Forgive me if rhis has already been mentioned. Two quick tips: 1) to anchor your foam so it doesnt move as you role use blue painter's tape looped around itself, tacky side out, and place it on the bottom of your foam piece. It will stick to your table or mat for a sound hold. 2) buy 2 rubber O rings one size smaller than the diameter of the roller. You then spread them to the width of your foam and they will snuggly guide your roller , keeping it centered on the foam. Hope this helps.
Also, drill a small hole in the ends of the roller, and put some handles on it so you can just push the handles down and forwards to apply pressure and movement simultaneously, like a baking rolling pin does. Then you won't be fumbling with your fingers trying to roll one side and then the other and having it rock off-center. Speaking of which - you can carve patterns yourself into a baker's rolling pin to achieve anything you want.
You could build a guide which holds your foam in place, and guides the pin in a straight line. You could even have runners on the guide which are just under 1/2 inch, giving you enough space for the pin to dig into the foam as you roll. That would allow you to have an even impression, without having to concentrate on applying even pressure. Yes, one of the products made by a vendor listed on your site is made just for this, but you could build one with a couple dollars worth of crappy wood.
@@williambarnes5023 There are actually rolling pins like this (without any handle), that work really well, especially for tough dough that needs more pressure. Just roll it firmly with your palms. Once you've got the hang of it you can do one hand after the other, without changing the pressure.
I love that “support” chat at the end! Most people don’t get how much work goes into video production! You’re not just an artist, you’re a director producer writer purchaser actor and editor. Thanks for giving us so much of yourself!
Hi, just found your channel last night and have binged as much as i could.. after 30 years i'm back into D&D and this is the stuff that gets my fire burning!!! cheers for the tutorials!
If the rolling pins break the surface of the foam at all rather than simply indenting it, using the heat gun *after* rolling should cause the the lines to open up a little deepening the detail.
Got back into d&d recently and stumbled onto your channel right before I bought hundreds of dollars in molds! I went yesterday to a local hobby shop and grabbed ~$100 in supplies and ordered these rollers tonight. Can't wait to start putting these into action and making some crazy adventure terrains!!! Thank you for showing us the diy way to custom a campaign!
My friend just gave me a full set of these today as an early Christmas gift. I showed them to her and my wife after seeing this video a couple of weeks ago. So, I just wanted to say thank you 😊
I know this vid is crazy old, but I’ve only just started researching this hobby. But what comes to mind about using these rollers is building a small rig where you could use clamps on a kind of axel running through the rollers to apply equal pressure, and push the foam through it. Like an old school clothes roller to squeeze the water out.
Yeah, exactly. I was searching pics and reviews for it all over FB a while ago, but seeing it actually being used has made a huge difference in my confidence. AND OMG the speed! I hate drawing bricks and cobblestones, so this is beyond worth the price. And your discount code is BONUS :D yay
Man, I only just now realised that the intro music is so damn awesome because you were in an Industrial band, even though you talked about that fact a few videos earlier.
My rolls came with two rubber rings the you can put on the rolling pin the control the pin from shifting. I never used my on XPS only green stuff and blue stuff. I try this when I get hom thank you for the tip.
I got those rings too and thought it was for controlling the thickness of greenstuff....I didn't even think of using them as a guide, but I think it would work!
Just discovered your channel and am now devouring your various scenery videos. I'm getting back into D&D after about a 25+ year hiatus thanks to videos from folks like Matt Mercer, Joe Manganiello, and you. These scenery tutorials are great, especially something like this video which gives a practical, quick technique for easily churning out a lot of scenery quickly. I'm loving your content and looking forward to more videos. Definitely a thumbs-up here!
For over a year I've been wanting to try them....but was always worried they wouldn't actually work well on foam and always held off. Wish I didn't wait so long.
When I built my pyramid I hand carved an estimated 10,000 bricks across approximately 75 linear feet of foam. Ten. Thousand. Bricks. By. Hand. Of the 100 hours spent on that build, probably 25% or more was spent just on drawing bricks. I could have done all of that brickwork in maybe an hour or two with a couple of these! SOLD! I can see value in making a couple of small jigs to hold the foam and keep the roller aligned. I need to buy ALL THE ROLLERS!
I'm really glad you made this video, I've been eyeballing these rollers for a year or so now trying to decide if I should make the plunge or not. I think this seals is for me. Thanks a bunch!
Bruh, this video is a game changer! I have very limited time to work with and i moved away from foam because of this, but these just made it relevant again, awesome thanks for posting this.
Totally recommend these for xps foam also. I have the small cobblestone and frozen pins, they look great. The frozen pin works well for ice or dried earth depending on your paint scheme.
I was considering getting the frozen one, but wasn't sure it gave enough of a pattern to make it better than just using a rock or something like I usually do. Do you think that pattern is as worth it as the others?
