just an idea..

[RehKal]

Not really sure if this would be the appropriate place for it but here goes.

Does one exist or has anyone ever thought about offering AO/AGD gun mats?

[sQuidvision]

that would be sweet!

[need4reebs]

with a big 'ol Mustache....haha...oh hells yeah!!!:rofl:

[knownothingmags]

ill buy one or two

[Cokrkilr]

Thats a pretty sweet idea, a nice 18x18 would fit perfect on my little work area.

How big are they usually made by the way?

[Frizzle Fry]

The ones I have handy are roughly 12.5"x16", 12"x19.5" and 16"x24".

I would buy an AGD one.

[RehKal]

I'd buy a couple myself... now we just need someone to figure out how to produce some.

[Mole1119]

I actually contacted http://www.tekmat.com/ in early Feb about this. They do do custom mat and my guess was that there would be probably enough interest to sell about 40. It would run $30 bucks to brake even, wasn't looking to make a profit I just want a mat too.

I liked the idea of having an exploded x-valve diagram, an o-ring call out that was to scale, some AO "circle hex" / AGD branding. Maybe some level 10 diagrams.

I started playing around with a template but I need some one that knows more about the graphic file type required by the company. I was basically grabbing tech images from the AGD page and inserting them in power point as a proof of concept.

The info i received back from tekmat was
They have two standard sizes 12" x 36" (long gun), 11" x 17" (hand gun)
Design file type should be "Vector Al" or "EPS" this means nothing to me at this point and I did not research it further.

Obviously we would need permission from AGD before doing anything final but if anyone has some graphic skills and wanted to work with me I wouldn't mind pursuing this further.

[MeÐiCX]

Interesting idea ;)

[luke]

I would be interested in one.

[OPBN]

I would take one. The exploded view of valves and O-ring diagram/chart are great ideas. Would be cool to tie into the graphics that we have here on AO now...

[BTAutoMag]

I'd rock one of these. At home and work:p

[RehKal]

Need someone familiar with illustrator to set up the images.

[Nobody]

forget it.:nono: with most of the talk going on around here lately, people would want it made out of aluminium so they can have it anno'd to match their guns but still retain the classic look. :rolleyes:

i don't need the diagram, but a compartment or 2 to keep things from rolling around or off the mat would be useful, if you can even do this from this company.

[RehKal]

lol. sounds like someone has been burned by the hot topics around here...

With the size of the mats it would be quite possible to have all of those choices... it would be interesting to have a couple of different choices of what is on the mats.

[Freedy500]

I liked the idea of having an exploded x-valve diagram, an o-ring call out that was to scale, some AO "circle hex" / AGD branding. Maybe some level 10 diagrams.

I started playing around with a template but I need some one that knows more about the graphic file type required by the company. I was basically grabbing tech images from the AGD page and inserting them in power point as a proof of concept.

The info i received back from tekmat was
They have two standard sizes 12" x 36" (long gun), 11" x 17" (hand gun)
Design file type should be "Vector Al" or "EPS" this means nothing to me at this point and I did not research it further.

Obviously we would need permission from AGD before doing anything final but if anyone has some graphic skills and wanted to work with me I wouldn't mind pursuing this further.

This. If you get this done so the design along it is a bit larger than to scale view for an x valve with level 10 then put me down for a definite yes. I would pay in full ASAP for this. All I want is a hi-def large and easy to see mat of the Xvalve lay out. Would make replacing orings and parts be so much easier. I seriously cannot explain how much I want one of these. Could somebody please get a pre-order of some sort going for this soon? Would pay more if I could get it large enough to also show a classic valve with Level 7

[Billz804]

I'd get one for sure. ESPECIALLY with an X-Valve / Level 10 diagram!

[maniacmechanic]

I like the Mat idea , I love AGD but for the money i'd just as soon get one of these ;
http://www.tekmat.com/index.php/bear-arms.html

[Freedy500]

Okay fellas, just through out an email to TK consenting him about copyright permission for having the mats made. Dont want to get in trouble for copyright infringement by the man we all worship :D

[C_losjoker]

This. If you get this done so the design along it is a bit larger than to scale view for an x valve with level 10 then put me down for a definite yes. I would pay in full ASAP for this. All I want is a hi-def large and easy to see mat of the Xvalve lay out. Would make replacing orings and parts be so much easier. I seriously cannot explain how much I want one of these. Could somebody please get a pre-order of some sort going for this soon? Would pay more if I could get it large enough to also show a classic valve with Level 7

Xvalve and Classic would be awesome

[Freedy500]

Okay guys here is the deal. I just got a response on the email from TK a few minutes ago. This was his response.

"Sure you have my permission. Please send me one, I will pay for it.

Tom"

:D:D:D:D:D Lets get this thing going guys!!! I simply made sure we were clear for copyright permission. It would be best if somebody else could responsibly handle this. PM's are being sent out to those who seemed like they would orchestrate this thing. I really want to get this thing going, lets keep our fingers crossed and hope to get a pre-order list of some sort going some time soon!

[C_losjoker]

you know if there is room, what about on each corner of the mat you put the AGD lions, xmag, minimag and sidearm.

[Freedy500]

you know if there is room, what about on each corner of the mat you put the AGD lions, xmag, minimag and sidearm.

