Battlemat Use

[nowhereguy]

Well, I finally broke down and got a Chessexx Battlemat. I love the feel it gives my games. A very antique feel to maps. However, cleanup is really messy. Anyone have recommendations for making cleanup uh, cleaner? Will the wet-erase marker wash out of a washcloth or will it stain? It sure stained my fingers. Any ideas are welcome.

 

[BiggusGeekus]

I use wet erase. I test the marker on a corner and erase it just to make sure. I am paranoid about my lovely, lovely battlemat.

Paper towels are your friend here. If one of your guys stops off at a fast food joint, have him pick up a few paper napkins for use. True, one could argue that it's not tree-friendly. But I hate trees. Trees killed my dog. They're also friendier than new washcloths, so you're still coming out ahead.

 

[nowhereguy]

I'm using wet erase markers, which work well, I'm just looking for the best way to clean the mat after I'm done with the map. I was thinking baby wipes would work, I've always got them around, but I'm not sure if they will damage the mat.

 

[kigmatzomat]

I got a sheet of semi-stiff plastic used to protect drawings & portfolios from an art supply store and put it on top of the battlemat. It cleans quickly, draws faster, and lets me use the battle mat w/o the slow degradation that occurs. It also lets me plop maps underneath it and make changes. I roll it up with the battlemat and so far it hasn't creased or been damaged.

 

[CarlZog]

I've loved battlemats for years, but then Tact-Tiles came along!

They use dry erase markers instead of wet, and easy cleanup is just one of the advantages.


z

 

[dagger]

We use a sheet of plexi glass that we occasionally replace at Home Depot type stores every few years for like 14 bucks. We have had the same chessex matt for over 10 years, looks brand new thanks to the plexi. I have replaced the plexi maybe 2 times during that time, just out of wear and tear from rpgs and minature wargames. The surface is flat and sturdy for minatures and anything else. Its also great to use for just writing stuff on during a game. If you do use one, I would make sure it is at least an inch bigger than the matt, that way it covers it and protects it that much more.


We use china markers (also called grease pencils I believe) to draw on the plexi, comes off with dry paper towels, no liquids needed.

Plexi is very cheep, even for large thick sheets.


Just an idea

 

[Kalendraf]

To clean my Chessex mat, I usually just use a wet papertowel, though I often find I need more than 1 wet papertowel to clean it thoroughly. After that 1 or 2 dry ones is usually sufficient to dry it off. I don't find it all that messy, myself, but others might.

From my experience, Vis-a-vis wet erase pens generally don't stain material, so long as you wash it soon enough.

 

[punkorange]

I always wanted to get a battlemat, then Steel_Wind convinced me a projector and photoshop works just as good

 

[caudor]

I've learned the hard way that the color red is more likely to stain than darker colors like blue and black.

Avoid red if you can, or wipe it off as soon as possible.

 

[freebfrost]

Wet erase markers, a bottle of glass cleaner, and lots of paper towels works for me!