Basing

Basing
Name	Basing
Type	Terminology

Basing

Basing is a term used in modeling, crafting, heraldry, and related practices to describe the deliberate preparation and finishing of a support or substrate for an object, figure, or emblem. It encompasses choices about platform size, shape, materials, and surface treatment to optimize stability, aesthetics, display, and contextual information. Practitioners across Hobbycraft, Museums, Military history museums, Tabletop gaming communities, and Art schools deploy basing strategies to meet functional, interpretive, and conservation goals.

Definition and Purpose

Basing defines the platform or substrate for an object such as a miniature, model, sculpture, medal, or artifact and serves purposes including stability, protection, interpretation, and presentation. In contexts like Wargaming and Model railroading, basing ensures pieces conform to unit scales used in Board games and Role-playing game scenarios, while in Museums and Archives basing provides archival-grade support for artifacts and documents. In Heraldry and Ceremonial contexts, basing may be integral to how an emblem or standard is mounted for display in Cathedrals or Parliaments. Conservators working in institutions such as the British Museum or the Smithsonian Institution consider basing as part of preventive conservation to mitigate handling and environmental risks.

Materials and Methods

Materials for basing range from inert archival supplies to decorative aggregates and structural composites. Common substrates include Plywood used by Model railway clubs, Medium-density fibreboard favoured by Set designers, and acid-free boards used by Conservators at institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Adhesives such as conservation-grade PVA and reversible hot-melt adhesives are selected in contexts like Conservation-restoration laboratories at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Surface finishes may use pigments and binders familiar to Fine artists in Art academies, while textural elements employ sand, flocking, static grass, and bas-relief castings produced by practitioners in Special effects workshops for Film studios. For outdoor monuments, structural basing can include concrete pads specified by Civil engineers and landscape integration designed by Landscape architects.

Techniques by Hobby and Industry

Hobbyists in Scale modeling apply basing techniques to communicate terrain, scenario, and scale in displays for events hosted by Guilds and Societies; common approaches use sculpting putties from manufacturers distributed through Hobby shops and texture media recommended by Model manufacturers. Miniature painters participating in competitions organized by The Royal Horticultural Society-affiliated events or Games Workshop communities use multi-layer painting, drybrushing, and weathering pigments adopted from Automotive restoration practices. In Numismatics and Philately, basing can mean mounting methods using archival hinges and mounts produced by suppliers serving institutions like the American Numismatic Association. Museum preparators at institutions such as the V&A and the Louvre employ custom mounts fabricated by metalworkers and carpenters trained at Technical colleges to secure objects for exhibition without causing stress. In Jewelry design and Silversmithing, basing techniques contribute to how gemstones and plaques are set within frames crafted by alumni of Goldsmiths.

Historical Development

Basing practices have developed from ancient mounting and display methods visible in Ancient Egypt, Classical antiquity, and medieval Ecclesiastical art, where plinths, stands, and reliquaries provided both protection and liturgical function. The rise of cabinets of curiosities in early modern Europe influenced basing conventions for naturalia and curios displayed in collections owned by figures associated with Patronage networks such as the Medici family. Industrialization introduced new materials: Vulcanized rubber and sheet metal used in Victorian display cases, and later synthetic polymers used by 20th-century Museum installers. The hobbyist boom after World War II, fueled by advances in plastic molding from firms like Airfix and Tamiya, transformed basing into an aesthetic craft within Popular culture and competitive modelling circuits.

Conservation and Preservation Issues

Conservators assess basing decisions for their long-term effects on objects, prioritizing reversibility and chemical inertness as recommended by professional bodies such as the International Council of Museums and standards promoted by the American Institute for Conservation. Problematic basing materials historically include acidic wood, metal alloys prone to corrosion in contact with organics, and adhesives containing plasticizers that off-gas and embrittle adjacent materials, issues documented in casework at institutions like the Getty Conservation Institute. Stabilization often requires creating custom mounts using inert materials such as Museum-grade acrylics and stainless steel, and documentation protocols align with collection management systems used in institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the National Archives.

Cultural and Artistic Applications

Artists and designers exploit basing as a compositional element in works shown at venues like the Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum, and galleries in SoHo. Contemporary sculptors educated at institutions such as the Royal College of Art may integrate found-object basing to comment on context, while stage designers for productions at the Royal Opera House or Broadway theaters use basing to anchor scenic elements and collaborator workflows from Lighting designers and Set decorators. In popular culture, basing practices influence collectible presentation seen in exhibitions by Comic-Con and merchandising at Toy Fair trade shows, where display bases become part of branding and fan practices. Basing therefore occupies a multidisciplinary space linking craft, conservation, display theory, and visual rhetoric across institutions ranging from Universities to community Clubs.

Category:Modeling