I just suggested that the priority mat we should get done would have the X-valve exploded view come first with a larger than to scale view to properly identify each O-ring. If we have room then on the top we have the double lions logo with quality always shoots straight. and then around the sides we should have an AO color scheme which I was thinking would be yellow and black stripes. I want to get a new thread/discussion going on what the majority of people would agree on for the design. Design in general will have to be built around the X-valve exploded view though.

I was also thinking if we have a good run on the first one, then we could possibly try for a similar one with the classic valve with level 7 instead.

Lets get this going people!:bounce:

[GoatBoy]

I was disinterested until you guys started kicking around the idea of technical diagrams on the mat. I think that's a great idea.

If you need to save space, I'd say ditch the logo stuff and just go with the technicals. Classic+X-valve+L10 bolt parts.

[Freedy500]

I was disinterested until you guys started kicking around the idea of technical diagrams on the mat. I think that's a great idea.

If you need to save space, I'd say ditch the logo stuff and just go with the technicals. Classic+X-valve+L10 bolt parts.

If we can somehow get both done on the same mat that would be awesome. I want them both to be a good deal larger than to scale so each and every O-ring can be easily recognized. If we can somehow get that done then that will obviously over-rule the idea of simply having logos and such on it. But if we cant fit both on their comfortably without closely jumbling all of them together then we will use the logos, colors, etc.. to fill up the space. But yes Goat Boy, if we can do that it will be our first pick (I hope as I cannot officially speak as "we" yet). Main priority is getting an exploded X-valve on their right now, Next priority will be attempting to comfortably fit the Classic valve on their as well. The third and final priority will be getting it to look good and try and slap a logo on their.

[Freedy500]

Wait a second... Idea just popped up in my head. We ditch the side logos/decorations in general no matter what and try and throw in another technical of a ULT in their. I am just LOVING this right now. my dream mat would be if we could somehow (most likely not gonna happen) get both X-valve and Classic valves with both the Level 10 and Level 7 in their AND throw an exploded view of the ULT in the side, AND somehow throw the AGD "Quality Always Shoots Straight" logo on the top. Technical's will come before the decorations though.

[RehKal]

We need someone that knows illustrator to start putting together the basic layout. I could possibly find someone to help with that if nobody on the forum knows the program. Illustrator is the program that is capable of saving to the formats.

As for what to put on it. A mat that is 12x36 would most likely be able to fit everything people have suggested. Put the exploded diagrams on the two far ends. Oring chart in middle, or slighlty off center. You could have a large AO/AGD logo in the middle and probably still have something else slightly offcenter to balance the oring chart. The AGD quote can go across the top as well, "Quality Always Shoots Straight"

[Cokrkilr]

12x36 is kind of an awkward size.... I was thinking this mat would resemble something like a "bar" mat, like 18x18 or 18x24?

I think you could easily explode the valves like this.
Top left, x valve. Bottom right, classic. Top right 6x6 or so logo. Bottom left ult and o ring diagram (since they'd be considerably smaller diagrams)

Just another thought.

I know personally my work space wouldn't support a 3' wide mat. I dunno if anyone else would have the same problem?

[Freedy500]

We need someone that knows illustrator to start putting together the basic layout. I could possibly find someone to help with that if nobody on the forum knows the program. Illustrator is the program that is capable of saving to the formats.

As for what to put on it. A mat that is 12x36 would most likely be able to fit everything people have suggested. Put the exploded diagrams on the two far ends. Oring chart in middle, or slighlty off center. You could have a large AO/AGD logo in the middle and probably still have something else slightly offcenter to balance the oring chart. The AGD quote can go across the top as well, "Quality Always Shoots Straight"

I was hoping for a high Def version of this http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?194223-X-Valve-Exploded-(Here). Minus the Level 7, Title (excess surroundings), and I would feel like 24-29 would not be needed or included. and then if we could get somebody (cough cough bunny? cough cough) to make a similar exploded view of the classic valve with the Level 7 and maybe finish up a nice job of a ULT exploded for the side. Both valves would be in a center panel. I have no experience whatsoever with graphic and technological designs on a computer. Would be great if we could get somebody who does with a decent amount of free time to help us out here. Remember that it would have to be a slightly larger than to scale depiction of everything.

[GoatBoy]

Doh, forgot about the ULT. Probably a good idea there as well.


As far as software, Illustrator isn't the only game in town. Inkscape is free and pretty good as well.





Did I mention it was free?

[Cokrkilr]

Obviously i just whipped this up super quick with images from the net, but I thought this basic design, just refined would be pretty neat... and add ULT in dead space, or swap around ULT space and lvl x etc

This would also work well on a taller size mat, the valve images could be huge like this... you could also get the LVL x stuff taken out of the x valve picture, that would open up more room to make the image bigger, plus not look so cluttered with 4 different bolt images and break downs....

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cokrkilr/matdesign_zps76133e96.png

[GoatBoy]

Obviously i just whipped this up super quick with images from the net, but I thought this basic design, just refined would be pretty neat... and add ULT in dead space, or swap around ULT space and lvl x etc

This would also work well on a taller size, the valve images could be huge like this... you could also get the LVL x stuff taken out of the x valve picture, that would open up more room to make the image bigger, plus not look so cluttered with 4 different bolt images and break downs....

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cokrkilr/matdesign_zps76133e96.png

Uh actually the Level 10 is part of the X-Valve diagram, and the L7 is part of the Classic diagram.

Remove the L10 bolt and logo and replace with ULT and o-rings...

