Making the prongs even?
 

So what are some of the secrets to getting all prongs clipped to the same heighth as the one across from it. I have tried cutting with a small scissors and also tried cutting all prongs at the same time but have yet to find a consistent way of doing this. I almost always have one longer than the other or one edge of the prong higher than the other. Any tips??

stop using the those crazy glasses to see what you are doing..........:rtfl: :rtfl: :rtfl: :rtfl:

what you do is place the base (with figure) on a card and look at the prongs...you will be able to see which prong needs help.

Granted, I have to hold my swimsuit issue farther away these days to get a clear view but its not seeing which is longer or shorter, its how do I clip it so that I get a nice straight cut even to the one across from it?

Glad to see...
 

...that I'm not the only one with this problem. :rtfl:


Any advice is welcomed. mgngcrz

let me ask the question.....
 

....... what kind of bases are you cutting??

I don't cut as much as most, I use fire to reduce the prongs down...

tried nail clippers?

i dunno if it would work any better than scissors, but it is an idea

Nail clippers
 

I use just about everybody's bases...and various types. I also use nail clippers which has helped a lot but I still have a hard time getting a straight, even cut across all prongs...front and back. It's hit and miss with me. K-Lo, I even tried using a technique you suggested a while back. I place the base on a surface using a light opposite of where I'm viewing to see where I need to cut. This helps but I find that I'll nip one side...size it up...find that I cut it a tad to much then nip the other side....I go back and forth (sometimes to much) until I get it right (again, hit and miss). There has to be a way to get the prongs straight and even in one cut. I've sat and watched Norbert and Jimmy D. get a straight cut while cutting each prong separately. I can't do it consistently enough.

I rarely clip prongs anymore, depending on the base I am tweaking and it's purpose, but when I do I use a straight blade toe nail trimmer, eyeball it the best you can and clip them, when you clip enough of them you will get pretty good at making them even.

I also have a piece of 4"x4" ceramic shower tile (bought at Home Depot for $0.50), I then put the base on the tile, hold it up to a light, you can then see which prongs may be longer or shorter than the others, stop clipping and use pliers to gently pull them out to equal lengths.


This is the method I use when the need to clip prongs arises.

Shabby J!

What's up my friend. Have not communicated with you in a while. I think I'll try the pliers to even them up next time. thmbsp$

How about a straight edge razor blade? If you place the prongs against a solid surface, you should be able to make one push on the blade and cut all four prongs at once. :hmmmmm:

At Miggle
 

I'll show you cats how I do it in 5 seconds, it's very easy, you can make a bologna sandwhich and talk on the cell at the same time when doing it (smile).

P.S. I also would like to mention that you should not use sandpaper on your bases unless your going to play every game on metal, I stopped using sandpaper now for 2 years after learning the hard way.

P.S. Fieldcovers combined with a slow running board, your bases will SURF across the surface with no grip.

Norbert Revels

Just a quick note on how to get even cuts
 

Sit down and have the base with a figure on it in your left hand about 3 or 4 inches out in front of your belly button, this way you can look straight down, perfect view for even cuts, make sure the base and figure is lined up straight before cutting.

P.S. For me a dark background works better, also hold the figure just like I'm doing now, I'm sitting looking down while taking the pic with my right hand.

Norbert

Even
 

Listen young men to Norbert and Jimmy D as they've forgotten more about this subject than I already know - they're the experts.

Here is my $0.02 of things I've done with some success and some frustration.

1) Razor Blades and a pad of very small graph paper. You bump the base up to the pad of paper and you can see the line. Then you razor blade straight down to the line. That's worked pretty well.

2) Experiment with different scissors and shears from the Michael's stores. By having a scissors with some thickness, you can lay it across the base and do one big snip. You could then have a scissors with less thickness for the front prongs to get the snowplow effect. This is easier and I've found it to work well too.