Here's a pic of the frozen roller; www.dropbox.com/s/gkxhwo1e9nrwump/IMG_5721.jpg?dl=0 Heres the small cobblestone; www.dropbox.com/s/eexhscsyyguvb6t/IMG_5722.jpg?dl=0 mini by red-box-games.com/
Subbed. You guys have too much information, so going to watch the new ones and jump back and catch the old ones. I'm just getting into this whole thing on terrain with my miniatures. I did a little bit of terrain when I was gaming with my GHQ micro armor last century. Out of gaming 30-35 years. The usual: family, work, life, ex-wife, etc...last Nov. 4 yrs retired. Just the last six months getting into miniatures. Deeply. Started with my OLD Ral Partha minis & Fist Full of Lead rules. Bought Reaper monsters, some Napoleon area troops, having lots of fun. Though my painting sucks... don't look at the faces...lol. Got lots of big pieces of rock from my youth when family went rock hounding. Got trees. Gonna make some river n roads n maybe even a lake. Thanks for the inspiration. Thanks for the information. really really enjoy your videos
Hey, quick tip, take a box cutter, get a peice of foam and a metal ruler, score your foam with the box cutter in a brick paters using the metal ruler as a square for the horizontal lines. Then do the same vertically but due it every other line, then of set the ruler by half the length of your previous bricks then continue to do that across the foam. Once you have scored it run a pen/pencil through your scored lines which will make your brickwork easier
I have been DMing for about a year now, in my own custom world. And, have only now started to get into minatures and terrain for better battles and representation when playing, and you are my go to channel. Just wanted to say thanks :)
Been a customer for awhile with GreenStuffWorld, and had been on the fence regarding those rolling pins since I make all my bases wilderness themed. You've sold me on this J!
This is awesome been dreading working on full size buildings. With this now I can dive in thanks again for all the great videos honestly such a gift to have this great community.
Your product demos have solid value! Items/utensils that cost a lot always presses my pause button. Seeing you use them with your pros/cons gives me solid info to decide. 😎
There is a lot of stuff out there that isn't worth getting, or that you can make yourself....but a few items like the proxxon table, these pins, and some of shiftinglands jigs are unique in that they are actually worth the cost if you do a lot of terrain building when you consider the time saved.
I am glad I backtracked to this video in your list of videos. I love your stuff and have been planning big battle boards using a lot of your methods for my 40k games. But I already use the GS rollers for my basing, so I was pulling out my hair trying to figure out how to transfer that design that's already on my bases (using apoxie clay) to boards. I'm glad I can just use XPS foam as it is!
Another excellent vid. I have the small cobblestone pin and have used it on pink and green xps, as well as dollar store foamcore. It worked great. I encountered the same problem with keeping roller straight while rolling, but found I did better with short distances. It worked great on some of my 3x3 xps pieces for BMC style cavern pieces.
Love your intros! Awesome video. I have a few of these and use them frequently. I recently used the arcane runes one for door frame decorations. They work really well on foam board as well! I'll definitely be using that code! Thank YOU!!!!!!
Cake and Fondant pressure plates come in bricks, walls, street textures too. They come in rectangle shapes. They lay on top of the fondant and you apply pressure to the entire thing. I saw a wood patterned one once. Looked cool (cake). Also paint and clay textured rollers and plates (children ones are small, my wife uses them in her special needs teaching lessons). As well as hundreds if not thousands of different textured large rolling pins. They used to make textured rolling pins in like the 1700s to do cookie patterns and rolling on scrolls and papers. Just FYI, if looking for alternate patterned rolling pins. Textured Fondant Molds, Textured Wallpaper Rolling Pins, Clay Rolling Pins...
Gonna pick up the small Dutch brick pin for Marvel Crisis Protocol terrain! Great video, I was just planning on just printing photos of brick walls before this!
Great video. I really appreciate that you go out of your way looking for products that will aid in our crafting hobby. I'm looking forward to seeing all the jigs people create for these rollers. Definitely going to purchase some in the near future. Ignore all the negative comments. People can be so ridiculous and you do such a great job inspiring our community. It is because of you, hankering, and dm scotty that I have an amazing new hobby. Much thanks
I own these things, and I intended to give them a try on foam as soon as I could. (Just did a huge house move - hopefully the last *insert fav profanity here* time I ever do that.) I think that the tip of using the freshly cut foam is the line that makes this whole video a gem. I had another idea, that I was going to have to wait to try, which was to heat the rolling pins with hot water, if I needed that to get the pattern to set. Of course... I also do a lot of casting, and own quite a selection of smooth-on resins, so it was my intention to try that little trick with a copy of the pin which I intend to cast in a more thermally stable resin if need be. I already cast those molds at the same time that I made a flat copy of the pattern to fill with normal casting plaster so I could get a perfect match to the pins on larger sheet material. I am always impressed with the creativeness and the quality of your works, BMC. True, I'm one of those subspecies of humans who will sit and watch a knowledgeable and experienced artisan drill a hole in sheet steel for an hour, and be completely entertained; which, does not take away from the cleverness of your techniques, and the artistry of your end results. Thank you. Awesome info share with this one, and it was very much appreciated. Coffey
You're on the right path, (lol) using a wall to keep the foam from sliding, but if you were to use another wall or heavy, straight object on one of the sides of the foam, you would end up with a perfectly straight pattern. The only problem, might be keeping the pressure even on that side all the way. The obvious solution would be to place the workpiece far enough from the other straight edge, that you can bear down properly.
I once had to scribe by hand a 14 foot 1:24 scale yellow brick road in styrene for a television commercial. I have not carved a brick since then … well, never that many at one time anyway.
Not sure if anyone mentioned this possibility, and i know i am a bit late. But what might be happening is that cutting them on the hot-wire releases surface tension in the foam. Which is formed under pressure. That tension would have pushed BACK against the roller resisting the imprint. So perhaps, knife cut pieces would also benefit from this release in tension.
you could make some kind of wooden guide for the rolling pin, make an elevated flat surface for the foam to sit and two rails that are exactly the lenght of the rolling pin apart so the pin stays in the middle, also the rails should be maybe 1-2mm lower than the foam on the middle so it presses the foam, make a stop so the foam doesn't move and start rolling, for doing a lot of walls, this setup will be great i think
I'd suggest putting rubber bands on either side of the rolling pin, along where the outer edges of the foam piece will end up, just to aid in getting strait patterns when getting the impressions down onto the foam.
