrees).

	  

	After cutting, I assembled the shape of the window, then glued it with plastic glue (and finally fixed it all the way with a drop of superglue).

	  

	  

	  

	Then it was the turn of the transverse beams. I cut them out of plasticard 0.5 mm thick. First, I made strips 2 mm wide, which I then cut to the required lengths. After cutting, I glued them using the method from the previous step.

	  

	  

	Finally, I cut out a window shape from the transparent film and glued it on the bottom. Painted the frame and inserted it into the wall.

	  
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	U ovom kratkom tutorialu, opisat ću ukratko process izrade prozora.

	  

	U sklopu diorame Fićeka iz Nacionalne klase izradio sam zgradu koja gleda u dvorište. Na taj zid sam stavio “rupu” za prozor. Nakon malo razmišljanja o tome kako i iz čega napraviti okvir prozora, odlučio sam se na L-profile iz plasticarda. Na taj način mogu uokviriti rupu u gipsanom zidu (koja moram priznati nije najravnija).

	  

	Izmjerio sam dimenzije rupe i shodno tome izračunao koliko dugačke profile trebam (da ih izrežem pod 45 stupnjeva).

	  

	Nakon rezanja, složio sam oblik prozora, potom ga zalijepio sa ljepilom za plastiku (a na kraju i skroz učvrstio kapljicom superljepila).

	  

	  

	  

	Zatim je došao red i na poprečne grede. Njih sam izrezao iz plasticarda 0,5mm debljine. Prvo sam napravio trakice širine 2mm koje sam potom izrezao na potrebne duljine. Nakon rezanja, zalijepio sam ih koristeći metodu iz prethodnog koraka.

	  

	  

	Na kraju sam izrezao iz prozirne folije oblik prozora i zalijepio ga s donje strane. Obojao okvir i ubacio ga u zid.

	  
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Marko Paunović, 11th November 2024

UMS Agram Appearances in October 2024

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	Modelling Cup Crna Kraljica 2024

	05.10.2024.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	Days of Technical Culture 2024

	18.-19.10.2024.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	 

	Modelmania @ Foto Video Show 2024

	26.10.2024.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	
"
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	Maketarski kup Crna Kraljica 2024

	05.10.2024. nastupili smo na Crnoj kraljici u organizaciji HUVM. Pored prezentacijskog štanda, naši članovi su se natjecali i ostvarili zapažen uspjeh (svi naši natjecatelji osvojili su barem po medalju). Čestitke!

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	 

	 

	XIII DANI TEHNIČKE KULTURE 2024

	18. i 19.10. 2024. smo sudjelovali na XIII danima tehničke kulture u organizaciji Zagebačke zajednice tehničke kulture.

	

	

	

	

	U petak smo održali tri pokazne demonstracije maketarsko-minijaturističkih tehnika (Ana, Marko i Sebastijan) te sudjelovali na Tribini u organizaciji SUPTK i DPTK sa prezentacijom o minijaturističkim i maketarskim radionicama koje organiziramo.

	

	

	

	U subotu nakon službene ceremonije otvaranja smo prezentirali novu knjigu u izdanju UMS Agram - Minijaturizam u doba nakon Corone te održali dvije serije Back to Basics radionica. Polaznici su obojali svoje prve figure! Nakon oba dana došlo je vrijeme i za zasluženu relaksaciju naših volontera!

	

	

	

	

	

	

	 

	MODELMANIA @ FOTO VIDEO SHOW ZAGREB 2024

	26.10. smo nastupili na Model Mania Zagreb sa prezentacijom naših programa:

	- Advent u Agramu

	- Back To Basics radionice bojanja minijatura za najmlađe u Čitaonici i Galeriji VN, 09.11.2024.

	- Izložba minijatura i maketa Agram 2025

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	a za najmlađe smo organizirali Back To Basics radionice bojanja minijatura.

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	
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Marko Paunović, 4th November 2024

We visited: FESTUNG KUP 2024

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	Naš Vanja Ilijev je nastupio na ovogodišnjem FESTUNG KUPu u Slavonskom brodu.

	

	

	

	"Ugodna atmosfera uz dosta hrane i pića, klasika za Slavonski brod"

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	

	Vanja, iz naše riječke podružnice, je osvojio:

	1. mjesto diorama u 1/72,

	2. i 3.  mjesto za figure u 1/35

	3. mjesto 1/72 mlazni avioni

	

	 

	Čestitke Vanja i hvala organizatoru na super organizaciji!

	Fotografije u punoj rezoluciji pogledajte na našim društvenim mrežama.
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Krunoslav Belinić, 24th October 2024

Seb's Top Tip

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	Lately I've been scavenging a lot of "natural" materials for my projects and I noticed these blue, hollow electric wires scattered on the ground near a manhole, where electricians had been working in my neighborhood. I brought a few with me home, and cleaned them up, as I thought they could have some hobby use.

	

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	Secondly I cut up the wire, and superglued them together in a cluster, so serve as coral reefs for the basing of my marine inspired Turnip28 army.

	
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	U posljednje vrijeme tražim mnogo "prirodnih" materijala za svoje projekte i primijetio sam ove plave, šuplje električne žice razbacane po tlu u blizini šahta, gdje su radili električari u mom susjedstvu. Donio sam nekoliko sa sobom kući i očistio ih jer sam mislio da bi mogle poslužiti za hobi.

	

	Pokazalo se da žica ima dvije namjene nakon što sam ih namazao super ljepilom kako bih ih učinio tvrđim i krućim. Prvo sam ga upotrijebio kao alat za oblikovanje - upotrijebio sam najmanji od tri kako bih ubadao male točkice u stražnji dio svog zelenog puža, kako bih stvorio teksturu njegove kože.

	

	Drugo, izrezao sam žicu i zalijepio ih zajedno u klaster, tako da služe kao koraljni grebeni za bazu moje vojske Turnip28 inspirirane morima.

	
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Sebastian Søgård, 22nd October 2024

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Making a plexiglass protection box

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