[Cokrkilr]

i thought there was a request to have the lvl 10 stuff in a larger seperate diagram as well? simple enough though... I also could not find a ult diagram, I think because its so small (ult) you could do the diagram and o ring guide in the same area of the mat, it could be like a 7" tall may 8-9" wide space in real perspective... definately large enough to do ult and o ring sizes to keep the logo. I mean without agd we'd have no guns to make mats for ;)

imagine IF this mat could be done in an 18" tall by 24" wide size, and the logo was only 4x4, those would be HUUUUUUUGGGGGGEEEEE valve pictures, like 8 tall x 17 wide, or even bigger

[Cokrkilr]

hows about this, I made the valves a little larger in size and just allocated the space, since I cant find pics for the other things... but like I said, this is just a general layout. I figure the ULT space can go up the side cuz its just a few small parts in a row and doesnt need a ton of space or to be monsterous in size, the size allocated you could make it about 8x larger than real life when its all exploded out up the side.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cokrkilr/matdesign_zpse43ee090.png

Or this would give more room for all three, then you could do o rings from small to large with size # under it

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cokrkilr/matdesign_zpsf3f807f1.png

[Mole1119]

I agree 12 x 36 is an awkward size and they were more expensive than the 11 x 17.

I am going to talk to a couple of graphics people i know today at work and get some advice.

Like I mentioned I already got some basic info from tekmat and don't mind stepping up and taking the lead. If I do it, I want to make sure I run it well. I have seen to many pre-sales here end in disaster. I was thinking going the kickstarter route, but need to read up on the process.

I would take the ideas here and draw up 2-3 protoype layouts and put it to a vote before any money was accepted.

Not trying to steal anyone thunder so if some wants to lead this than by all means do it. But it would look rather poor if all of sudden 10 people started bombarding the manufacturer with questions.

[bbotts77]

I love this idea. I had recently been shopping around for tech mats. 11x17 is a good size that's like two standard (8.5x11) sheets of paper, side by side (if you need want an easy way to size it up). I think that's plenty of room for what you're talking about putting on there. One of the mats I was looking at had the 1:1 scale Oring size chart along the left border of the mat. I think that was on one of Kohn's mats. We could do something similar, maybe xvalve orings across the top and classic across the bottom. If we could find the exploded view images without the gradient background (I thought I saw those at one point), we could put a faded AGD logo as the background, leaving more room on the mat for the tech diagrams.

[Cokrkilr]

The other problem is finding a high Res image to be able to blow up without distortion.

I was thinking if someone did a 3D cad file of each item wanted it would work out best, leave out numbers etc and just plain white background. But I know that's a lot of work. Maybe the guy that steps up and can do it gets a mat paid for by everyone else ;)

[Freedy500]

Okay just to throw this out there. If anybody disagrees with me then we can still keep them but could we just get rid of the 21-26? The back reg nuts and all that for both the classic and X-valve? Just to save space and I mean how often do we actually need to open those up? Much less put them back together.

Now as for the ULT and making a more refined image. We will need somebody who has plenty of experience with graphics design and we can use this project as an excuse to update and make a much larger, higher resolution image. I do not believe any ULT diagrams are out there so I feel that we will have to make one ourselves. I have absolutely NO experience with graphic design as I said before. But I believe our first step in this would be to get (or make) very high quality images that we could use. I feel this should be our first obstacle to overcome. Next I believe we start a new thread or two to attempt to gain more attention on this. Maybe we should make a pre-order list of some sort in the dealer forum consisting of people who are 100% interested. Once we get a good tally up to the point of which we need we should give it a few days for anybody that wants to join in and then we should order it.

Now as for size. My personal preference would be long gun as I have a large enough work space to support a mat this size and I was thinking the more room we have the easier it is for us to fit everything. If the majority say they want the smaller one instead then we will get a smaller one. Now if we could mix and match our sizes for the mats then that would be GREAT, we should try and work on that as the larger it is the more ease of use I will have with it.

[Cokrkilr]

I kind of disagree on taking pieces from the diagram out, kind of defeats the purpose... you don't buy a manual for a car that's missing the wiring diagrams do you?

There will always be negative unused space on something like this, the pieces proposed to leave out wouldn't really make a difference in being able to make the image much higher anyhow, they'd be there more to take up negative space. Imagine the images above on two sheets of paper put together

[Freedy500]

I kind of disagree on taking pieces from the diagram out, kind of defeats the purpose... you don't buy a manual for a car that's missing the wiring diagrams do you?

There will always be negative unused space on something like this, the pieces proposed to leave out wouldn't really make a difference in being able to make the image much higher anyhow, they'd be there more to take up negative space. Imagine the images above on two sheets of paper put together

Eh. I see your point of view. I guess not then. Just another idea that spawned in my head. Because I mean how often does anybody actually need to take the back half apart? But yeah I guess we might as well keep it. I just wanted an opinion if we needed to get some space.

[Cokrkilr]

I set this up at 11x17. Ill say it now, with both valves they will be no larger than 1:1, there would be no way to fit them larger on this size mat. all the stuff proposed will fit in the negative spaces, but it will be tight and could look cluttered if not done right.

heres the reference pics with my valves

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cokrkilr/IMG_20130325_103351_zps76d46a0c.jpg

size with gun on it

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cokrkilr/IMG_20130325_103703_zps4b766c6b.jpg

[Cokrkilr]

All the power tube stuff from.both valves would be behind the bolts like normal, then the ult in the small space, o rings in the larger space... that's another possibility.