Great time saver! My time to "play" is very limited so anything that can maximize my effort is worth it to me. Thanks for your occasional product reviews in real project scope, I do very much appreciate your time and opinion (and it saves me time). Keep on keeping it real!
Wow, that's awesome! I just got a proxon table and one of the projects on my mind was doing buildings for city encounters (just 3x6 box buildings to give more depth). Having a roller for brickwork makes this so easy. And the cobblestone one looks really good. I could see doing outdoor city tiles over a weekend (although I'd prefer to have 6 inch wide tiles if possible).
I was just looking on their site, looks like they have guide washers, or you could get some rubber washers from the hardware store to put on the pin to keep it in line with your foam. That would probably help you keep it straight while rolling
They actually sent those, and I didn't try them thinking they were just to control thickness when rolling out putty....but they would totally work as edge guides if you spaced them apart the distance you need.
What I read on a forum for model aircraft using XPS, the top surface extruded from factory has more surface tension, if you cut it, the foam is more receptive to the indentation as the surface is more melleable
I know this is an old subject, but Ive just recently purchased a few of the rollers from Green Stuff Works. Watching your video I see the worst part is trying to roll with consistency. If the rollers were drilled through and a stainless steel rod an inch or so longer than the roller is inserted then it would be easy to make something to push down on the ends of the rod with just enough force to leave the lasting impression. A flat bed with a headboard to prevent the xps foam from moving, the bed would slide under the roller. The pressure would be consistent over the whole roller. I will design this gyzmo today and make it out of plywood. Im trying to use the roller over a large area for a road in my forced perspective photography.
I could see a jog worked up that holds the Pin above the table but allows it to spin, then below that have a rubber spinning wheel under it that is powered to roll the foam through while pressing the foam into the rolling Pin. would keep force applied consistent and would allow for even faster.
If you use the guide rings then you don't have to worry about going off center. I've used them for fondant and such. Same principal here. Awesome tools.
I think a guide frame, just a hint smaller than the rollers, would be very helpful to keep them rolling straight. Permanently fix one side down and make the other side detachable for bigger pieces.
So I was sitting in the kitchen looking at a jar of corn on the cob and this video came into my mind. I think it could work as a rolling stamp in paint if you're on a budget
Make a little jig to hold the foam and put some side rails on to keep the roller in place and running as you want, you could even use a strip of wood on either side of the foam to mark depth for force to push down on. With regards to cutting the foam you could hit it will a heat gun lightly to cauterise the foam surface, i think this would have the same result as cutting it.
Yea, I actually got some with these but knew they were to be used as a depth guage with putty....but they could totally work as guides if put 3" apart!
When i get to a placae where i can redo everything in foam, i will certainly be getting some of this. i was trying to figure out how to make them on my own using a breyer. but i would have to modify them by adding a pin in the middle to act as a handle. also a jig of some sort would be helpful to keep them on track. obviously you didnt have time to do it right away but it would help.
if you use their rollers you wont have to be as firm cause it legit rolls forward with no issues, look up the green stuff roller guides they sell for like 3 bucks and slide on the sides of the rollers.
I wonder if you placed a thin layer of play dough over the foam board it would take the shape better and the foam board since dried play dough is brittle but the paint would also help to
you've convinced me. just used your code (the night before it was going to end) glad i found this vid and you did a review. can't wait to make aztec lizardmen bases
This video has always been a highlight for me and was always very envious of your foam rollers. I've never been able to pick up a roller, they've always been just out of reach.... In saying that, I've also had a 3d printer for 3 months and only just now realised we could print textured rollers..... Printing 3 now lol
I think you could mount the roller into a device so you will have even pressure. Sort of like a pizza cutter. Perhaps 3d printes or something. That way you could also make a guide so that you dont stray. Do you know if the pattern will be imprinted forever or if they straighten out after some time.
Pinch of salt right there but I totally get it. I honestly only once disliked a video which was to balance out the like dislike bar on the futurama neutral video. If I don't like a video I just stop watching.
My concern would be whether or not it will continue to keep that indentation over time. Sometimes extruded polystyrene can be a little spongy after a while. The pen method seems to work fine because the indentations are very sharp, the pin seems like it would be a softer texture.
While your concern might very well be valid for an unpainted surface, after you've applied mod podge, paint and poly finish, the surface will be so hard that the XPS is extremely unlikely to push the indentations out again.
I'm not too worried about that considering the much less deep pattern I get with the tinfoil technique seems to stay. And really after its painted even if the texture looses some of its definition, the paint pattern would remain and I don't think you'd notice.
Great idea! I also hate brickwork. I'm in, please demo more. I'm going to get some for Christmas. I'm going to make a jig where the rollers fit and have spacer strips
Could probably whip up a jig that fits your rolling pins and has a slight insert for the form. Keeps it super straight and could easily uniform pressure across the board with minimal efforts.
I've been looking at their stuff for just such an application for awhile now. With a discount I feel now's the time. I was thinking of pressing into peeled foamcore, as that's what I have the most of. I am also intrigued by their rivet molds. Most of the terrain I want to build is for Necromunda. But I also like fantasy.
