DISPLAY BASE FOR CHAOS ARMY
Since my brother went to Krems this year (editor's note: 2005) for the second time for the Austrian Championship, and the display base is one of the conditions for the community there to participate in the tournament, here's how I put in the effort and made one.
To clarify one thing, display bases (hereinafter DB) that are made in such a way that a certain surface is flocked, painted, maybe some extra features, and the figures are placed on it is for me a halfassed solution - in short, a lot of work for something that looks average. I consider a DB to be da bomb when each unit or individual figure has its own slot in which it is placed so that the surface of the base of the figure is flush with the surface of the DB.
Dissatisfied with the fact that the DB created in this way is useful while the list for which it was made is current, I decided to make a display base that will be applicable to each list (at least its main part), and only the surface will change - when you go deeper into the text , you will understand what I meant.
1. Found a suitable board (2 cm thick)
2. Since my rectangular shape is too ordinary, I decided to complicate things a bit and make a non-real octagon (by that I mean 4 sides of the same length). I made a draft and transferred it to the board:
3. I got rid of the excess with a jigsaw, so now the DB has a shape in which the angles are under 150 degrees, 4 sides 30 cm long, and the other four 14 cm + a couple of millimeters, which will later be removed by planing and grinding.
Tip: Never cut the board to the desired dimension but leave 2-4 mm due to the above procedures later:
4. I also cut a 4 mm thick plywood board to the same shape (the figure bases are 4 mm thick):
5. I made 4 holes in the board and plywood with a drill, which will later be fitted with screws that will fix the plywood to the main board:
6. Then I widened the holes on the plywood so that the nut would fit in them. I used screws fi = 5 mm and the nut for them is 4 mm thick so it won’t protrude beyond the plywood. After that, the joint between the nut and the plywood is well sanded with super glue, making sure that the glue does not go on the thread because it could later interfere with the screw:
Tip: Since the nut in the board must be fixed, it is desirable to drill a 1 mm smaller hole, and then drive it into the board with a hammer and brutal force.
7. After the nut is fixed, for the first time the plywood and the main plate are connected with screws in order to determine how long the screw needs to be and to remove the excess:
It looks like this:
8. After the screw was shortened to the appropriate length, I covered the nuts on the top of the plywood board with masking tape so that I could texture that surface later.
9. After that I joined the boards and due to the inaccuracy in cutting the boards and drilling the holes the edges looked like this:
10. In order to achieve that the edges match, the excess needs to be planed, and then finely sanded. After this procedure the condition is as follows:
11. After processing the edges with a vibrating grinder, I sanded all the surfaces on the plywood and the main board:
12. The next and most demanding step is to place the decorative moldings on the edges of the board. I took 3x3 cm high / wide corner skirting boards for parquet length of 2 m. The skirting board is coated with wood fix, joined to the board, and then I additionally fastened it with nails:
13. After installing the moldings the whole thing looks like this:
14. As the angle on the legs of the molding is not right, but it is cut obliquely, it happened that I have a "groove" on the lower side between the molding itself and the plate. This proved to be a happy coincidence because knowing your brother (a man is able to tear a steel ball) any extra fixation comes in handy. I filled the grooves with hot glue using a gun (I guess you know which tool I'm talking about):
15. As I approached the plane of the board and molding any excess glue that might protrude over that plane I straightened with a spatula while the glue was hot and liquid. After gluing, the underside of the board looks like this:
16. Since I don't have the right tools (saw stand)), I had to determine the angles of 150 degrees between the moldings by eye only, and especially because I'm not a carpenter, the next thing happened:
17. I sanded the joints to get rid of the protruding parts, and I cracked the cracks between the moldings using carpentry putty and left it to dry overnight. The next day I sanded the putty with fine sandpaper to make a perfect transition between the two strips and the putty and so that after painting everything together I would not see the difference between the putty and the wooden part.:
18. Now it's time to paint. I protected the moldings with protective tape:
19. Then I painted the board between the moldings with black matt spray and left it to dry:
20. After that, it was time to paint the moldings. I protected the previously painted black surface with a protective tape:
21. I used brown wood paint with integrated varnish which, in addition to protecting, also gives a gloss effect. I took a darker shade (rosewood) because the darker color covers the putty better.
