DIY Magnetic Carry Cases

[TigerWraith]

So it seems Magnetic cases are becoming the norm, and I like it. Foam cases just don't work for me anymore and can sometimes end up causing problems. 

So what to do. A few months ago I watched a video by Dunan Rhodes (yes the two thin coats guy) and he showed what he uses. 4L and 9L storage boxes from Really Useful box company. I found some at Office Depot and I loved them. This does a couple of things for me. One, it makes storage of my minis easy because everything can stack on top of each other. I can see what it is that is in the box. It also keeps dust and my cats away from my minis. I also have some storage boxes that I had found at Walmart/Sam's Club. These are about the same size as the Really Useful boxes but they are different.. So look around you may be surprised at what you can find. 

Duncan used magnetic sheets and I will be as well as I do have some, but I wanted something that would hold a bit more as I do have some metal minis. So I found some 24 in. x 36 in. Galvanized Steel Flat Sheet at Lowes, Home Depot has some too. I used a pair of metal cutting scissors and I cut the steel down to the sizes I needed for my boxes.

Once the metal was cut to size (watch out cut metal is sharp) I used 150 grit sandpaper to sand one side of the metal. This was done so I could spray paint it. I used Flat black, then went over the black with some matte varnish. 

You can use super glue to attach the metal to the box, but any twisting of the box and the bond will break. So I used Mounting strips from Scotch mine said they could hold 30 lbs. I think Scotch has some 12 lb as well. (If you do use CA Glue and the magnetic sheets, leave your lid off for a day or you will end up with a white power on the inside, and do not store any minis while the CA glue is curing). The mounting strips were used as I would not need to wait for any glue to cure. 

Once you are at this point you just need a way to secure your minis to the bottom. There are a couple of ways to go about it. You can use rare earth magnets in the bottom of your minis if the base will allow you to glue one there. Litko also has magnets you can stick to the bottom(of flexible steel if you use the magnetic sheets) and the cost of these are very reasonable. After you have done this step then you are ready to go. 

List of materials needed:
4L Document Storage Box (Link to really useful but there are other places with these look for A4 Document Storage Box)
https://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/usa/html/onlineshop/rub/b04_0litreUS.php

9L Storage Box
https://www.reallyusefulproducts.co.uk/usa/html/onlineshop/rub/b09_0litreUS.php

24 in. x 36 in. Galvanized Steel Flat Sheet 
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Master-Flow-24-in-x-36-in-Galvanized-Steel-Flat-Sheet-GFS24X361P/202191776?fbclid=IwAR03eS7B6jFPAjiz0PdacqsUPv1rNkVATDJVkKYAZrfwKaxTkqJTl-wV42U

Metal cutting snips
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wiss-9-3-4-in-Compound-Action-Straight-Cut-Aviation-Snips-M3RS/100060795

Measuring tool and Square are very useful especially if they fit in the box. 

Mounting Strips
https://www.scotchbrand.com/3M/en_US/scotch-brand/products/catalog/~/Scotch-Mount-Extreme-Double-Sided-Mounting-Strips/?N=4335+3292126606+3294529207&rt=rud

Rare earth magnets or add on magnets from Litko
https://litko.net/collections/miniature-bases-and-base-bottoms?pf_t_material=basematerial%3AMagnet%3A+0.030+inch&pf_t_shape=baseshape%3AHexagonal&pf_t_size=basesize%3A40mm

Or Flexible Sheets from Litko if you used the Magnetic Sheets on the bottom of your box. 
https://litko.net/collections/miniature-bases-and-base-bottoms?pf_t_material=basematerial%3AFlexible+Steel%3A+0.025+inch&pf_t_shape=baseshape%3AHexagonal&pf_t_size=basesize%3A40mm

If you have any questions, or suggestions let me know. 
 

 

Thanks

Edited May 2, 2022 by TigerWraith

[Dave.C]

I also use magnets in my bases. When you talk about magnets not being expensive, it's worth highlighting that a pack of 6x2mm rare earths will run you like $10-$15 and be enough to secure dozens of CAVs.