This goes way back to a posting I made on the Green stuff roller imprinting on foam video. I wasn't impressed with how well the roller worked when I tried it. I speculated there maybe a difference in foam. Well, I might have just found out that there is. Foamular comes in a 15psi and a 25 psi version. The 25 psi version, Foamular 250, is meant to be put under concrete slabs and not crush easily. Locally to me, the 2-inch sheets I prefer to use are 250 and is what I was trying to use the roller with. I found out when I was looking online for a new sheet of foam and noticed the same dimension for two different entries. The 2x2x1 inch project panels seem to be 250 as well. I don't recall that Owens was marking their sheets as 150 or 250 back when, though I could be wrong. When I get a chance to dig out the sheets in my garage, I will take a look. I don't know if it matters, you might already know and covered it in another video. If not, it might be important to someone that watches your channel.
Did you ever find out if the rollers work with the 15psi foamular? I also am not having a great time getting the rollers to mak good enough impressions.
Yes having a hole in the middle of each would allow for you to use a small dowel to use like a rolling pin. Or the addition of handles that could be used with each different pattern rolling pin.
The factory surface seems to be sealed for lack of a better word. The mod podge actually covers better and more evenly on a proxxon cut surface vs a factory surface. When I rip my pieces down to 1/2" I always texture and paint the cut sides vs the factory sides
I actually got two of those as well. I think they are awesome! That being said I also got the shingle punch and I don't think I like it very much at all. I'll do a vid on those in the future, just want to space them out a bit.
It'd take some extra work, but you could drill a center hole through the things and put it on a small modified paint roller to cut down on some of the awkwardness in trying to keep it straight and even pressure. Really great "off-label" use of these things though, I can't wait to never have to deal with the rage of losing a wall or floor in the home stretch because I got bored ever again!
Make a fixture to crank the foam through . A rubber roller directly under the pattern roller. Turn the rubber roller and the results will be the same every time. Same premise as a woodworker's planing machine.
Awesome video, I love seeing the tools and affordable ones at that. I don’t believe that you have ever really done this. But I’m tired of seeing tutorials on everything it seems saying how easy it is. But then pull out $4000 worth of tools!
Make a mold of this tool texture . Make a wax send to a bronze casting cast a solid bronze tube attach to metal handle use a heat gun to heat tool roll out your foam for deeper details and harder more ridged walls and cobblestone walkways. Will take a few dollars but the tool will last you a lifetime . You inspired me brother I'm gonna make one
Forgive me if rhis has already been mentioned. Two quick tips: 1) to anchor your foam so it doesnt move as you role use blue painter's tape looped around itself, tacky side out, and place it on the bottom of your foam piece. It will stick to your table or mat for a sound hold. 2) buy 2 rubber O rings one size smaller than the diameter of the roller. You then spread them to the width of your foam and they will snuggly guide your roller , keeping it centered on the foam. Hope this helps.
I found swimming cap is also good - just cut it in half and you got two big rubber surfaces
Also, drill a small hole in the ends of the roller, and put some handles on it so you can just push the handles down and forwards to apply pressure and movement simultaneously, like a baking rolling pin does. Then you won't be fumbling with your fingers trying to roll one side and then the other and having it rock off-center.
Speaking of which - you can carve patterns yourself into a baker's rolling pin to achieve anything you want.
You could build a guide which holds your foam in place, and guides the pin in a straight line. You could even have runners on the guide which are just under 1/2 inch, giving you enough space for the pin to dig into the foam as you roll. That would allow you to have an even impression, without having to concentrate on applying even pressure. Yes, one of the products made by a vendor listed on your site is made just for this, but you could build one with a couple dollars worth of crappy wood.
You could drill out the centre of the roller and push a dowel through it extending a few inches out each side and use that as a handle.
@@williambarnes5023 There are actually rolling pins like this (without any handle), that work really well, especially for tough dough that needs more pressure. Just roll it firmly with your palms. Once you've got the hang of it you can do one hand after the other, without changing the pressure.
I love that “support” chat at the end! Most people don’t get how much work goes into video production! You’re not just an artist, you’re a director producer writer purchaser actor and editor. Thanks for giving us so much of yourself!
Hi, just found your channel last night and have binged as much as i could.. after 30 years i'm back into D&D and this is the stuff that gets my fire burning!!! cheers for the tutorials!
Same! My boyfriend got me into it and now im obsessed. Its 2am and still bingeing
I bet if you hit the foam a bit with a heat gun before using the roller it would really set the pattern into it.
If the rolling pins break the surface of the foam at all rather than simply indenting it, using the heat gun *after* rolling should cause the the lines to open up a little deepening the detail.
I was just thinking the same thing
Hell, maybe even a hair dryer would work lmao.
What about a thin coating of polyurethane before rolling 🤔
Thanks! Really makes a difference!
Got back into d&d recently and stumbled onto your channel right before I bought hundreds of dollars in molds! I went yesterday to a local hobby shop and grabbed ~$100 in supplies and ordered these rollers tonight. Can't wait to start putting these into action and making some crazy adventure terrains!!! Thank you for showing us the diy way to custom a campaign!
I love that you call out the dislikes!
My friend just gave me a full set of these today as an early Christmas gift.
I showed them to her and my wife after seeing this video a couple of weeks ago.
So, I just wanted to say thank you 😊
I know this vid is crazy old, but I’ve only just started researching this hobby. But what comes to mind about using these rollers is building a small rig where you could use clamps on a kind of axel running through the rollers to apply equal pressure, and push the foam through it. Like an old school clothes roller to squeeze the water out.
I've been looking at these for a while but seeing a live demo and seeing how they actually work has sold me. Thank you!
