A Blank Globe

[RobA]

Here is a tip for makning your own dry erase boards... might work on a thrift store globe. (These are really cheap as country borders change...)

I'm a teacher and have been trying to convert old classroom chalk boards to dry-erase. I've tried epoxy spray paint, Krylon, and many other types of paint. I found that the best thing to do is to use oil-based/HIGH GLOSS paint to resurface the board. Essentially, the HIGH-GLOSS paint has very little porosity and does not allow the surface to be penetrated by minor solvents such as Dry-Erase Markers. I would use the following steps for converting a chalkboard to a dry-erase board...

1. Prepare the surface with 400-Grade Sandpaper (you can use a lower number, but the surface will become increasingly coarse)

2. Thoroughly dust the surface WITHOUT water (water will make any imperfections swell up, and you will have to wait for the board to dry [about 24-hrs] and re-sand the area)

3. Apply a quality oil-based primer to the surface with a spray gun or a roller (allow full drying time as stated on paint can instructions).

4. Apply two coats of the HIGH-GLOSS paint with a spray gun or roller and make sure to follow the reapplication instructions.

5. Be patient. You need to give the paint about 2 weeks for the chemicals to bond well enough. It seems like a lot of work, but it's actually quite cheap compared to a real dry-erase board.

-Rob A>

[GlennZilla]

I can give you a much easier method for a dry erase board. Go to the local Lowe's/Home Depot/DIY store and buy a sheet of "Tile Board". It's used to make cheap showers and bath enclosures. Thus it is white, waterproof and most of all cheap. I bought a 4ft x 8ft sheet last year for less than $10. I glued some flattened tin siding to the back and presto instant mangentic whiteboard for under $20 and an afternoon's work.

I'm currently working on using "line tape" which is similar to pinstriping tape to mark off a grid. I just can't seem to find it in a light gray to avoid it contrasting too much.

[NeonKnight]

Here is the cheapest way to get a globe.

Go to an Arts & Craft's store, and by a styrofoam ball. They come in all sorts of sizes. And they are CHEAP, like maybe a buck or so.

[Arkkeeper]

Unfortunately styrofoam is an impossible surface to write on.

[NeonKnight]

Unfortunately styrofoam is an impossible surface to write on.

True, but it can be coated with something that isn't, like paint

[john585]

Gesso is a primer paint used on canvas. It sticks to styrafoam well

[RobA]

I can give you a much easier method for a dry erase board. Go to the local Lowe's/Home Depot/DIY store and buy a sheet of "Tile Board". It's used to make cheap showers and bath enclosures. Thus it is white, waterproof and most of all cheap. I bought a 4ft x 8ft sheet last year for less than $10. I glued some flattened tin siding to the back and presto instant mangentic whiteboard for under $20 and an afternoon's work.

I'm currently working on using "line tape" which is similar to pinstriping tape to mark off a grid. I just can't seem to find it in a light gray to avoid it contrasting too much.

Grid....? what is the board for?

25 years ago (gulp) my DM bought a 4x4 sheet of plexiglass that we heavily scored on an inch grid. We filled in the score marks with black paint, wiped it off then painted the whole thing white on top. Flip the thing over and that was our play table Just mapped as we went along, using pieces from boardgames as markers (I was always the top-hat from monopoly )

-Rob A>

[su_liam]

Dry erase globes? Nice idea. Probably wouldn't be worth the expense, but wouldn't a tablet globe pressure sensitive stylus be cool. As I say, not worth the expense, but cooler than, say, MS Surface :spit:.

[GlennZilla]

Grid....? what is the board for?

Well some of my play group want to use the D&D minis on a grid. I have been running gridless for a while, but now they want to try it on a battlemat, and that requires adding a grid to my whiteboard.

It also means that we'll be removing the whiteboard from it's place on the wall to the table top.

I was hoping to find some vinyl tape in a light color to use to give an effect similar to graph paper. That way the grid won't be distracting.

[RobA]

The problem we had with tape was the dry erase collecting badly in the edges. Pinstripe tape might work better. Good luck!

-Rob A>