What's this worth to people anyhow? I mean what would you pay for it? Id go up to like $50-$60 to have it even larger, 18x24 or something around that size

[Freedy500]

All the power tube stuff from.both valves would be behind the bolts like normal, then the ult in the small space, o rings in the larger space... that's another possibility.

What's this worth to people anyhow? I mean what would you pay for it? Id go up to like $50-$60 to have it even larger, 18x24 or something around that size

I would pay that if it was more of a 18x36. I seem to be the only one gunning for the larger one here. I have a large work space and getting the larger one would leave so much more space for designing, decorations and more importantly, technicals. I dont want to make it seem neccesary but if we got the larger one then this could be so much easier. We would have plenty of space.

[Cokrkilr]

I would pay that if it was more of a 18x36. I seem to be the only one gunning for the larger one here. I have a large work space and getting the larger one would leave so much more space for designing, decorations and more importantly, technicals. I dont want to make it seem neccesary but if we got the larger one then this could be so much easier. We would have plenty of space.

yeah thats true, but I work on my mag and have my guns/parts stuff on a small computer desk, 36" is too wide... at least for myself, and that would put me out of really being interested if I have to pull the mat out to the kitchen table every time I want to tinker, cuz that would piss off the wifey at that point, haha. 18x24 is still pretty large. ill fold a towel in that shape and do what I did with the pics above, then 12x36 and 18x36 just for reference. ill just lay the valves on it, i dont feel like pulling them apart a bunch of times :)

ill be back

[Cokrkilr]

18x24

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cokrkilr/IMG_20130325_114327_zps0660b500.jpg

18x36

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cokrkilr/IMG_20130325_114515_zps32196315.jpg

12x36

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s5/cokrkilr/IMG_20130325_114715_zpsd89f0dc2.jpg


IMO, 12x36 would be a weird size to lay stuff out. The 18x36 is massive, id see that being too expensive. The 18x24 is still big, and still may surpass even $50-$60 to make.

All three sizes are nice though, to fit a full marker and some spare parts or whatever your tinkering on.

[RehKal]

I'm all for a larger size as well. Several of my mags have stocks on them which would make them difficult to fit on a smaller mat. That being said I would probably actually buy two mats, one of each size. Mostly because I will have a tailor made space for working and tinkering on my markers so space is not an issue for me. It would be nice to have the option of two different size mats with similar layouts, price is not that much of a concern for me either. The 18x36 may be a tad bit of overkill as has been said, I think the 12x36 and 11x24 would be the two sizes to go with.

Mole, if you want to take lead go ahead and do so. You've already been in touch with tekmat and know what they have to offer. Start up a officail AGD/AO techmat thread so it gets some more attention. We'll need to find someone that can do the layout, maybe TK would have some old hard copies (that can be scanned) or higher res digital copies of the valve layouts? Also we'll need the oring chart to be laid out as well. Get a list started of people interested in pre-ordering and what sizes they would want.

[Cokrkilr]

The 11x 24 size you mentioned would end up where the grip is on my marker. I think being that narrow and short would run into the problems of the 11x17, not being able to blow up the valves any and still being fairly pressed for space for a good layout that "flows".

I like the idea of a long mat for people that have the space, and a more squared up mat for the people that dont. Plus both sizes (12x36 & 18x24) would have the same real estate space, so youd only have to make one image of each to fill the space on each mat. Instead of possibly having to do a 1:1 on the smaller mat and a 1:1.5 or whatever it ends up on the larger mat (less expensive and time consuming).

Just thoughts :) not trying to get under anyones skin or anything

[harleywrench001]

Just throwing this out there. I found a company that makes custom mats for card games that are 14" x 24" x 1/16" thick, the tops are 100% polyester and the bottom is rubber. They are comparable to a mouse pad. They are machine washable. They accept .pdf, .cdr, .eps, .ai, .psd, .tif and .jpg file formats. Now I understand these will not be quite as tough as the thick rubber work mats but personally I don't need something to use carb/ brake cleaner on and beat on with a hammer and gasket hole punches like I do when working on cars and motorcycles (I have an actual thick rubber work mat there). I think they would be plenty tough enough for paintball and easier to roll up and store. They would also be cheaper. Bulk orders of 25 or more could be sold for about $15 shipped. What do you all think?

[Cokrkilr]

Just throwing this out there. I found a company that makes custom mats for card games that are 14" x 24" x 1/16" thick, the tops are 100% polyester and the bottom is rubber. They are comparable to a mouse pad. They are machine washable. They accept .pdf, .cdr, .eps, .ai, .psd, .tif and .jpg file formats. Now I understand these will not be quite as tough as the thick rubber work mats but personally I don't need something to use carb/ brake cleaner on and beat on with a hammer and gasket hole punches like I do when working on cars and motorcycles (I have an actual thick rubber work mat there). I think they would be plenty tough enough for paintball and easier to roll up and store. They would also be cheaper. Bulk orders of 25 or more could be sold for about $15 shipped. What do you all think?

In over here

[Mole1119]

Made a couple calls today.
Checked in with tekmats to see what other die sizes they have and associated pricing. I inquired so see if they had something in the 18 x 24 or near that.
Tracked down a graphic designer that may be able to help me with this. Hopefully I will get a chance to talk to her about how the best way to build quality graphics in the next week.
I have CAD knowledge and access to some software, if it comes down to doing a bunch of modeling to get the graphics done right, I will do it. It may take me some time though, I do have a full time job.

Here is some stuff i was messing around with, the concept isn't finished but at least something to start a conversation with a graphic designer.