Yea, I mean this isn't their intended use, so I thought it would be good to test and show
Yeah, exactly. I was searching pics and reviews for it all over FB a while ago, but seeing it actually being used has made a huge difference in my confidence. AND OMG the speed! I hate drawing bricks and cobblestones, so this is beyond worth the price. And your discount code is BONUS :D yay
After first watching this, I purchased three rollers. Just tested this weekend and I love them. What a time saver, especially for larger builds.
This product is SO clever, I love it.
They’ve just mimicked cake textured rolling pins (like 1800s textured pins)
Intro so real
ditto Hank
#craftlife
Man, I only just now realised that the intro music is so damn awesome because you were in an Industrial band, even though you talked about that fact a few videos earlier.
Yep! Been there, done that.
My rolls came with two rubber rings the you can put on the rolling pin the control the pin from shifting. I never used my on XPS only green stuff and blue stuff. I try this when I get hom thank you for the tip.
Also the discount is awesome and will save massive ammounts of time for crafting walls and even tiles in other textures.
I got those rings too and thought it was for controlling the thickness of greenstuff....I didn't even think of using them as a guide, but I think it would work!
Just discovered your channel and am now devouring your various scenery videos. I'm getting back into D&D after about a 25+ year hiatus thanks to videos from folks like Matt Mercer, Joe Manganiello, and you. These scenery tutorials are great, especially something like this video which gives a practical, quick technique for easily churning out a lot of scenery quickly. I'm loving your content and looking forward to more videos. Definitely a thumbs-up here!
Seen these but never considered their worth til now, thanks for the showcase. Buying some.
For over a year I've been wanting to try them....but was always worried they wouldn't actually work well on foam and always held off. Wish I didn't wait so long.
When I built my pyramid I hand carved an estimated 10,000 bricks across approximately 75 linear feet of foam. Ten. Thousand. Bricks. By. Hand. Of the 100 hours spent on that build, probably 25% or more was spent just on drawing bricks. I could have done all of that brickwork in maybe an hour or two with a couple of these!
SOLD!
I can see value in making a couple of small jigs to hold the foam and keep the roller aligned. I need to buy ALL THE ROLLERS!
After playing for 30 years I'm just getting into the crafting side of RPG. Picked up some rollin-pins and used the discount code. Thanks man.
I'm really glad you made this video, I've been eyeballing these rollers for a year or so now trying to decide if I should make the plunge or not. I think this seals is for me. Thanks a bunch!
I considered buying them several times over the past two years but was worried they wouldnt actually work of foam....wish I didn't wait so long now.
Bruh, this video is a game changer! I have very limited time to work with and i moved away from foam because of this, but these just made it relevant again, awesome thanks for posting this.
Great product, great test review! Praise the almighty algorithm for bringing me here; I had no idea these rollers or this company existed!
Totally recommend these for xps foam also. I have the small cobblestone and frozen pins, they look great. The frozen pin works well for ice or dried earth depending on your paint scheme.
I was considering getting the frozen one, but wasn't sure it gave enough of a pattern to make it better than just using a rock or something like I usually do. Do you think that pattern is as worth it as the others?
Here's a pic of the frozen roller;
www.dropbox.com/s/gkxhwo1e9nrwump/IMG_5721.jpg?dl=0
Heres the small cobblestone;
www.dropbox.com/s/eexhscsyyguvb6t/IMG_5722.jpg?dl=0
mini by red-box-games.com/
Nice, ordered three pins. As for product videos, I appreciate them, definitely made my crafting easier or at least less tedious.
I try not to do TOO many of them (I know I just did two in a row), and only keep them to the really good stuff
Subbed. You guys have too much information, so going to watch the new ones and jump back and catch the old ones. I'm just getting into this whole thing on terrain with my miniatures. I did a little bit of terrain when I was gaming with my GHQ micro armor last century. Out of gaming 30-35 years. The usual: family, work, life, ex-wife, etc...last Nov. 4 yrs retired. Just the last six months getting into miniatures. Deeply. Started with my OLD Ral Partha minis & Fist Full of Lead rules. Bought Reaper monsters, some Napoleon area troops, having lots of fun. Though my painting sucks... don't look at the faces...lol.
Got lots of big pieces of rock from my youth when family went rock hounding. Got trees.
Gonna make some river n roads n maybe even a lake.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks for the information.
really really enjoy your videos
Hey, quick tip, take a box cutter, get a peice of foam and a metal ruler, score your foam with the box cutter in a brick paters using the metal ruler as a square for the horizontal lines. Then do the same vertically but due it every other line, then of set the ruler by half the length of your previous bricks then continue to do that across the foam. Once you have scored it run a pen/pencil through your scored lines which will make your brickwork easier
I have been DMing for about a year now, in my own custom world. And, have only now started to get into minatures and terrain for better battles and representation when playing, and you are my go to channel. Just wanted to say thanks :)
Just found you, looked on the site for the rolling pins and found
that they make the rollers also with handles. Thank you for the
great find. Mike.
Been a customer for awhile with GreenStuffWorld, and had been on the fence regarding those rolling pins since I make all my bases wilderness themed. You've sold me on this J!
Yea, I don't know if they would be worth it just for doing greenstuff bases with them. But you can get a lot more mileage since they work on foam.
Black Magic Craft I'd probably only ever need to random cobblestone pattern and maybe the arcane pattern. Wish they had a dwarf themed roller though
This is awesome been dreading working on full size buildings. With this now I can dive in thanks again for all the great videos honestly such a gift to have this great community.
Its a game changer
Your product demos have solid value! Items/utensils that cost a lot always presses my pause button. Seeing you use them with your pros/cons gives me solid info to decide. 😎
I agree these vids are awesome. Really helps me when deciding which products to purchase for my hobby.