Tip: Apply the first coat only on putty parts and wait for the paint to dry well. After that, in the second painting, paint the complete moldings. Two or three coats of well-smeared coat should be enough for a nice coverage - of course, between each coat you should wait for the previous one to dry well:
22. A few more small details and the main board is ready. I bought wood wallpaper for the underside of the DB - black wallpaper with rings - it definitely looks the most convincing and least cheap:
23. After installing the wallpaper, the underside of the DB looks like this:
24. The final job on the DB main panel is varnishing the screws and black so that the metal head of the screw does not look ugly on the black wallpaper:
25. Now it's the plywood board's turn. I placed the unite on it and marked the parts to be removed according to them:
26. After that, I drilled holes in the corners for cutting with a jigsaw:
27. After cutting the excess and sanding the plywood looks like this:
Tip: When cutting, it is good to make sure and make a 1 mm bigger hole for the bases, because if you cut too small a hole later, it is a real pain to grind the part that bothers you so that the base fits nicely into the hole.
28. The next step is to text the plywood. I will not talk too much about this because the procedure is the same as when texturing the most ordinary terrain:
29. Since the Austrians also demand some extra feature on the DB, we decided to make a monolith dedicated to the nurgle god. I cut it out of a piece of wood, processed it by planing and grinding, and then made indentations with a flexor. The flexor may be an unorthodox tool for making models (especially if they are made of wood), but it is very effective. The dead-line that hung dangerously on my back at that stage of making DB makes all sorts of ideas fall through in order to speed up the work:
30. Later we decorated the monolith with, for a nurgle, the characteristic three circles arranged in a triangle using large screw plates, added waterlogging heads from chaos tank sprue, added a tray made of half a plug of Ax dezic, a hot glue gun made slime leaking waterlogged from the mouth into the tray and then overflowing over the edge and dripping down the monolith to the base. Relatively simple special feature, and yet in the spirit of the military. I fixed the monolith with wood fix and plywood nails and when everything was in place I undercoated with black matt spray:
That in short (well, not very short) would be that.
The point is that one day, when the list is changed, this plywood is replaced with another plywood, which will be cut according to a template that matches the new list, with maybe some new feature instead of a monolith to refresh the impression a bit, and the base itself to be further usable.
I hope that the text is clear enough and that there are enough pictures and that those who will one day want to make their DB, but are not sure where to start and how to finish the job will benefit from this text.
P.S.
Still, a few words of warning because not everything is as simple as the text suggests.
FIRST
The circular saw is a dangerous tool, and I definitely have no luck with it. A year ago, he almost tore off my left index finger. This time, fortunately, she was excluded, but even then she showed her insidious nature (a sharp knife that looks benign while static).
SECOND :
I don’t know about you, but the mess I leave behind in creative ecstasy is, to put it mildly, terrifying. I think I’ll avoid the basement for a while because I get depressed every time I see how much cleaning awaits me.
Ok, I’m finally done writing.
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Pigmentation principles: why powdered pigment doesn't work
- • Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) — IR around 2.7 → excellent coverage, strongest white pigment
- • Zinc oxide (ZnO) — IR around 2.0 → good coverage
- • Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) — IR around 1.59 → poor coverage, filler
- • Calcium sulfate / gypsum (CaSO₄) — IR around 1.52 → almost transparent in a binder, filler
This means that gypsum and chalk, although white as a powder, become almost transparent in the formulation of a coating or mass. They do not compete with the pigment — they are subordinate to it. That's why a small amount of pigment easily and evenly colors a gypsum or chalk-based mass, while the same amount of pigment in a mass containing TiO₂ would be barely visible.