<a href="http://s401.photobucket.com/user/mole1119/media/AOTecC1_zpsaa3bac34.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp98/mole1119/AOTecC1_zpsaa3bac34.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo AOTecC1_zpsaa3bac34.jpg"/></a>

[Mole1119]

Just throwing this out there. I found a company that makes custom mats for card games that are 14" x 24" x 1/16" thick, the tops are 100% polyester and the bottom is rubber. They are comparable to a mouse pad. They are machine washable. They accept .pdf, .cdr, .eps, .ai, .psd, .tif and .jpg file formats. Now I understand these will not be quite as tough as the thick rubber work mats but personally I don't need something to use carb/ brake cleaner on and beat on with a hammer and gasket hole punches like I do when working on cars and motorcycles (I have an actual thick rubber work mat there). I think they would be plenty tough enough for paintball and easier to roll up and store. They would also be cheaper. Bulk orders of 25 or more could be sold for about $15 shipped. What do you all think?

This sounds great, reducing the minimum order would do wonders for pricing. I also ordered one of the tekmats today because I want to take a look at how they are made and compare them to what a mouse pad looks/feels like.
If you are willing to pass along the company name I would be happy to dig into it and try and get the cost per mat down.

I hope know one takes my earlier $30 estimate as set in stone that was just what I guesstimated when I looked into it earlier. I need to nail down a lot more info before I have a clear price in mind.

[RehKal]

Personally I would rather have something more durable than a plastic topped mousepad. To me it would just seem cheesy and cheap. If it has AGD logo on it, I'd rather have a quality feel to it. ;) just my opinion on that.

As for the measurements I've been quoting, those are the two standard sizes tekmat offers. Hopefully they offer other sizes but as with anything nonstandard... The price will go up.

[Cokrkilr]

This sounds great, reducing the minimum order would do wonders for pricing. I also ordered one of the tekmats today because I want to take a look at how they are made and compare them to what a mouse pad looks/feels like.
If you are willing to pass along the company name I would be happy to dig into it and try and get the cost per mat down.

I hope know one takes my earlier $30 estimate as set in stone that was just what I guesstimated when I looked into it earlier. I need to nail down a lot more info before I have a clear price in mind.

I would suspect them to be around double for the sizes we have thought of. I was a bar manager for 4 years and ordered many bar mats that were 18x18, most we got for free but specialty ones were around $45 depending on the company. And they were pretty basic mats with just booze logos on them.

[Freedy500]

Personally I would rather have something more durable than a plastic topped mousepad. To me it would just seem cheesy and cheap. If it has AGD logo on it, I'd rather have a quality feel to it. ;) just my opinion on that.

As for the measurements I've been quoting, those are the two standard sizes tekmat offers. Hopefully they offer other sizes but as with anything nonstandard... The price will go up.

This, agreed. I would want something to last and not tear for sure. I agree that 18x36 is huge and we wont need it. I would prefer to keep it with the long gun size. If we can get it done as an option for either size that would be perfect for me.

[Justus]

My vote would be for the mat that's more durable. We don't hit them with hammers or pour brake cleaner on them, but we do work with grease and oil when working on our valves. I also find myself using wrenches, o-ring picks, screwdrivers, etc.

I would also vote for a mat that is 36" wide. That doesn't seem awkward or weird at all to me. It actually seems more natural to be able to roll out something wide like that. First, chances are if you need a gun mat you're working on more than just one gun. Maybe a tank, loader, etc. And you're going to need to spread things out a little bit. Getting a gun mat that's the exact same size as your assembled 'Mag doesn't give you any room to actually work. For me to be interested in a gun mat, it's got to have a bigger footprint than my laptop. Also, the 18"x18" size that's been mentioned actually seems weird to me. Our 'Mags are not square. That layout doesn't allow things to really flow very well.

Just my $.02. I'm interested, depending on the usefulness of the final product.

[knownothingmags]

i would talk to RC remote control car tech mats companies.
they make theirs outa rummber pretty much.

but im down for 2 for sure, if they are durable, and not just plastic toped foam.

[TimmyJay]

I would be interested in one. Not in a rush for it so I can save up some money. It would need to have the X and classic. I would like to have a semi transparent honeycomb backdrop.

[knownothingmags]

i would do a mat and try and get as much reference design and oring sizes on the mat as possible.
big help while teching

[barkingspider]

I have a few rifle mats that have exploded views of various weapons and have learned to love the durability of the rubber mats with a slightly higher edge than the mouse pad type. The wear and tear really shows with the mouse pad type of mat from my experience.

I can't wait for this idea to become a reality.

I also vote for the 36" long size similar to a traditional rifle maintenance mat. They fit great on my work bench

[Freedy500]

Yay! Now I have some people who seem to follow the same train of thought as I do! I totally agree with the above 5 posts.

Also, at this point it seems we will have the classic and X-valve both on the same mat. Most likely including the ULT. Not sure about decorations. So for us it seems like we also have an equivalent amount of interest for the 12x36? If we get this size I imagine that we could have everything easily put on there. I will contact TK again regarding higher resolution photos of the technicals. Also we are not in a huge hurry. I want to make sure that the final product is very well laid out as neatly as possible with a good looking decoration or two. The logo I mentioned above with "Quality Always Shoots Straight" will most likely be our first "Go-To" for an add on for looks. Next will be put up for a vote. I personally like the AO color scheme honeycomb design and could see it as a nice backround color for the left over room. I say once we get a perfect lay out of the mat we move on to the more time consuming part of what and where to put additional add on's for looks. This will be a great time killer. Lets get this moving people!