There is a lot of stuff out there that isn't worth getting, or that you can make yourself....but a few items like the proxxon table, these pins, and some of shiftinglands jigs are unique in that they are actually worth the cost if you do a lot of terrain building when you consider the time saved.
I am glad I backtracked to this video in your list of videos. I love your stuff and have been planning big battle boards using a lot of your methods for my 40k games. But I already use the GS rollers for my basing, so I was pulling out my hair trying to figure out how to transfer that design that's already on my bases (using apoxie clay) to boards. I'm glad I can just use XPS foam as it is!
Another excellent vid. I have the small cobblestone pin and have used it on pink and green xps, as well as dollar store foamcore. It worked great. I encountered the same problem with keeping roller straight while rolling, but found I did better with short distances. It worked great on some of my 3x3 xps pieces for BMC style cavern pieces.
I was wondering about the dollar store foam core, but now I know.
Yea, these work great on foamcore too!
Try doing what a chef does. Set a depth by using rails on each side. Two pieces of wood thinner than the foam. One on either side.
Love your intros! Awesome video. I have a few of these and use them frequently. I recently used the arcane runes one for door frame decorations. They work really well on foam board as well! I'll definitely be using that code! Thank YOU!!!!!!
Cheers!
Build a little jig to hold the foam with guide rails on the sides to guid the roller.
I would build more than a jig. Think of the rollers on a ringer washer. It could compress the foam and imprint it at the same time:)
RUclips's been recommending me this video for a while, and I gotta say your thumbnail cracks me up every time.
Cake and Fondant pressure plates come in bricks, walls, street textures too. They come in rectangle shapes. They lay on top of the fondant and you apply pressure to the entire thing. I saw a wood patterned one once. Looked cool (cake).
Also paint and clay textured rollers and plates (children ones are small, my wife uses them in her special needs teaching lessons).
As well as hundreds if not thousands of different textured large rolling pins. They used to make textured rolling pins in like the 1700s to do cookie patterns and rolling on scrolls and papers.
Just FYI, if looking for alternate patterned rolling pins. Textured Fondant Molds, Textured Wallpaper Rolling Pins, Clay Rolling Pins...
use o-rings around the roller to guide them against your edges
greenstuff as them for their rollers
I got the Aztec Rolling pin which is awesome for making Lizardman (Warhammer) terrain.
Wasn't aware we could use it at XPS. Good stuff!
Yea, I wasnt sure they'd work on foam either which is why I held of on getting them for so long....man I wish I didn't wait
Just starting out into crafting but I cant see my self investing the added time when this tool is available. You convinced me to buy in!
Gonna pick up the small Dutch brick pin for Marvel Crisis Protocol terrain! Great video, I was just planning on just printing photos of brick walls before this!
Great video. I really appreciate that you go out of your way looking for products that will aid in our crafting hobby. I'm looking forward to seeing all the jigs people create for these rollers. Definitely going to purchase some in the near future.
Ignore all the negative comments. People can be so ridiculous and you do such a great job inspiring our community. It is because of you, hankering, and dm scotty that I have an amazing new hobby. Much thanks
Btw that into read totally classic!
Thanks :) I try to only recommend the best stuff, the stuff that really really makes crafting terrain more efficient or better looking.
I own these things, and I intended to give them a try on foam as soon as I could. (Just did a huge house move - hopefully the last *insert fav profanity here* time I ever do that.) I think that the tip of using the freshly cut foam is the line that makes this whole video a gem.
I had another idea, that I was going to have to wait to try, which was to heat the rolling pins with hot water, if I needed that to get the pattern to set. Of course... I also do a lot of casting, and own quite a selection of smooth-on resins, so it was my intention to try that little trick with a copy of the pin which I intend to cast in a more thermally stable resin if need be. I already cast those molds at the same time that I made a flat copy of the pattern to fill with normal casting plaster so I could get a perfect match to the pins on larger sheet material.
I am always impressed with the creativeness and the quality of your works, BMC. True, I'm one of those subspecies of humans who will sit and watch a knowledgeable and experienced artisan drill a hole in sheet steel for an hour, and be completely entertained; which, does not take away from the cleverness of your techniques, and the artistry of your end results.
Thank you. Awesome info share with this one, and it was very much appreciated. Coffey
You're on the right path, (lol) using a wall to keep the foam from sliding, but if you were to use another wall or heavy, straight object on one of the sides of the foam, you would end up with a perfectly straight pattern. The only problem, might be keeping the pressure even on that side all the way. The obvious solution would be to place the workpiece far enough from the other straight edge, that you can bear down properly.
I once had to scribe by hand a 14 foot 1:24 scale yellow brick road in styrene for a television commercial. I have not carved a brick since then … well, never that many at one time anyway.
How would you go about creating a wall higher than the 14 or so cm of the roll? Does the pattern repeat somehow so that pieces can be connected?
Not sure if anyone mentioned this possibility, and i know i am a bit late.
But what might be happening is that cutting them on the hot-wire releases surface tension in the foam. Which is formed under pressure. That tension would have pushed BACK against the roller resisting the imprint. So perhaps, knife cut pieces would also benefit from this release in tension.
you could make some kind of wooden guide for the rolling pin, make an elevated flat surface for the foam to sit and two rails that are exactly the lenght of the rolling pin apart so the pin stays in the middle, also the rails should be maybe 1-2mm lower than the foam on the middle so it presses the foam, make a stop so the foam doesn't move and start rolling, for doing a lot of walls, this setup will be great i think
Good one! Also, nice shirt! Love that logo.
