Re: GEOHEX Terrain

< DE-LURK >

Wow.  I thought everyone made their own.  I've been making Geo-Hex
compatible terrain for myself and friends since '99.

--- On Tue, 2/28/12, Mike Stanczyk <stanczyk@pcisys.net> wrote:

> From: Mike Stanczyk <stanczyk@pcisys.net>
> Subject: Re: GEOHEX Terrain

> Bigger.  10-14" across.  Mine are in storage this minute so I don't
know
> exactly but the size isn't the problem.  I can make hexes in almost
any
> size.
> 

~12" flat-to-flat (actually about 11 7/8")
and just a hair under 14" corner-to-corner.
The THARCO brand boxes that Geo-Hex was shipped in were 12x14 interior
dimensions, so the hex had to be slightly smaller than this to fit.

> It's the shape.  Look here:
> http://campaign-game-miniatures.0catch.com/terrain_instruct.html
> 
> I want mine to be compatable and that means matching:
> Thickness
> Angle of sloped pieces
> edges of compound pieces
>

I have made both Rough (vertical face) and Sloped pieces.

First, get a real hot knife with a blade, not a wire cutter.
http://www.demandproducts.com/EIFS-items/item.php?l1=3,15&sku=GROUPHKT

This can be spendy.  However, they are becoming more common as the
construction industry has moved to extruded foam insulation.
I got mine from IASCO (Industrial Arts Supply COmpany) in Minnesota.  If
you know a high school teacher, you can get a better price.

The hot knife blade gives a beautiful, smooth face, even on complex
curves, as long as they are not too tight.

> Matching the thickness is easy.  Matching the angle is
> slightly harder.

Basic Geo-Hex is 3/4" expanded polystyrene, available at any Menards or
Home Depot.

Mounctainscape and Cavernscape are triple height.  This is more
problematic, since readily available material is 3/4", 1.5" (double
height), and 3" (quadruple).

> but the egde curve?  No clue.
> 

I made templates from the pieces in my Geo-Hex sets, then made jigs from
the templates.	I used 1/4" foamcore cut with a foamcore cutter that I
got at OfficeMax.  If I were to redo the jigs now, I would make them
from 1/4" MDF, cut them on my Unisaw, and finish the curves with a drum
sander.

The trick is that the Rough Terrain profile uses two identical jigs (top
and bottom) and the sloped pieces need a *second pass* with another set
of non-identical (and different from the Rough contour) jigs (top and
bottom) to form the slope from a Rough piece.  Look very closely at the
bottom edge of the sloped pieces.  There is a small vertical portion
(about 1/16-1/8").  This is because the sharp edge of the slope has a
tendency to melt away from the hot blade or wire, forming a ragged edge
if cut in a single pass.

> Look at pieces #1 and #7.  #7 I would bet is one piece
> beveled twice and
> edged twice.	#1 is a stumper.

All of the pieces can be cut from a full hex blank in the same pattern
that the instructions give for forming streams.
#1 comes from the scrap of a #5
#2 comes from the scrap of a #4
#3 comes from the scrap of a(nother) #3 :)

#7 is two #4 cut back to back.

There are also a number of shapes that I cut for my own use based on the
Cavenscape shapes.

-Cavernscape #8 is a #5 cut in the back of a #3
-Cavernscape #9R and 9L are a #5 cut in the back of a #4, two
possibilities.
-Two shapes with 2x #5 cuts (a 2-2 and a 1-3)
-and a trefoil made with 3x #5 cuts.

-A bunch of promitory and box canyon shapes which can also be combined
to make hairpin curves in rivers/streams.

-Two sizes of lakes/craters in the middle of a whole hex.

-Cavernscape #0 made from the center of a #6 box-canyon or a large
crater/lake. (the #6 canyon is essentially a large lake with an outlet)

The Rough-Slope transition pieces are made by cutting the slope of one
size larger piece e.g. use a #3 slope jig on a #2 piece to make a #2
transition.

I also made Rough and Sloped pieces that were straight to run along the
straight roads and connect to the other Rough and Straight profiles. 
The "Sunken Road" pieces from Geo-Hex don't fit with the Rough terrain
pieces.

Finishing is with Howard Hues Geo-Hex Green, Geo-Hex Desert, Geo-Hex
Brown, and Geo-Hex Tan, and Woodland Scenics Fine Turf Green Blend and
Earth Blend (Desert)

J