3. Agglomeration — the enemy of even color
Pigment powders do not exist as perfectly separate particles. Due to electrostatic attractive forces and surface tension, the particles spontaneously group into clusters called agglomerates or aggregates. Agglomeration is particularly pronounced in: fine particles (the smaller the particle, the higher the surface area to volume ratio, so the attractive forces are relatively stronger) pigments with a high specific surface area, such as carbon black high temperature or humidity conditions When pigment powder is mixed with filler or binder powder, the agglomerates do not break down—they remain as compact clusters. The visual result is an uneven color: dark spots where pigment particles have accumulated, and pale areas where they are absent. The user then concludes that "more pigment is needed"—but this is not true. The problem is not a lack of pigment, but its poor distribution.
4. Dispersion — meaning properly dispersed pigment
Dispersion is the process of breaking up agglomerates and evenly distributing individual pigment particles throughout a medium (water, oil, binder). A well-dispersed pigment means that the particles are as evenly distributed as possible — each filler or binder particle "sees" the pigment, not just the neighborhood of the agglomerate. Dispersion is achieved by mechanical and chemical means:
- • Mechanical: mixing with high shear forces (mixers, mill aggregates, ultrasound). Mixing with a spoon or spatula is not sufficient to break up agglomerates.
- • Chemical: the use of dispersants and surfactants that adsorb to the surface of the particle and prevent it from re-adhering to neighboring particles.
5. Why liquid colorant works better than powdered pigment
Liquid colorants are not just pigment dissolved in water. They are ready-made systems that contain: Pigment — already dispersed to the level of individual particles or very small clusters Dispersants and surfactants — which keep the particles separated and prevent re-agglomeration Liquid medium — which allows the pigment to be evenly distributed throughout the material being colored before that material begins to set or dry When a liquid colorant is added to the mixing water (e.g. in gypsum, concrete, mortar), the pigment is already in an ideal state of dispersion. The same amount of pigment is evenly delivered to each part of the mixture. The color effect is therefore much more intense than with dry-mixed pigment — with a significantly lower total amount of pigment. The same logic applies to paints and varnishes: pigment pastes and dispersed pigments provide better coverage and color uniformity than pigments that have not undergone the dispersion process.
6. Practical application — gypsum example
Gypsum is a good example because it illustrates all the above principles at once. Because it has a low refractive index (~1.52), it is not a true white pigment — it does not resist staining when mixed with a binder. This means that a small amount of black pigment can easily and evenly color the gypsum mass. Why then does it happen to many people that they have to add a large proportion of pigment in relation to the mass of plaster? Because they mix the pigment in powder form directly into the gypsum powder. Pigment agglomerates (especially Fe₃O₄ or carbon black) remain intact, the distribution is uneven, and the result is disappointing. The conclusion "we need more" is wrong — we need better.
Correct procedure:
Add the colorant (or pigment dispersed in water) to the mixing water Mix the water with the colorant well Only then add the gypsum and mix until a homogeneous mixture This way, the pigment is distributed throughout the entire mass before the gypsum begins to set. The result is an even, intense color with a much smaller amount of pigment than with dry mixing. For those who do not have access to professional colorants, a good alternative are liquid pigment additives available in building paint stores — usually in the form of small bottles intended for tinting wall paints. It is the same principle: the pigment is already dispersed in a liquid medium with additives that prevent agglomeration. Added to the mixing water, they give a more even result than powdered pigment with a significantly smaller amount.
Conclusion
The intensity and uniformity of color in a mass depend not only on the amount of pigment — they depend on how well the pigment is dispersed. A pigment powder mixed with a powder of another material almost always gives worse results than a pigment that has been previously dispersed in a liquid medium, in the presence of dispersants. When you encounter the problem of "the pigment does not color enough," it is worth asking yourself: is the problem not in the way it was added — and not in the amount.
" ["content_hrv"]=> string(9431) "Ovaj tekst nastao je nakon druženja srijedom na kojem se razvila rasprava o pigmentaciji gipsa. Kako nisam uspjela sve objasniti na licu mjesta, odlučila sam to složiti na papir — a principi o kojima je riječ ionako vrijede šire od samog gipsa.