It gives me super banana measuring powers.
This alone sold me on these rolling pins. Great results.
If you order some check my recent video on their uv resin. Vid description has an active discount code you can use for the rollers.
TL;DW, greenstuffworld sells two patterned rollers. Bricks and CobbleStone. Go to 6:00 to see what they do.
I'd suggest putting rubber bands on either side of the rolling pin, along where the outer edges of the foam piece will end up, just to aid in getting strait patterns when getting the impressions down onto the foam.
Great time saver! My time to "play" is very limited so anything that can maximize my effort is worth it to me. Thanks for your occasional product reviews in real project scope, I do very much appreciate your time and opinion (and it saves me time). Keep on keeping it real!
Wow, that's awesome! I just got a proxon table and one of the projects on my mind was doing buildings for city encounters (just 3x6 box buildings to give more depth). Having a roller for brickwork makes this so easy. And the cobblestone one looks really good. I could see doing outdoor city tiles over a weekend (although I'd prefer to have 6 inch wide tiles if possible).
You're going to love the próxon. I've had mine for a couple months now and it's completely elevated my crafting level.
If you want to do bigger city tiles they actually sell an XL 32cm cobblestone roller
I was just looking on their site, looks like they have guide washers, or you could get some rubber washers from the hardware store to put on the pin to keep it in line with your foam. That would probably help you keep it straight while rolling
They actually sent those, and I didn't try them thinking they were just to control thickness when rolling out putty....but they would totally work as edge guides if you spaced them apart the distance you need.
What I read on a forum for model aircraft using XPS, the top surface extruded from factory has more surface tension, if you cut it, the foam is more receptive to the indentation as the surface is more melleable
I know this is an old subject, but Ive just recently purchased a few of the rollers from Green Stuff Works. Watching your video I see the worst part is trying to roll with consistency. If the rollers were drilled through and a stainless steel rod an inch or so longer than the roller is inserted then it would be easy to make something to push down on the ends of the rod with just enough force to leave the lasting impression. A flat bed with a headboard to prevent the xps foam from moving, the bed would slide under the roller. The pressure would be consistent over the whole roller. I will design this gyzmo today and make it out of plywood. Im trying to use the roller over a large area for a road in my forced perspective photography.
I could see a jog worked up that holds the Pin above the table but allows it to spin, then below that have a rubber spinning wheel under it that is powered to roll the foam through while pressing the foam into the rolling Pin. would keep force applied consistent and would allow for even faster.
You knocked another one out of the ball park, well done sir!!
Thanks :)
If you use the guide rings then you don't have to worry about going off center. I've used them for fondant and such. Same principal here. Awesome tools.
Yea I use them in the next video :)
i love this method and i like his honesty and how he explains everything and his models are brilliant
I think a guide frame, just a hint smaller than the rollers, would be very helpful to keep them rolling straight. Permanently fix one side down and make the other side detachable for bigger pieces.
Yea, especially if you always make the same size strips
Great vid.. Thanks... As for rolling I'd just make some jigs for it to hold them in place and help keep the same pressure on the foam
So I was sitting in the kitchen looking at a jar of corn on the cob and this video came into my mind. I think it could work as a rolling stamp in paint if you're on a budget
Make a little jig to hold the foam and put some side rails on to keep the roller in place and running as you want, you could even use a strip of wood on either side of the foam to mark depth for force to push down on.
With regards to cutting the foam you could hit it will a heat gun lightly to cauterise the foam surface, i think this would have the same result as cutting it.
I'm anxious to see what kind of awesome stuff you can make now you have the rollers!
I think it will improve the quantity of stuff I make more than the quality just because of all the time saving.
Good that I see this right before doing any walls. I am VERY lazy, and this will help.
I was thinking the same thing about handles. I think that may help with the depth as well.
Those silicone guide rings they sell may also be very helpful!
Yea, I actually got some with these but knew they were to be used as a depth guage with putty....but they could totally work as guides if put 3" apart!
Yeh it would do being laminated from factory for ex outter straignth in house loft conversions etc when fitting
When i get to a placae where i can redo everything in foam, i will certainly be getting some of this. i was trying to figure out how to make them on my own using a breyer. but i would have to modify them by adding a pin in the middle to act as a handle. also a jig of some sort would be helpful to keep them on track. obviously you didnt have time to do it right away but it would help.
Damn! I wish I had found this video months ago. It would have saved me days on my castle build. Thanks for this information.
if you use their rollers you wont have to be as firm cause it legit rolls forward with no issues, look up the green stuff roller guides they sell for like 3 bucks and slide on the sides of the rollers.
Loved it. They have longer ones. Those are great for larger peices.
Yea, I kind of want the 32cm pavement one to make big city tiles.
I wonder if you placed a thin layer of play dough over the foam board it would take the shape better and the foam board since dried play dough is brittle but the paint would also help to
you've convinced me. just used your code (the night before it was going to end) glad i found this vid and you did a review. can't wait to make aztec lizardmen bases
This video has always been a highlight for me and was always very envious of your foam rollers. I've never been able to pick up a roller, they've always been just out of reach.... In saying that, I've also had a 3d printer for 3 months and only just now realised we could print textured rollers..... Printing 3 now lol
I think you could mount the roller into a device so you will have even pressure. Sort of like a pizza cutter. Perhaps 3d printes or something. That way you could also make a guide so that you dont stray.
Do you know if the pattern will be imprinted forever or if they straighten out after some time.