Also, all input will be greatly appreciated and will be crucial for coming out with a final, appealing product that we all agree on. So please participate in this discussion as we move along. All suggestions and ideas are welcome.

[TOTShadowCompany]

Are you looking for a hi-res color AGD logo?

[Cokrkilr]

OK so here is another option of a layout for this 12x36 size

Left side running down, x valve ring chart
Right side running down, classic ring chart
Top running the full length, x valve exploded
Bottom running 75% length, classic exploded ( has less parts, shouldn't need full space)
Bottom left corner by ring chart, ult exploded
Center, "Quality always shoots straight" banner

I think.you could get away with this easy, just have the stuff lined up. I don't think having stuff in a line would be a problem as far as the on off coming out of the hole etc, as most people who will buy these know the on off only fits in one place... just another thought, I think it will flow well too and maximize the 36" wide space

[Mole1119]

Are you looking for a hi-res color AGD logo?

yes

[Mole1119]

How do people feel about 16" x 30" ?

[Freedy500]

How do people feel about 16" x 30" ?

Eh. Good enough. I just wanna get what we can, as long as we end up with a nice layout then I will be happy with it.

[Bunny]

Freedy500: I was laying low for a while with this one... :D My main concern is if we can use psd files or not. It would be a lot easier to use jpg/png files instead of hand converting each part to an eps file like http://www.tekmat.com Taking the hi-res pictures of each part and chopping them up together in photoshop shouldn't be too hard. Converting them to illustrator (eps file) means I will have to hand trace each part and make it look good which will take a lot of time.

I would love to see how many people are truely interested in this project and also how much they would cost.

[Cokrkilr]

How do people feel about 16" x 30" ?

Hells yeah!

I was against the 36" because I have just a small laptop computer desk I tinker at, and its 30" wide :)

[Mole1119]

Freedy500: I was laying low for a while with this one... :D My main concern is if we can use psd files or not. It would be a lot easier to use jpg/png files instead of hand converting each part to an eps file like http://www.tekmat.com Taking the hi-res pictures of each part and chopping them up together in photoshop shouldn't be too hard. Converting them to illustrator (eps file) means I will have to hand trace each part and make it look good which will take a lot of time.

I would love to see how many people are truely interested in this project and also how much they would cost.

Sending you a PM

[RehKal]

Oh man that is a beautiful logo!

16x30 would not be a bother to me either, perhaps a good compromise between the 12x36 and 18x36. The 12" high does seem a bit short to me.

[RehKal]

Freedy500: I was laying low for a while with this one... :D My main concern is if we can use psd files or not. It would be a lot easier to use jpg/png files instead of hand converting each part to an eps file like http://www.tekmat.com Taking the hi-res pictures of each part and chopping them up together in photoshop shouldn't be too hard. Converting them to illustrator (eps file) means I will have to hand trace each part and make it look good which will take a lot of time.

I would love to see how many people are truely interested in this project and also how much they would cost.

I don't know how familier you are with how a lot of companies make these kinds of things and why they tend to require illustrator files. So please don't take offense to what I'm saying, I am merely repeating what a artist friend of mine said.. Anyway, from what she said, they want to use illustrator files because they print or lay down color for these kinds of products one color at a time. And that is how illustrator is set up. You can selectively choose which color to print on the product, so if you want something left off.. You just don't print it. You could possible achieve the same effect in psd by usin layers though. But it would still take time to seperate all the colors into different layers and the shops "print" machines would have to be able to accept those file types.

[Dayspring]

I don't know how familier you are with how a lot of companies make these kinds of things and why they tend to require illustrator files. So please don't take offense to what I'm saying, I am merely repeating what a artist friend of mine said.. Anyway, from what she said, they want to use illustrator files because they print or lay down color for these kinds of products one color at a time. And that is how illustrator is set up. You can selectively choose which color to print on the product, so if you want something left off.. You just don't print it. You could possible achieve the same effect in psd by usin layers though. But it would still take time to seperate all the colors into different layers and the shops "print" machines would have to be able to accept those file types.


It's not just that. Illustrator files are vector images and they'd scale from itty bitty to enormous without a loss of fidelity or aliasing around the curves. That's why print places use EPS files in printing. (Worked for a publisher. :) )

[RehKal]

See? I am far from an expert on these things, I can only parrot what my more knowledgeable friends tell me when it comes to anything artistic. :)

[Bunny]

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6823946/AO/Custom%20Made%20Sigs/AOTekMat.jpg

5min idea.... There are so many ways to display the diagram. Plz use your imagination :D

[skipdogg]

not sure what all the wording says on the left side, but in general i would buy that!

[Nobody]

how about people get a design submitted by Friday, and then we can put those pics, like what Bunny shown, in a poll and see what we comes out of it. we can then try to get a size and maybe, just maybe by tax day, get an order started by May 1st.

[Cokrkilr]

After seeing what bunny posted I'm down for the x only... that looks great!

Simple. Effective. Informative.

[Mole1119]

Bunny your are talented and fast! Well done
I know that was probably a quick and dirty what are the chances of getting something like that into a full up layout that be sent to a printer?