1. Što je pigment — i što nije
Pigment je tvar koja daje boju tako što selektivno apsorbira određene valne duljine vidljivog svjetla i reflektira ostale. Crni pigment apsorbira gotovo sve valne duljine; crveni apsorbira plavu i zelenu, a reflektira crvenu. Važno je razlikovati pigment od punila. Punila su bijele ili neutralne tvari koje se dodaju u boje, premaze i mase kako bi povećala volumen, poboljšala teksturu ili snizila cijenu — ali same po sebi ne daju snažnu boju ni dobru pokrivnost. Tipična punila su kalcijev karbonat (kreda, CaCO₃), kalcijev sulfat (gips, CaSO₄), barijev sulfat i slični materijali. Razlika između pravog pigmenta i punila nije samo u boji — leži u fizikalnom svojstvu koje se zove indeks refrakcije.
2. Indeks refrakcije i pokrivnost
Indeks refrakcije (IR) opisuje koliko se svjetlost lomi i raspršuje kada prolazi kroz neku tvar ili nailazi na njezinu površinu. Što je veći, to čestica jače raspršuje svjetlost — i time djeluje neprozirnije, "pokrivnije". Nekoliko usporednih vrijednosti:
- • Titanijev dioksid (TiO₂) — IR oko 2,7 → izvanredna pokrivnost, najjači bijeli pigment
- • Cinkov oksid (ZnO) — IR oko 2,0 → dobra pokrivnost
- • Kalcijev karbonat (CaCO₃) — IR oko 1,59 → slaba pokrivnost, punilo
- • Kalcijev sulfat / gips (CaSO₄) — IR oko 1,52 → gotovo transparentno u vezivu, punilo
Ovo znači da gips i kreda, premda su bijeli kao prah, u formulaciji premaza ili mase postaju gotovo prozirni. Ne natječu se s pigmentom — podređuju mu se. Zato mala količina pigmenta lako i ravnomjerno oboji masu na bazi gipsa ili krede, dok bi ista količina pigmenta u masi koja sadrži TiO₂ jedva bila vidljiva.
3. Aglomeracija — neprijatelj ravnomjerne boje
Pigmenti u prahu ne postoje kao savršeno odvojene čestice. Zbog elektrostatičkih privlačnih sila i površinske napetosti, čestice se spontano grupiraju u nakupine koje se zovu aglomerati ili agregati. Aglomeracija je posebno izražena kod: sitnih čestica (što je čestica manja, veći je omjer površine i volumena, pa su privlačne sile relativno jače) pigmenata visoke specifične površine, poput carbon blacka (čađe) uvjeta visokih temperatura ili vlage Kada se prah pigmenta umiješa u prah punila ili veziva, aglomerati se ne raspadaju — ostaju kao kompaktne nakupine. Vizualni rezultat je neujednačena boja: tamne mrlje tamo gdje su se nakupile čestice pigmenta, i blijeda područja tamo gdje ih nema. Korisnik tada zaključuje da "treba više pigmenta" — ali to nije točno. Problem nije nedostatak pigmenta, nego njegova loša raspodjela.
4. Disperzija — što znači pravilno dispergiran pigment
Disperzija je proces razbijanja aglomerata i ravnomjernog raspoređivanja pojedinačnih čestica pigmenta kroz medij (vodu, ulje, vezivo). Dobro dispergiran pigment znači da su čestice što ravnomjernije raspoređene — svaka čestica punila ili veziva "vidi" pigment, a ne samo susjedstvo aglomerata. Disperzija se postiže mehaničkim i kemijskim putem:
- • Mehanički: miješanje s visokim smičnim silama (mikseri, mlinski agregati, ultrazuk). Miješanje žlicom ili lopaticom nije dovoljno za razbijanje aglomerata.
- • Kemijski: upotreba dispergirnih sredstava (dispergatora) i surfaktanata koji se adsorbiraju na površinu čestice i sprječavaju njezino ponovno lijepljenje za susjedne čestice.