I just ordered the temple roller and will see how it works on take out container foam
I love how he slid that rant in there about disliking his videos. Dying laughing over here.
Pinch of salt right there but I totally get it. I honestly only once disliked a video which was to balance out the like dislike bar on the futurama neutral video. If I don't like a video I just stop watching.
I just bought one this week its a mesh one.. It looks amazing for War 40k, Infinity and Battletech.
My concern would be whether or not it will continue to keep that indentation over time. Sometimes extruded polystyrene can be a little spongy after a while. The pen method seems to work fine because the indentations are very sharp, the pin seems like it would be a softer texture.
While your concern might very well be valid for an unpainted surface, after you've applied mod podge, paint and poly finish, the surface will be so hard that the XPS is extremely unlikely to push the indentations out again.
I'm not too worried about that considering the much less deep pattern I get with the tinfoil technique seems to stay. And really after its painted even if the texture looses some of its definition, the paint pattern would remain and I don't think you'd notice.
I was thinking the same as Jeremy commented. If the tinfoil pattern holds, the bricks etc should hold as well.
If you wanted deeper lines for visual effect or concern you could trace in the grooves and it would still be faster than from scratch I would think.
Great idea! I also hate brickwork. I'm in, please demo more. I'm going to get some for Christmas. I'm going to make a jig where the rollers fit and have spacer strips
I've already got some good ideas for making these work easier, this was a very quick demo days after getting them.
I really like your demeanor! A pleasure to listen to you, I am a recent D&D newbie and will devour your videos! :D
Strap in, I’ve got a lot!
Well you sold me on them. I've been on the fence for a long time. Great vid.
I wish I hadn't waited so long on getting these!
Could probably whip up a jig that fits your rolling pins and has a slight insert for the form. Keeps it super straight and could easily uniform pressure across the board with minimal efforts.
I've been looking at their stuff for just such an application for awhile now. With a discount I feel now's the time. I was thinking of pressing into peeled foamcore, as that's what I have the most of. I am also intrigued by their rivet molds. Most of the terrain I want to build is for Necromunda. But I also like fantasy.
These pins will actually work even better on foamcore than insulation xps since its a bit softer.
They also sell silicon guide rings designed for keeping the roller straight
Try inverting the rolling process. Pin in some kind of jig and then press the foam over the top. Might help with depth too.
This goes way back to a posting I made on the Green stuff roller imprinting on foam video. I wasn't impressed with how well the roller worked when I tried it. I speculated there maybe a difference in foam. Well, I might have just found out that there is. Foamular comes in a 15psi and a 25 psi version. The 25 psi version, Foamular 250, is meant to be put under concrete slabs and not crush easily. Locally to me, the 2-inch sheets I prefer to use are 250 and is what I was trying to use the roller with. I found out when I was looking online for a new sheet of foam and noticed the same dimension for two different entries.
The 2x2x1 inch project panels seem to be 250 as well.
I don't recall that Owens was marking their sheets as 150 or 250 back when, though I could be wrong. When I get a chance to dig out the sheets in my garage, I will take a look.
I don't know if it matters, you might already know and covered it in another video. If not, it might be important to someone that watches your channel.
Did you ever find out if the rollers work with the 15psi foamular? I also am not having a great time getting the rollers to mak good enough impressions.
Great info. I never knew this existed. Mind blown. Thanks!
Yes having a hole in the middle of each would allow for you to use a small dowel to use like a rolling pin. Or the addition of handles that could be used with each different pattern rolling pin.
What if you attach the rolling pins to a slab roller for clay? You can set the height to the thickness of your foam.
Game changer! I'm stoked to go get one of these rollers!!! Thanks for posting the video.
If you want to roll it straight it is possible to use elastic bands.
Just plase them at the end of the rollers and slide them to the length you need.
The factory surface seems to be sealed for lack of a better word. The mod podge actually covers better and more evenly on a proxxon cut surface vs a factory surface. When I rip my pieces down to 1/2" I always texture and paint the cut sides vs the factory sides
Yea I tend to prefer a cut surface over a factory one for just about everything.
They do silicone ring guides you can pop on the rollers, they are great for getting a straight line
...and purchased! Thanks for showing these off. Great review.
enjoy!
Fantastic stuff! As far as testing out another one of their products... I am very interested in the mini leaf punch myself!
I actually got two of those as well. I think they are awesome! That being said I also got the shingle punch and I don't think I like it very much at all. I'll do a vid on those in the future, just want to space them out a bit.
It'd take some extra work, but you could drill a center hole through the things and put it on a small modified paint roller to cut down on some of the awkwardness in trying to keep it straight and even pressure. Really great "off-label" use of these things though, I can't wait to never have to deal with the rage of losing a wall or floor in the home stretch because I got bored ever again!
I would not recommend trying to drill through these rollers unless you have a full professional millwright setup.
Make a fixture to crank the foam through .
A rubber roller directly under the pattern roller. Turn the rubber roller and the results will be the same every time.
Same premise as a woodworker's planing machine.
I thought the same thing. The difficulty would be getting the center of the roll if they don't have center point.
Awesome video, I love seeing the tools and affordable ones at that. I don’t believe that you have ever really done this. But I’m tired of seeing tutorials on everything it seems saying how easy it is. But then pull out $4000 worth of tools!
Make a mold of this tool texture . Make a wax send to a bronze casting cast a solid bronze tube attach to metal handle use a heat gun to heat tool roll out your foam for deeper details and harder more ridged walls and cobblestone walkways. Will take a few dollars but the tool will last you a lifetime . You inspired me brother I'm gonna make one