[Mole1119]

something i was playing around with

<a href="http://s401.photobucket.com/user/mole1119/media/AOTekMat_zpsc66c2ef5.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp98/mole1119/AOTekMat_zpsc66c2ef5.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo AOTekMat_zpsc66c2ef5.jpg"/></a>

[rukh013]

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6823946/AO/Custom%20Made%20Sigs/AOTekMat.jpg

5min idea.... There are so many ways to display the diagram. Plz use your imagination :D

want one

[knownothingmags]

whatever gets made i want two, but has to be made from quality tech mat material no plastic/foam

something like this
http://www.rcplanet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TDRTD390080&click=109537&gdftrk=gdfV23720_a_7c1734_a_7c7524_a_7cTDRTD390080&gclid=CM3C8L73m7YCFSSCQgodalIAfQ

[Justus]

something like this
http://www.rcplanet.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=TDRTD390080&click=109537&gdftrk=gdfV23720_a_7c1734_a_7c7524_a_7cTDRTD390080&gclid=CM3C8L73m7YCFSSCQgodalIAfQ

I click the link, and see something dark in the bottom recess. Then I spot this: "Large magnet in the recessed section at the front keeps screws, nuts and other metal items from rolling off the work surface"

Finishing touches like that make me willing to pay more, just sayin'.

[knownothingmags]

yeah, the recesses are great and then inlayed magnets in the right spots makes for an amazing mat.

[skipdogg]

agreed, recesses would be nice

[PBLife]

Nice mat but who makes it?

[luke]

yeah, the recesses are great and then inlayed magnets in the right spots makes for an amazing mat.

Great idea, especially for safety parts! :cuss:

[rschoi_75]

I'd definitely be in for at least one if this actually gets made.

+1 for the recess and magnet idea. I actually have an R/C mat in my garage... I didn't even think to use it for paintball. A 1/8th scale mat would work well.

[Mole1119]

Nice mat but who makes it?

What this guy said!

[C_losjoker]

If there were two drawings submitted, one for xvalve another for classic valve. And we needed a min order of 50, 25 wanted xvalve 25 wanted classic. Would they consider that one order and min qty ok or two orders and min not ok?

[Freedy500]

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6823946/AO/Custom%20Made%20Sigs/AOTekMat.jpg

5min idea.... There are so many ways to display the diagram. Plz use your imagination :D

Bunny this is amazing! (IMO at least). I can see this being perfect! Now I am wondering if there is anyway if we could throw the classic in their and possibly move down the LVL 7. I can see this as being something great to work off of.

[Mole1119]

If there were two drawings submitted, one for xvalve another for classic valve. And we needed a min order of 50, 25 wanted xvalve 25 wanted classic. Would they consider that one order and min qty ok or two orders and min not ok?

I just sent an email and they verified that the minimum order is for one design. it is more than 50 too.

[RehKal]

Whats the minimum then?


I just sent an email and they verified that the minimum order is for one design. it is more than 50 too.

[knownothingmags]

do you want to talk to some of my rc guys here?

[Mole1119]

They have a 200 piece minimum order. Basically I see a lot of left over, but in my mind the project just would have to break even. I honestly don't think there is any money to be made I just want a cool mat for my desk. It is worth it to me to at least pursue a a design and then see if there really is enough interest once it is finalized.

Knownothingmags - ya if they can pass along a POC for a company that will do a custom mat and they have a smaller minimum order then we may get a better product for the same or less. I thought those internal trays were pretty slick and the magnet aspect was even better.



Like I said I don't mind doing the leg work for this, don't expect something tomorrow though, it takes time to do the proper research and pull the right set of resources together to complete this. I am not a graphics guy, but I do know several and I have some call out to build me the layout. I want a high quality product just much as everyone else.

[Freedy500]

So any updates? I still want one of these things.

[knownothingmags]

ill try to get some info posted up this week. if any companies want to help with this.

[Freedy500]

Okay sounds good.

[Freedy500]

cough any updates? Are we just gonna give up on this thing?

[knownothingmags]

hey sorry got real busy. ill do it tommorow.
ill see if this is doable on my end.
if not my guys should be able to get me in touch with someone worth talking to.

[Spider-TW]

Add me to the interested count.

[PassengerCat]

I'd buy one.

[knownothingmags]

talked to the guys today we are looking at 50-75 $ a mat.

ill try and get ahold of the company tommorow.
so i can get some reall figures, 50-75$ per is a high number but not out of the question.

ill follow up tommorow.

thankyou,
KNM

[RehKal]

I would fully expect it to be more expensive anyway as it's custom made, so the higher price is not an issue. Just need to decide upon a final layout and size.

[Freedy500]

talked to the guys today we are looking at 50-75 $ a mat.

ill try and get ahold of the company tommorow.
so i can get some reall figures, 50-75$ per is a high number but not out of the question.

ill follow up tommorow.

thankyou,
KNM

Fine by me. I'm still down.

[knownothingmags]

i talked to the one company that would entertain the idea today, they said minimum order is 1000,
so im taped out on recources to get this done,
is there anyone else with better people skills or different mold company go to?

[barkingspider]

Anything new, I would really enjoy a diagram mat

[RehKal]

Need to find a place that will make them without requiring 200+ minimum order.

[barkingspider]

So I contacted a USA company called Telor Tactical about making custom printed magnetic mats. Hey replied and stated that he could print custom magnetic mats in a small quantity of 75 units. I have sent him a follow up email asking how to send graphics, along with pricing details.