5. Zašto tekući kolorant radi bolje od pigmenta u prahu
Tekući koloranti nisu samo pigment otopljen u vodi. To su gotovi sustavi koji sadrže: Pigment — već dispergiran do razine pojedinačnih čestica ili vrlo malih klastera Dispergatore i surfaktante — koji drže čestice razdvojenima i sprječavaju ponovnu aglomeraciju Tekući medij — koji omogućuje da se pigment ravnomjerno rasporedi kroz materijal koji se boji još prije nego što taj materijal počne vezati ili sušiti Kada se tekući kolorant doda u vodu za miješanje (npr. kod gipsa, betona, žbuke), pigment je već u idealnom stanju disperzije. Svakom dijelu smjese ravnomjerno se isporučuje ista količina pigmenta. Efekt boje je stoga mnogo intenzivniji nego kod suho miješanog pigmenta — uz znatno manju ukupnu količinu pigmenta. Ista logika vrijedi za boje i lakove: pigmentne paste i disperzirani pigmenti daju bolju pokrivnost i ravnomjernost boje od pigmenata koji nisu prošli proces disperzije.
6. Praktična primjena — primjer gipsa
Gips je zahvalan primjer jer ilustrira sve navedene principe odjednom. Budući da ima nizak indeks refrakcije (~1,52), nije pravi bijeli pigment — u smjesi s vezivom ne pruža otpor bojanju. To znači da mala količina crnog pigmenta može lako i ravnomjerno obojiti gipsanu masu. Zašto se onda mnogima događa da moraju dodati veliki udio pigmenta u odnosu na masu gipsa? Jer pigment miješaju u obliku praha direktno u prah gipsa. Aglomerati pigmenta (posebno Fe₃O₄ ili carbon black) ostaju netaknuti, raspodjela je neujednačena, i rezultat je razočaravajući. Zaključak "treba više" je pogrešan — treba bolje.
Ispravni postupak:
Kolorant (ili pigment dispergiran u vodi) dodati u vodu za miješanje Dobro promiješati vodu s kolorantom Tek tada dodati gips i miješati do homogene smjese Na taj način pigment bude raspoređen kroz cijelu masu još prije nego gips počne vezati. Rezultat je ravnomjerna, intenzivna boja uz višestruko manju količinu pigmenta nego pri suhom miješanju. Za one koji nemaju pristup profesionalnim kolorantima, dobra alternativa su tekući pigmentni dodaci dostupni u trgovinama građevinskih boja — najčešće u obliku malih bočica namijenjenih nijansiranju zidnih boja. Radi se o istom principu: pigment je već dispergiran u tekućem mediju s aditivima koji sprječavaju aglomeraciju. Dodani u vodu za miješanje, daju ravnomjerniji rezultat od pigmenta u prahu uz znatno manju količinu.
Zaključak
Intenzitet i ravnomjernost boje u nekoj masi ne ovise samo o količini pigmenta — ovise o tome koliko je taj pigment dobro dispergiran. Prah pigmenta miješan u prah drugog materijala gotovo uvijek daje lošije rezultate od pigmenta koji je prethodno dispergiran u tekućem mediju, uz prisustvo dispergirnih sredstava. Kada se susretnete s problemom "pigment ne boji dovoljno", vrijedi si postaviti pitanje: nije li problem u načinu na koji je dodan — a ne u količini.
" ["created"]=> string(19) "2026-05-04 12:54:47" ["modified"]=> string(19) "2026-05-04 20:10:17" } ["Member"]=> array(10) { ["id"]=> string(3) "108" ["group_id"]=> string(1) "2" ["first_name"]=> string(5) "Dunja" ["last_name"]=> string(6) "Singer" ["first_name_mask"]=> string(5) "dunja" ["last_name_mask"]=> string(6) "singer" ["username"]=> string(5) "Dunja" ["password"]=> string(40) "772414a5d6b32309f32f46e9009f1e550809c62d" ["born"]=> string(19) "2006-01-01 00:00:00" ["created"]=> NULL } } Dunja Singer, 4th May 2026 - We visited: Warhammer World – pt.3 Ivan Vedak, 4th May 2026
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