I must admit that I don't have the final graphic depiction that the forum decided on, although I really hope it's tailored to exploded views of the x valve and classic valve. I loved bunny's rendition! I am not sure if we can do one of the x valve with level x bolt and then one with classic valve with level 7 bolt, with the idea of splitting the units? I also will be tied up here shortly with life issues taking most of my time. Is there possibly someone that I could had this lead of to who has time and the decided graphic depiction?

http://www.telortactical.com/products/telor-magnetic-gun-mat

[rschoi_75]

I'm still in.

[ScottyBeans]

I'd also be in for one, for sure.

[RehKal]

So I contacted a USA company called Telor Tactical about making custom printed magnetic mats. Hey replied and stated that he could print custom magnetic mats in a small quantity of 75 units. I have sent him a follow up email asking how to send graphics, along with pricing details.

I must admit that I don't have the final graphic depiction that the forum decided on, although I really hope it's tailored to exploded views of the x valve and classic valve. I loved bunny's rendition! I am not sure if we can do one of the x valve with level x bolt and then one with classic valve with level 7 bolt, with the idea of splitting the units? I also will be tied up here shortly with life issues taking most of my time. Is there possibly someone that I could had this lead of to who has time and the decided graphic depiction?

http://www.telortactical.com/products/telor-magnetic-gun-mat

The problem I see with these mats is... They are made of neoprene, we had already decided against that for longevity purposes. I, personally, would rather have one made of rubber.

[RehKal]

I am sending out a few emails to hopeful sources for getting these made. But we need to have a for sure size nailed down.

Did we decide 12x18" range is good enough or do we want something bigger? 18x24" for instance.

18x24" is preferable to me simply because you can move parts out of the way and still have plenty of work area on the mat. But I know others were saying that's too big.

[ScottyBeans]

I'd rather have an 12"x18", myself. Plenty of room to tear down one paintball gun and still small enough to store easily.

[barkingspider]

The problem I see with these mats is... They are made of neoprene, we had already decided against that for longevity purposes. I, personally, would rather have one made of rubber.

I guess I missed that people didn't want neoprene. I thought the attractive quality that they offered was the magnets as part of there mats. Well the company responded to send in the graphic and they would get me a price quote.

Can someone send me the decided valve graphic and I will send it in for a quote

[Freedy500]

I'd rather have an 12"x18", myself. Plenty of room to tear down one paintball gun and still small enough to store easily.

We decided on 16x30 before we started this up again.

[Justus]

We decided on 16x30 before we started this up again.

Yeah, it's got to be big enough to put a couple markers on and have space leftover to hold parts when you're breaking them down. 12x18 is about the size of my laptop. Much too small to use as a work area.

[ScottyBeans]

We decided on 16x30 before we started this up again.

Ah, I must have missed this, sorry. 16"x30" sounds great to me!

[RehKal]

Ok. Found a source that makes custom molded rubber counter/bar mats with no minimum order requirements. There is a setup fee to make them and we need a final design/layout in order to get that setup fee figured. They offer these mats in 17x22" (put four sheets of standard loose leaf paper together to see the size) and maybe larger (but setup will go up).. I'll have to confirm if they can go larger if we want 16x30. Depending on final setup costs, this could easily be distributed over and add only minimal cost per unit if we do a run of say... 50.

Not sure how many people actually want one of these though. Obviously the more units made, the lower the setup will cost overall.

[Justus]

What's a ballpark price point? People always got to know what they're getting into before they will say "I'm interested".

[splat15k]

Ok. Found a source that makes custom molded rubber counter/bar mats


Do you happen to know how robust those mats are/will be?

[RehKal]

The mats are in the range of $20-$25 a piece not including the distributed setup fee, which is how it'll be cheaper the more we order. Very rough estimate on setup is $400 (with no image it is -very- hard to get setup costs) which breaks down to $8 over a 50 piece run of mats. So in total, maybe $30-$40 a mat depending on setup costs.

The mats are solid molded rubber. Visit a local bar/restaurant with bar and see if they have rubber mats on their bar to see what you think, it's the same thing I'm talking about. We could get them without all the nibs for holding spilled drink to preserve the parts diagram. The guy I spoke with also suggested going with a thinner rubber (1/4") instead of standard thickness to help cut down costs. We could probably have some depressions put along top/bottom to hold small parts like screws an stuff too.

[ScottyBeans]

The mats are in the range of $20-$25 a piece not including the distributed setup fee, which is how it'll be cheaper the more we order. Very rough estimate on setup is $400 (with no image it is -very- hard to get setup costs) which breaks down to $8 over a 50 piece run of mats. So in total, maybe $30-$40 a mat depending on setup costs.

The mats are solid molded rubber. Visit a local bar/restaurant with bar and see if they have rubber mats on their bar to see what you think, it's the same thing I'm talking about. We could get them without all the nibs for holding spilled drink to preserve the parts diagram. The guy I spoke with also suggested going with a thinner rubber (1/4") instead of standard thickness to help cut down costs. We could probably have some depressions put along top/bottom to hold small parts like screws an stuff too.

I'd do $30-$40 no problem. Depressions would be fine but you could also just use a bowl, etc, so they aren't really necessary. Keep us posted.

[barkingspider]

I would be down for two at that price range.

[BTAutoMag]

sign me up for one

[knownothingmags]

im down for two, as long as they are hi quality

[Smudger]

Did this ever happen?

[luke]

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?266381-AO-Army-Jersey-Pre-Order

[Runamok]

did I miss the work mat moustash? I want big one . AGD is all about the Stach. If I can I'll out furry TK himself.